The Empress spoke quietly with her husband. “The Houses are falling too quickly, but it is as I predicted. Mubiri will fall and there is nothing I can do to prevent that.”

      There was sadness in his eyes as he replied, “At least we will die together and with honour.”

      “I have no intention of dying at the hands of these men,” she stated as a matter of simple fact. “And if you follow my instructions, neither will you.”

      Tyjan nodded. “Then may our deaths be swift and painless and return honour to all Ortalia.” He was easily accepting of his fate.

      Nakime smiled and took Tyjan’s hand to explain. “There can be no honour when you fight an enemy that has none. If Ortalia is to survive, I must defeat this army. But the lands we know will be no more. Our world will be changed. But that will not happen at Mubiri. I must leave soon and seek aid from those who trade with us. I trust you to do what you must to ensure my escape and save Ortalia. I will give you your instructions.”

      Tyjan took a deep breath. “I will do as you ask, and when it is done I will go to our rooms and save your honour.”

      “No. You must NOT take your life because your work will not yet be done.” Nakime held his hand tightly and looked deep into his eyes.

      Tyjan slumped, a beaten man. He could not win this battle and so his honour would be taken from him and now the Empress denied him his right to regain it. But he nodded his acceptance. “But why bring dishonour on yourself this way? Do you really want to live with the disgrace?” Tyjan continued to plead with the Empress without success, finally accepting that he could not win with her either.

      But the feelings in his words were honest and Nakime was beginning to grow fond of her husband. “I have been trying to show you, the traditions are without meaning now. There is no disgrace in losing a battle, only in losing the war. And that I intend to win. Then your honour and that of all Ortalia will be restored. Now I hope you can do as I ask, and if you are successful, I will see you when I return. If we fail, I will meet you in the next world.”

      Tyjan kept his head lowered but made no further objections. Nakime turned to Alieah who waited quietly by the door and asked her to fetch Corale for her, and to have two carriages prepared.

      ~

      When the girl entered the room Nakime threw her arms around her, a tear running down her cheek. “My dear little sister,” she cried. “I fear the House of the Dragon will soon fall. Our enemy prepares their attack. But there is one thing I can do before it is too late. You must take your companion and leave the city.”

      “I cannot leave you,” pleaded Corale.

      Nakime clung to her sister, only two years younger than her, before pushing her away stoically. “You must. Your carriage and driver are waiting. It is all I can do to protect you, other than sending a second carriage out to distract their army. Go north, through the pass, and find your way to Tobe. The Houses there will protect you. Now go, before the tears of your leaving rip my heart asunder.”

      She rushed her sister down the stairs and into the courtyard as the warriors stood ready at the gate. The Empress climbed onto the coach-house to watch her sister leave. The gate swung quickly open and the driver took his whip to the flanks of the horses, driving them into a run. The carriage passed out of the Dragon as the gate swung closed as quickly behind.

      Nakime watched as the driver, crouching low in his seat, turned the team north and gave them their heads to run with all the strength they possessed. She watched as the horses in full gallop raced to be clear of the Dragon and she watched as the first arrows knocked the driver from his seat to fall between the wheels of the carriage. Moments later the first horse fell and the carriage screwed with the sudden drag on one side, to topple and splinter on the hard-packed street. One wheel spun in the air, as if for it time meant nothing, before falling to the ground. The carriage had been destroyed and nothing moved other than the men who approached to see the damage they had caused.

      Nakime turned to Alieah, who had climbed up beside her. “It is as I suspected. The only way out is back through the city and down to the docks. The time has come for us to leave. Get to the other carriage.”

      ~

      The gates swung open again. Nakime and Alieah lay on the floor of the carriage as it hurtled through the opening. The enemy’s ability to kill from a distance frightened the young Empress and she intended staying hidden until they were well clear.

      She had tried again to explain, but Tyjan had been brought up in the traditions. He could see that Ortalia was going to fall to the invaders, but he refused to understand that tradition meant nothing when the enemy used it to their advantage. The responsibility was hers to take if she was to win back her Empire, and she could not do this if she obeyed the rules of combat. She needed time, and she needed arrows, and any other weapons that her enemy possessed, that could be used against them. Her only hope was that Tyjan would see it as his duty to obey her instructions, and that he would play his part well. Alieah had played her part well, too. She left immediately after receiving her instructions. Now enough ships were gathered in the harbour, and the city’s best warriors waited on board. They would sail as soon as she reached the port.

      The carriage jumped and bounced its way through the streets, the horses striving under the whip and the abuse of the driver. Nakime rose to sit on the seat, holding on with every ounce of strength she could find. They did not have far to go, and soon the walls of the Houses opened up to reveal the expanse of wooden docks nestled along the shore. The driver dragged the horses to a stop and Nakime wasted no time waiting for someone to open the door. She jumped to the ground, calling for Alieah to follow as she ran to the waiting ship, barely noticing the massed ships at anchor in the roads.

      “Get us moving,” she called to the captain before her feet touched the deck. “Get all of the ships out of the harbour now. There is no time to waste!”

      The enemy was close when they left though Tyjan would try to hold them off. The fast ride had given them some time, but she knew the ships would need that to get under way. More concerning, she did not know if the warriors on horses would come after them. Flags were running up, calling all ships to weigh anchor and flee. Lines were cast off. Topsails were unfurled. Sailors in two waiting longboats began to pull on oars, like ants trying to move a sweet bun. Ever so slowly, the bow of the ship freed itself from the land’s embrace.

      Time was running out. The enemy was closing and the captain informed her that the tide would soon turn against them too. With the slightest of bumps, the stern nudged the dock, and then it, too, was free. Unbound, the ship began to crawl forward. Water rippled along her side. Sailors strained at their oars as they dragged at the mass of the ship until the shore was left behind. First one longboat was brought alongside and its sailors retrieved, and then the other. The boats were left to float away on the still waters. The ship began to move further away from the shore. With nothing to hold them back, the captain ordered the top gallants and course sails set, and the ship joined its companions in their race to be clear of the enveloping arms of the harbour before the tide or wind changed.

      Nakime looked back at the line of enemy warriors watching from the docks.

      Chapter 4

      King Xavier was furious. How dare Lord Grarm summon him? The man was becoming insufferable. After all, Xavier was more than a king,