Chapter 63 (In any major conflict, each side fights for its own cause)

Mentat scouts give Gilbertus Albans six hours’ warning of an approaching Butlerian army. Confident in his projections but grim about the outcome, Gilbertus maintains appearances, hides Erasmus, and orders the school sealed. Manford Torondo arrives with hundreds, including Swordmaster Anari Idaho, and demands entry to seize Anna Corrino. Gilbertus refuses unsafe terms; the standoff becomes a siege.

The Butlerians establish a long-term camp. Before dawn, Anari leads a four-Swordmaster reconnaissance through the swamp, dismissing warnings about local hazards. Razorjaw fish swarm the team, killing three and badly wounding Anari, who barely escapes. Manford expresses concern; Anari vows to try again.

Alys Carroll offers insider guidance through the defenses. Bandaged but resolute, Anari takes a new team with Alys leading them across submerged stepping-stones toward the school. They encounter floating swamp dragons that prove to be Erasmus’s preserved decoys, a stalling tactic.

Midway across, a stepping-stone is missing and Alys slips into the water. A real swamp dragon, lying in wait among the decoys, strikes and drags Alys under, killing her. The commandos panic and withdraw; Anari methodically retraces the hidden path to safety, shaken and angry.

From the battlements, Gilbertus and Anna Corrino observe the chaos. Their decoy strategy has worked but only delays the inevitable. Gilbertus tells Anna the situation will worsen as the siege hardens around the Mentat School.