The invisible voices burst into sound.

What has she done?!

Oh, no! This is bad!

The other attendants gasped and screamed in turn. Someone grabbed her and pulled her away from the staircase.

“Good heavens!” someone said. “Get a doctor!”

Footsteps hurried down the steps.

“She’s moving!” someone said. “She’s alive!”

Thank the heavens! Joy and relief burst from the voices.

And Eluvie’s anger sprang to full bloom.

She marched to the side of the hall and retrieved a vase. It took her several seconds to find it; her sense of direction was faulty. She grasped it by its thin neck and turned it over to rid it of its contents. Then, she marched down the staircase.

“What is she doing?” someone asked.

Stop her! The voices screamed. She’s insane. You, trip her! You can’t do this, Isei! It’s not right!

They couldn’t be that slow, Eluvie thought, or that stupid. So, they must hate Madam Ria as much as she did.

She found Madam Ria’s body, still prone at the foot of the staircase, and gave it one good thump with the vase. She didn’t have time to aim. They would stop her when they deemed it sensible.

Someone tried to prevent her second blow. She shoved the person away and continued her assault. She managed two more blows before they pulled her away. Guards arrived soon after. They twisted her arms behind her back and held her in place. She didn’t struggle; she couldn’t fight them off.

She heard running footsteps on the upper floor.

“Who fell?” Amu asked.

“Madam Ria,” someone said. “You need to help her.”

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“Or you could just let her die,” Eluvie said. “I don’t want to have to push her again.”

They didn’t stay long enough to hear Amu’s assessment. Bitu assumed command, ordered them into formation, and led the way to the great hall.

Eluvie could only imagine the picture she made. There was blood on her hands and possibly on her clothes. The entire company was as silent as midnight.

“Did someone die?” one of the rulers asked. “And where is the blood?”

There was a brief silence. Then, Bitu spoke, her voice strong and clear. “It fell. We’ll collect a replacement immediately after this. We didn’t want to delay you.”

Lady Mirab jumped in, angry. “What does that mean, it fell? Where is Ria?”

Bitu took a deep breath and then spoke crisply, as if she was delivering a report about the breakfast menu.

There was some hesitation, then Bitu spoke.

“Eluvie pushed Madam Ria down the staircase,” she said. “Madam Ria was carrying the containers.”Stunned silence followed.

"I feel insulted," Eluvie said. "It's as if you didn't think I'm capable of it."

"I'll handle it," Lady Mirab said, not to Eluvie.

"Really?" asked a ruler. "So far, it seems like you're not handling anything at all."

"Oh, she's trying," Eluvie said.

"I'll handle it," Lady Mirab said again.

There was something new in Mirab's voice, a tone Eluvie had never heard before, and it gave her pause.

"Did you dream of anything, girl?" someone asked.

Eluvie furrowed her brow. Were they drunk? She had almost murdered someone, and they were treating it like a mild inconvenience.

Someone banged on something wooden, startling Eluvie.

"Speak," Lady Mirab said, "now."

"No," Eluvie said. "We discussed this last week. I'm done with this game. If you want something from me now, you need to beat it out of me."

"Eluvie!"

Lady Mirab sounded so enraged that Eluvie found enough humor to laugh.

"What?" Eluvie asked. "Did you really believe my act? You think torturing me will break me? It can't because I'm already broken. This is what it looks like."

Eluvie was lying; lying to them and lying to herself. She had very little strength left for fighting. This one time, she could protect the boy. This one time, she could distract them again. But unless her other plans bore fruit, she would not survive another week.

"Let us adjourn," Lady Mirab said. "I'll send you a message when it is done."

One of the rulers gave a heavy sigh, then rose with the sound of creaking wood.

"We'll meet again tomorrow," someone said. "We'll discuss this then."

They left, one at a time, while Eluvie remained standing in the center of the room, imagining Mirab's glare on her skin.

When the last of the rulers was gone, Lady Mirab approached the group. Eluvie readied herself for a scolding rant, but Lady Mirab's voice, when it came, was calm.

"Follow me," she said.

Eluvie felt the first stirrings of panic. Lady Mirab's voice was too calm.

They followed Lady Mirab out of the room and back through the maze of hallways. They went up the stairs and then, to Eluvie's confusion, didn't continue toward her bedroom. Instead, they took the path to the clinic.

Perhaps they were on their way to scold Amu, Eluvie thought, or to see Madam Ria. There was a different clinic on the third floor for the staff, but perhaps Amu had taken her there.

They reached the clinic, and Lady Mirab ordered all of Eluvie's attendants into it.

"Lay her on the bed," Lady Mirab said.

Eluvie's panic spiked.

She gave only token resistance; she wasn't strong enough to fight off four pairs of hands.

"Strap her down," Lady Mirab said.

They never strapped her down unless they planned to do something she would fight. Eluvie listened to the invisible voices, but they only expressed the same confusion that she felt. She told herself that nothing they planned to do would be worse than the week she'd already endured, but she only partially believed that. As each strap tightened against her, she wondered if she should not have fought, if she should not begin fighting.

They finished tying her down, and Lady Mirab said, "Drain her."

"We shouldn't take more blood today," Amu said.

"Drain her completely," Lady Mirab said.