The City by Stella Gemmell Page B

of Blue Light?’ the dark man asked. His speech was strange, and limping, as if he was using unfamiliar words. When Elija made no answer he squatted down and said, ‘I am Gil. This is Mason. We mean you no harm, Elija.’
    ‘Wasting your time,’ the other man told him, looking around as if eager to be away.
    ‘Is the Hall of Blue Light in there?’ Gil asked, pointing to the cavern.
    Elija nodded.
    ‘Do you live in there?’
    Elija looked at Amita again. He wanted to trust these men, but he had wanted to trust the reivers too. Amita said nothing. For once she gave him no lead. He nodded doubtfully, unsure what they wanted him to say.
    Gil glanced at his friend again, then asked, ‘Do you know your way through the sewers?’
    Elija was suddenly distracted by the smell of roasting meat, greasy succulence wafting to them on the salt sea breeze. His nose twitched and his stomach cramped. Would these men feed them if he gave them the right answer?
    ‘We call them the Halls,’ he volunteered, trying to give himself time to think.
    Gil nodded. ‘Do you know how to find your way through the Halls, Elija?’
    He seemed eager for an answer and now the other man, Mason, was watching with interest.
    ‘Yes,’ he told them.
    That seemed to be right, for Gil smiled and asked, ‘And do you know the way to the palace?’
    ‘Yes,’ Elija said more confidently, although he had no idea what a palace was.
    ‘Are you hungry, both of you?’ Gil held out his hand, and after a moment Elija took it and slowly stood. He looked around. Now his eyes had adjusted he could see beyond the rocks to a sandy beach where two boats had been drawn up. There were other dark-skinned men, and there was a campfire from where the savoury smells were drifting. Gil shouted to the men and one of them lifted a hand in acknowledgement. The words were strange and Elija did not understand them.
    Turning to Mason, Gil said, in the City tongue, ‘This might be just what we need. Children would know their way through the sewers better than any adult.’
    Mason nodded. ‘Saroyan should have thought of that. Looking for Hall-walkers was her idea, after all.’
    Gil frowned. ‘Don’t mention her name, even here,’ he warned. Then he added, ‘And we could trust them better than’ – he nodded towards the opening to the caves – ‘those scum.’
    He gazed down at Amita, who still sat on the rocks watching them suspiciously. ‘Are you Elija’s sister?’
    ‘Yes,’ she said promptly.
    He helped her up, then asked them both, ‘Would you like to go aboard a great ship?’
    First the children were fed by the friendly men on the beach, then they were taken on a rowboat to the ship which, in time, took them far away. And it was not until a lot later that Elija realized it was not a City ship, but one of the enemy’s.

PART TWO
The Plain of Blood

CHAPTER EIGHT
    INDARO SWAYED TO avoid a sword thrust, then with a grunt brought her blade down two-handed on the enemy’s neck. Bone cracked like old wood. She dragged the weapon clear in time to parry a slashing cut from the right. A thrown lance bounced off the edge of her shield, missing her face by a hair’s breadth. The blow unbalanced her. She twisted and her sword lunged to the right, disembowelling the attacker, who fell screaming. She threw up her shield to block a murderous cut from the left, then her blade slashed high, braining a warrior without a helm.
    Beside her Doon leaped on the back of a dead man and with swift cuts slashed the throats of two attackers. She paused for a moment and grinned at Indaro before stepping back down.
    Indaro moved back from the soldier writhing in agony at her feet and pierced his heart with her sword.
    She took the moment to glance around and feel the rhythm of the battle. The City’s warriors had been moving forward steadily throughout the morning, pace by pace pushing back the enemy attack. The sun’s warmth was creeping under the blood-red armour at her neck. They