"Stand still," a voice snapped out of the darkness. Temuge was close enough to see Chen Yi grimace.

There were six soldiers in scaled armor, led by a man wearing a plumed helmet of hard bristles. Temuge groaned to himself at the sight of the crossbows they held. Chen Yi's men stood little chance of fighting their way through. He felt panic rise like acid in his throat and he started to back away without thinking. It was Khasar's iron grip that held him in place.

"Where is your captain?" Chen Yi demanded. "Lujan can vouch for me." He saw that they held his man by the scruff of his neck. The man struggled in the grip, but Chen Yi did not look at him.

The plumed officer frowned at the tone, stepping forward from his men.

"Lujan is off-duty tonight. What business do you have to be running the streets in the dark?"

"Lujan will explain," Chen Yi said. He licked his lips nervously. "He told me his name would let us pass."

The officer glanced back at the hapless man being held by his neck.

"I have not been told. You come back to the barracks and we will ask him."

Chen Yi sighed. "No. No, we will not do that," he said. Chen Yi darted forward with a knife in his fist, punching it into the throat of the officer so that he fell back with a choking cry. The soldiers behind loosed their crossbows instantly, firing into the group. Someone cried out and then Chen Yi's men were among them, hacking their blades into the soldiers.

Khasar drew the sword he had been given and roared at the top of his lungs. The bark of sound made the closest soldier take a step back, and Khasar knocked him down, stepping in close to hammer his forearm across the man's face. The impact took the soldier's feet out from under him, and Khasar lunged past, lost in a vicious whirl where he used elbows, feet, head: anything to bring his enemies to the ground. Those who had shot their bolts could only raise the bows to defend themselves. Khasar's blade smashed one of the weapons to pieces before he hacked the edge into a soldier's neck. In the darkness, he moved through them like a breeze, kicking at an exposed knee and feeling it break. The soldiers were clumsy in their armor and Khasar was faster, whipping round as he sensed every threat before it could come close. He felt someone grasp him from behind, trapping his sword arm. He smashed his head backwards, striking with his elbows, and was rewarded with a grunt of pain as his attackers fell away.

Temuge shouted as one of the soldiers collided with him. He flailed wildly with his own sword, terror stealing his strength. Somewhere a bell began to ring. As he registered the sound, he felt himself being lifted and he screamed, falling silent when Ho Sa slapped his face.

"Get up. It is over," Ho Sa snapped, embarrassed for him. Temuge gripped his arm as he rose, staring at the sight of Khasar surrounded by broken bodies.

"You call these soldiers, Chen Yi?" Khasar said. "They move like sick sheep."

Chen Yi stood stunned as Khasar casually shoved his sword into the chest of one who still moved, finding a place under the scales of armor before leaning his full weight on it. He could hardly believe how quickly the Mongol warrior had moved. His own guards were men picked for their skill, but Khasar had made them look like farmers. He found himself wanting to defend the soldiers of his city, much as he hated them.

"There are six city barracks, each with five hundred or more of these sick sheep," he replied. "It has been enough."

Khasar prodded one of the bodies with his foot. "My people will eat them alive," he said. He winced then and touched his hand to his collarbone. It came away stained with blood, quickly diluted in the rain so that it ran between his fingers.

"You are cut," Temuge said.

"I am too used to fighting in armor, brother. I let the blow through." In irritation, Khasar kicked the officer's helmet where it lay near his feet, sending it skittering over the paving.

Two of Chen Yi's men hung limp between their fellows, blood pooling into the puddles of rainwater. Chen Yi examined them, his fingers touching the bolts that stood out in their chests. He thought quickly, his plans in disarray.

"No man can avoid the wheel," he said. "Let them lie here to be found. The Imperial officers will want bodies to show to the crowds tomorrow."

The two dead men were released, sprawling on the stones. Temuge saw that others among them bore wounds and they panted like dogs in the sun. Chen Yi turned to him then, his anger becoming scorn.

"You are safe for the moment, frightened one, but they will rip the city apart looking for us. If I do not get you out tonight, you will be here until spring."

Temuge's cheeks burned in humiliation. All the group was staring at him and Khasar looked away. Chen Yi sheathed his blade and resumed the trot that would carry them to the walls. The runner had survived the bloody fight and he went ahead once more.

The west gate was smaller than the one they had passed through on their journey from the river. Temuge despaired when he saw light growing ahead and heard shouting. Whichever citizen had rung a warning bell, the soldiers had roused themselves from their barracks and Chen Yi was hard pressed to avoid being seen. He headed for a dark building near the gate, hammering on the door to be let in. Temuge could hear the clatter of armored men coming closer as the door opened and they piled inside, slamming it quickly shut behind them.

"Get men to the highest windows," Chen Yi told the one who had answered his knock. "Have them call down what they see." He swore under his breath then and Temuge did not dare speak to him. The sight of the ugly gash running the length of Khasar's collarbone stirred Temuge from his panic, and he asked one of Chen Yi's men for a needle and catgut thread. His brother watched with just the occasional grunt as Temuge stitched the skin in a ragged line. The blood and rain had cleaned it and he thought it would not fester. The action helped to still his thumping heart and prevented him from dwelling on the fact that they were being hunted at that very moment.

One of the men above called down, his voice a harsh whisper as he leaned over a banister: "The gate is shut and barricaded. I can see perhaps a hundred soldiers, though most are on the move. Thirty hold the gate."

"Crossbows?" Chen Yi asked, looking up at the man.

"Twenty, maybe more."

"Then we are trapped. They will search the city for us." He turned to Temuge. "I can no longer help you. If I am found, they will kill me and the Blue Tong will have a new leader. I must leave you here."

The mason Lian had not fought with the others. Unarmed, he had stepped into the gutter as soon as the fight had started. It was he who answered Chen Yi, his voice rumbling in the shocked silence.

"I know a way out," he said. "If you don't mind a little dirt on your hands."

"Soldiers in the street!" the man above hissed down at them. "They are knocking on doors, searching the houses."

"Tell us quickly, Lian," Chen Yi said. "If we are caught, you will not be spared."

The mason nodded, his face grim. "We must go now. It is not far from here."

Mutton-fat lamps burned and spat, casting a dim yellow light as Genghis faced a line of six kneeling men. Each of them had his hands bound behind his back. To a man, they showed the cold face, as if terror of the khan did not gnaw at them. Genghis strode up and down the line. He had been summoned from the bed of Chakahai and had risen with fury, even when he saw it was Kachiun who called his name in the darkness.

The six men were brothers, ranging from the youngest who was barely more than a boy to mature warriors with wives and children of their own.

"Each of you spoke an oath to me," Genghis snapped. His temper flared as he spoke and for an instant he was tempted to take the heads of all six.