Page 30 of Ensii
“We don’t know, my lady. We heard it just a few minutes ago.”
That must have been what had awakened her. Talitha frowned. “Why isn’t the alarm—”
As she spoke, the alarm blared over the whole of the palace. The ram’s horn echoed, sending cold chills down her spine.
“The wall,” Ashek said.
Talitha nodded. “Come with us.” She waved once before taking off in a run for the palace wall, Ashek hot on her heels.
The wall was visible not far from here, from the palace garden. Talitha’s and the rest of the ensaak’s family quarters had circled it in a grid.
She and Ashek broke into the garden ahead of the others to find the garden a ruin. The grass had been trampled along with every flower and blossom. Many of the vines that grew up the side of the trellises and the trees were knocked over as statues and prayer wheels had been torn apart. E
Despite the destruction, the garden appeared calm now. An agitated peafowl ran clucking past, feathers in disarray with a number missing.
The rams’ horns sounded again and it took Talitha a moment to realize the direction it was coming from. “The throne room.”
Spinning in the direction of the inner palace, Talitha ran without a second’s hesitation. Naram had been bolder than she expected.
Talitha rounded the corner to find the massive golden doors to the ensaak’s audience chamber had been bolted and barred. Dozens of soldiers wrestled with the locks, pounding and pulling on the great handles.
“How did this happen?” Talitha grabbed the nearest soldier, noting the golden insignia on his shoulder—a sergeant.
“We don’t know, my lady. One moment we were making rounds about the palace, searching for the usurpers when—”
“Ensaak!” Zula fought through the tight press of fighters, dark circles under her eyes and fury blazing in her glare. “They got past us somehow. We found ten of our soldiers dead outside the postern gate. They must have left the palace and then gotten back in. One of the soldiers swears he saw the priest and usurper with at least fifty acolytes and soldiers.”
Talitha swore. “Nergal take them all!”
“Don’t invoke the dark gods, Talitha,” Ashek warned. “It gives them power to obey.”
Talitha wasn’t sure what he meant. What’s more, she didn’t particularly care if the men who butchered her family and enslaved her people was dragged to hell.
“My lady, I am responsible, I—”
“No time for blame, Zula. Send word to the rest of the soldiers and the Hudspethites.” No sooner had Talitha spoken than she looked up to find Ashek speaking with Emalek and Kurzik. When had Emalek arrived? “I want at least one hundred soldiers here, do you understand me? We are taking this throne room with no survivors.”
Zula snarled in the direction of the barricaded doors, a wordless, feline sound.
Talitha’s lip curled. “Exactly.”
Not wasting a moment, Zula spun to the nearest soldier. “Send for more fighters. I want every available warrior here within the quarter hour.”
“Yes, captain.”
“What do you expect to find inside?” Gilsazi was at Talitha’s shoulder, his ebony horns waving a good two feet above the next tallest person.
“Who knows?” Talitha checked her sword, clenching the hilt out of impulse. “I’ve given up trying to understand those black hearts. Why risk getting into the throne room?” Talitha shook her head. “It makes no sense.”
“Clearly they thought it was worth it.” Gilsazi gestured to the chaos around them. “But why?”
“Do we have a battering ram anywhere? Or something that could be used as one?” Talitha had a vague recollection that her grandfather had one stored in the dregs of their armory somewhere. It had been cypress and iron, heavy and difficult to transport. Talitha had suggested they cut it apart and either build new ones as needed or transport it that way. She didn’t remember what had become of it, if anything.
“I don’t know,” Gilsazi answered. “The army has never laid siege, not since you and I have been running it.”
Yet again, Talitha’s own benevolence was coming to back to bite her.
“There has been a great deal of worship to Anakti within those walls.” Debrei’s voice came quiet, but strong, hitting Talitha from behind.
