It was a push too far. I drew on my lace and slammed a rope into his torso, intending to throw him off his feet.

Instead, my power hit an invisible wall and rebounded.

I took a step backwards.

He laughed. “What’s wrong?”

I tried again; wound the lace tighter and stronger this time. Again, it snapped away from him like a repulsed magnet. The civilians whispered. To them, it looked like I was doing nothing at all. A horrible feeling of helplessness welled up from the pit of my stomach.

“Anything to say?”

I took a step toward him.

“Don’t test me,” he mocked, and snapped his fingers.

An invisible rope caught me around the shoulders. I jerked to a halt. My anger and shock made it difficult to weave lace; it turned slick and slipped away from me. As I fumbled to sever the first rope, another took its place.

I was outmatched.

“How are you doing that?” I growled.

The man feigned a look of innocence. One of the civilians edged closer to him, apparently with the intention of tackling him from behind. She came to an abrupt stop.

“Please stay back,” I said to the onlookers. Where is Enforcement?

“Very noble of you.” The man walked toward me.

I smiled thinly. “You must realise that the Sisterhood will not tolerate this. There’s no way you can evade us.”

He patted me on the head as he passed.

“Want to bet?” he whispered.

Outrage rendered me speechless. I drew on my power and hacked at the rope until it disintegrated. How dare he? The power binding me fell away. The civilian woman stumbled as I freed her.

“Please do not leave the area!” I shouted to the onlookers, as I turned on heel. “You may be required to serve as witnesses!”

The man was already at the arch. Eater, he was fast. I ran after him, my feet pounding on the walkway. The Enforcer shouted in surprise, her body stiffening as if paralysed. This made no sense; only Sisters could use lace, and yet those had definitely been lacework bindings. I balled my fists. Humiliated. He had treated me like a child in front of civilians.

Through the arch, and past the Enforcer. The man was halfway down the stairs.

Even though the distance was too great, I threw a lacework rope at him. The binding fell short, but clipped his ankle. He staggered sideways and knocked into the balustrade. For a moment, I thought that he might fall over the edge. There was a twenty-foot drop to the level below, enough to break his neck. My stomach lurched. Then he caught himself and stumbled on down the stairs.

“Stop right there, Acolyte!”

The Enforcer had worked her way free from the binding and caught up to me.

“Let him go,” she panted. “I’ve triggered the alarm. Enforcement will apprehend him at the gates.”

“But…” The man had reached the base of the stairs.