" Akos stepped in front of the soldier before he could follow Lazmet into the courtyard, bringing the door swinging behind him. The move had surprised the man; he didn’t even object as Akos slammed the door between them, and turned the bolt so he couldn’t get in.
“If your intention was to trick me into poisoning myself, your timing is off,” Lazmet said.
Akos turned. The hushflowers--the ones he had been counting on to make this easier, their poison blooms capable of felling Lazmet even if he, Akos, couldn’t--weren’t there. Their stalks were empty. The flowers had already been harvested.
The knife was still cool against Akos’s back. If Vakrez hadn’t given it to him, he would be as good as dead right now. "

― Veronica Roth , The Fates Divide (Carve the Mark, #2)