An Aimless War (Greatest Thief 2)

Chapter Fifteen

On the top of the wall, I paused. Going back to Roland was pointless. He didn't have any soldiers with him, only sailors, and there was no way he could sail back to West Draulin and back with reinforcements in time to help Tannix. So instead of running off towards the port, I flattened myself against the top of the wall so I wouldn't be so easy to see, and I watched the battle.

It became fairly clear that Tannix and his men were better fighters, but they were very outnumbered. Prince Kalvahi wasn't even fighting, just standing in the same place as before. He looked bored, like he wished Tannix and the knights would just surrender. He didn't seem to care that his men were dying.

Tannix and the knights had moved to stand in the middle of the road in a loose circle. I tried to watch everyone at once, but more often than not I watched Tannix. It wasn't like the fight with assassins in Zianna. Tannix blocked and countered blows efficiently, and he didn't have to worry about his back, because the others were there.

These were highly trained men who, as far as I knew, had never actually fought anyone. But they were winning. They weren't even using their specialized weapons.

Then suddenly one of the twins cried out, and the other broke formation to rush to his side. Jalor moved to protect them as the uninjured twin—I couldn't tell them apart in the dim light—dragged his brother to his feet. His left leg was already dark with what I could only assume was blood.

The twin's injury seemed to have bolstered the Deorans, who began to fight harder. Tannix and Mandell were forced away from the rest of the group. Acen moved to help Jalor guard the twins. Evrik was cut off completely. I thought of my throwing knives, but I was too scared of hitting one of the knights.

I didn't contemplate using them for long. I watched, horrified, as finally Mandell was separated from Tannix, and at the same moment Evrik's sword slipped from his hand. The injured twin was leaning so heavily on his brother I wasn't sure he was still conscious.

The battle stopped as abruptly as it had started. Tannix had tossed his sword to clatter on the stones by Prince Kalvahi's feet. He didn't look hurt, but he still looked furious.

In the sudden silence, the prince's voice seemed to echo. "A good decision, young Lord West Draulin. I knew you weren't the type to let your men get hurt."

"Evidently you don't mind," Tannix replied, his voice hardly concealing his anger.

Prince Kalvahi shrugged. "They're hired soldiers, they know the risks when they take the job." He switched to Deoran to address his men. They started to move, taking weapons from the now non-resisting knights and binding their hands behind their backs. There was a brief conversation about the twins, and then a handful of soldiers pried them apart. They dropped the injured twin to the ground, where he collapsed lifelessly.

The other twin yanked himself free from the two soldiers who were holding him. In the blink of an eye, his bow was in his hand, an arrow drawn back, pointing at Kalvahi. "Listen, your highness." Kor snarled. It was suddenly very obvious to me that he was Kor, although I wouldn't have been able to pinpoint exactly why I knew. "If you think I'm leavin' him behind, you're—"

"Stand down," Tannix said. He turned to Prince Kalvahi. "You called yourself a gentleman."

After a moment the prince nodded. "We'll let your giant guard carry him." He switched back into Deoran, and a few of his soldiers worked to untie Mandell. Kor's bow was yanked out of his hands and he was slammed roughly against the wall while a soldier tied his hands behind his back. Mandell gently scooped Ender into his arms. Prince Kalvahi noticed that Tannix hadn't been bound yet and snapped at a pair of soldiers, who rushed to pull back his arms. They seemed reluctant to touch him, but Tannix stood still and allowed it.