moonlight and squinted at the letters.
'Anything?' I prompted, my fingers busy unweaving the second braid into waves.
Lady Dela clicked her tongue in frustration. 'It is very faint,' she said. 'I need more light.' She frowned and shifted the book. 'These are the writings of a woman named Kinra. The last Mirror Dragoneye.'
I dropped my hands from my hair. 'Kinra?'
Lady Dela raised her eyes to me. 'What? You know the name?'
I dug my fingers under the wrap of my breast-band and ripped out the two death plaques.
'Look.' I held up the Kinra plaque. 'She is my ancestor.'
They both studied the worn lacquered memorial. Ryko pursed his lips in a soundless whistle.
'I did not think Dragoneye powers could be inherited,' he said.
'Perhaps it is just the Mirror Dragoneye,' Lady Dela said slowly. 'The female Dragoneye.'
I touched the stiff parchment. Kinra had once touched it too. My ancestor. Pride and awe held me still; I was from a line of Dragoneyes.
An abrupt image flashed into my mind — the first time in Ido's library, when I had reached for the red folio and the pearls had wound around my arm, I had felt the same rage in them that I had felt in the ceremonial swords. My swords must have once belonged to Kinra too.
'I've just remembered —'
A huge roar from deep within the harem rolled over the women's screaming wails, booming into the alley I flinched. Beside me, Lady Dela gripped the rough hessian bale. Ryko was back at the edge of the stack, knives raised. The terrible pounding cheers separated into the rhythm of a chant: Sethon, Sethon, Sethon. It was the sound of victory And threat.
Ryko suddenly pulled back, his face twisted with self-disgust. 'Too slow.'
'Oy who's down there?' a man's voice demanded.
CHAPTER 23
Ryko grabbed my arm, dragging me across his body
'Get ready' he murmured.
I shoved the death plaques back into my breast-band and sent a quick, fervent prayer to Kinra.
Protect us.
'Identify yourself,' the voice ordered.
Ryko's grip on my arm tightened.
'Swordsman Jian,' he yelled, beckoning to Lady Dela.
She looked wildly at him then yelled, And Groundsman Perron.'
Hastily shoving the folio under her armour, she stepped into place beside me, taking the knife that Ryko held out. For one silent moment, we met the fear in each other's eyes then Ryko shoved me forwards, twisting my arm halfway up my back. It was a pitiless hold and my breath caught as I was forced into a stumbling walk between them. Instinctively, I struggled against the tight restraint, Ryko's strength truly frightening. His face was hard, holding no acknowledgement of me. He jerked my arm higher until my shoulder was a straining curve of pain that hunched me into obedience. As I staggered, all I could see were the bools and legs of two soldiers standing at the mouth of the alley.
'What you got there, swordsman?' one of the soldiers asked. Even though I could not look up, I heard the leer on his face. The chanting from the next square suddenly stopped.
'Found her hiding in the stacks,' Ryko said.
'What are you doing sweeps for? That's not your job.'
'I wasn't,' Ryko said. 'Just found her when I was having a piss. Where do I take her?'
'All of the women are in the garden. 'The soldier paused. 'Give me a look.'
Ryko let go of my arm and bunched his hand into my hair. The sudden yank back forced a grunt out of me. Something deep inside crouched, ready to fight. I clamped my hands around his wrist and tried to pull free. My scalp seared with an agony that sent the night sky into a blur of tears.
'Got a bit of fight in her,' the soldier said, grabbing my jaw and holding me still. A pair of coldly appraising eyes, half shadowed under a helmet, swept over my face and down my body. 'Not bad,' he said. 'You know, we don't have to take her in. No one's going to miss a little house maid.'
Ryko jerked me backwards. 'I found her.'
The soldier eyed Ryko's size then shrugged and tilted his chin at Lady Dela. 'What are you doing here?'
'I heard something. Thought I'd check it out.' Her voice had lost its lightness and lilt. It was a man's voice, roughened with pain. At the corner of my eye, I saw her hand close over her wound to hide the makeshift bandages.
'You hurt?' he asked.
'It's nothing,' Lady Dela said, her eyes cutting to Ryko.
The other soldier, taller and better built, shook his head with disgust. 'For Shola's sake, she's not worth fighting over. 'You'll get better in the pleasure houses.' He jerked a thumb to the right, a natural authority in his movements. 'There's a
bone-man set up in that building over there. You should get yourself seen to.'
'It's not bad. And I waul to ser the executions,' Lady Dela said quickly.
'Then you better hurry. The High Lord is whipping himself up into his killing frenzy.' His disdain flicked over me then found Ryko. 'You better make it quick too.'
Ryko grunted his agreement and forced me forwards, steering me out of the alley. Behind us, one of the soldiers murmured something, the other man laughing derisively. It sent a hot wash of loathing through me.
'Keep going,' Ryko urged.
His ruthless hold slackened enough for me to straighten against his body Lady Dela was not near us. I hoped she had just dropped back, playing the part of the disgruntled loser.
Under the far portico, two sentries watched our approach. They were stationed at the main archway that led into a walled garden. Beyond the arch were the silhouettes of soldiers. Ranks and ranks of them, all transfixed by the voice of one man, the rich cadences of command spiking my memory.
Sethon.
The sentry on the right waved us over.
'Prisoner,' Ryko said, forestalling any questions.
I kept my face down, unable to meet any more callous appraisal.
The sentry grunted. 'Take her beside the pagoda.'
Ryko manhandled me through the archway into the press of men.
I was not prepared for the sheer number of them; scores and scores of soldiers, the sour stink of their anticipation like the reek of hunting animals. All their attention was fixed on the elegant raised pagoda at the centre of the garden square. I could only see the deep curves of its upswept roof over the heads of the men in front of me, but 1 could hear Sethon's voice booming with victory.
'I am your Emperor,' he roared. 'I am Emperor.'
'Emperor,' the men roared back, like baying dogs. Hundreds of fists punched the air.
Ryko pulled me close.
'Wait,' he said against my ear.
I gave a slight nod. There was nothing we could do until Lady Dela caught up to us. Until she found my dragon's name. I licked fear-parched lips. What if it wasn't in the folio? Or worse: what if she found it and I still couldn't call the dragon?
Four soldiers nearby noticed our arrival with sideway glances. The avidity in their faces made me shrink further into Ryko's hold. It was something I had once seen in the whipmaster when he beat a man to death. Bloodlust. These men wanted to see brutality. They wanted to see death. Any death. Behind me, I felt Ryko straighten into his full height, his free hand finding the grip of Kinra's sword. Three of the men looked away from the challenge, the fourth meeting Ryko's glare until Sethon's deep, resonating voice pulled his attention back to the
