Varsis smiled as he saw untrained Vedil boys dashing themselves against ranks of his Makini spearmen. He smiled so he didn’t mourn.

Varsis rode Falor, closer to the thick of combat, but decided not to join in. His soldiers didn’t need his help, and Varsis didn’t feel like massacring those who were all but defenseless.

For once again, he had turned what could have been a reasonable battle into a rout. Varsis had carefully made it seem, with the help of his spellweavers, as if his army was a day behind its actual position.

Then, in the night, he had struck at the Vedil camp from every direction, at the same time.

Most of the Vedil who were being cut down on Taramad Hill were wearing night clothes, and were unarmed but for their fists, and the occasional knife.

At this point, however, groups of the Vedil had found their supplies of weapons, and so, heartened by that, they all had fought on. They were also hearted by the fact that perhaps a hundred of their number was experienced, survivors from a previous battle, and those men were shouting directions.

Fools.

Varsis slowly rode into the part of the Vedil camp that had already been secured, even as, in front of him, his Makini pressed on.

Then, suddenly, he heard calls for mercy, ringing throughout the camp. There were no white flags raised, probably because the Vedil didn’t know where their white flags were stored, but Varsis knew what a cry for mercy sounded like. He smiled, even as Captain Sari walk over to him on foot, carrying a bloody sword.

‘Take the prisoners, Sari,” said Varsis. “Then prepare a thousand men. I’ll lead them into Bola myself.”

***

“The Nameless Wretch is now under the protection of the Makini!” shouted a voice, and Mai was jarred from her bed, jarred from sleep.

What is going on? she wondered, with exhaustion. The voice seemed to be coming from beneath the floor.

Then, Broken rushed into her room, fully dressed in his leather, and armored with his pair of swords.

“What’s going on?” asked Mai.

“The Makini have come,” said Broken. “A day earlier than the old folks thought they would.”

“How do we get out of here?” asked Mai, getting up from her bed. “The exit by the common room is the only way out, and the Makini seem to be there. If we stay put, maybe they won’t realize who I am.”

“They will,” said Broken, “And the common room is not the only way out.” They rushed into the hall.

“Ishad!” cried Mai, but Broken was already dealing with that particular problem. Broken rushed into Ishad’s room, and came out carrying him like a baby.

Then, they heard the noise of boots on the stairs.

Broken rushed the other direction, and Mai followed him, even though it looked as if they were heading into a dead end.

When they reached the end of the hall, it was indeed that, with only a window looking down on a sloping roof to show them freedom. But only limited freedom. Through the window, Mai saw black-clad Makini soldiers everywhere on the street, where morning was only just beginning to shine.

And then, on the opposite end of the hallway, troops ascended the stairs.

Broken set Ishad down on his feet, who winced with a little pain, but seemed to be able to stand.

From the stairs, three men entered the hallway. Two were on either side of the first, and they were standard Makini soldiers. But the third, standing between them, was Varsis. His steel hand flashed in the dim light.

“You are cornered,” he said, stepping forward step after step, advancing with his two men. “And, more interestingly, I know who you are.” Varsis paused his voice, even as he continued to walk forward.

“Who are we?” asked Broken, calmly.

With any other three Makini soldiers, Mai would not have worried for an instant that Broken could take them all. But this was not any three soldiers. There were two, and then there was Varsis. Mai wanted to tell Broken who Varsis was, so that he would know, but fear held her back.

But Broken seemed to know anyway. “Your single gauntlet that-is-no-gauntlet gives you away, Varsis,” he said. “But again, I ask you, who are we?”

“I always make a point of entering every inn my troops capture, just to see if I can find you, Princess,” said Varsis. “I thought my search was in vain. But now, I have found you.”

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“So you do know who we are,” said Broken, cutting off Mai’s fear.

“Indeed,” replied Varsis. “You are the mysterious one who always saves her. And you--” he looked at Ishad, “--are the third. A motley group indeed. It is not that much of a shame that, this morning, I will end its existence.”

“I don’t want any power!” shouted Mai. “And, in last two months, all I’ve done is tried to stay alive!”

“I am sorry, but your life causes more problems than it is worth, Princess,” said Varsis. He drew his sword. “And so does yours, protector. You killed Graven, and I cared for him.”

In response, Broken did not draw one sword, but drew two, from sheaths on opposite sides. He twirled them in his grip. “You do not know who I am,” he said. “I advise you to rethink.” The twirling swords spun faster and faster.

Varsis did not back away. Instead, he lunged, but it seemed Broken had no intention of actually fighting. Broken, with his right foot, kicked the window out, and, as Mai and Ishad scrambled through it onto the sloping, tiled roof, Broken retreated behind them.

As it seemed Varsis was not going to follow, Broken sheathed his swords, and stood tall on the roof.

Below, Mai could see their unhorsed carriage. However their animals were in the stables. Mai remembered what had happened at Gansu, and wondered what Broken would do now.

Through the window, Mai heard a curse of, “Casari!” as well as scrabbling feet. Varsis seemed to intend to catch them on the ground.

And for better or worse, the ground did seem to be where they were headed. The roof sloped down until it was barely a foot off the ground, and that was where the three of them slid and rushed. Ishad winced at every step, but other than that, seemed to be okay.

As Makini troops scrambled to cut them off, the dark blue of the early morning shone overhead. The three fugitives hopped off the roof, but then, as troops converged, Broken stopped, even though they were quite near the shed.

“Aruith!” he shouted. The word sounded anguished, and Mai was confused.

And then Aruith burst from the stable door, and stopped beside Broken.

Broken mounted him. “Aruith’s a strong horse,” he said. “He can carry all our weights, because he has to.”

Not willing to argue, Mai and Ishad mounted the horse behind Broken, and Broken raced Aruith forward.

And that seemed to be that. No Makini soldier seemed to be as fast as Aruith, even burned as he was. Until…

Out of nowhere, Eton appeared, blocking the street before them, and Mai knew they couldn’t run.

Broken halted Aruith, and, at his lead, he, Mai, and Ishad, dismounted. Broken drew no weapons, and nudged Aruith away, who left them, and trotted down the street, to the running hordes of Makini trying to catch up to them.

“Accepting your doom,” I see,” said Eton, and Mai could not understand it. Is Broken really giving up without a fight?

Eton pulled out a red vial, and threw it at them.

In that moment, Mai felt Broken grab her and Ishad, and pulled them. He moved faster than anyone she had ever seen, and everything seemed to be in slow motion, as Broken got them to the side of the road.

Just as the road exploded.

But even as it did so, Broken got them inside a building, a building that looked to be Bola’s town hall.

Windows shattered, and Mai was sure the street was now a huge crater, but she did not look back, as Broken continued to half-carry both her and Ishad down into the building’s basement.

From outside, Mai heard Eton’s voice again. “If you want to be buried in rubble, I would be happy to oblige.”

There was no sound of a second vial being thrown, but she knew it was coming. And so it did.

***

Varsis, racing on Falor, to where Eton had corralled the princess and her companions, saw the street explode before him, just as he saw the companions evade by ducking into the town hall.

Varsis dismounted Falor, as he could hardly ride the horse over the rubble of the street, and tried to reach Eton before it was too late.

He almost did, as Eton threw the vial. “Don’t do it!” he shouted, knowing what damage the first vial had caused, even as Eton said something, lost to the wind, about rubble and obliging.

“If we bury her body, we won’t be able to find it again,” said Varsis. “They’ll be no proof.”

He finally reached Eton, who had stopped for a moment.

“My orders are different from yours,” said the demon. The Terrasanu laughed. “All I have to do is kill her.”

And then he threw the vial.

Varsis knew he dare not intercede now. The vial might hit something wholly different, and that would be so much worse.

The vial arched through the sky, and hit the stone town hall.

There was an explosion, and rock flew everywhere, even as Varsis watched. A moment later, there was nothing left of the town hall but rubble, unidentifiable as anything else.

“There,” said Eton. “All is well. You were robbed the opportunity of fighting with the princess’ protector, but ah well. Some things are just about the kill, not the way you go about doing it.”

And Eton walked away, as Varsis stared at the rubble. There was no way to clear it, to know if the princess and the others were dead for sure. Perhaps his two spellweavers could do it with enough time, but that was not feasible. Under no circumstances could an army stop in the middle of a war zone to do heaving excavating. The stone building had been three stories, and it would be too much work.

Varsis sighed. Once again, his own personal desires would have to be pushed aside in favor of the Council’s orders. By the time the bodies were excavated, they would have decayed. There would never be true conformation.

Captain Sari came up to him, as the man often did. An assistant of his was leading a horse.

“It seems, sir,” said Captain Sari, “that this horse was used in the escape attempt before…” he looked at the pile of rubble. “Before, well, that happened. The horse seems well behaved, and quite possibly suited to be a warhorse. Is there something we should do with it?”

Varsis turned to look carefully at the animal. “Send it to be inspected. And not just a cursory check. I want to know everything there is to know about Aruith here. Have the findings be reported to me as soon as possible.”

“You know the horse’s name, sir?” asked Captain Sari.

“Certainly,” said Varsis. “The name was shouted quite loudly, you know, back at the inn.”

“I will go on my way, sir,” said Captain Sari. He nodded, and, with his assistant, turned to go.

“Wait a moment,” said Varsis. “Send someone to find Eton, and bring him to me.”

“Why, sir?” asked Captain Sari. “I do not personally think it is wise to disturb a Terrasanu, especially after what he just did.”

“I am not afraid, Sari,” said Varsis. “I have killed demons. Bring him to me. I have the sudden desire to rant at him. Soon enough, we’ll get to what is truly important, but because of that demon, I suffered a great disappointment today.”

“It shall be done, sir,” said Captain Sari, hurrying away.

“Good,” said Varsis to the man’s retreating back.

Varsis’ brow creased into a furrow. The demon had no honor.