“It’s always the little ones that cause the most trouble,” said Inniora.
Suddenly, from an unexpected quarter, formality slipped into Lia’s manner. Drawing herself up to every one of her five feet and two inches, she declared, “The true King of Fra’anior is at hand, Chago. Rouse your men and follow me.”
“And women,” said Inniora.
“And women,” said Lia, laughing softly as the tall Islander grabbed her into a rib-crushing embrace. “Glad to see you too. We brought you a present–your favourite sword.”
Inniora nodded. “Thank you. I hope I can hold it.” Showing Lia her left hand, she said, “I lost two fingers to Ra’aba’s men, but they did not torture me much once they realised they had the wrong person, and knew nothing of your plans.”
“Not much? Oh, Inniora.”
“You’ll be weeping like Chago in a minute,” said Inniora, with a discomfited growl. “Lead on.”
The dragonet said, You should send monks with Chago, or there’ll be confusion, Lia.
Good idea, Flicker, she replied. “Brother Ja’al, will you detail ten of your men to accompany Chago and his Guards?”
Ja’al’s lips twitched at the stress she placed on the word ‘brother’. “Aye. Second squad. See to it.”
Lia explained, “Some of them can try to get the servants to safety and let these people out. The rest of us need to concentrate on finding our way to the Great Hall.”
Chago’s appearance in the guardroom with a female prisoner caused an eruption of hilarity amongst his fellows. Their uncouth laughter lasted less than two seconds as a group of grim-faced monks crowded in right behind him, with Hualiama in their midst. Curses! Weapons slipping from sheaths! Sleepy men leaped from the pillow-roll, scrabbling for their weapons and armour.
“Silence!” Chago bellowed.
Lia stepped forward. With more than a crackle of Dragonish fire in her voice, she said, “Men, I am the Princess Hualiama of Fra’anior.” Her title did occasionally come in useful, she thought ruefully. “If you stand with the true King, then stand with us. Today, the traitor Ra’aba will fall.”
With a flick of her Nuyallith blade, she deflected a thrown dagger onto the floor. The room exploded in violence. Soldiers grappled with each other. Monks raced forward, deadly shadows on the move. Hualiama found herself facing three sword-waving soldiers, with Ja’al at her side and Flicker above them. The dragonet scratched one man’s eyes out. Lia finished him with a straight thrust to the chest. Her hands blurred into a series of parries as a second swordsman took her on, only to be ambushed by Flicker. She glanced around to see Hallon and Rallon charging the stairs to the upper levels of the palace, where a group of soldiers tried to shut and bolt the dungeon door.
“To me!” bellowed Chago. “Take them!”
The metal door stood on strong ratchet hinges designed to halt egress from the dungeons. Behind it, Hualiama saw two or three dozen men wearing unfamiliar livery and wielding large war hammers, perhaps the mercenaries from Yaya Loop. The three big men charged the door. Rallon threw himself bodily into the gap, groaning as the door slammed against his chest and shoulder. Hallon hacked away above his brother, trying to stop the blades and war hammers homing in on the trapped monk’s head. Above them, the dragonet whizzed through the gap, turning side-on to fit his wings through.
Having picked up a war hammer, Chago attacked the hinges with mighty overhand blows. Lia jerked forward. Arrows! Rapidly, almost falling on top of Rallon in her haste, Lia swung the Haozi hunting bow off her shoulder and began to place arrows through the gap, not caring what she hit as long as she drove the mercenaries back.
Suddenly, an image flowered in her mind, taking over all else. She was in a different place. From afar, Lia saw a Dragonship slewing toward the pink quartz and black granite Palace building. Dragons lounged all over the Receiving Balcony, a flat, paved area where the King of Fra’anior traditionally met with the Dragon Elders. Sleeping, a watching mind told her, from what felt a great distance. Lia’s body shivered, but she realised her spirit was not there. It watched with one who powered through the first flames of dawn’s sky, driving his body to the utmost speed to reach the Human Island.
A Green Dragon sat up. Her vision zeroed in on the Dragonship, magnifying the scene to an incredible degree. Men appeared on the Dragonship’s gantries, yelling and milling about in an obvious panic.