Lysandra's words stayed with Trafalgar as they passed beneath the stone archway. He was grateful to have someone he could talk to without wondering how his answers might be repeated at the next family meeting.
The Council had ended, but the gathering built around it was only gaining strength. Servants threaded between the tables with trays of food and wine, musicians were setting up beneath a covered pavilion, and small groups clustered around the fountains, far enough from the central courtyard to hear one another.
The banners of the Eight Great Families hung above the paths, stirring in the softening afternoon light. Every terrace Trafalgar could see was packed.
"It'll be like this until tonight," Lysandra said. "Most of the visiting Houses won't leave until the main delegations begin preparing to depart. They have no reason to rush home while everyone they want to meet is still here."
