The bell struck once before the knife reached me. I fell sideways with the chair. Its back caught the table edge, turning the fall into a clumsy twist that drove the old bruise against the wood. Steel passed through the space beside my throat.
I hit the floor on my left shoulder and lost the bell beneath the desk. Something landed beyond the chair. Light moved strangely across the window, showing a shape still near the upper frame while weight pressed the floor much closer to me.
I didn't watch the shape. I pushed the fallen chair between us and scrambled toward the open side of the table. The knife cut through the chair's upper rail. Wood snapped beside my ear. A piece struck my cheek, and the rest of the chair moved as Nyx kicked it out of her way.
It had bought less than a second. I had needed all of it. My left hand found the wooden blade. I dragged it down from the seat and brought it across my body as she came around the table.
"West Quay," I said.
