The Year of Our War Read Online Free PDF Page A

shaking with tension.
    The riders passed a paper archway half-sunk in the ground. It was the mouth of a tunnel, like a gray hood, standing without support and leading into a smooth passage. A few minutes later, they reached five identical archways in a line between gnawed tree stumps. The Insect group ran down the first of these without breaking pace, and disappeared. Dunlin reined his horse in so rapidly she lost her footing and stumbled to a halt in the tunnel mouth, her eyes showing white with fear. The soldiers stopped in a mass around him, listening to him curse. “We’ve damn well lost them after all that.” He stripped off his gauntlets, slapped them on the saddle pommel. “I don’t believe it. Damn it. Shit! Let’s get these horses out of the tunnel; they hate the Insect stink.”
    One of the soldiers called, “Your Highness! Can we ride back to the other side of the Wall?”
    “If you want, Merganser, you can.” Dunlin stared at him and uncertain laughter stirred among the soldiers. They were glancing around, taking in a new landscape where half a kilometer away, an endless sea of paper roofs began. There were hundreds of thousands of identical Insect buildings. They were pointed pagodas and low halls, like angular fungi. No windows, no doors, just gray paper cells. I flew between them, seeing their laminated surface, rippled and unbroken. I swooped below the height of the Wall, and called again, “Dunlin, can you hear me? It’s—”
    “Yes. I can hear you.”
    “Come back to the camp. That’s an order!”
    He ignored me. Nobody had seen the tunnels so close before unless Insects were dragging them there. Dunlin seemed to be rapt. “I’m going down,” he said. “Anyone to follow me?”
    “No! Rachiswater!” I searched about for a safe place to land and stop him.
    “Don’t you want to know what’s down there?” Dunlin asked his men. “Let’s go!” He drew on his gauntlets, plated with tiny metal squares, and lowered his visor. More than half the men followed his lead and he gave them time to arrange themselves, muster their courage. Merganser backed off, turned around deliberately and began to canter back toward the Wall, which looked just the same on the Insect side.
    Dunlin urged his horse forward until he was in the overhang’s uneven shadow. A soldier, sword in hand, came to guard him. They looked down into a steep, circular passageway, cut into the brown earth, dark as night.
    A cry came from behind them, sound of metal on shell. Swarms of Insects were running from the other tunnels. The Insects moved fast. There were hundreds, the ground was covered. Barbed claws gripped Dunlin’s thigh, pulling him from the saddle. With a slash he severed them; they hung on, dripping, and then there were eight more as another two Insects grabbed hold.
    No—please god, no! When I got control of myself again I called to Dunlin. With his guard he was fighting for his life, cutting Insects down left and right, a backhand with a long sword, sticking a stiletto knife through the shell heads that came up to the saddle. His heavy horse stepped sideways to crush the Insects gnawing at her hooves. Landing would not be wise. I leaned back on the air and, wheeling, left him.
    Merganser had almost made it back to the Wall. His black mare swayed on the scorched grass. I unhooked my spurs from my belt and, legs dangling, glided round and landed in front of him. It knocked the breath out of me, but I ran on and he reined in his horse. I could see the creature’s eyes beneath her scallop-edged armor. She may have been bred to deal with Insects, but she wasn’t keen on Rhydanne and I thought she would rear.
    “Merganser,” I panted. “Get off your horse and give me it. Now. Quickly! ” Merganser gaped at me and threescore emotions appeared on his face—fear was the first and reverence the last. It was easy to recognize me—who else can fly?—but he found it hard to believe that an Eszai would ever cross his