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Isana watched the battle on the shattered battlements with her heart in her teeth, trapped on the second floor of a barracks building in the east courtyard, and helpless to do anything to influence its outcome

She saw her brother fall froh a haze of tears, saw the Cursor dropped to the battlements as well She screamed when Tavi took up the fallen sword and faced the enorain when Fade took up the old weapon and fought the man up and down the battlements She watched, careless of the occasional buzz of a flying arrow, as Fade was hanged and thrown off the walls, as Tavi fought for the dagger, and as the traitor Cursor fell froht

She watched as Tavi collapsed and as the wounded Aed her shield over both of them-then went still

"Tavi," she heard herself say "Tavi, no Oh, furies" She turned and ran out of the room, down the stairs to the first level of the barracks, a co there Heavy iron shutters had been closed over the , but the iron bars that could be fastened shut over the door had been torn away fro with the heavy wooden door, and now the doorway had been blocked with a pair of heavy tables, leaving the upper half of the doorway open

Frederic stood in the doorway, a Legion shield strapped onto his left arht hand One of the wo ripped in her hands The young gargant herder&039;s hair hung around his face, da white scar leading from his jawline to his ear, but his eyes were determined, hard

As Isana came down the stairs, another Marat threw himself at the barricade, stone-headed hatchets in either hand The Marat swung the first at Frederic, but the herder lifted his shield and the head of the hatchet shattered upon it The wo with hih, and the warrior dropped his second hatchet in a blow aimed at the spear&039;s haft

Frederic shouted and thrust his spade at the Marat, the steel blade of the tool gouging roughly into the Marat&039;s chest Frederic jerked the spade back to him and with a roar leaned back and kicked the stunned Marat in the belly The warrior went flying away fro in a heap upon the stones of the embattled courtyard

Isana rushed to the doorway "Frederic I&039;ve seen Tavi and Bernard They&039;re hurt, and I&039;ve got to help the, his handsome face speckled with droplets of blood "But Mistress Isana! There&039;s Marat running around everywhere out there"

"And they&039;re lying wounded in it I need you to help ht"

The woman with the spear nodded to Isana "Go on We can hold the door for a while"

Frederic frowned, his expression torn "You&039;re sure?"

"Thank you," Isana said, and clasped the worabbed Frederic&039;s "They&039;re near the gate, on the broken section of wall"

Frederic sed and nodded "So we just go to the other courtyard, right?"

"Yes"

Frederic settled his grip on his spade&039;s handle and nodded "All right, then"

Isana clutched tightly to Frederic&039;s shoulder, as he leaned forward, took a quick look around the courtyard, and padded swiftly toward the other side of Garrison, keeping near to the wall The carnage in the courtyard was like sohterhouse The Marat roa with one another and with the Aleran defenders

A shrill scream cut across the courtyard, terror filled In the doorway of the barracks building across the courtyard froed a wounded legionare out into the courtyard, one on either arround between theionare&039;s hel Warner&039;s bald head and exhausted face beneath

"Warner!" Isana cried

Warner looked up, his face ashen, and tried to sweep his sword at the nearest bird, but the th to an to wrench the Steadholder apart, shrieking Two Marat, their hair bedecked with dark herdbane feathers, watched until Warner had been savaged and lay still upon the earth Then one of them stepped forith a knife in hand and, after a moment&039;s consideration, re to his coh, and then as the birds continued worrying the corpse, the pair of the

The cries within Garrison were joined by others-the screa to help theht, Mistress Isana? Soo help, aren&039;t they?"

Isana looked between the far courtyard and the barracks, while children screamed She came to her decision in the space of a breath For while Tavi ht be hurt, he at least had a chance of survival If she did nothing, those children would have none

"We are," she said "Let&039;s go"

Frederic sed and nodded He shook her hand off of his shoulder and stalked forward, sweeping his spade nervously in his hand Isana followed him

Neither of the herdbanes took note of them until Frederic swept his spade in a broad arc that ended at the neck of the larger one, which broke with a brittle snap The bird went down ied, snapping at the gargant herder&039;s face Frederic shuffled back, and the bird followed him

Inside the barracks, the children continued screa herdbane had stalked another few paces away from the door and then she darted inside

"Mistress Isana!" Frederic called "Wait!"

Isana slipped inside the barracks to find the two Marat facing a dozen children who hid behind several trunks and bunks knocked over and formed into a crude barricade Soion spears and thrust them viciously at the Marat whenever they came close The Marat spoke to one another in low voices, evidently deciding how best to dig the children out from behind their barricade

Isana moved silently to the nearest Marat, reached out, and touched his neck, calling to Rill as she did

The Marat jerked and let out a hoarse screale, as water frothed from his nose, hisout as he did Isana felt it hit her high on the cheekbone and throw her to the ground

She tried to scraed her back She kicked at hi with his knife, a sudden line of screaht coled in her hair, jerking her head back Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the glitter of a glossy stone dagger, diving toward her throat

She lifted an ar, and blocked the Marat&039;s forear the blade a scant inch frorunted and bore down, and she felt her arth

Isana twisted, gasping, calling for Rill once again, hoping that the first Marat would remain incapacitated when she called Rill fro into her, and Isana drew Rill in, even as she sank the nails of her free hand into the Marat&039;s forearm Blood welled fro through those rents

The Marat gasped, shuddering, and the power of his aran to wane He jerked and twisted and abruptly released both Isana and the knife His body bucked, and he fell back fro at his chest

Isana shuddered and tried to shield herself from the sudden terror and panic in the Marat, but she did not release hirip The Marat heaved in breaths like a fish out of water, but Isana kneould do hiood The fury had stopped the blood in his veins, stopped the beating of his heart

It was over in a htened, wide-eyed children over the corpses of the Marat warriors she had killed

Frederic appeared in the doorway, panting, aholder had discarded his shield, and instead carried a slender and half-dressed girl wearing a slave&039;s collar and a dancer&039;s silks The girl&039;s leg had been bloodied, and she leaned on Frederic, her face buried against his shoulder, weeping

"Mistress Isana," Frederic gasped "You&039;re all right?"

"For now," Isana said She irl over to the little barricade "Frederic, youAll right?"

He looked up at her, his face concerned "But what about you?"