Mercer spent the following weeks balancing council business with careful investigation into the broader mystery Orlen's confession had opened, the two of them meeting regularly, along with Isla, to piece together whatever understanding they could build about the voice's true purpose.
"If there are others," Isla said, during one such evening session in Mercer's office, "the question becomes how to find them without alerting the voice itself to our investigation."
"Assuming it doesn't already know everything we're discussing," Orlen pointed out grimly. "Mine has always seemed aware of conversations I believe private, suggesting whatever connection it maintains to my thoughts extends beyond simple occasional communication."
Mercer considered this an uncomfortable possibility. "Then perhaps
