Thunk! Si'Wren staggered, and stared disbelievingly at the long
feathered end of an arrow sticking out of her right shoulder.
Numb with shock, she half-turned, and saw Emperor Euphrates staring
sightlessly at her from where he lay fallen, his fat body bristling
with arrows. Her blood pounding in her ears, Si'Wren turned and
staggered to her horse. Neighing loudly, the stallion reared up, and
dropped down again, shaking his mane. He had, she saw, two arrows in
his deeply corded neck muscles.
Si'Wren reached out for him as she stumbled forward and almost tumbled
beneath his hooves, but fell against his forequarters instead and
reached up to seize hold of the coarse black hair of his mane, and
tried to pull herself up.
Lacking the necessary strength and coordination, she hung on, not
daring to let go for any reason. Turning her head, she saw running
enemy soldiers advancing through the camp, with none remaining to
oppose them as the Emperor's archers broke ranks and fell back under
the flashing bronze swords of the enemy.
Si'Wren reached up and slapped hard with the flat of one hand on the
flank of her horse. At this, he finally bolted, jerking her bodily off
her feet as she clutched desperately onto the lunging stallion's mane
with the fingers of both hands.
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