The city archivist kept his office below the waterline, where secrets were less likely to catch fire.
"You saw a future," he said, locking three doors behind her.
"I saw the city die."
"Then the letter found the right courier."
He pulled a ledger from beneath the floorboards. Seven names had been written on the first page, each in a different hand.
Mina recognized the last one.
It was hers.
The archivist tapped the ink. "Every city gets one oracle. Ours has been trying to hide from the job."
Above them, the first alarm bell rang.