Wess drew her knife and started sawing at a guy-rope. She had been carefulenough of the edge so it sliced through fairly quickly. As she hurried to thenext line, she heard the tone of the crowd gradually changing, as people beganto notice something amiss. Quartz and Chan were doing their work, too. Wesschopped at the second rope. As the tent began to collapse, she heard tearingcanvas above where Aerie ripped through the roof with her talons. Wess slicedthrough a third rope, a fourth. The breeze flapped the sagging fabric againstitself. The canvas cracked and howled like a sail. Wess heard Bauchle Meynescreaming, 'The ropes! Get the ropes, the ropes are breaking!'

The tent fell from three directions. Inside, people began to shout, then toscream, and they tried to flee. A few spilled out into the parade-ground, then amob fought through the narrow opening. The shriek of frightened horses piercedthe crowd-noise, and the scramble turned to panic. The skewbald horses burstthrough the crush, scattering people right and left, Satan's empty cart lurchingand bumping along behind. More terrified people streamed out after them. All theguards from the palace fought against them, struggling to get inside to theirprince.

Wess turned to rejoin Quartz and Chan, and froze in horror. In the shadowsbehind the tent, Bauchle Meyne snatched up an abandoned bow, ignored the chaos,and aimed a steel-tipped arrow into the sky. Wess sprinted towards him,crashed into him, and shouldered him off-balance. The bowstring twanged and thearrow fishtailed up, falling back spent to bury itself in the limp canvas.

Bauchle Meyne sprang up, his high complexion scarlet with fury.

'You, you little bitch!' He lunged for her, grabbed her, and backhanded heracross the face. 'You've ruined me for spite!'

The blow knocked her to the ground. This time Bauchle Meyne did not laugh ather. Half-blinded, Wess scrambled away from him. She heard his boots poundcloser and he kicked her in the same place in the ribs. She heard the bonecrack. She'dragged at her knife but its edge, roughened by the abuse she hadgiven it, hung up on the rim of the scabbard. She could barely see and barelybreathe. She struggled with the knife and Bauchle Meyne kicked her again.

'You can't get away this time, bitch!' He let Wess get to her hands and knees.'Just try to run!' He stepped towards her.

Wess flung herself at his legs, moved beyond pain by fury. He cried out as hefell. The one thing he could never expect from her was attack. Wess lurched toher feet. She ripped her knife from its scabbard as Bauchle Meyne lunged at her.She plunged it into him, into his belly, up, into his heart.

She knew how to kill, but she had never killed a human being. She had beendrenched by her prey's blood, but never the blood of her own species. She hadwatched creatures die by her hand, but never a creature who knew what deathmeant.

His heart still pumping blood around the blade, his hands fumbling at her hands,trying to push them away from his chest, he fell to his knees, shuddered,toppled over, convulsed, and died.

Wess jerked her knife from his body. Once more she heard the shrieks offrightened horses and the curses of furious men, and the howl of a half-starvedwolf cub.

The tent shimmered with wizard-light.

I wish it were torches, Wess screamed in her mind. Torches would burn you, andburning is what you deserve.

But there was no fire, and nothing burned. Even the wizard-light was fading.

Wess looked into the sky. She raked her sleeve across her eyes to wipe away hertears.

The two flyers soared towards the moon, free.

And now -

Quartz and Chan were nowhere in sight. She could find only terrified strangers:performers in spangles. Sanctuary people fighting each other, and more guardscoming to the rescue of their lord. The salamander lumbered by, hissing in fear.

Horses clattered towards her and she spun, afraid of being run down. Aristarchusbrought them to a halt and flung her the second horse's reins. It was theskewbald stallion from Satan's cart, the one with the wild blue eye. It smelledthe blood on her and snorted and reared. Somehow she kept hold of the reins. Thehorse reared again and jerked her off her feet. Bones ground together in herside and she gasped.

'Mount!' Aristarchus cried. 'You can't control him from the ground!'

'I don't know how -' She stopped. It hurt too much to talk. 'Grab his mane!Jump! Hold on with your knees.' She did as he said, found herself on the horse'sback, and nearly fell off his other side. She clamped her legs around him and hesprang forward. Both the reins were on one side of his neck - Wess knew that wasnot right. She pulled on them and he twisted in a circle and almost threw heragain. Aristarchus urged his horse forward and grabbed the stallion's bridle.The animal stood spraddle-legged, ears flat back, nostrils flaring, tremblingbetween Wess's legs. She hung on to his mane, terrified. Her broken ribs hurt sobadly she felt faint.

Aristarchus leaned forward, blew gently into the stallion's nostrils, and spoketo him so quietly Wess could not hear the words. Slowly, easily, the trollstraightened out the reins. The animal gradually relaxed, and his ears prickedforward again.

'Be easy on his mouth, frejojan,' the troll said to Wess. 'He's a good creature,just frightened.'

'I have to find my friends,' Wess said.

'Where are you to meet them?'

Aristarchus's calm voice helped her regain her composure.

'Over there.' She pointed to a shadowed recess beyond the tent. Aristarchusstarted for it, still holding her horse's bridle. The animals stepped delicatelyover broken equipment and abandoned clothing.

Quartz and Chan ran from the shadowed side of the tent. Quartz was laughing.Through the chaos she saw Wess, tagged Chan on the shoulder to get hisattention, and changed direction to hurry towards Wess.

'Did you see them fly?' Quartz cried. 'They outflew eagles!'

'As long as they outflew arrows,' Aristarchus said dryly. 'Hurry, you, the bigone, up behind me, and you,' he said to Chan, 'behind Wess.'

They did as he ordered. Quartz kicked the horse and he sprang forward, butAristarchus reined him in.

'Slowly, children,' the troll said. 'Slowly through the dark, and no one willnotice.'

To Wess's surprise, he was quite correct.

In the city they kept the horses at the walk, and Quartz concealed Aristarchusbeneath her cloak. The uproar fell behind them, and no one chased them. Wessclutched the stallion's mane, still feeling very insecure so high above theground.

A direct escape from Sanctuary did not lead them past the Unicorn, .or indeedinto the Maze at all, but they decided to chance going back; the risk oftravelling unequipped through the mountains this late in the fall was too great.They approached the Unicorn through back alleys, and saw almost no one.Apparently the denizens of the Maze were as fond of entertainments as anyoneelse in Sanctuary. No doubt the opportunity to watch their prince extricatehimself from a collapsed tent was almost the best entertainment of the evening.Wess would not have minded watching that herself.

Leaving the horses hidden in shadow with Aristarchus, they

crept quietly up the stairs to their room, stuffed belongings in their packs,and started out again.

'Young gentleman and his ladies, good evening.'

Wess spun around, Quartz right beside her gripping her sword. The tavern-keeperflinched back from them, but quickly recovered himself.

'Well,' he said to Chan, sneering. 'I thought they were one thing, but I seethey are your bodyguards.'