heads. One was turned away surrounded by a glistening dark puddle. The other stared up into the night. Without the drive of life, it was hard to recognise the slack features in the weak moonlight. Death had dragged down forehead, cheek, jowl into a parody of sadness. But as my mind fitted life back into the mask, I knew it was Hollin. And the heavy body next to it was Tyron. I recognised the clothing. The shape. I clamped my teeth down over my own howl. The last tiny hope that I was wrong — that Ido was not killing the other Dragoneyes — was gone. I had not even known I'd held such a futile hope, but its loss was like a barbed arrow ripping through my gut.
'Shut those bitches up,' a harsh voice yelled. 'Get the corpses off the road.'
A soldier came into view. I eased myself back into the bushes as another five men appeared and kicked away the women, herding them from the bodies.
Every part of me wanted to run screaming to Ryko, but I forced myself to move slowly and silently back over the same ground, every sense reaching behind me for signs that 1 was being pursued.
Ryko was still on the horse. He glared down at me as I stumbled out of the undergrowth, but whatever he saw in my face tempered his tongue. He pulled me up behind him again. The warmth of his body against mine felt like some kind of talisman against death.
'I'm sorry' I whispered against his back as we rode deeper into the gardens. 'I had to see.' I pressed my forehead against his shoulder. 'They were just left on the roadside.'
'Try not to dwell on it,' he said gruffly.
Good advice, but the images rose up out of the shadows as we passed: slack features, dark puddles, staring eyes. I was aware of the horse's gait, heard Ryko's breathing, felt his tension as he pulled us away from the path of soldiers, but my eyes were full of dead friends and my mind caught in a silent chant of guilt. It was only when Ryko reined us to a stop that I realised we were behind the pavilion near the Gate of Good Service. Up ahead, white mourning lanterns hung along the path like a row of small moons. A resonating thud hammered through the air, mixed with shouts and clanging. From the clarity of the sounds, we were close to the wall. How could we have come so near and not be seen? The answer was on the ground just beyond the pavilion. Two dead army lookouts. How many more had been despatched with such lethal efficiency?
Three dark shapes separated from the small building and ran to us. Solly and two of his men.
They all bobbed in quick bows to me.
'They've taken the battering ram to the gate,' Solly whispered. 'Nearly through. It could be your chance.'
Ryko steadied the horse. 'Bowmen?'
Stilly grimaced. 'A full complement, but their attention is on the wall and most of them will be flanking you.'
'Are your men ready?'
'You just give the word,' Solly said. The two men behind him nodded, one murmuring a quick
'For the Pearl Emperor'.
Ryko withdrew his sword from its scabbard and handed it back to me.
'Bring the lanterns down whatever way you can,' he said.
I stiffened my wrist and arm under the drag of the weight, but it was too heavy, I would have to use both hands. I clamped the other over the grip and held the sword away from the horse's flanks, tensing my thigh and knee holds. The twist in my torso was going to cause problems, but I might just manage it. I inverted the blade and hooked the hilt against my thigh, pressing it into the side of the muscle for stability. Then I grabbed Ryko's shoulder with my free hand.
First things first: get to the pathway on the horse and in one piece. Then think about swinging the sword.
Alert your men,' Ryko said. He turned his head and I saw the rise of violence in his eyes. I wondered what he saw in mine. 'Here we go.'
Solly made a piercing sound, the cry of a night hunting bird. Ryko kicked the horse forwards.
I brushed the hidden folio for luck then tightened my hold on both sword and shoulder, leaning into the animal's quickening pace. The effort of staying on and handling the sword made my heartbeat pound in my ears, louder than the boom of the battering ram. Wind made from speed whipped my eyes into stinging tears. We reached the path, the dull thud of horse hooves on grass changing into an instant clattering target. On both sides the darkness milled with the forms of men, the path between them like a bright strip of death. Up ahead the gate was bowing under the slamming force of the ram, cries of effort rising above the crack of splitting wood. I shifted, stabilising, and joined my hands around the grip.
'Wait,' Ryko yelled.
I caught a blurred glimpse of men running lowards us. Reaching for arrows. I lifted the sword.
The air pulsed with explosions. To the left. Tb the right. Was this Solly's bag of tricks?
'Now,' Ryko ordered.
I hit the first rope, absurdly pleased with the bouncing demise of its lantern. The follow-through was less successful, the blade swinging close to Ryko's ear.
'Watch it,' he roared, jerking away.
I sliced wildly at the next rope. Another lantern dropped from our pathway ahead. A thwanging, skittering sound made me duck back against Ryko. Arrows! From the shadows either side. For a moment, all my senses turned inwards, looking for pain. But I wasn't hit. My focus snapped back to the world rushing by. I was missing lanterns, leaving us exposed. With my back tensed for impact, I leaned out and swung again. The weight of the sword collected a lantern and sent it into the shadows. Ahead, there was a huge crack of rending wood and shouts of success. The gate was down. I hit another rope, sending its lantern rolling across the grass. My wrists were straining to keep the blade up, the twist in my backbone sending trembling fire into my overworked thighs.
'I'm going to ride over them. Hold on,' Ryko yelled.
His words didn't make sense. I was too intent on the next rope, on lifting the sword. The horse dipped into an even longer stride, but my body adjusted too late. The sword jerked up, hit the pole and jarred out of my hands, clanging onto the path behind us. Pain reverberated up my arms, cramping into my hands. I grabbed Ryko's waist and looked back, the sword already four horse-lengths away Somewhere up ahead a roar of battle cries rose into the smashing clang of sword meeting sword.
'I dropped it,' I screamed in Ryko's ear. 'I dropped your sword.'
Then I saw the wall of men fighting in the splintered gateway.
Set lion's army forcing back the Imperial guards. We were heading straight for them, the horse trying to pull to the left, Ryko brutally holding it on course.
The first man we hit cannoned into his opponent. The next saw us coming and hacked at the horse's neck. Ryko kicked him;iway grunting as the blade nicked his leg. Ahead, someone fell screaming. The horse made for the clear opening, trampling the body. I saw the man's chest cave in under the weight of a hoof. Ryko slashed his knife at a soldier who was hanging onto his injured leg. I kicked at the man's shoulder, missed and connected with his helmet. I lis head jerked back and he lost his hold, falling under the horse. The animal stumbled over him and staggered into an Imperial guard, slamming the man against the remains of the gate.
Cursing, Ryko yanked the horse to the right, jumping it over two men grappling on the ground.
'Ryko?' The yell was from a heavily built guard up ahead. The man blocked a down cut from a soldier, punching the end of his hilt into the other man's jaw. He turned his attention back to us.
'Get us through,' Ryko bellowed over the mass of shouting, clashing men.
The guard nodded then ducked as a sweep cut nearly took him in the neck. He parried his attacker, locking the man's blade into his own hilt, then threw back his head and gave a long, ululating call that pulsed through the clangour. Something slammed into my back, ramming me into Ryko and knocking the breath out of me. My teeth tore into my lip, the iron tang of blood souring my mouth. I felt myself sliding backwards over the rump of the horse; someone was pulling my robe. I swung around, clawing wildly It was a young soldier, helmet gone, blood smeared across his face. My fingers found an eye socket. I jabbed into soft tissue, hearing a yelp, but his grip on my robe tightened. Ryko clamped his hand down on my thigh, teeth bared with the effort of holding me and the horse. I went for the soldier again, but the horse suddenly ended the fight with a bucking kick that sent the man barrelling into the edge of the guardhouse. Ryko
snatched up the reins as the animal skittered forwards on its front legs, kicking out at anything around us. Grimly, we both hung on, my hands locked around Ryko's chest as he fought for control. Finally, the horse slopped bucking, its sides heaving under us.
