‘Almost there!’ called Asta.
Suddenly the fire flared – and died.
Asta screamed. A huge creature swooped down from above them, its leather wings knocking him from his feet. Tanaki plunged a sword into the beast’s belly and pulled Asta to his feet; he tore clear of her grasp and sprinted away.
A scaled monster leapt from the darkness. Chien’s sword flashed out and down and the beast fell writhing to the ground.
‘As you value your lives, RUN!’ came the voice of Asta. Risking a glance back, Chien saw giant white wolves bearing down on them. The small warrior took to his heels. He saw Asta vanish ahead of him, followed by Tanaki. For a moment Chien experienced panic, feeling the hot breath of a beast upon his neck.
A great weight landed on his back and he fell and rolled. As the wolf beast scrambled up, twisting to attack, Chien’s sword slashed through its throat. The pack howled and charged. Chien spun on his heel and flung himself forward through the opening – falling to his knees before Tanaki and the shaman.
Tanaki offered a hand and Chien accepted it, pulling himself to his feet. He glanced back. ‘How is it the creatures do not follow us?’ he asked.
‘They cannot pass through. Think of it as a lake,’ said Asta. ‘We can dive through the surface, but the fish cannot leave; that is their world. It is possible to make a Gateway for them, but the power needed is great and would require many hundreds of souls.’
‘I would not wish to sound defeatist, shaman,’ said Chien, ‘but upon our return I cannot see the woman Ravenna sprinting away from those wolves. It would be a great pity to rescue her, only to see her die in the Void.’
‘She will not die there,’ said Asta. ‘But my power is finite and I gave you all I could spare. With her I will hold the circle. Now let us move on.’
The tunnel widened, and for the first time it was possible to see the works of men here – the walls smoothed, reinforced with timbers. There was a stairway carved into the rock and Asta mounted it, moving up to squat beneath a low ceiling. He signalled for silence and called Chien and Tanaki to him.
‘Above us,’ he whispered, ‘is the throne room. It is now almost midnight. There should be no one there. Are you ready, Princess?’
‘Yes.’
‘If the throne room is not empty – we are doomed,’ said Asta, for once seeming nervous and unsure.
Chien chuckled softly. ‘No life is without peril, shaman,’ he reminded him. Asta muttered an obscene curse and lifted the flagstone above his head. It creaked and juddered. Chien helped him with the weight and they twisted the stone to lay it alongside the opening. Tanaki levered herself up into the darkness of the throne room and Chien followed her.
‘I will wait here,’ said Asta.
Tanaki ran to the main doors, pressing her ear to the crack. Chien moved alongside.
‘There should be no guards in the corridor,’ Tanaki said. The Khan’s sleeping quarters are on the other side of the palace. But the women’s quarters will have sentries on the outside and eunuch swordsmen within.’
Chien nodded. ‘I will come with you – and wait.’
She eased open the door and stepped into the torch-lit corridor. All was silent. Keeping to the shadows they moved on, cutting left through a narrow doorway and out into a side street. Tanaki led the warrior through the deserted streets until at last they came to a broad square beyond which was a high wall; three sentries patrolled the outside of the wall.
‘How will you get in?’ whispered Chien.
Tanaki smiled. ‘Distract the guards,’ she said. Removing her sword-belt but keeping a curved dagger, she waited until the sentries had passed and then ran to the wall, crouching in the shadows.
Digging into the pocket of his breeches, Chien came up with four golden coins. Tucking them into his belt he waited for the sentries, took a deep breath and then began to sing. He staggered out into the open, belched, half fell and then ambled on towards the men.