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The chariot jolted to a stop, and Luce was nearly flung off her seat Outside, there was a thunderous pounding of horses' hooves--which was strange because the king's chariot was standing still

Someone else was out there

Luce heard a clash of hly Soround

There was , a harsh cry, and another thu, Luce parted the leather curtains the tiniest bit and saw the droopy-eyed solder lying in a pool of blood on the ground beneath

The king's chariot had been ambushed

The curtains before her were thrust apart by one of the insurgents The foreign fighter raised his sword

Luce couldn't help herself: She screamed

The sword faltered in the air--and then, the war her nerves, and slowing the pounding of her heart

The fighter on the chariot was De

His leather helth hair, but it left his face wonderfully unobstructed His violet eyes stood out against his clear olive skin He looked baffled and hopeful at the same time His sas drawn, but he held it as if he sensed he shouldn't strike Quickly, Luce lifted her hel it onto the seat

Her dark hair cascaded down, her locks tu all the way to the bottom of her bronze breastplate Her vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears

Lu Xin? De gathered her tightly into his arrazed hers and she rested her cheek on his, feeling war She lifted her head and kissed the beautiful curve of his lips He answered her kiss hungrily, and Luce soaked up every wonderfulthere weren't so much heavy armor between them

You're the last person I expected to see, De said softly

I could say the sa here?

When I joined forces with the Zhou rebels, I vowed to kill the king and get you back

The king is--Oh, none of thathis cheeks and his eyelids, holding tight around his neck

Nothing matters, De said Except that I'low back in Chich?n Itz? Seeing him in these other lives, in places and times that were so far from home--each one confirmed how much she loved him The bond between them was unbreakable--it was clear from the way they looked at each other, the way they could read each other's thoughts, the way one et the curse they had been suffering through for eternity? And the quest she was on to break it? She had coet that there were obstacles still in the way of her truly being with Daniel

Every life had taught her so so far Surely this life must hold its own key If only she knehat to search for

We had word the king would arrive here to direct the troops down below, De said The rebels had planned an a's cavalry

They're on their way, Luce said, re's instructions They'll be here any et here, the rebels will expect ht

Luce winced She'd been with Daniel twice already when he was gearing up for battle, and both tiain What should I do while you're--

I' into battle, Lu Xin What?

This isn't our war It never was We can stay and fight other people's battles or we can do as we have always done and choose each other over everything else Do you understand what I mean?

Yes, she whispered Lu Xin did not know the deeperof De's words, but Luce was nearly sure that she understood--that Daniel loved her, that she loved hiether

They will not let us go easily The rebels will killHe replaced her helht your way out of this, too

What? she whispered I can't fight I can barely lift this thing--she gestured at the halberd I can't--

Yes, he said, ile word You can

The carriage filled with light For a ht that this was it, the nite, when Lu Xin would die, when her soul would be exiled to the shadows

But that didn't happen The glow shone out of De's chest It was the glow of Daniel's soul It wasn't as strong or as radiant as it had been at the Mayan sacrifice, but it was just as breathtaking It relow of her own soul when she'd first seen Lu Xin Maybe she was learning to truly see the world as it was Maybe, at last, illusion was falling away

Okay, she said, stuffing her long hair back inside the helo

They parted the curtains and stood on the platform of the chariot Before them, a rebel force of twenty e 's chariot had been overtaken They were dressed in si, brown trousers and coarse, filthy shirts Their shields bore the sign of the rat, the sy to De for orders

Fro of hundreds of horses Luce understood that the entire Shang army was down there, thirsty for blood She could hear the Lu Xin had known since she could speak

And so and the rest of the king's private soldiers were on their way to what they thought would be a rendezvous at the overlook They were riding into a bloodbath, an aet away before they arrived

Follow my lead, De murmured We will head for the hills to the west, as far from this battle as our horses can take us