The Immortal Words (The Grave Kingdom), стр. 85
“I’ve honored my oath,” Bingmei said, bringing her sword around defensively.
“Liar! You’ve stolen him! Give me Chushuile! Give me my baby!”
Hope swelled in Bingmei’s breast. Why did Xisi think Shixian was missing? Had someone rescued him from her? Perhaps his nursemaid had taken him away?
The Dragon Queen lunged at Bingmei again, trying to gore her with her metal claws. Bingmei flew up in the air to get out of the way—and saw Echion rushing at her in a fit of violence, spear pointed at her heart. She saw the creeping mist of the killing fog snaking through the courtyard, converging on those battling within its confines.
Rowen grappled with Xisi, tackling her onto the stone floor, and Bingmei drew the glyph for speed and soared away from Echion.
“You were dead! I killed you!” he shouted at her. “You are not immortal!”
“And neither are you,” Bingmei shot back, swooping around. They met in a clash of weapons, her Phoenix Blade against his spear tip. He thrust and jabbed at her, while she flew over the steps, passing over the very marble engraving that would be changed to show their essences battling around an orb. The sun beat down on them, casting their shadows on the stone, and Echion vaulted into the sky after her. She had never seen him fly without being in his dragon form before. The fact that he could do so made him even more formidable.
Someone was charging toward Marenqo, intent on stabbing him from behind, so Bingmei arched her back, spreading her wings to gain velocity, and swooped down into the battle. She struck down the foe with a single blow, but there were many more to replace the fallen man. Glancing up at the birds perched around the courtyard, Bingmei summoned them to join the fight. She could sense her phoenix-sisters’ spirit-souls among them and rejoiced. She circled around, keeping just ahead of Echion, who grew more and more frustrated at her evasions. The courtyard filled with birds, which came down and started attacking the Qiangdao gathered around. At first the soldiers seemed to think the birds were nothing but an annoyance to swat away, but they kept coming—more and more of them—and the men began to flee and shout in surprise and fear. Confusion reigned in the courtyard.
Echion switched paths, and suddenly he was in front of her. Their weapons clashed again, and the force of his blow sent her spinning. She collided with the ground and rolled a few times before dropping the Phoenix Blade. A tendril of fog coiled around the blade.
Although stunned by the blow, she knew she had no time to recover. She held out a hand and summoned the sword to her. It flew from the fog’s embrace to her hand, and she flipped up onto her feet just as Echion crashed down next to her. Runes burned in the shaft of his meiwood spear as he attacked her in savage fury. She ducked, dodged, blocked, and kept skittering backward, trying to keep from dying again.
A flock of doves flew into Echion’s face, momentarily blinding him. Bingmei thrust with the sword and saw it slice through his silk tunic. She saw an angry slash of blood—red blood—and heard him grunt. He pivoted the spear and struck at her head with the other end, but she ducked it and took to the air again. The fog coiled around their legs but didn’t harm them.
Bingmei glanced back at the top of the palace steps and saw Rowen still grappling with Xisi, his hands on her forearms as he wrestled her back down. He kneed her in the stomach several times, but to no avail. She had not eaten one of the butterflies. Any pain he dealt to her would be impermanent. A distraction.
A ripple of magic filled the air as Echion transformed into the dragon again. With a few pumps of his powerful wings, he’d swatted the attacking birds away like they were flies and issued a dreadful roar that deafened her. The Qiangdao were in full retreat now, rushing toward the front of the palace where the rest of the army had gathered.
She saw Marenqo sprawled on the ground below. It wasn’t the death sleep from the killing fog—they’d protected themselves against that. She saw the blood from his wounds staining the ground. Zhuyi and Mieshi looked as if they were spent with exhaustion. Hopelessness pressed at her, but still she fought on, even when the dragon came at her, teeth snapping.
She slashed at it with her sword, swooping around, battling it in the air above the courtyard. It seemed impossible that the odds could be turned in their favor, yet still she fought, trying to stay away from the claws and fangs. One of Echion’s wings buffeted her again, but she sliced it with the sword. The dragon snarled in pain but didn’t lose air. She rushed down toward the ground and barreled into the ensign again, knocking over several of the warriors, trying to win more time for her companions.
Echion swept down like a boulder and caught her in his claws. She felt the jolt of pain as his talons pierced her. Her power of flight ebbed. Blood seeped from her wounds. The dragon hurled her down to the stone, where she landed in a heap, like a broken thing. Pain seared her leg and hip. She rolled onto her back and held the sword up, hoping to impale the beast. But the dragon landed away from her. Her elbow was numb with pain. Blood . . . the taste of blood filled her mouth.
The dragon transformed again into the cruel tyrant, his face obscured by the haze until he waved his arm and suddenly the fog retreated, driven back by some unearthly command. His face was a mask of hatred and contempt. “How many times must I kill you!” he shouted. “You cannot defeat