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But B�0�2ri Khan was about to show them how wrong they were to believe the Rourans had been destroyed. His father had taught him all he knew before the Emperor had killed him. And now B�0�2ri Khan had revitalized the Rourans. It was time, he thought as his eyes flicked to the open gate of the trading post, for them to begin their revenge.

Turning to his warriors, B�0�2ri Khan raised his hand. Twelve horses shifted on their feet as the twelve men, dressed in black, their faces covered except for a slit for their eyes, tightened their legs as they prepared to urge their mounts forward. In the hand of one of the warriors was a pole. A black-and-gold flag flew from it, bearing the head of a wolf waving and undulating in the light breeze. B�0�2ri Khan waited a moment more. He wanted to see the fear in the eyes of the guards when they noticed him and his men.

He did not have to wait long. Up on top of the wall, a guard turned the corner. In the same moment, the wind whipped up, snapping the wolf banner. The sound carried across the steppe and the guard spotted B�0�2ri Khan and his warriors. A smile of satisfaction spread over the Rouran leader’s face as he saw panic fill the guard’s eyes. As the guard began a fruitless attempt to warn the other soldiers and close the marketplace gates, B�0�2ri Khan dropped his arm.

In an instant, the Shadow Warriors raced across the desert. Their horses’ hooves pounded on the sand, creating a huge cloud of dust behind them. The giant beasts ate up the distance and soon were upon the trading post. Up on the wall, guards began to let loose arrows. But their aim was off, their hands shaky. The arrows flew wide and short and the Shadow Warriors galloped closer.

“Take out the leader!” B�0�2ri Khan heard one of the guards shout. Lifting his eyes, he saw another guard take aim. B�0�2ri Khan didn’t hesitate. He kept charging forward, even as the arrow flew straight toward his chest. Just as it was about to impale him, he lifted his hands, grabbing the arrow by the shaft and stopping it. As the guards’ jaws dropped, B�0�2ri Khan pulled his own bow from his back and notched the arrow. He let it loose.

To the guards’ surprise, the arrow didn’t fly toward a person but rather arced through the sky, sailing over the wall before embedding with a loud

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in a pole in the middle of the marketplace. The merchants and traders, who had been unaware of the approaching danger, looked over at the arrow in alarm.

Standing nearby, a trader wearing a red fez shifted his eyes to the arrow. A calculating glint flashed in his eye as he lifted his hand and slowly pulled a long needle from behind his ear. Then, with a cry, he kicked over a spice stand. As colored powder filled the air, the man in the red fez began to transform. His hair grew longer and began to flow over his shoulders, and his features began to morph. His cheeks thinned and his skin grew smooth. Under his cloak, his waist narrowed. A few merchants shouted as the transformation came to an end.

Where the man in the red fez had just been now stood a beautiful—and dangerous-looking—woman. But this was no ordinary woman. This was Xianniang.

“Witch!” shouted one of the guards whose attention had been pulled from B�0�2ri Khan to the center of the marketplace. “She’s a witch!”

At his shout, the marketplace erupted in panic. Traders and merchants pushed and shoved at each other, trying to get out of the way of the witch. The air filled with dirt from the stampeding feet. Standing in the middle of the commotion, unmoving and unconcerned, Xianniang watched the chaos unfold.

Slowly she bent her knees and raised one arm. With her other arm, she reached into her belt and then, fast as lightning, pulled out four daggers. With a hawklike shriek, the witch let the daggers fly. One by one, they soared across the marketplace, hitting four guards and knocking them to the ground.

Up on the wall, the other guards barely had time to register their fallen comrades. They were too busy dealing with B�0�2ri Khan. Beneath him, his stallion’s strides went unchecked despite the flying arrows and chaos around him. With breakneck speed, the horse approached the wall. On its back, B�0�2ri Khan grabbed a handful of mane. Then, in one smooth move, he vaulted himself from a seated position so that he was standing atop his horse’s back. He unsheathed his sword and waited, his legs steady despite the galloping steed beneath him. Just when it looked as though he were going to race headlong into the wall, B�0�2ri Khan leapt.

Flying through the air, his legs pumped as though he were running. Determination—and anger—filled his face, and with a mighty roar, he landed atop the wall. The guards were no match for Khan’s slashing sword. The metal became a blur as he whipped it back and forth with practiced ease. Taking the cue from their leader, the other Shadow Warriors clambered up onto the wall and attacked. The clang of sword against sword rang out as the warriors and the guards battled.

Spotting Xianniang in the marketplace, B�0�2ri Khan dispatched two more charging guards and then jumped down to the marketplace wall. Unaware of his presence, the witch continued her own fight. Surrounded by five soldiers, all bigger and stronger than her, Xianniang was unbothered. Her face was a mask of calm, her hands steady. She seemed to be waiting for them to make the first move, even though she was heavily outnumbered.

Seeing their own advantage, the guards signaled to one another. Then they attacked. They lashed out with long spears, but the ends of their weapons met nothing but air. In the blink of an eye, Xianniang grabbed hold of the nearest spear and flipped it back on the men. Her body became a blur of black silk as she whipped and turned and spun. When she stopped moving, four of the soldiers lay on the ground. The fifth was on his knees, shaking. Younger than the others, he looked up at Xianniang’s focused gaze, his own eyes filled with terror.

B�0�2ri Khan stepped forward. Sensing his presence, the witch looked over. Their eyes met. Then, ever so slowly, Xianniang lowered her spear. B�0�2ri Khan nodded. Their plan, the plan he had kept even from his own men, had worked. He was pleased. The others had doubted the witch would stick by him, but he had known better. Xianniang was powerful, but she was power hungry, too. A life of solitude, kept on the outside of a society fearful of her kind, too often forced to transform into her hawk form to avoid judgment, or worse, punishment, had made her angry and bent on revenge. And now they were one step closer. The garrison was theirs.

Together, Xianniang and B�0�2ri Khan walked back toward the gate. Behind them, the battle sounds dimmed as the Shadow Warriors took down the remaining guards.

“Another garrison falls, B�0�2ri Khan,” Xianniang said, her voice raspy but her breath even.

The warrior nodded. The Emperor would not be able to ignore him any longer. The Rourans were back—and soon the Empire would be theirs.

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