Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 525
screaming now, tears streaming down her face making it hard
to see.
As soon as the door was clear she ran for it. The only
thought in her head was to find Armiger now and free herself
from having to kill anyone else.
She found herself on the battlements. Two walls ran
from this gate tower to the main tower of the palace, forming a
narrow avenue. There were two steam cannon down there,
ready to send their streams of gravel at anyone who made it
through the gates or--
--made it onto the walls.
She saw the blur of flying rocks an instant before they
tore the flagstones from under her.
Lavin had given his instructions. There was nothing he
could do now but trust Hesty and the other commanders. He
hated to leave the siege in the middle, but he was doing the
right thing. For the first time in months, he felt calm, in control
of the situation.
"Where’s our grave robber?" He snapped his fingers
impatiently.
"Here, lord." Enneas jogged up. The man looked much
better than he had a few days ago; his ruined back was covered
in salves and bandages, then the protective casing of a
breastplate. His broken arm was in a cast, and the bruises on
his face were almost faded. He saluted with his free hand.
Lavin nodded to him. "We’re going in."
They stood among the tumbled stones of the ruined
temple a kilometer east of the summer palace. From here, a
sand-drifted causeway led to a square gate tower that had once
been the main entrance to the palace. The gates of that tower
had long since been sealed with heavy stones, and the