C18 The name beneath the floor

The auctioneer’s ivory gavel hovered above Director Alistair’s podium, ready to strike as the wealthy, masked patrons of the High Circle raised their silver paddles higher. The sapphire-blue light swirling inside the glass sphere on the velvet cushion pulsed in time with the heavy, rhythmic thumping in Vespera’s chest.

“Twelve thousand sovereigns