The wizards glanced at each other and Hanibaz shrugged. "Fair enough." They took a step back. Hani-baz's hand reached into his cloak.
Tycho choked and looked at Li. The Shou's face was pale, but the expression on it was hard. "Give them the Silk," he hissed. "Save yourself." Tycho nodded. He reached for his sleeve and his fingers closed on its astonishing warmth.
We were so close, he thought. It almost worked, we almost got away. We took down Brin and Lander and all their men-and even Hanibaz and Mosi. Red Wizards, Tycho, he reminded himself, you pulled one over on Red Wizards!
And you're going to stop fighting now?
Anger flared inside him, warm and powerful as the Silk itself. A crooked smile spread across his face and he grinned at Li. "Bind me if I will!" he spat. Li's eyes narrowed and a smile tugged on his face as well.
They moved at the same moment, Li charging at Yu Mao with a shout, Tycho whirling to dart across the sty and away from the wizards-and his aged mentor. "Laera!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Get Veseene out of here!"
Words of magic shimmered in the air. One of the wizards was working a spell. Tycho's hand went to his sleeve and the ragged edge of the Yellow Silk, and he tugged loose another thread. It grew in his grasp, pulsing and warm. He spun around, sliding in the muck of the sty, and hurled it at the mages without pausing.
Hanibaz dived away from the glowing bolt, but Mosi stood firm. He spoke the final syllable of his spell and flung up his hands. A wispy curtain of flame flared before him, catching the Silk's bolt. Light spattered like water and Mosi staggered, but there was no explosion. Hanibaz hissed. He reached into his cloak once more and whipped out a long, slim wand of pale wood tipped with a vivid red gem. A harsh world rippled from his lips. He flicked the wandatiycho.
The bard didn't wait to see what unpleasant effect the wand might produce. He threw himself forward, tumbling across the ground. Hanibaz hissed in frustration. Tycho rolled to his feet, snatching another thread from the Yellow Silk as he moved, and rose with a golden bolt ready in his hand. The Red Wizards were separated now, though, too far apart for a single bolt to affect both! His gaze darted from one to the other, trying to choose a target. Mosi, readying another spell behind his veil-thin shield of magic, or Hanibaz with his wand? He lunged toward Mosi in a desperate feint-maybe he could at least startle him into dropping his spell before hurling the bolt at Still in his grasp, the bolt changed as he lunged, flexing and lengthening in the air. The tip of a long lash of light cracked, whiplike, against Mosi's shield with a shower of sparks. Mosi yelped and the spell that he had been weaving collapsed in on itself. Even Hanibaz jumped, wand momentarily forgotten. Tycho's own surprise gave way almost instantly to fierce, angry joy.
"Bind me, yes! " he shouted and sent the lash cracking out again, first at Mosi then at Hanibaz, driving the startled wizards back. Another snap of the lash caught the wood of the fence between him and them. Flaming splinters fell hissing into the mud below. "Come on," he screamed defiantly. "You want the Silk? Come and take it!"
Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Laera was struggling with Veseene, trying to drag her away from the fight-and Veseene was resisting with all of her feeble strength. Tycho cracked the lash at Mosi again. This time, the bald wizard stood his ground, letting his shield absorb the blow of the lash. Sparks flew once more, but Mosi didn't even flinch. Tycho swung the lash back at Hanibaz desperately. At least he could still hurt him! "Veseene, get away! Go with Laera!"
"No! You're not going to win this fight alone!" The old woman's voice was strangely thick, almost muffled.
Tycho twisted around. "Veseene, go-"
Mosi's hand flicked out. Five darts of ruddy light swarmed from his fingertips, streaking like arrows to pierce Tycho's side. The bard gasped and the lash fell from his hand, vanishing in a silent flare as pain sent him stumbling to the ground.
Yu Mao's finger pointed at him. "He's mine."
"Fair enough," said the bearded wizard.
Li's gut squeezed down into a knot. How light had he felt when he had believed Yu Mao was dead? The weight that had been lifted from him had come crashing back, heavier than ever. Yu Mao alive-even though he had unwittingly killed him once! Now…
In the Hooded's lair, memories of happier times-of the brother he had known-had stayed his hand.
Now his brother had just offered up Tycho and the greatest treasure of their family. For what? He looked up and into Yu Mao's eyes.
All he saw there was murder and bloodlust. The same madness he had seen in Black Scratch's eyes. What kind of monster had his brother become?
Honored ancestors, give me courage, he prayed silently.
Lords of Karma, judge me kindly. He tore his gaze away from Yu Mao and looked to Tycho. "Give them the Silk," he said. "Save yourself."
But the bard's face twisted into a crooked smile. "Bind me if I will!"
A smile touched Li's face, too. Thank you, honored ancestors. For what better courage could I ask?
Li forced doubt out of his mind. A fast, hard blow could end this quickly. He shouted as he turned away from Tycho and charged at his brother. He launched himself into a leap, a high-flying kick at Yu Mao's head.
With a speed that belied his barrel-chested size, Yu Mao spun aside and punched out with a blow of his own that slammed Li to the ground. Li twisted, soaking up some of the impact with a roll that brought him back up to his feet. Yu Mao was right on top of him, though, and unleashing a flurry of vicious hand strikes. Li got his arms up to block the strikes, but the ferocity of his brother's attack forced him back and brought a gasp out of him. Yu Mao smiled savagely.
"Not up to the challenge, younger brother?" he grunted.
A break in the storm of his attacks. Li's arm shot out straight, stiff fingers driving into Yu Mao's thick neck. Yu Mao dodged back before they could strike. Li bared his teeth. "More than up to it, elder brother."
He threw himself forward. Yu Mao leaped to meet him, not to strike or block, but to grapple. Suddenly Li found himself fighting-really fighting-to tear himself out of his brother's embrace. Yu Mao reeked like a pig, the stink of his body enough to make Li retch. His skin was greasy with filth as well, and his near-nakedness made if difficult to grasp him. His own clothes, on the other hand, made it easy for Yu Mao to get a grip on him and hold him tight.
Massive arms squeezed and Li gasped as the air was crushed out of his lungs.
He wrenched his arms free desperately. Cupping his hands, he clapped them against Yu Mao's ears. The big man gasped and his arms loosened. Li thrust against his shoulders, drawing his body up and out of the deadly embrace, and threw himself backward in a long flip. The heel of his boot caught Yu Mao's chin with a snap and sent him staggering back. Li landed in a crouch beside his fallen dao, swept it up, and rose into a position of balance. "Hrah!"
Blood was trickling out of Yu Mao's mouth as he stood up straight. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. "You've gotten good," he said.
Li didn't move. "And you've gotten foul. You're more pig than man." His eyes narrowed sharply as Staso's tale came back to him-along with Tycho's caution of curses as fickle things. "It's the captain's curse," he breathed. Yu Mao's eyes narrowed as well.
"So you know about that." He sneered. "By my blood, you shall not live to forget Sow. Well, I haven't forgotten her or her bitch mistress-every night when the moon rises I send a prayer to whatever hell she burns in and I thank her for her curse because it's a greater blessing than Kuang ever gave me!"