Page 63 of City of Stone and Silence

“I know.” He shakes his head, leaving trails of gray light. “I nearly had it when the ship sailed into the Harbor.”

“What happened?”

“I felt something reach out to Soliton. Take control of it. The city’s system controls the ship’s, it was designed that way. But I could feel someone coming with it, passing into Soliton’s system, rummaging around. Looking for something like me.”

“Prime,” I say, mouth dry. “It was Prime.”

Ghost-Hagan nods. “He doesn’t control the city’s system, but he can ride it. And he’s stronger than I am, much stronger. I pushed myself into this angel and ran. I don’t know exactly how much I left behind.”

“Left behind?”

“Parts of myself. My feelings, my memories. I crammed what was important into this thing.” He shrugs. “I feel … incomplete. But it doesn’t matter.”

“Why did you wait until now to say something?” Unreasoning anger flares. He could have helped us against Prime—warned us, at least—

“I can’t talk to the city’s system, or else he’ll notice me,” Hagan says. “This is the only way I could figure out to talk to you, piggybacking directly on a conduit. Even here, I don’t think we have long—”

“No, we don’t,” another voice says. A young woman, sharp and commanding. “So can we get on with it?”

Her ghost-image forms beside Hagan. It’s indistinct, compared to his, blurred and constantly fraying and re-forming. She’s about my age, with long pale hair and iceling features, tall and slender. Given Catoria’s story, I can make a pretty good guess as to her identity.

“Silvoa, right?”

She grins, wide and infectious. Another blurry shiver runs across her image. “I see you’re up to speed. That’s helpful.”

“More like a lucky guess,” I say, shaking my head. “Are you…” I can’t think of a tactful way to ask the question.

“Dead?” She gives a decisive nod. “As a doornail.”

“Ah.”

“Prime took me prisoner when Gragant and I tried to get into his ziggurat,” Silvoa goes on, matter-of-factly. “When I wouldn’t work with him, he tortured me to death.”

“Um.” Because how, exactly, do you respond to that? “Sorry. I mean. So…”

“Why am I still here?” she says. “He caught my spirit when I died, just like you did with Hagan. Except you seem to have given him free run of Soliton’s system, while Prime keeps the Harbor pretty well locked down.”

“Why?”

“He likes to torture me from time to time,” she says, waving a hand in a blurred gesture. “He’s not very complicated, in some ways.”

“She contacted me while I was following you to the ziggurat,” Hagan says. “Told me where to look for the conduit. There’s a network running under the entire city.”

“And when he finds me, he’ll close the loophole I used to get out,” Silvoa says. “I have no idea how long it’ll take to find another one, so let’s not waste time. Isoka—It’s Isoka, right?”

I nod, dumbly. Even without the added complication of being dead, Silvoa’s rapid-fire style is a little overwhelming.

“Okay. You had the right idea, trying to get into Prime’s lair.”

“Catoria told me what you were trying to do. I thought we might have better luck.” I swallow. “That was … stupid. I just—”

“Not stupid, but maybe a little premature. Catoria…” Silvoa’s businesslike expression softens. “Is she all right?”

“She seemed fine,” I say. “She talked a lot about you.”

“I wish she wouldn’t,” Silvoa says. “I wish … well, a lot of things. Not relevant. The point is, I was right back then. If you can get to all three access points, the system will recognize you as an administrator. You can lock Prime out, shut off his power, use the angels against him.”

“I thought I would be able to control Soliton after I got to the Garden, but—”