Diera put Hirad down for a moment while Auum ran to the edge of the building to assess their route. She gazed over the rooftops. Everywhere was colour and light, and she found herself wondering why they hadn’t thought of a roof garden at the inn.
‘Silly woman, does it really matter?’ she muttered.
‘Why are we up here, Mama?’ asked Hirad.
‘It’s not safe on the ground, darling. So we’re going over the roofs. What an adventure!’
‘Where’s Father?’
‘We’re going to get him now.’
And how she wished he was standing by her right now. She felt desperately scared. Auum and his Tai were so strong and quick and full of confidence but she was not. Did they really expect her to leap across the chasms between houses? It couldn’t be done.
Behind her, elves and men spilled onto the roof carrying sheets. They set to tying them together. Someone had even found a length of rope. An irritable voice below told her that Gresse was approaching, carried by two others and arguing all the way.
Up in the sky, the machine had retreated back into the clouds and there was some small respite from the droning noise that had hurt Hirad’s ears. But she didn’t imagine it would be gone for long. She drew her son back close to her as the wolves leapt out of the doorway, following Thraun. Soon a line of elves and wolves plus the returned shapechanger were standing on the edge, looking out. Auum was pointing. Brynar was shaking his head. Miirt took a pace back and leapt the gap, landing easily on the other side. Diera spread her arms. ‘I can’t do that,’ she said.
She took Hirad by the hand and trotted to the edge. Auum made a space for her.
‘I will carry your son on my back,’ he said.
The gap was about ten feet where roofs overhung the street below. Beyond, there was a clear run to the next square.
‘But I can’t jump that gap.’
‘We will not let you fall,’ said Auum.
‘What about Baron Gresse?’
Auum’s face was impassive. ‘He knows where his journey ends.’
‘The grid around us is not yet active,’ said Brynar. ‘They could take their chances on the ground.’
‘That is for him to decide. Ghaal, Miirt. Back over here. Help Diera.’
Across the city, the flat horn tone washed out from above and the machine descended once more through the clouds. It hung above the east gate for a moment and then began a slow move west. Lines fell from its sides to the ground and the rooftops. Garonin slid down the lines, advancing the moment their feet found purchase.
Brynar drew in a huge gasping breath. ‘That’s the grid active.’
‘It will do them no good,’ said Thraun. ‘The Garonin can target the wards from a distance.’
‘Don’t be so sure,’ said Brynar. ‘Septern’s linkage is quite brilliant. Some wards lie dormant until others are triggered. They will not find them all.’
Garonin were moving across the rooftops towards them. Black-armoured and -helmeted, weapons in their hands, they appeared to simply step across the largest of gaps, their armour flaring briefly white as they did.
‘Yniss preserve us, I have put you in greater danger,’ said Auum. ‘Give me Hirad.’
Diera crouched by her son. ‘Hang on to Auum, darling. I’ll be right behind you.’
‘No, Mama. I want to stay with you.’
Diera kissed Hirad’s cheek and wiped away a tear. ‘It’ll be all right. Fun. Auum is going to teach you how to fly.’
Hirad looked at her suspiciously. ‘Really?’
‘Really. Now go with him.’
Hirad let go of her. Diera stood. Auum inclined his head and took her hand.
‘Trust me. Come, Hirad. Jump up on my back.’
He crouched and the little boy threw his arms around Auum’s neck. The TaiGethen put his arms under Hirad’s legs and held him piggyback-style. Diera breathed deeply. Miirt and Ghaal had returned over the terrifying gap.
‘We’ll all do this together,’ said Auum.
He bounced Hirad on his back and walked back a few paces. Diera, with the Tai either side of her, let them take an arm each.
‘Don’t think about it,’ said Ghaal. ‘Just run as fast as you can. We’ll do the rest.’
Diera’s heart was pounding. ‘I don’t think I can do this.’
‘Don’t think at all,’ repeated Ghaal. ‘Do.’
Garonin were closing. Diera could see them only three streets away. She gathered her tattered courage.
‘All right,’ she said.
‘Go,’ said Auum.
They ran for the edge. Diera’s scream built on her lips, and as she planted her foot and felt the TaiGethen pull on her arms, she let it have full voice. She cycled her legs in thin air and closed her eyes momentarily. An endless heartbeat later she felt another rooftop beneath her. She stumbled but the Tai did not let her fall. Diera opened her eyes and looked back and then into Hirad’s beaming face. Auum crouched to let him down.
‘Run to the far end. Join the ClawBound. Tai, we fight.’
And in no time the elves had jumped the gap again and were running back along the rooftops, straight at the Garonin.
The pain in Hirad’s chest caused by the arrival of the vydosphere made his head swim. He and Sirendor were seated together, holding each other upright. The Unknown and Jonas were standing, arguing, and Ilkar, bless him, was still trying to find a safe way out of their prison despite the crushing weight he must surely be feeling.
‘The door will trigger any ward near it,’ said Sol. ‘We cannot take that risk.’
‘Then what do we do, Father? Sit and wait for Densyr to come back and kill us? I’m prepared to take the chance.’
‘And we will if we must. But not yet. Let Ilkar do what he can first.’
Away to the east, they could see the Garonin machine hanging in the air. They had heard explosions and Ilkar had felt a massive flood of mana as the whole ward grid activated.
‘Even if we do get out of here, there is nowhere to run,’ said Jonas. ‘There will be wards everywhere, won’t there?’
‘He’s right, Unknown,’ said Hirad, gasping for breath. ‘Ilkar?’
‘Wait,’ said Ilkar. ‘I’m just . . .’
Ilkar’s face tautened visibly, like his skin was being stretched over too much bone. Where his hands were in contact with the ground, it seemed to shimmer slightly, obscuring his fingers.
‘Ilkar?’ The Unknown began moving towards him. ‘Ilkar.’
‘Gods . . . burning.’
Hirad struggled to his feet, bringing Sirendor with him. The pressure inside his body was growing steadily more intense. The pair of them began to move towards Ilkar.
‘Talk to us, Ilks,’ said Hirad.
‘Help . . . me . . . trapped.’
‘Trapped how?’ asked The Unknown.
‘Does it matter? We have to move him, don’t we?’ said Hirad. ‘We have to break him away from there or his soul will be torn out.’
‘And set off a ward or ten? Think, Hirad.’
‘You know that’s never been my strong point.’
Hirad pushed Sirendor away from him and began to run at Ilkar.
‘Hirad, no!’ shouted The Unknown.
‘My advice would be to duck,’ said Hirad.
He had planned to dive at Ilkar, to knock him carefully aside from his entrapment, but the pain in his chest flared throughout his body. He stumbled once, lost his footing completely and fell into the returned mage, barging him from his feet and taking them both into the wall of a building and then into a heap on the ground.