Glokta looked up. Her voice sounded different. Deeper, harder. Her face looked different too, one side in shadow, one side lit in flickering orange from the fires outside the window. A strange expression, teeth half-bared, eyes fixed on Glokta and glittering with a hungry intensity as she padded slowly forward. A fearsome expression, almost. If I was prone to fear… And the wheels clicked into place.

'You?' he breathed.

'Me.'

You? Glokta could not help himself. He let out a burst of involuntary chuckling. 'Harker had you! That idiot stumbled on you by mistake, and I let you go! And I thought I was the hero!' He could not stop laughing. 'There's a lesson for you, eh? Never do a good turn!'

'I don't need lessons from you, cripple.' She took one more step. Not three strides away from him now.

'Wait!' He held up his hand. 'Just tell me one thing!' She paused, one brow raised, questioning. Just stay there. 'What happened to Davoust?'

Shickel smiled. Sharp, clean teeth. 'He never left the room.' She stroked her stomach gently. 'He is here.' Glokta forced himself not to look up as the loop of chain descended slowly from the ceiling. 'And now you can join him.' She got half a step forward before the chain hooked her under the chin and jerked up, dragging her off her feet into the air, hissing and spitting, kicking and thrashing.

Severard sprang up from his hiding-place beneath a table, tried to grab hold of Shickel's flailing legs. He yelped as her bare foot cracked into his face, sent him sprawling across the carpet.

'Shit,' gasped Vitari as Shickel wedged her hand under the chain and began to drag her down from the rafters. 'Shit!' They crashed onto the floor together, struggled for a moment, then Vitari flew through the air, a flailing black shadow in the darkness. She wailed as she crashed into a table in the far corner of the room, flopped senseless on the floor. Severard was still groaning, rolling slowly onto his back in a daze, hands clasped to his mask. Glokta and Shickel were left staring at one another. Me and my Eater. This is unfortunate.

He backed against the wall as the girl sprang at him, but she only got a step before Frost barrelled into her at full tilt, crashed on top of her onto the carpet. They lay there for a moment, then she slowly rolled on to her knees, slowly fought her way up to standing, all of the hulking Practical's great weight bearing down on her, slowly took a shuffling step towards Glokta.

The albino's arms were wrapped tight round her, straining with every sinew to drag her away, but she kept moving slowly forward, teeth gritted, one thin arm pinned to her thin body while her free hand clawed out furiously towards Glokta's neck.