shouted a warning to the soldiers outside, simultaneously reaching for his scabbarded sword
hanging from the back of a nearby chair. He had half drawn it when he felt a hand grab his wrist.
Then a great blow to his jaw made his vision gray.
Axis seized the sword as Risdon sagged back to the bed, then spun about, taking off the
head of the first soldier who had rushed in. The second soldier, far more wary, hesitated just
inside the entrance, eyes narrowed as they tracked a ghostly apparition as it took off his
comrade”s head, then came for him.
The soldier managed to trade just two blows with the apparition before he, too, fell dead
to the floor.
Axis turned about, breathing deeply, knowing that his actions were wearing the glamour
thin. Risdon had just struggled to his feet, but was still groggy, and offered no resistance when
Axis seized his hair and forced him around the other side of the bed.
Inardle lay half on the floor, half huddled against the back canvas wall of the tent. Her
face was bloodied and bruised, her breasts and abdomen worse. The stitched wound on her flank
and abdomen was half open and oozing dark blood. Her broken wing, held awkwardly to one
side, was swollen and covered with contusions; the swelling had spread down her left shoulder
and arm.
She knew Axis” presence, and stared at him as he held Risdon over her.
“I wish I had more time to spend on this,” Axis said, “but I fear Inardle and I have
pressing business elsewhere. Risdon, take one more breath, and savor it, for it will be your last.”
Axis waited for that one, terrified breath, and then he drew the blade of his sword across
Risdon”s neck and tossed the dying man to one side. He stuck the sword through his belt, then leaned down to Inardle.
“Can you walk?”
“I don”t know.” Her voice was harsh, very dry, and Axis had to strain to hear it.
He leaned down, and as gently as he could, but with as much speed as possible, lifted her
by her right arm. He slid his other arm about her back as she inched her way upward, stopping at
her cry of pain and as a sudden line of frost ran down one side of her body.
“Inardle…”
“Please, please, get me out of here, Axis. Whatever you do is going to hurt me, just get
me out of here.”
Axis gritted his teeth and half dragged, half lifted Inardle toward the flap of the tent. She
was a slender woman, but she was tall, and her wings heavy and awkward. Axis gave silent
thanks to Isaiah and his war master for the intensive daily training over the past few months;
without it, Axis doubted he could have managed this.
“There are horses outside,” Axis said.
“I won”t be able to ride.”
“Then you”ll ride with me. You still have some strength in that right arm?”
She nodded.
“Then you”re going to need to grip with all your might, because I think we have a wild
gallop ahead of us.”
They were outside the tent by this time, and Axis glanced about. The attention of the
entire camp was still on the gallows—he could see the guards now marching the apparitions up
the steps—and Axis thanked whatever gods had arranged it that Risdon”s tent was so close to the
edge of the encampment.
There was a big bay stallion tethered by his reins to the back of the tent; Risdon”s mount,
no doubt. Axis propped Inardle up against a tent pole, tightened the stallion”s girth—once more
thanking the gods that he was already saddled—then lifted Inardle into the saddle.
Again she cried out as her broken wing caught for a moment between her body and Axis,
but Axis ignored it. He untied the stallion, now dancing about in consternation at the wings
which trailed down either side of its body, vaulted up behind Inardle, and turned the horse”s head
hard to one side as he kicked it into movement.
The stallion leapt straight into a gallop, and Inardle swayed alarmingly to one side and
would have fallen had not Axis managed to grab her.
At the same time, Axis heard a cry behind him.
He didn”t wait to hear what it was about, and dug his booted heels once more into the
stallion”s flanks.
The guards had informed Armat that the condemned men had mounted the gallows.
Armat and Ravenna were almost at the gallows themselves when there came a cry from behind
them.
Armat half turned to see, then whipped back to the gallows as the hangman shouted.
He had just slipped the noose about Axis” head when Axis had vanished.
Ravenna let out a tiny sigh, allowing the glamour to vanish completely. No need to keep
it going now.
Run, Axis, run, she thought. Run.
Armat turned to her and grabbed her arm so painfully that she felt bruises form instantly.
“What have you done?” he said.
“Nothing, Armat,” she snapped. “Think not to blame me for the fact you underestimated
the StarMan!”
Axis managed, just, to turn the almost-out-of-control stallion in a vaguely northwesterly
direction, then he gave it full rein and allowed it to gallop as hard as it wanted. It was a good
horse, strong and fast, and he hoped that it would give him a precious few minutes” head start on
the inevitable pursuit.
Gods knew what he”d do once—if—they caught up with him.
He had one arm wrapped tight about Inardle”s waist—at least she seemed to have found
her balance now—and had managed to get his feet into the stirrups, which had been flapping
about, further frightening the horse, so that he could secure his own jolting position behind the
saddle.
The arm he had about Inardle”s waist was wet, and he knew the rest of the stiches on her
wound must have broken open.
They rode without speaking for some minutes, Axis glancing behind him every so often,
when Inardle gave a soft cry of warning.
Two riders had loomed up on their flank.
“Georgdi!” Axis cried.
“My friend,” Georgdi called out as he and Zeboath pushed their horses to keep pace with
Axis” maddened horse, “I am glad to see you! I wait most eagerly to hear your assurances that
you escaped Armat”s camp without the alarm being raised.”
Axis sent Georgdi a dark look.
“Ah,” said Georgdi, “good thing that Zeboath and I spent a precious few minutes cutting
loose as many horse lines as we could manage, eh?”
A good thing indeed, Axis thought, but it would not buy them much time.
“Just ride,” he shouted. “Ride! ”
They could not continue at a flat-out gallop forever, and after a while Axis gathered in
the reins of the stallion and pulled him back to a more controlled canter. Georgdi and Zeboath
did the same.
“Georgdi,” said Axis, “can you halt a moment, stand, and listen?”
Georgdi nodded, pulling his horse up as Axis and Zeboath rode on.
After a few minutes he caught his two companions.
“Many horsemen,” Georgdi said. “At least a hundred. A few minutes behind us.”
Axis felt his stomach turn over. At least a hundred. He looked at Georgdi and Zeboath.
Only Georgdi had thought to find a weapon during their escape.
Two swords, against at least a hundred.
“It”s full night now,” said Georgdi. “We can take advantage of the darkness.”
Axis looked at the ground. It was early spring, but there was still old, hard-packed snow
in great patches on the ground.
Their horses” hoofprints were clearly visible, even in the night.
Georgdi saw the direction of Axis” eyes. “Ah,” he said. “Then we”d best ride a bit faster,
yes?”
“And look for a stream,” said Axis. “We can lose our hoofprints in that.”
They pushed their horses back into a gallop—all the horses responding only
sluggishly—and Axis knew they would not be able to keep to this speed for long.
Shit!
StarMan?
Axis literally jerked backward on the horse, his arm inadvertently tightening about
Inardle and making her cry out.
StarMan?
Who is this? he asked. It was an Enchanter, he knew, and one who had managed to
rediscover the Star Dance, but who? And where? Why?
StarHeaven SpiralFlight came the response.
StarHeaven? Axis fought to remember the name. Ah, yes, StarHeaven was one of the
Icarii who had joined with StarDrifter in recent weeks.
StarHeaven, where are you, and with whom?
I am with the Strike Force, StarMan.
The Strike Force! Stars, had his father sent them?
BroadWing leads us, StarHeaven continued. We are in the spiral attack formation over
those who pursue you. We—
Listen to me, StarHeaven, and get this message to BroadWing before you do anything
else. Do not, I repeat, do not kill any of the horsemen, but only their mounts! Give him that
message now, StarHeaven. Now!
Yes, StarMan.