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“They separated us about one half hour ago” The boy stared at him with hard eyes
“Is he okay?” he asked Sokolov
“He seems fine”
“We have to go, but he must remain quiet”
Sokolov whispered to the boy, and several nods confirmed that the lad understood Malonethe way down to ground level
Heading toward the gate out required a crossing of the open courtyard
He studied the upper galleries Seeing no one, he gestured and they hustled forward They passed through a lower gallery, negotiated one of the arched wooden bridges over the allery on the courtyard’s opposite side
So far, so good
NI REALIZED THAT THE LONGER HE LINGERED WITHIN THIS confined space, the greater the risk He had no idea howoutside More than he could handle, that was certain But he was determined to act
“Move out of here,” he told Tang
His adversary drifted toward the door
“Careful, Minister,” Pau whispered “He seems to want you out there”
“Shut up”
Yet Pau was right He’d seen the sa’s eyes But he could not stay here What had the prehtier than Mount Tai or lighter than a goose feather Which will yours be?
“Move,” he ordered Pau
Slowly, they inched their way out into the hall His gaze raked the galleries, searching for threats, while si the three men only a few meters away
So many places to hide
And he was totally exposed, on a raised platfor between hi calmly said
“Tell anyone in those galleries to show the To emphasize the point he pressed the blade into Pau’s throat, and the old man flinched Good About ti said
“Show yourselves,” he called out “Now Your master’s life depends on it”
MALONE HEARD A SHOUT
As did Sokolov, who cradled the boy in his arht
“That sounded like Ni,” he whispered
“So themselves or their master will die,” Sokolov interpreted
He allowed a soft exhale to escape his lips while he considered his options He spotted an open doorway a few feet away He grasped Sokolov’s ar corridor lined with doors spread out before them He crept to one of the doors and slowly released its latch Inside was a sht feet square, filled with oversized pottery, perhaps for the courtyard
Wait in here, he mouthed to Sokolov
The Russian nodded, seeht, we can’t leave him
“I’ll be back, hide behind some of this stuff”
“Where’s Ca
ssiopeia?”
He couldn’t tell him what happened Not now “Just stay quiet You’ll be fine”
He closed the door, fled the building, and headed straight for the open doorway at the far end of the courtyard, where voices could still be heard
TANG WAS ENJOYING THE MOMENT
Ni Yong was trapped
Only nine brothers manned the monastery Tere here, onesix were scattered throughout the co his command
MALONE ENTERED
Beyond the open portal, he found a vestibule, and then an asseleaed three to a side, splashed the colorful walls with a fiery brilliance Displays of armor and weaponry lined the perimeter At the opposite end he saw five men
Pau, Tang, Ni, and two others
Ni held a sword to Pau’s throat
They stood before shelving of diagonal bins, stuffed with rolledfifty feet He kept to the shadows, confident that nothing had betrayed his presence He noticed that lesser rooround floor, screening out the world Light streamed in from the upper colonnades, which apparently were lined s
Outside, a gong rang again
He used the araze raked the upper two stories of galleries He thought he caught movement, but wasn’t sure