Chapter 8

Chapter 8

- But, milady, why should you personally go to the front line? - Rosa asked as they left the camp with the last companies of infantry. Most of the army had already moved to the river.

- So the soldiers would see me there, - Donna Vittoria explained calmly. The necromancer rode a rather thoroughbred raven horse, with Rosa and Jeanne walking beside her. There were no horses for them - the Loyalists were short of cavalry, so even wagon nags were counted. - I'm slowly getting everyone used to the idea that where Marshal de Cotoci is, I am. Many people here already respect me. It's good for people in such dire straits to know that a member of the royal court, a high official, is on their side. Further proof that the truth is in their favour. Weak, really, but they will inflate my importance in their own eyes. It must be reinforced. The army must see me as a leader on a par with the marshal, and that's worth the risk.

The red-haired donna raised her hand in greeting to the company of pikemen ahead of them. The soldiers in steel cuirasses and round helmets cheered. Some waved their helmets in response, others shook their pikes. Vittoria made a complicated gesture with her hand, and two large dead ravens swooped down from above. Spreading their shabby black wings, losing their feathers in flight, they swooped over the donna's head, over the column of marching soldiers, made a circle and went up again, turned into tiny dots. The infantrymen, after seeing the birds off with cheerful shouts of approval, began to sing a song at the order of the officer. Rosa had never before seen such a reaction to necromancy. Usually the common folk were afraid of the mages of this school - even the undergraduates and harmless craftsmen who enchanted wood for the shipyards. It was true that when the whole world was against you, a necromancer on your side would be welcome.

Taking advantage of the pause, the girl bent down to pull up her boots. She was changing in a hurry. Alas, there was nothing better than a hunting costume for the upcoming battle in Rosa's trunk. Her mentor, however, had also changed her dress into a jacket, boots and trousers, wearing only a leather anatomical breastplate. It could only protect her from a thrown stone, but it looked spectacular, especially in combination with the bright blue cloak. Jeanne, on the other hand, was more thoroughly equipped, wearing a blued cuirass and gauntlets over a black man's suit, high boots, and long gloves of very thick black leather. On her left hip now hung a heavy sword, on her right a long dagger. Apparently, she has finished trying to fit in among the refugees.

- I hope they don't start the battle without us, because I have some things to pick up on the way. We're late enough as it is, - the red-haired donna said as she steered her horse away from the dusty road. When they left the path, they stopped in front of a huge stack of straw. Rosa frowned as she noticed the faint glow of magical energy in its depths. The necromancer said a few words, moved her fingers, and the stack moved. For a second the girl thought that her mentor had somehow managed to revive the straw. But no, of course not - two massive grey-black carcasses emerged from beneath the crumbling stack.

- Bulls! - Rosa shrieked. She'd had time to get used to her mentor's animated birds, even Luca. But something so big...

- They're a little sluggish because I kept them at minimum charge, - Vittoria explained with a smug smile. She was flattered by her student's reaction, and the necromancer did not think it necessary to hide it. - I'll pump them with energy on the way to the headquarters. How's that?

- Creepy, - Jeanne answered for the young sorceress.

- Yes. And... impressive, - Rosa said. The bulls weren't just slaughtered, they were resurrected, soaked in a preserving compound. They had been worked on after their death - some craftsman had fitted the horns of the constructs with sharp blades sticking out to the sides. An additional spike was also attached to the forehead of each of them. The blades were made of bronze, of course, but they looked frightening. As did the shabby skulls of the bulls, which seemed to have been deliberately skinned.

- Then you will help me. - The necromancer shook her palm in a thin suede glove, still smiling. - Try to transfer the energy to one of them. Right on the fly, for added complexity. Just don't worry. If anything goes wrong, I'll help you.

Marius and Toad joined their group on the way. The knight gave the necrobulls a glance, but said nothing. The dragoness sniffed at one, sneezed, and lost all interest in the creatures. Guess, she didn't find the red-haired donna's pets edible. As a result, the company that arrived at Marshal de Cotoci's headquarters was more than motley. The Loyalist officers, however, greeted the necromancer and her entourage calmly, as they were probably used to it. Vittoria took a seat beside the marshal, her companions huddled behind her. They were accompanied by messengers, aides-de-camp and guards.

The riverbed of the Shaanta lay in the lowlands. The gentle banks sloped down to the river on both sides, and the headquarters in the rear was thus elevated above the positions of the rest of the army. From the point chosen by the marshal, both the rebel and royal armies across the river were clearly visible. In the weeks of standing in one place, the armies had built solid fortifications at the fords - but the rebels had tried harder, for they intended to hold a long defence. A line of trenches, perambulations, earth ramparts and fences curved in an arc, with the flanks extended towards the river. The centre of the line was occupied by the Duc de Velonda's regiments. On their left flank were the Loyalist forces, the right flank was entrusted to the mercenaries, supported by one regiment of ducal infantry. Rosa did not need to know military science to realise that the Duke was exposing the allies and mercenary companies to the first blow, saving his own forces. The marshal, who looked even more sullen than the last time they met, obviously understood this. On top of that, the commander was clearly hungover - he was sweating, breathing heavily, rubbing his temples every now and then. Familiar symptoms that Rosa had seen more than once in her father and fellow students at the Academy.

- Are we not too late? - Donna Vittoria asked the marshal. He shook his head:

- Just in time. The sentries raised the alarm at the first movement on Auguste's position. It's just beginning.

- I don't see anything, - Rosa whispered to Don Marius. Before the knight could answer, a young officer in a dusty, fashionable hat handed her a spyglass. She smiled gratefully at him and put the eyepiece to her eye. Rosa's own telescope had been broken by nomads when they robbed her camp, and this one was much worse - heavy, weak, with cloudy glass. But it was better than nothing. Now the young sorceress could see what was happening on the other side of Shaanta.

Only three small mounted troops, probably scouts, had so far attempted to cross the river. The rest of Auguste's troops were lining up between the camp and the shore. The cannoneers were drawing their guns closer to the water. Dragons soared high in the sky - seven or eight, hardly more. The coordinated movement of thousands of people was mesmerising - like the bustle of an anthill. According to Don Marius, the royal army outnumbered the rebels twice as much, even though many infantry regiments stood on the border with the Empire, and a fair portion of the cavalry was trapping the nomads in the rear. Now it seemed to Rosa that this mass of thousands, glittering with armour and spearheads, was held back only by the flow of water. Once it crossed the river - and Auguste's army avalanche crawled forward, sweeping away everything in its path. The thin strip of fortifications did not inspire much hope. Swallowing, Rosa glanced quickly over her shoulder. She looked back at Toad. The green dragoness was lying quietly away from the headquarters, in the shade of a chestnut grove that had miraculously not fallen to the planks. Resting her head on her front paws, she squinted her yellow eyes in the direction of the statuesque necrobulls. The odds of victory were of little concern to her. Under the cover of the same grove the marshal's mounted reserve was stationed. Only fifty gendarmes in full armour, and fifteen hundred cuirassiers, protected only by body armour and helmets. All Loyalist cavalry. Ridiculous against the enemy forces - but these soldiers with black badges on their shoulders were filled with grim determination. They didn't sing, they didn't whisper, they didn't try to drown out their fear with jokes - just silently measured in their saddles, waiting for orders. Rose endeavoured to catch their confidence and Toad's calmness.

Auguste's mounted troops crossed the Shaanta and halted, staying close to the water. Half of the riders immediately dismounted. Some of them squatted or even got down on all fours, picking at the ground.

- What are they doing? - Marshal de Cotoci stepped forward, lowering his spyglass for some reason.

- Boom! - a cannon struck nearby. It was echoed by another, than a third... The rebel batteries were covered with white smoke, the wind carrying wisps of it along the river. Rosa expected to see fountains of cannonballed earth exploding around the hasty scouts. Instead, she saw a series of blue flashes flashing over the shore. Rectangles of blue fire flashed and went out over the heads of Auguste's soldiers. Not a single shell fell near them.

- Whoa! - Marius blurted out, and Rosa realised that the sparks of blue flame had been seen by everyone, not just mages.

- Screens! - Donna Vittoria lifted her chin, pressed her lips tightly together. - Magic screens.

- They are not scouts, but engineering squads with army mages. - De Cotoci nodded, turning pale. The marshal was hardly frightened, more like an acute headache. - They're putting shield projectors on our shore.

The faint sound of battle trumpets blaring across the Shaanta reached Rosa's ears. King Auguste's main forces moved in three large columns across the fords. The first to enter the water were the royal gendarmes, followed by the infantry. Cavalry and foot soldiers held so tightly that they merged even in the eyepiece of a telescope. It was as if three giant snakes had dived into the river. The heads of these snakes glistened with the silver of gendarme armour, and their bodies were as prickly as porcupines, and a forest of long pikes swayed above the lines of infantrymen.

The rebel cannons struck again, aiming for the fords - and again the magical shields shone, now higher. The cannonballs ricocheted off them helplessly. The shields were extinguished by the blows, but new ones flared up in their place.

- They covered the crossing from shelling. - The Loyalist Marshal's cheeks flared. - There must be bags full of amulet projectors prepared in advance, and the cannons couldn't reach them.

Now the trumpets sounded in the rear of the rebels. Behind the ramparts and fences in the centre the dust rose to the sky.

- General Monvant is sending cavalry to attack. He wants to throw the sappers into the water. - De Cotoci shook his head. He seemed to be feeling quite ill - sweat was running down his face, and the marshal wiped it away with his sleeve. - It's too late, they won't make it. Even our cavalry won't make it, even though we're closer.

Donna Vittoria tilted her head to her shoulder, her gaze distant. Rose didn't know her mentor very well, but she was definitely up to something. It didn't take long to guess what the necromancer had in mind - a few seconds later, the red-haired donna turned to Marius. She asked:

- Don Marius, have you had time to equip the dragon with protective amulets?

- Yes, milady. - The young knight's eyes lit up as he realised at once what was wanted.

- Can your dragon reach the shore before Auguste's army crosses the river?

- Yes, milady.

- Take the squad on our flank. - Donna shifted her gaze to the marshal. - Send a messenger to the batteries, have them ready that the shields on the left are about to fall.

Neither knight nor commander attempted to object. De Cotoci gestured to the messenger, and Marius, bowing briefly, rushed to Toad. Rosa slipped the borrowed spyglass to its owner and was off before she could think of a good reason for it. Already hurrying after the young man, and hearing the clanking of Jeanne's cuirass behind her, she threw it over her shoulder:

- I'm with him. We need a mage to locate and extinguish all the shield projectors.

In the back of her mind, she feared her mentor would stop her. But instead, the necromancer called out to the other person:

- Jeanne!

The student and her bodyguard looked back at the same time. The red-haired donna said with a chuckle:

- Take care of my student, but don't be fanatical, please. I need you alive as a witness.

- I promise nothing, milady, - the black-haired woman said, taking Rosa by the elbow. They ran up to Toad, a few steps behind the knight. Don Marius gave the girl a hand, and Jeanne pulled her up from underneath - a moment later Rosa was in the saddle. It would have been cramped for three, so Jeanne snuggled against the dragoness's side, gripping the harness straps tightly - it was enough for the short flight. Rose tightened the straps around her hips, pulled off her beret and put it in her bosom. She nodded to the knight. He clapped his pet on the neck and commanded, "Up!". A short run, a flap of mighty wings, and they soared over the battlefield.

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- Can you control the amulets?! - Don Marius asked, shouting over the whistling wind. - Without control, they are delayed!

- I don't know! - The girl replied, clinging to the knight's waist - just like in the days of their journey together. - I'll try, but don't count on it...

She squeezed her eyes shut and mentally reached for the protective amulets woven into Toad's harness. At least the powers that had raised her to the second level of magic were good for something. Rose didn't need to touch each amulet with her hand to touch the energy that filled it. She couldn't do subtle manipulations without direct contact, but she could make the amulet work on command.

There was no time to make a proper judgement, for Toad had travelled the distance to the shore in the blink of an eye. If there were dragonbane guns across the river, they had no time to react to the spurt. Rosa kept her eyes open, and through her lowered eyelids she could see the colourful lights below. Amulets of the king's mages, shield projectors installed and waiting to be used. The shields themselves seemed to be transparent bluish films of flawless rectangular shape. Even with magical vision they could barely be distinguished. The fires were getting closer, growing in size - and suddenly one of them flashed scarlet. Flame! Rose jabbed her imaginary finger at the amulet hanging from the dragoness's shoulder, and the oncoming stream of fire dispelled the flaming arrow that struck from the ground. Toad dived sharply downwards, under the edge of the force shield floating in the sky. The girl fell backwards against her will, and then hit her forehead against Marius's helmet.

- Oh! - she shrieked, opening her eyes.

- Get ready! - The young knight didn't even turn round. - Now!

The dragoness touched the ground in a puff of dust, and the student saw Jeanne jumping down. Hastily unbuckling her harness, Rosa also rolled down the lowered wing, almost tumbling, wiping her trousers on the scales. Don Marius remained in the saddle. With a rumbling roar, Toad rushed forward, throwing aside the riders in green caftans who got in her way. The girl shook her head and looked round. They were barely fifty paces away from Shaanta - Rose could see Auguste's gendarmes who had reached the middle of the river. Steel-clad riders on stout cowhide and black horses were advancing in a living wall, shoulder to shoulder, stirrup to stirrup. Hundreds of tiny rainbows surrounded them as the sun's rays pierced the watery dust. On her right hand a dozen cavalrymen of the vanguard were fleeing from the dragon, on her left Jeanne was already engaged with three soldiers - she was spinning, attacking one or the other, deflecting blows with the dagger in her left hand. A corpse lay at the feet of the fighters, its chest bound by a sling of flasks and pouches - the woman had knocked out the enemy mage first. In front of Rosa's eyes her maid-defender took the blow of the sword on the cuirass and with a quick lunge drove the sword into the throat of the opened enemy. The girl didn't look any further - she rushed to where she saw the magical glow. A copper pin with a round cap was sticking out of the ground. The cap was covered with intricate patterns weaving around a black and green gem. An amulet projector, not yet discharged. The girl dropped to her knees in front of it, prodded it with her dagger, pulled it from the ground. She put her two palms around the pin, pressed it to her forehead, and whispered the necessary words. The shield projector emitted a low hum, vibrated. Somewhere up there, the magic screen became completely impenetrable for a brief second... and then went out. At the will of the young sorceress, the amulet spat out its entire charge in a single pulse - a simple trick that required no special training for an army mage. Dropping the now useless pin, Rosa rushed to the next one. She knelt down, exposing her dagger, and reached for the amulet....

...A kick in the side, just under the ribs, threw the girl away from the projector. She didn't even cry out - she was out of breath. Rosa rolled on the ground, lost her dagger. Inhaling convulsively, she rolled over onto her back. A soldier in a green caftan stepped towards her, swinging a long cavalry sword. His face - not young, mustachioed - was twisted with rage. The girl blindly searched the ground for a dagger, or at least a stone. As luck would have it, her fingers closed on a pebble the size of a fingernail. An infinitely long heartbeat later, the figure in black crashed into the soldier. Jeanne struck the enemy in the chest with her shoulder and collapsed with him into the sparse grass. Once on top, knocked the enemy on the teeth hilt of the sword, jumped up. With a short swing of her blade she cut the soldier's throat. Forgetting about him, she turned to Rosa:

- Madame?

- Ou... oh... oh... oh-h-h... I... okay. - The girl raised herself up on her elbows. Her stomach ached terribly, but her ribs were intact, and her liver didn't seem to have burst. The rest was nothing. There were no living enemies in the vicinity, but that wouldn't last long. - That thing! Pull the amulet!

Jeanne knew at once what she was talking about. She put her dagger and sword in their sheaths, knocked a copper pin out of the ground with her heel and kicked it towards the girl. While the young sorceress was discharging the amulet, the guardswoman bent over it and gave it a quick look. She muttered:

- Outside is fine, but I can't tell you about the organs inside. Coughing up blood?

- Not yet. Phew...there is! - The empty shield projector slipped from Rose's fingers. The guardian gave her a hand, jerked girl to her feet. Shook off the student's jacket.

Something whistled over their heads. Rosa turned to the river and shuddered. What she saw was far more frightening than the spectacle of Toad tearing to shreds a band of steppes. Apparently, the cannoneers of the rebels had shot at the fords in advance, and at once laid all the shells in the centre of the enemy formation. The cast-iron balls crushed the bodies of the horses and soldiers as if they were figures made of soft, unfired clay. Only the figures did not spurt blood, their entrails did not spill out and their ribs did not stick out... The cannonballs made bloody gaps in the ranks of the gendarmes. The river turned red, carried the torn corpses downstream, onto the soldiers of the middle column. Rosa averted her gaze - she was already nauseous from the blow. The Toad had bitten people in half, too, but death by the teeth of a predator and by chunks of metal... Somehow there was a difference for the girl here, though she wouldn't say what it was.

- Hold on, we'll put you in the saddle. - Jeanne handed the sorceress her hunting knife and nodded at Toad stomping towards them. The dragoness was returning alone - the surviving cavalrymen from the sappers' escort had thought it best to flee. Don Marius waved to the women, pulling back the visor of his helmet. Climbing the harness straps was more difficult than before - Rosa's belly under her jacket felt like a bruise. But once she was on the green dragoness's back and the straps tightened around her hips, she felt better immediately. She even pulled out a crumpled beret and slipped it over her dishevelled curls.

From the height of the saddle there was a good view. Far to the right, the enemy's middle column had already reached the shore - without casualties. The mounted vanguard was climbing out of the water onto the pebbly beach. The attack on the left flank slowed down. All the cannons of the rebels were now hitting the head of the defenceless column. Under the hail of cannonballs, the gendarmes were mixed up, rushed forward in a disorderly bunch, lashing their horses. The outermost were forced beyond the ford, and they let their horses swim. Auguste's cavalry were hurrying to get out of the narrow neck of the crossing. And Toad was right in front of them, alone, save for the three riders on her back.

- Run, - Don Marius said simply, patting the dragoness on the back. He didn't have to say it again; she turned her tail to the enemy and trotted away from Shaanta. A cannonball from the other side of the river fell nearby, the king's guns belatedly supporting the attack, having chosen a large target. The dragoness didn't have time to scatter for take-off - after a few steps, she almost collided with a cavalry troop galloping towards her. Five dozen gendarmes and three times as many cuirassiers were moving at a trot under a black banner. They were led not by an officer and a standard-bearer, but by two dead bulls.

- Ours! - Rosa clenched Don Marius's sides enthusiastically. - Donna... that is, the marshal... someone sent help!

The knight saddled his pet, turning towards the river again. Auguste's gendarmes made no attempt to chase the dragon. They hastily reorganised, turning their ranks along the bank. The Loyalist cavalry, on the other hand, swept around the Toad in two streams, formed a wedge with bulls at the tip, and galloped. The rebel guns shifted their fire to the infantry, but now the shells of the king's bombards were raining down around them.

- After them! - Marius ordered the dragoness. But his winged dragoness could not keep up with the riders. The small wedge crashed with a rumble into the loose formation of the crown troops, splitting it in two. The gendarmes fell from their saddles, falling with their horses. Rosa saw the necrobull lift a stallion with a soldier in the saddle on its horns and topple it into the river. One of its horns broke, but Donna Vittoria's contraption slammed into the side of the next enemy without delay. Auguste's cavalry pitched backwards, clashing with his own infantry. The Loyalist gendarmes were trampling on the pikemen trying to get ashore, and a haze of gunfire rose from the infantry, though the bullets were clearly hitting their own. The cannonballs continued to fall into the thick of the soldiers, scattering pieces of bodies, severed heads, and fragments of pikes. The young knight stopped Toad. He said in a low voice:

- There we... will be more of a hindrance.

- Where are Auguste's dragons? - Rose asked, throwing back her head. The lizards she'd seen at the beginning of the battle were still hovering high above the enemy camp.

- Afraid of dragon-piercing artillery, I think. - The young man looked up as well. - There don't seem to be many of them.

The onslaught of the Loyalist detachment could not last long - having driven the enemy's vanguard into the river, the riders under the black banner at the signal of the bugle turned their horses round. Together with them one bull came out of the battle. The second was nowhere to be seen. Don Marius shrugged his shoulders and suddenly said resolutely:

- Signoras, it's safe for now. Please dismount.

- What? - Rose frowned. - Milord, you...

- Please.

The girl sighed:

- All right. Take care of Toad.

After letting the women came to the ground, the knight let the dragoness lead the way. De Cotoci's gendarmes and cuirassiers reorganised again, this time around Toad. Before the enemy could restore order to the vanguard, the dragon-enhanced squad struck again.

- They are not firing at us, - said Jeanne suddenly. Indeed - the thunder of the cannons had not ceased, but the whistling of the cannonballs had almost ceased. The royal artillery had fallen silent, and the rebel guns were probably aiming at Auguste's other columns. Taking advantage, it would have been wise to try to run to the nearest fortifications, but Rosa stayed where she was. She watched with bated breath as the Toad crashed into the mess of enemy troops, along with the Loyalist cavalry again throwing them off the bank. The infantry tried to meet the attack with a wall of long pikes, but their ranks were too jumbled, and the soldiers closest to the shore were standing waist-deep in water. A minute or two later, the ground beneath Rosa's feet began to shake - almost as if it were Toad's footsteps. A new troop of cavalry, much larger than the first, was approaching from the south. All cuirassiers without full armour, but more than a thousand in number. Rosa was not at all surprised to see Colonel de Beaulior, who was familiar to her, at the head of the troop. And beside him, Donna Vittoria on her raven stallion. De Beaulior's regiment rode past the women at a trot, swords drawn, but the necromancer said something to the colonel and rode towards her apprentice. As she settled her horse beside her, she smiled:

- Good work.

- Thank you. - Rose cleared her throat, looking up and down at her mentor.

- All right with you?

- Anyway... yeah. - The girl rubbed her stomach. The pain from the bruise was dull, aching. It was definitely worth putting ice on it, but where would she get it? - Thanks to Jeanne.

- At your service, - the bodyguard maid said nonchalantly, her palm on the hilt of her sword.

- It seems we have won this battle for the marshal and duke. - The red-haired donna rose in her stirrups, glancing round at the continuing fight on the shore. - But I'd like to know for sure.

Soon Toad and her rider returned to them - the arrival of help had made it too crowded for them in the neck of the ford. Vittoria greeted the knight with a nod and asked:

- Do you still have the strength to take to the air, Don?

- Yes, milady. - The young man was breathing heavily, but he looked unharmed. The dragoness was also unharmed from the battle, though Rose made a mental note to examine her carefully later. An accidental bullet from an arquebus could get lodged under the scales and cause a lot of problems later.

- Could you assess the battle from above? - The Necromancer gestured elegantly, adjusting the light blue cloak on her shoulder, fastened with gilded clasps to her breastplate. There wasn't a speck of dust on her costume, though the donna had ridden with the cuirassiers. - I don't want to connect with my crows directly right now. I need to lie down for that, and this isn't the best place....

- Yes, milady.

- I'm with you again. - Rosa stepped forward with determination. - Jeanne, you stay.

No one stopped her. The girl climbed into the saddle, strapped herself in, and pulled off her glove to place her bare palm on Toad's scales. Touched the dragoness's mind. Barely out of the fray, she was already completely calm, which Rose had expected. "Share it with me," the young sorceress asked mentally. As Marius's pet scattered and took off, the girl calmed the nervous trembling in her hands. Her body felt warm and the pain in her stomach receded - though she did not give it to Toad.

They rose higher and higher, cutting a spiral. The horizon line moved away, and the battlefield came into view. Even without a telescope it was possible to assess the general balance of forces. The soldiers of Auguste's left column had faltered and were now rolling back across the ford in complete disarray. The centre and right groups were unable to link up - a regiment of cavalry had wedged itself between them. The right column had bumped into the fortifications, the centre column was still moving, but its flanks were exposed. The artillery was piercing the enemy's ranks with fire from three sides. Just below the soaring Toad, Colonel de Beaulior divided his forces. One-third of the cuirassiers continued to press the panicked soldiers, while two-thirds rode along the shore, forming a narrow wedge. In the centre, Auguste's troops did not expect a complete defeat of their neighbours, and began to deploy a line of pikemen too late. The forest of pikes failed - de Beaulior's wedge crashed into the flank of the column like a dragon's fang into soft flesh. From behind the ramparts and trenches, the rebel duke's own infantry sprang out, moving towards the enemy in slender ranks. Finding themselves between the hammer and the anvil, the middle column began to crumble before their eyes. Through the noise of the wind and the rumble of battle could be heard wildly blaring trumpets. Over the river rose columns of coloured smoke, rose on thin flagpoles multi-coloured pennants. The left column of the royal army, having failed to take the fortifications, fell back, framed by a white fringe of gunpowder smoke. The centre rearguard, cut off from the main force, followed suit. Auguste's dragons, which had been circling under the clouds for the whole battle, finally swooped down. Fortunately, they ignored Toad. Bursting through the black bursts of anti-dragon cannon bombs, the lizards dived to the ground, swept away a dozen rebel soldiers, and went up again. None of them were willing to fight on foot like Toad. On the whole, the outcome of the battle was clear even to Rosa, whose familiarity with warfare was limited to reading books about the role of animals in war. Marius guided Toad down.

The knight dismounted and hurried to report to Donna Vittoria. Rose, feeling infinitely tired, leaned on Jeanne's arm. The black-haired woman supported her with surprising gentleness, almost tenderly. Said sullenly:

- Looks like we survived the fight. That's a shame.

- Why? - Rosa still had the strength to wonder.

- I was hoping you'd be killed before I could get attached to you, madame. - The woman shrugged. - Or me. I was starting to like you now.

- S... thank you, - she said uncertainly. The guardswoman gently hugged her and patted her on the shoulder:

- I'll try to die first in case of emergency. A bodyguard's duty allows for that. Then there will be no grief.

The cannons continued to rumble, but the clang of steel, the shouts of men and the voices of battle trumpets faded away, faint. The battle of Chaant was drawing to a close.