Naamah's Kiss - Jacqueline Carey [235]
I held my breath.
Ah, gods! She didn't look dangerous—she didn't look dangerous at all. Despite knowing who she was and what she had done, the leader of Lord Jiang's men smiled with relief and lowered his bow, sure of his victory. His men followed suit, chuckling a little. Showing them her empty hands, the princess raised her veil and gazed into the leader's eyes.
And the dragon went mad.
It couldn't help it—couldn't help it. It owed nothing to logic. It was a celestial being that beheld its reflection; that was its nature. Without its reflection, the dragon was undone and severed from itself. It was already in a state of near-panic. Seeing its absence reflected in the man's pupils, fear and madness came upon it. It roared like a storm in my mind, its unleashed fury pouring through the princess, filling her with its preternatural strength. Snow Tiger seized the arrow from the bow that Lord Jiang's leader held, plunging it into his throat in one deft jab. Arterial blood sprayed the beautiful carvings as she yanked it free, whirling on her next victim, casting her veiled hat aside.
"Go!" Bao chanted, suiting actions to words and launching himself toward the bridge. "Go, go, go!"
Jiang's men were plunged into chaos, forced to fight at close quarters. Two of them had the presence of mind to peel away, taking aim at the oncoming stick-fighters. Bao planted his staff and vaulted; the others zigged and zagged behind him, trying to make themselves difficult targets. I snatched an arrow from my quiver, willing my hands not to tremble. The yew-wood bow my uncle Mabon had made for me sang, and one of the archers went down, the haft of my arrow protruding from the socket of his left eye.
I swallowed against a violent surge of nausea and nocked another arrow, but it was too late. The battle was too confused, too chaotic.
And there at the center, a slender figure in green, only this time, her robes were streaked with blood. She had an arrow in each hand now, spinning and striking, wielding them as gracefully as a dancer, dealing out death with every blow.
It was intense and brutal, and quickly over—at least for Lord Jiang's men.
Not for the dragon.
Kang was down, injured. Tortoise knelt beside him. Bao and Dai stood protectively before them, staves still in a defensive pose. Behind them all, the young monk cowered against the cliff wall.
Mindless with the full force of the dragon's fury, the princess turned on them.
"Oh gods," I whispered, and began to run.
"Moirin, no!" Bao shouted, doing his best to hold her at bay. But she was right, I had to try. No one else could reach the dragon. And I couldn't summon the twilight, not with so many eyes on me.
I reached them just as she seized the end of Bao's staff and shoved, sending him hurtling backward. His head struck the carved rock with a sickening thud, and she began to turn toward Ten Tigers Dai.
I flung myself between them.
Her eyes met mine in the blood-streaked mask of her face. They were stretched wide and glittering, filled with an inhuman fury, and I no longer had the slightest question in my mind about why everyone had believed a demon possessed her.
In an act of sheer faith, I squeezed my eyes shut and reached out to the maelstrom of rage within her. "You promised!" I cried, willing him to hear. Blindly, I reached out with one hand, covering her eyes. "You promised you would never harm me!"
I could feel her quivering beneath my touch, quivering like an over-tight bowstring ready to snap.
But it didn't.
"I am here," I said softly—to her, to the dragon. "Peace. Be gentle."
Bit by bit, the storm of the dragon's fury lessened. I sensed it recognize me, sensed it know itself once more. I felt that terrible, terrible tension drain from Snow Tiger's body in a profound shudder as the dragon released her.
"Thank you." Her voice was faint.
Yes. Thank you.
I nodded, daring to open my eyes.. All around us, there was carnage. Beneath