Tharn, sensing their indecision, tensed to renew his charge and put them to rout.
A cacophony of loud shouts from behind him told of the arrival of reinforcements. There were eight of them this time, still a good thirty yards away but fast approaching.
Instantly Tharn, his knife sweeping high for a thrust, lunged at the remaining two warriors who turned and fled a short distance before circling back to join the second group. Tharn stopped, caught up his bow and brought down three more of the enemy as he began a slow withdrawal. Lights were beginning to show from some of the palace windows; at any moment an arrow from above might strike him down.
Suddenly a door in the palace wall burst open and a white-tunicked figure came bounding across the lawn toward him. Tharn's bow was on its way into position to send an arrow leaping to meet this new attack when a familiar voice called out his name.
"Trakor!" Tharn shouted, astonished.
The boy bent while still running and caught up a spear from beside the body of one of Tharn's victims. Hardly had he reached the cave lord's side when a third group of palace guards appeared on the scene from behind them.
Cut off in two directions by enemies, blocked in another by the palace itself, Tharn chose the only possible avenue of escape.
"To the wall!" he shouted, then wheeled and raced across the greensward with long flashing strides, Trakor close at his heels.
Angling in sharply from two directions, the Ammadians sought to overtake them. Several spears were hurled but the distance was too great.
Trakor, seeing the high walls, knew it would be impossible to scale them in the few moments before the Ammadians arrived. But his faith in the cave lord remained unshaken; if a way to freedom could be found, Tharn would find it!