it, trying to distract the exalted while he waited for a chance to use the blade. The other rifleman pressed against the far railing, leaning backward as he tried to aim his weapon at Cristof without risking Alister. Taya swore. She'd missed the lictor who'd replaced his air cylinder.
Then she heard the hissing that signaled a new release of hot air from the steam engines below. Thanking the Lady, she caught the updraft and aimed herself at the crosswalk, starting high and angling down at a forty- five-degree angle. As soon as she was close, she swung herself around into landing position.
The rifleman looked up in time to see her boots slam into his chest. Already off-balance, absorbing her impact was enough to flip the lictor backward over the rail, still clutching his rifle. He screamed as he plummeted.
Taya used the jar of hitting him to backbeat and caught the rail with both feet. A jolt of pain went through her injured leg. She craned her neck, trying to see whether she had any chance of saving the falling man. She hadn't meant —
'Look out!'
She heard Cristof's shout at the same time she felt hands on her wing, yanking it down. She tumbled, her back slamming against the crosswalk. The impact wasn't hard enough to knock the breath out of her — the ondium kept her light — but she was momentarily helpless as the knife-wielding lictor kicked her in the side, right beneath her keel.
Gasping for breath, Taya struggled to free her arms. The lictor leaned over and grabbed her harness straps, his blade flashing. She futilely tried to kick him back.
Over the lictor's shoulder, she saw Cristof swinging his needler around.
The weapon spat, and the sharp tips of long steel pins abruptly protruded from her attacker's throat. Blood spurted as the man clutched his neck. The knife fell from his fingers and slipped through the grillwork into the emptiness below.
Taya freed her arms and wiped the dead lictor's blood off her face, her hands shaking.
'Nice work, Cris,' Alister said agreeably, then grabbed his brother with both hands. With a heave, he lifted Cristof by his harness and hauled him over the catwalk rail.
'Wait!' Cristof shouted, his loose wings floating around him. He made a grab at Alister's forearms and missed.
Taya rolled to her feet, her own unlocked wings clattering against the metal railing as they floated upward. She stood just in time to see Alister drop his brother into the depths.
If Cristof shouted, his cry was lost in the roar of the Great Engine and the ugly grating and squealing sound of his metal wings rattling over the guard rail as he fell.
Taya threw herself forward, leaning over the edge of the railing. She had one boot wedged in the grille, ready to jump, when Alister grabbed her around the waist. She twisted, yanking at his wrists.
'Easy, little swan! He'll be all right.' Alister picked her up and pivoted, planting her on the small platform next to the Engine. 'The worst he'll suffer is a broken arm or leg.'
'You bastard!' Taya kicked and ducked. Alister cursed as a floating wingfeather cut his cheek. He shoved her against the Engine.
Taya hit the Engine's ondium panel and turned, putting her back against it. Pain burned up the back of her leg, and her tailset scraped and flexed against the catwalk. She kicked it up behind her. Her wings floated at her sides.
Alister frowned, dabbing a drop of blood from his face.
The hem of his robe was covered in dirt, and a few leaves jutted out from the golden hoops and clasps that were slipping out of his once-ornate hairstyle. Gold glittered on his hands, but his fine manicure had been destroyed.
Taya looked down, through the open mesh floor, and saw the receding mass of metal that she was sure was Cristof and his floating, broken wings. Suddenly her anger was replaced by convulsive shivering, and bile rose in her throat.
'How could you do that?'
'I wouldn't have thrown him over if I didn't think he'd survive,' Alister chided her. 'You did a fine job of counterweighting him.'
'He thought you were dead!'
'Oh.' Alister blinked. 'That.' For a moment he looked ashamed of himself. 'Was he upset?'
'Of course he was!' Taya felt the Engine thrumming behind her, rattling her wings. She glanced to one side, looking for an escape route — some way to help Cristof. Alister shifted his weight to stand in front of her.
'I'd really prefer you didn't retrieve him. He's safer down there, where he won't feel obliged to stop me.'
Still trembling with reaction, Taya wiped her palms on her pants legs.
'What if he's swept toward a gear? The air currents in here are all over the place.'
Alister glanced down, uncertainly. Then he shook his head.
'He'll be fine. And if you rescue him, you'll just keep bothering me and I might have to hurt you.'
'He's afraid of heights!'
'I know that.' The exalted gazed at her, his green eyes wide. 'I was astounded when he leaped down to save you. Or was he simply leaping down to hit me? Hard to say. My brother plays his cards close to the chest.'
'He's not the only one,' Taya said, bitterly. How far down was it to the floor, anyway? The fall would be slow, because of all the ondium Cristof wore. Was a gradual descent a blessing or a curse for someone who was afraid of heights? 'What are you doing here, anyway?'
'Nothing that will harm Ondinium, I assure you.' The exalted held out a hand. 'My swan queen. I'm sorry. I truly regret any pain I may have caused you or my family.'
Taya ignored his hand and slid her arms into her loose wings. Alister tensed. Realizing there was no escaping him for the moment, she simply locked the wings high and pulled her arms free again. She'd have to wait for an opening.
Her calf felt like someone had laid a hot iron across it. She hoped it wouldn't stiffen up before she needed to vault past him.
'What about the pain you caused Pins’ family?' she asked, to distract him. 'Her daughter found her body. You're the one who killed her, aren't you?'
Alister made a face.
'She was a criminal. I didn't do anything the lictors wouldn't have done, eventually.'
'That's a horrible thing to say.' Taya recoiled. 'I liked you. I was even thinking about sleeping with you!'
'Really? How flattering.' He smiled, stepping closer. 'I still like you, Taya Swan. You never fail to impress me. When you came swooping down out of nowhere like a silver bird, you took my breath away. You're an example of everything that's right about Ondinium.'
'Is that so?' Taya pulled herself as tall as she could. 'Then why are you trying to destroy it?'
'I'm not destroying it. I'm fixing it.' He reached out and caressed her cheek. 'I'd like to convince you and Cristof not to tell anyone I was here. With your cooperation, nobody will hear about this, and the city will be better off. I'm not going to cause any harm. I'm just going to update a few programs to make everyone's life a little safer and a little more predictable.'
She turned her face away. 'Clockwork Heart was meant to circumvent security, wasn't it? It was never a marriage program at all.'
'Actually, it can do both. All I need to do is switch out a few sets of cards.'
'Some marriage program. It matched up Lars and Kyle.'
Alister laughed, sounding delighted.
'They ran it on themselves? That's wonderful. I would have loved to have seen Lars’ face when he saw the results. I'd guessed about Kyle, but….'
Taya shoved him in the chest, forcing him to take a step backward.
'They ran it in your memory!' she snapped, her eyes flashing. 'They held a wake for you!'
'That was thoughtful of them.' He seemed unperturbed by her violence. 'Listen, my swan. We can all be
