The root had pierced her through the abdomen, a sudden access of speed in its blind questing. Her body arched backwards, fingers clawing at the iron walls. For a moment it seemed that her monstrous metabolism could survive even this. Then it was incinerating her. She just flaked away into ash below the ribs. Idris saw her eyes close and her face go slack, and he had no idea if this was what she had really wanted or not.
