Miljin brought his green blade down on the twitch, and the sword tore through the fretvine floor like it was made of straw. Yet the twitch was already gone, leaping away, her robes rippling as she moved like an acrobat. Then a flicker to her arms, and a third Legionnaire was collapsing, multiple perforations sprouting blood from her torso, like water from a decorative fountain. Fayazi’s engraver was shrieking wildly, diving for cover with his hands clapped to his ears.
The remaining Legionnaires darted after the twitch, trying to encircle her. I saw her pause, her dark eyes flicking about, counting the swords before her.
“Trap her!” bellowed Miljin. “Pin her in! Keep her from moving!”
The twitch looked to the window.
Another volley of green flares arose in the distance. The bells screamed on.
“Strike her down!” shouted Miljin. “Now, now!”
But the twitch bent low, sprinted for the window, darted about the Legionnaires, slid between two of them—and leapt out.
We all stared at the empty window, flummoxed.
“Where did she go?” cried Vashta. “Where in hell…”
Miljin and I ran to the window, peering out into the courtyard. Though the yard was flooding with figures bound up in Iudex blue, the twitch was nowhere to be seen.
“What in hell?” said Miljin. “She vanished?”
“No,” said Ana, standing slowly. “She did not run away, I believe. She went up, rather, climbing the tower.”
“Up?” said Vashta. “What the hell did she climb the tower for?”
“To get into my rooms,” said Ana. “The twitch is here for the reagents key, after all. I said just now that it was in my chest, in my rooms—but this was a lie. What the twitch will instead find there should be greatly surprising to her.”
“We must go up!” said Vashta. “We must go up and catch her!”
“No,” said Ana. “She will come down, and soon. And then she will perish. Let us go the atrium to meet her. For though we might not survive the day, let us at least take comfort that the evil folk among us will not, either.”
We exited the adjudication room in a dazed stagger, the bells ringing in our ears, Miljin leading the way with his sword drawn. Fayazi Haza began bawling that she wanted to go home, to go home, but Vashta told the Legionnaire to clap a hand on her arm and not let her go.
Then we heard a scream from high above us, and the slam of a door bursting open.
We looked up. A figure was staggering down the stairway, sobbing with rage.
“What…” choked the twitch’s voice. “What have you done to me?”
Vashta drew her own blade and stood beside Miljin and the Legionnaires, waiting. I stood before Ana, my sword held high. Then another volley of flares rose, and the tower was filled with green light, and we saw her.
The twitch was descending, her nose and mouth pouring blood. She coughed, and yet more blood came, sloshing down her front.
“What did you do to me?” she spat. “What did you…what did you…”
Yet I recognized what I was now seeing. I had seen such a transmutation before, when Miljin and I had found Ditelus on the Plains of the Path.
“Dappleglass,” I said softly.
“Yes,” said Ana quietly. “I told you I was worried someone might try to poison me, Din. I took three of your hairs and stuck them to the lid of my teapot, just in case. Yesterday evening, while you were at the banquet, I found them gone—and a tiny leaf stuck to the interior of the teapot with resin. Dappleglass, of course.”
The twitch stumbled down the last length of stairway, her eyes now leaking blood.
“Last night I lined my chest with leather, creating a seal,” said Ana. “And then, this morning, I snipped off the tiniest bit of the leaf, placed it in my teapot, and started it boiling at a low heat in my chest, and shut it. Not much—but then, twitches don’t need much. They’re very vulnerable to contagion…”
The twitch staggered down the last span of steps, blood pouring from her face, her long, stiletto sword still raised.
“But she is not dead yet,” Ana said, “and is still dangerous…”
“I tried to kill you before, you…you bitch,” the twitch said savagely. Flecks of blood danced in the air with each word. “Got…got your little helper instead.”
“So you think,” said Ana with a sniff. “But then, you and your masters always were fools.”
Her dark eyes glinted. “I’ll kill you and…and your child now…” she spat. “Even…even if I should die doing it…”