House of Reeds

'There is?' Bhrigu turned, unsettled, and bleated in outrage as the Scandia two-ton swerved, scattering his soldiers and screeched to a halt only inches from the side of the tank, dust and gravel spattering against dull gray armor. 'What is this? Who are -'

The door of the truck banged open and a pale rose-colored female climbed out, stepping daintily onto the rear deck. She was immediately followed by a Jehanan of impressive size, all cloaked and cowled in the manner of the highland tribesmen. One hand, scarred and chipped, rested on the female's slim shoulder with a proprietary air. The other rested on the silver-chased hilt of a cruel-looking sword.

'You are Bhrigu,' the chieftain growled, raising the hackles on back of Petrel's neck. The creature radiated undiluted menace. 'I've something for you.' Roughly, he shoved the female forward, drawing an outraged squeak as she fell against the turret.

Mrs. Petrel became aware of every single Jehanan within sight growing completely still. Bhrigu stared down upon the girl at his feet and turned a queer, pasty-yellow color.

'Bhazuradeha? What -'

'The spoils of war,' boomed the highland chieftain, gesturing dismissively at the poetess. 'The traitor Humara is doomed, unable to even keep his choicest prize in safety. See how she cowers before you? She knows well who the victor will be…'

Bhrigu was struck speechless for a moment, but then he turned, snout wrinkling in furious suspicion, to Mrs. Petrel, who had been glad to catch a breath or two.

'You…' The kujen started to sputter in outrage. 'You had her stolen!'

'Fairly captured, mi'lord,' the girl proclaimed in a clear, carrying voice, taking the opportunity to stand up, brush herself off and kneel – as best she was able – before him on the turret ring. The crowd of Jehanan soldiers in the street had now grown quite large and every long reptilian face was turned towards the tableau atop the tank. 'Taken in a sudden, daring raid by you r…loyal vassals.' She turned, inclining her slim head towards the Arachosian. 'Oh, there was a terrible struggle, but they overthrew nearly a brigade of Humara's finest troops to pluck me from a perfumed, flowered garden where I languished, a cruelly kept captive!'

Gher Shahr twitched at the words loyal vassal but managed to keep hold of his temper.

Mrs. Petrel, gently reminded by the locust in her ear, climbed painfully down from the tank and picked her way through the rubble back into the burned out shop front. Parker was lying on the ground, a roll of cloth under his head, breathing irregularly.

Outside, Bhazuradeha gazed adoringly up at the stunned kujen, hands crossed at his feet, her voice rising in a plaintive song describing her captivity and long adoration of the distant, noble prince, the only person who could possibly rescue her from such a powerful master. The entire street was perfectly silent, nearly five thousand soldiers listening keenly to her crystal-clear voice.

'Let's lift him up,' Mrs. Petrel said, leaning down beside Magdalena and taking hold of Parker's hands. The Hesht blinked her eyes open, stirring from exhaustion. 'There is a truck outside with medical equipment. A doctor is coming, too, but he won't be here for a bit. There's a bit of a traffic jam…'

Sergeant Dawd eased through a servant's doorway and found himself in a long, low hallway running behind the suite. The passage was very dimly lit – there were some small bluish lights spaced along the roof – but he could hear the prince snif-fling somewhere ahead. A massive whoomp! boomed behind him, followed by the rattle of gunfire and faint screams.

The master sergeant is hard at work…I'd best be quick! He'll need my help…

Combat knife in one hand and his remaining Nambu in the other, the Eagle Knight crept forward, keeping his wounded shoulder to the wall. He could hear someone walking quickly, accompanied by the sound of dragging feet.

A door-wheel rattled open and light spilled into the hallway. A human silhouetted against the light pushed the hunched-over shape of Tezozуmoc through the opening with a warning growl. The prince cried out, hitting his shin, and there was a cold laugh.

'You're a pitiful specimen,' the creature wearing Timonen's shape declared in a heavy Finnish accent as he stepped through the door.

Dawd lunged out of the darkness, slashing his combat-knife at the man's neck.

The Finn blurred aside, reacting with incredible speed. The Eagle Knight's gray-green eyes widened as his blade clove thin air. Timonen spun, face peculiarly empty of expression and smashed a fist into Dawd's chest. The Skawtsman coughed blood, flew across the hallway and bounced from the wall. He staggered, finger clenching on the trigger of the Nambu. A double-flare of propellant blazed in the darkness, sketching the outline of the Finn lunging low, head twisted to one side at an impossible angle, one arm stiff to stab elongated needlelike fingers into the Eagle Knight's unarmored armpit. Dawd felt a rushing cold chill leach the strength from his arm.

Gasping, he looked down and saw razor-sharp fingers dripping with blood withdraw from his side. Ice flooded his chest and he slid down the wall, leaving a crimson smear. The Lengian loomed over him, cold blue eyes gleaming in the darkness. Dawd gaped, paralyzed, watching the man's head shift gelatinously, sliding back onto his neck. Unnaturally long arms coiled back into shoulder sockets and the creature flicked droplets of blood from his fingers, once more in their proper shape.

The Lengian leaned close, seizing the Eagle Knight's head with his hands, thumbs pressing into the corners of Dawd's eyes. The Skawtsman cried out in horrible pain once, and then he choked into silence. The creature crouched over his body and there was a slithering, sticky sound in the half-light.

Panting, his stomach clenching angrily, Tezozуmoc managed to get to his feet. He was in some kind of dimly-lit stairwell. The smell of urine, rotten bread and ancient candle wax permeated the air.

'Hello?' The prince groped about, finding a railing and stepped back to the door he'd been so roughly pushed through. 'Is…is anyone there?'

'Here, mi'lord,' a half-familiar voice issued from the darkness, followed by the flare of a hand-lamp. Tezozуmoc blinked, blinded, and raised a hand to shield his eyes. 'Ah, sorry. There's a bit of a mess to clean up – just wait a moment.'

The prince shuddered with relief, glad beyond measure to hear the Skawtsman's voice. 'You've killed the…the Swede then?'

There was an affirmative grunt. 'He was a Finn, I think,' Dawd said, his voice hoarse and dull. 'Facial structure is a little different…' A hissing sound cut the air and Tezozуmoc flinched, his nostrils assailed by a sharp acidic smell. 'But he's done for now.'

The Eagle Knight turned back, lamp shining on the floor. The prince saw the young Skawtsman was drenched with blood, his gunrig in disarray, armor pocked by bullet impacts, hair haggard and awry. Dawd tucked his Nambu away and held out a hand to Tezozуmoc.

'Step carefully, mi'lord, the floor is a bit…slippery.'

The prince swallowed, nodded and hurried past the body dissolving on the ground. Dawd gestured for him to go ahead.

'Where's Master Sergeant Colmuir?' Tezozуmoc asked, starting to feel ill again. He hadn't had a drink in hours and hours and he was feeling very poorly. 'How will we get out of here?'

Dawd coughed wetly, but patted the young man on the shoulder. 'Not to worry, I'm sure the master sergeant and I can figure something out…Yes, just through that door there.'

Tezozуmoc crept through the entry to the bathroom, tense as a rabbit on a full moon night, but was surprised at the silence pervading the wrecked suite of rooms.

His head held high, kujen Bhrigu stamped up a flight of grand, red-carpeted stairs and onto the third floor landing. A wall of soldiers preceded him, rifles at the ready. A young sirdar from the 111th Assault Brigade checked the passage, eyeing the scattered corpses with a disdainful eye and waved his king forward. Smoke clogged the air and several sections of wall were burning.

'Clear the way!' The officer barked. Two of his troopers stepped aside.

Bhrigu stepped over a drift of bodies and into a mangled, bullet-riddled doorway. Mrs. Petrel had hung back a bit as the royal presence entered the hotel – a large number of dazed mutineers were being rounded up and herded out of the building, but she was careful to keep out of the line of fire if some zealot jumped out of a closet with a gun – but now she stepped up to the kujen's shoulder and took in the scene before