A sword met hers just inches from the defender’s neck. Her hands slackened around the hilt as she recognised Harlan. Blood covered one side of his face.
‘Blake.’
She let her weapon fall to the ground and bent to her sister, who was getting trampled. She knew as long as Harlan was standing above her that no weapon would touch her. She dragged Eda to her feet, and the younger girl’s head rolled back. Her stomach clenched at the sight of her sister in that state.
Harlan tucked them both under one arm and led them through the maze of fighting, shoving any merchant who stood in his way and yelling at his own men to move. A man stepped into their path, carelessly swinging his weapon around. It almost hit Eda. Harlan bashed him in the face with the hilt of his sword and shoved him aside.
‘Clear a path,’ he called to the defenders lined up ahead of them. ‘Move!’
The men stepped aside to let them through.
Eda groaned as they slipped between the defenders. Relief flooded Blake.
When the line sealed behind them again, Harlan said, ‘I can’t come with you.’
She adjusted her grip on her sister, knowing he had already done too much. ‘We’ll be fine.’
Running a hand down his face, Harlan nodded and turned back to the line. ‘Open up.’
The defenders moved aside.
Harlan’s sword turned in his hand as he marched through, swallowed up by the fighting. Blake closed her eyes and turned away, pressing her lips to her sister’s bloodied head for a moment before lifting her into her arms and carrying her home.
Chapter 34
The smell of alcohol and blood was so thick in the air inside the infirmary, Harlan was forced to cover his nose and mouth as he made his way through it. While far more merchants had been injured and killed, the defenders had certainly not left the borough unscathed.
Shapur walked next to Harlan. ‘It is possible the archer was inside one of the houses.’
The commander shook his head, pausing to watch a leg being stitched. ‘Even an experienced archer couldn’t manage that distance. Certainly not with that accuracy.’
Shapur looked around, scowling. ‘You will need to search every shop, every house, and every inch of that forest. Confiscate every weapon. The last thing we need is armed merchants as they count the dead.’
Harlan resumed walking towards the door, in need of air. ‘Every household has a bow of some kind, along with many other weapons. It’s perfectly legal.’
‘Well, that is about to change,’ Shapur said quietly as they stepped outside and drew a lungful of clean air.
Harlan turned to his father. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘King Oswin is dead,’ Shapur said, crossing his arms. ‘Prince Borin is understandably angry. He wants justice.’
‘Well, he needs to leave that to his defenders and focus on his family. The queen will need to be told. We’re going to need Queen Fayre here to keep her son in line.’
‘Prince Becket departs for Toryn in the morning, but it will be at least two months before they return. The seas are rough this time of year and the ships irregular.’ Shapur looked out at the empty training field. ‘In the meantime, our new king wants the merchants stripped of their weapons and the killer on the wall by the end of the day. Those are his orders.’
Harlan blinked. ‘He’s putting a time limit on it? Does he realise half his military are in the infirmary?’
‘Who is going to tell him no?’
‘You could. Or the king’s advisors.’
‘He cannot see past his grief right now.’
Harlan shook his head and brushed a hand down his face. ‘Families require weapons for hunting.’
‘Then lucky for them there is nothing left to hunt.’
‘What about family heirlooms? Are we stripping merchants of their histories now?’
