Inaya recalled herself. She pulled her disparate elements back together, and reformed there in the room, vomiting flies and red beetles.

She didn’t even bother to wait until her transformation was complete before she slogged to the table on half-formed legs, trailing long strings of mucus.

She put her hands on the table and waited for her tongue and throat and lungs to come back into form.

Then she said, “What the fuck have you all done?”

“Inaya!” Gabrielle said.

“What are you doing here?” Inaya said. “You should be in Montmare. Who’s running things there?”

“I had to evacuate. There have been repercussions. We expected—”

“We?” She rounded on Michel. “This was not the course of action I directed.”

“Let me get you a habit,” Michel said. “You should cover up.”

“Move another step and I will unmake you where you stand. Our people are dying in the hall, and you care about my nudity? Are you a madman?”

Michel went very still.

“I want a status update,” Inaya said.

“We have riots in all the major cities,” Gabrielle said quickly. She tapped up a map of Ras Tieg on the slide. “As you instructed, we carried out operations in—”

“My instructions?”

Gabrielle glanced at Michel. “Yes, your instructions. Michel—”

“Tell me what my instructions were, Michel,” Inaya said.

The two cell leaders, Alix and Juste, hovered in the door. More curious operatives peered in.

Michel cleared his throat. “This was an operation in planning for some time,” he said. “You and I discussed it before—”

“Before I told you that violence would simply confirm to this country’s citizens that we are dangerous animals that should be put down.”

“Strength!” Michel said, and his face flushed. “We must show strength or be put down like animals. You think simply showing them our numbers would make an impression? You know what these people find very impressive? Strength. And we have shown them that.”

“Indeed,” Inaya said. “And now half our movement’s leaders are foolishly holed up in the same space as the noose grows tighter and tighter. How long do you think it will be before they find us? If they have not been tipped off already when they followed these three?”

“Inaya,” Gabrielle said softly. “I don’t understand. Was this not done at your direction?”

Inaya’s gaze never left Michel. “I have been in prison for many, many weeks.”

“That’s impossible,” Alix said. “I received word from you just last week.”

“Michel said you had simply gone underground,” Gabrielle said.

“Oh, I was underground,” Inaya said. “Yes. He ensured that. Didn’t you, Michel?”