They ran for all they were worth, rounding a bend in the river and regaining the road. Mika could see the stone where he’d sat far ahead, and blue sky. He was nearly to it when a heavy hand caught him by the shoulder and sent him tumbling to the ground. How had the man caught up with them so fast? He stood over Mika and swung that terrifying cudgel. Mika threw up his left arm to ward off the blow, and it struck his forearm. There was a sickening snap as a bone broke and a sudden numbness. Mika screamed and tried to roll away as the man brought the club up again. Before he could strike Mika a second blow, his friend tackled the man and knocked him sideways. The man slapped the boy across the face hard enough to knock him down, and swung the cudgel, catching him across the ribs.

The boy let out a choking gasp and Mika screamed again, in both fear and anger this time. For the first time since he’d become Master Thero’s apprentice, he saw the world go red, the way it had when the bully down the lane tried to beat him up, or when Mistress Swan had unfairly accused him of stealing from her apple cart and slapped him. The world went red and his body felt like it was going to catch fire. But it was the cudgel that burst into flame before the man could bring it down on the helpless boy again. The bully dropped it with a shout of fear, then aimed a kick at Mika’s friend.

“No!” Mika yelled, thrusting his hand out. The man flew through the air and landed on his back several yards away.

The silent boy scrambled up and grabbed Mika’s right hand, urging him again to run the way they’d come. The red was gone, and with it Mika’s strength. The numbness in his arm was giving way to stabbing pain, and his legs and head felt so heavy that if it hadn’t been for the glimpse he had of the man chasing them again, he would have just fallen down and curled up in a ball of misery. It was always like that, after the red.

But his friend wouldn’t let him stop. Instead he got behind Mika and pushed, hard. Mika staggered, caught his toe on something, and fell …

Chapter 12: The Oracle’s Caves

ACCOMPANIED by half a dozen soldiers, Klia and the others rode through the ruins of the city to the east gate and climbed into the hills just beyond, following a broad path beside a stream that flowed down toward the river.