The sheets became one doll. Like Parian’s bigger creations, it reached a height of about twenty feet. I’d seen smaller at the fight against Leviathan. This one remained featureless. Nothing spared for decoration. Bloody, because the sheets had covered people that had been torn apart.

When thread ran out, she began using tendons from the body, or hair.

Skin stretched like most cloth didn’t. But that wasn’t why it was so much bigger, or why it seemed more flexible than the cloth creations, less clumsy.

“How long have you fucking known?” Foil asked, below me. Her voice raw.

“Since last year,” Tattletale said. “We were figuring out Rachel’s power. Why it was different with Bastard than with the dogs. Why it was better with some others. Best with Rollo, her first. Turns out, the dog that she had when she triggered wasn’t a full dog. Half coyote, we’re guessing. It always worked better with halfbreeds. Always will. She still prefers dogs.”

Rachel grunted.

“Par always said it wasn’t intuitive, like most people find their powers,” Foil whispered.

“That… was essentially what she said, before she asked me for help. Just in case.”

The thing took form. It wasn’t Titan sized, but it was a bit bigger than the Gibborim Knight had been. Skin stretched translucent thin. It was mostly human shaped, streaked with the blood that had leaked out in the flaying.

It looked like she’d only had permission for a third of the dead.

Foil wasn’t the only one who looked horrified.

Wardens were calling out their orders when a shadow fell over the camp.

Skadi plunged her blade straight down at Parian.

The skin-thing struck out, protecting its controller, wrestling Skadi to the ground.

She cut, and the telekinesis that saturated the skin seemed to protect it from the cut.

From there, a share of the capes joined that fight, focusing on Skadi.

And we had our orders, to tackle Oberon. To keep him busy.

“Go,” Tattletale told Foil. “She doesn’t want to see you.”

“I don’t want to see her. Not like this,” Foil replied, her voice choked with emotion. “Holy fuck.”

“Go,” Tattletale said, insistent.

“Fuck you for telling her.”

“She always knew, deep down inside, I think,” Tattletale said.

“Oh fuck off.”

“You know her background, how she triggered. It was always about skin.”

Foil shook her head.

It was Imp who steered Foil away, Heartbroken right behind her.

Parian’s creation was putting up a good fight. Only a few places were cut, but the telekinesis was holding, and the cuts were being stitched.

Fume Hood—Titan Eve—No.

Fume Hood was already fighting as she made her retreat. The fastest capes were engaging Oberon. Teem had never left the battlefield.

I took flight.