trying to escape the cruel pressure on his bridle.
â Your horse.â The ashipu spat. âYou insolent cur. Heâs been royally bred for royalty only. And now Iâve chosen him for sacrifice.â
âIf you try to harm this horse, Iâll cut out your heart and feed it to you.â
Soulai, creeping closer, saw the ashipuâs black eyes narrow. The man drew himself up. Summoning his evil powers, Soulai thought. The night air seemed to grow strangely thin and Soulai could scarcely breathe.
âYour ill manners profess your ill breeding.â Light from the half-moon glinted on the blade of a knife pulled from the ashipuâs robe. In one quick motion he grasped Tiâs headstall and laid the silvery blade against the white throat. Ti snorted but stood as still as stone, as if under a spell. Even Annakum, who had kept up a steady growl, fell silent.
Habasle immediately dropped the reins, which swung noiselessly in the darkness. He took one retreating step, then another. He switched his spear to his right hand, calmly leveled it to his waist, and eyed the distance to the ashipuâs belly.
The red-robed man smiled. Still staring at Habasle, he slowly drew the knife across Tiâs hide so that a dark trickle spread through the hairs. He shook his head. âNot a wise choice, little bat. Now put it down.â
Habasle hesitated. Then he turned and defiantly hurled the spear into the night. No one spoke until they heard it clank to the ground.
The smile never left the ashipuâs face. âYou,â he said to Habasle, âand you,â indicating Soulai, âare going to assist me in a much-needed cleansing ritual.â
But as the ashipu had drawn his knife, Soulai had begun creeping around to the chestnutâs other side. He hoped they wouldnât notice him leaning his body into the horse. The pressure signaled the stallion to step toward Ti. Ears twitched. Muscles tightened. Soulai held his breath and leaned again. The chestnut swung his hip forcefully around this time, bumping against Ti. The old feud was rekindled and the parti-color stallion lashed out with both hooves. Humping his back, the chestnut returned the blows, kicking again and again. Ti bellowed and spun sideways, and the knife fell from the ashipuâs hand.
Encumbered by his long robe, the man tried to evade the flailing hooves of the fighting stallions while searching for the lost dagger. Just as he found it, however, Annakumâs jaws clamped onto his naked wrist. The huge dog shook his head and the man crumpled, shrieking in pain.
Habasle grabbed Tiâs reins and yanked him away from the fight. In one leap he was on the stallionâs back and drumming his legs along his flanks. They sped toward the cityâs walls.
Soulai yanked sharply on the lead rope of the angry chestnut. In desperation, he jumped for the horseâs back, managing to get only one knee locked over the withers before the animal bolted. The rope fell from his hands. All too aware of the rough ground rushing beneath him, Soulai grabbed for the mane and tried to pull himself upright. With a final, all-out effort he heaved his body atop the galloping stallion, crouched low, and ordered his quivering legs to squeeze tight.
One of Ninevehâs main entrances, the Nergal Gate, lay directly ahead, but Habasle steered Ti toward a smaller one, which had a door standing ajar and a lone guard waiting nervously beside it. Having neither reins nor lead rope, Soulai felt lucky that his galloping mount veered in the same direction. Ti and Habasle rushed into the tunnel that pierced the thick inner wall. The chestnut charged after, bashing Soulaiâs leg against the bricks. In a couple of strides they were passing through a twin gate in the cityâs towering outer wall. His entire leg took the blow this time. There was no pausing to notice the shattering pain, for the stallion suddenly bunched and sprang through the
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