Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 395
voice from the ground on the other side.
Jordan looked down, into the eyes of the magician from
the marketplace.
"Thief! I’ll have your head for stealing my power."
For a second old habits took hold: "I didn’t steal him!"
yelled Jordan. "I borrowed him and I gave him back." Then he
saw moonlight glint off the blade in the man’s hand.
There were six men on the alley side of the wall, and four
including the magician on the other, which was someone’s
garden. The wall itself ran between two buildings; there was
no exit to be had by running along its top.
Three of the men in the alley had torches, as did the
magician.
"Let us go!" said Jordan. "I don’t want to hurt you."
The magician laughed. "Nice bluff."
"Get ready to jump" Jordan hissed to Tamsin. "Torch,
crack!"
Sparks and burning wood flew everywhere as the torch in
the magician’s hand exploded. He screamed and fell, batting at
the embers in his hair.
"Now!" Jordan and Tamsin landed in the dirt next to the
magician, whose friends were smacking him on the head to put
out his hair. There was an open gate at the far end of the
garden, so Jordan made for that. Tamsin kept up easily.
They entered a moonlit street. In the distance he heard
running feet; the others were coming around the end of the
block. "Ka! Come to me."
"Ka." The ghost of a butterfly wafted through the open
gate.
Tamsin tugged at his arm. "They’re coming!"
"I know. We can’t stay here. Ka, we need horses. Find
me two of them, right now!"