Ventus by Karl Schroeder

Karl Schroeder / Ventus / Page 537
copper pennies earlier, and now that man took up the rear, and
dropped a penny every few meters. Lavin didn’t want to have
to rely on Enneas to find his way out of here.
They came to a stone staircase leading up. "That’s it,"
said Enneas. "Those stairs take you to the lower servants’ way,
and there’s a door there that exits right into the front hall of the
palace."
"I’ve seen it," said Lavin. "Thanks. You stay here and
wait for us."
"Gladly," said the thief.
Lavin walked up the steps, took a turn, opened a door and
despite his confidence was somehow still surprised to find
himself standing in the empty entrance hall below Galas’
audience chamber.
Calandria rolled over. Her head was pounding, and her
shoulders and right arm were very sore. She looked up, saw
smoke, raised her head and heard shouting and the roar of
muskets.
She lay on the parapet of one of the walls stretching from
the gate to the main tower. Rocks and flinders of stone lay all
around her. Several bloody bodies dotted the walkway nearer
the gate.
Where was her gun? Levering herself up, she spotted the
microwave gun lying a few meters away. It appeared
unharmed. She was superficially battered, her helmet dented,
face and shoulders bruised, but otherwise unharmed.
She crab-walked over to the gun, then crouched under the
crenels away from the sweep of the steam cannon below. They
had stopped their deadly barrage in any case; it looked like the
assault on the tower had failed.
For a while she stayed there. She didn’t want to think