far to forget that there were obstacles still in the way of her truly being with Daniel.
Every life had taught her something so far. Surely this life must hold its own key. If only she knew what to search for.
We had word the king would arrive here to direct the troops down below, De said. The rebels had planned an ambush of the king's cavalry.
They're on their way, Luce said, remembering Huang's instructions. They'll be here any moment.
Daniel nodded. And when they get here, the rebels will expect me to fight.
Luce winced. She'd been with Daniel twice already when he was gearing up for battle, and both times it had led to something she'd never wanted to see again. What should I do while you're--
I'm not going into battle, Lu Xin. What?
This isn't our war. It never was. We can stay and fight other people's battles or we can do as we have always done and choose each other over everything else. Do you understand what I mean?
Yes, she whispered. Lu Xin did not know the deeper meaning of De's words, but Luce was nearly sure that she understood--that Daniel loved her, that she loved him, and that they were choosing to be together.
They will not let us go easily. The rebels will kill me for deserting. He replaced her helmet on her head. You will have to fight your way out of this, too.
What? she whispered. I can't fight. I can barely lift this thing--she gestured at the halberd. I can't--
Yes, he said, imparting profound meaning with the single word. You can.
The carriage filled with light. For a moment Luce thought that this was it, the moment when her world would ignite, when Lu Xin would die, when her soul would be exiled to the shadows.
But that didn't happen. The glow shone out of De's chest. It was the glow of Daniel's soul. It wasn't as strong or as radiant as it had been at the Mayan sacrifice, but it was just as breathtaking. It reminded Luce of the glow of her own soul when she'd first seen Lu Xin. Maybe she was learning to truly see the world as it was. Maybe, at last, illusion was falling away.
Okay, she said, stuffing her long hair back inside the helmet. Let's go.
They parted the curtains and stood on the platform of the chariot. Before them, a rebel force of twenty men on horseback waited near a hill's edge maybe fifty feet ahead of where the king's chariot had been overtaken. They were dressed in simple peasants' clothing, brown trousers and coarse, filthy shirts. Their shields bore the sign of the rat, the symbol of the Zhou army. They were all looking to De for orders.
From the valley below came the rumbling of hundreds of horses. Luce understood that the entire Shang army was down there, thirsty for blood. She could hear them chanting an old war song Lu Xin had known since she could speak.
And somewhere behind them, Luce knew that Huang and the rest of the king's private soldiers were on their way to what they thought would be a rendezvous at the overlook. They were riding into a bloodbath, an ambush, and Luce and Daniel had to get away before they arrived.
Follow my lead, De murmured. We will head for the hills to the west, as far from this battle as our horses can take us.
He freed one of the horses from the chariot and guided it to Luce. The horse was stunning, black as coal, with a diamond-shaped white patch on its chest. De helped Luce into the saddle and held up the king's halberd in one hand and a crossbow in the other. Luce had never fired or even touched a crossbow in her life, and Lu Xin had only used one once, to scare a lynx away from her baby sister's crib. But the weapon felt light in Luce's hands, and she knew that if it came down to it, she could fire it.
De smiled at her choice and whistled for his horse. A beautiful brindle mare trotted over. He hopped onto its back.
De! What are you doing? an alarmed voice called from the line of horses. You were to kill the king! Not mount him on one of our horses!
Yes! Kill the king! a chorus of angry voices called.
The king is dead! Luce shouted, silencing the soldiers. The feminine voice behind the helmet brought gasps from all of them. They stood frozen, uncertain whether