gripped my arm, her blood-slicked fingers slipping on the silk. 'I saw Sethon.
He's got her and the baby in the Square of Beauty and Grace. We have to do something.'
Ryko grabbed my hand and pushed it hard against the wet warmth of the wound, ignoring Lady Dela's pained hiss. 'Keep a firm hold.'
Lady Dela raised her head. 'Did you get the folio?'
'We got it,' I said.
'Good. That's good.' She shivered. 'I took your swords. Didn't want them to get in the wrong hands. They're somewhere here.' She closed her eyes. 'My apologies.' Her voice had dropped to a murmur.
My heart lifted as I saw the swords lying half hidden by the upended bale. I badly needed their fury to burn away my fear. Especially if Lord Ido was nearby Opposite, Ryko had dug a small vial from his waist pouch and was sprinkling a powder over Lady Dela's wound. It stunk like a hot-water spring.
'Lady Dela,' I said, rousing her. 'Did you see Lord Ido? Is he in the harem too?'
She gave a tiny nod, wrinkling her nose against the bad-egg stench. 'I think so. How can he use his power for war? I thought it was forbidden by the Covenant. Surely the Council won't allow it.'
'I don't think there is any Council any more.'
She frowned, losing focus on my words. Ryko squatted beside me and gestured to my robe.
I need bandaging. May I cut some of the silk?'
I nodded.
'Don't hurt the Harmony Robe,' Lady Dela protested weakly Ryko let out an exasperated breath, but I saw the flicker of a smile. As he ripped the thin undersilks, I tried to judge the amount of warm blood oozing through my fingers. The flow seemed to be easing.
'Up we go,' Ryko said, gently pulling Lady Dela into a sitting position. Ryko nodded for me to stop staunching the blood. I caught her around her waist as he deftly positioned a pad of silk over her shoulder and tied it in place. 'You'll have to get a physician to look at it soon,' he said. 'It's still bleeding.'
She tested the firmness of the bandage, wincing as she pressed on it. 'This will do for now.'
She held out her good arm. 'Help me stand. We need to get to the Square of Beauty and Grace.'
Ryko pulled her to her feet and steadied her as she swayed. Her face drained into a grey pallor.
'We're not going to the square,' Ryko said. 'We're going straight back through the Concubines'
Gate.'
'No.' She grabbed his arm, more for support than emphasis. 'Sethon has taken Lady Jila and the infant Prince. Don't you understand what he's going to do? He's going to kill them and claim the throne. We have to stop him.' She turned to me. 'Lord Eon, give me the book. We will find your dragon's name and then you must stop him.'
In my mind I heard my master's voice, thin with agony as the poison choked his Hua. Stop him. Stop Ido. Stop Sethon. It didn't matter which one he'd meant. They both had to be stopped and I had promised I would do it. And my master was not the only one I had promised. I had made a pact with Prince Kygo. Mutual survival. He'd said I had no honour.
Was it true? Was I a deserter of my own word?
Ryko shook his head. 'We go back. It is my duty to get you to safety'
'No,' I said. They both stared at me. '1 wish it was your duty, Ryko, but it is not. Your duly is to serve me, My duly is to stop Ido and Sethon. For the Pearl Emperor.' And my muster, I added silently 'We do not know if'lhe Pearl Emperor litis escaped. For all we know, he is dead and Lady jila's baby is now our overlord. We must try and save him and his not her.'
Ryko had stiffened under my words as though I had cut him with a whip. As you say, my duty is to serve you. But it is also to protect you. I will not lead you into certain death.'
I met his stubborn glare. 'You will not be leading me into death. You will be following.' I saw the rise of argument in his eyes. 'Who else is there, Ryko? You said yourself that I was the hope of the Resistance.'
'That was when you were Lord Eon, the Mirror Dragoneye.'
'I am still the Mirror Dragoneye.'
Lady Dela stepped between us. 'Enough of this pissing contest. We have no other choice. We must save Ladyjila and the Prince.'
I nodded. 'Give me a knife.'
Ryko stood looking at my outstretched hand.
'For Shola's sake, stop fighting the inevitable and give her a knife,' Lady Dela said. She leaned against a bale, sucking in pained breaths. 'Do it.'
He unsheathed a blade and slapped the leather-wrapped grip into my palm. I forced my fingers under the tight ties of my sash and began to saw through the silk.
Lady Dela's head snapped up. 'What are you doing?'
'Two soldiers dragging a captured maid to the square.'
The sash fell away I shrugged my way out of the heavy Story Robe and let it drop to the ground. The moonlight flared across the dark depths of the black pearls and silvered my pale arms. I looked up and saw Ryko staring at my body, now only clad in three thin undertunics and emerald trousers. Under his gaze, I was suddenly aware of my shape beneath the fine silk and I
wrapped my arms across my chest. He cleared his throat, quickly moving around me to station himself at the edge of the bales.
Lady Dela's eyes followed his retreat. 'It is a good plan,' she said shortly, 'but you will have to take off the shoes and the trousers too. They are wrong.'
I removed the scuffed muddy shoes, then crouched down and worked my hand under the tunics, finally finding the trouser tie. I tugged them down and stepped out of them.
'And your hair,' Lady Dela said.
I closed my hand over the two Dragoneye braids looped and tied at the top of my head. With her injury, Lady Dela would not be able to loosen them. 'Ryko, you'll have to cut it free.' I offered him the knife and turned my back.
'This is madness,' he growled.
His fingers pulled on the base of the loop, bringing tears to my eyes. As he flicked the knife through Rilla's expert bindings, I carefully unwound the pearls from around my forearm and the folio. There was no resistance from the gems, only a slight quivering that could have been my own trembling hands.
'Lady Dela.' She crossed the few paces to me, holding her injured arm against her side. I poured the pearls into her good hand and placed the folio on top. 'Find her name.'
'If it is in there, I will find it,' she promised.
'Ryko, you take my swords. I don't want them left behind.'
I felt my braids release and fall stiffly against my head.
'There, it is loose,' Ryko said gruffly
I pulled a braid to the front and dug my fingertips into it, working the hair free. He walked around and eyed my clumsy return to womanhood. I faced up to the new look in his eye, lifting my chin. Did he now think even less of me?
'If you can throw off your years as a boy, we should pass scrutiny' he said.
He was echoing my own doubts. 'I will be just another
frightened maid,' I said and gave hima quick, wry smile. 'I will not need to act it.'
He grunted. 'You have the coutage of a wan mi '
1 watched him turn away and gather the clothes from the ground. He thought me courageous?
But 1 was terrified always terrified.
'No,' I saicj flatly. 'I don't.'
He paused from stuffing the invaluable robe between two bales. Are you frightened now?'
I nodded, shame flushing my skin.
'Is it going to stop you?'
'No.'
'That is the courage of a warrior.' He picked up my swords, sheathing them in the scabbards on each of his hips.
'It is also the courage of a cornered animal,' Lady Dela said caustically. She angled the open folio to the
