the black blade swept out and something shattered with a brittle sound amara , who had begun to turn , felt splinters of wood flickering against her cheek , and the broken fletchmg of an arrow rebounded from her mail she lifted her eyes to the barracks and saw fidelias there , calmly drawing another arrow to his stout , short bow and taking aim , even as behind him , several men began to clamber down from the roof the former cursor 's thin hair blew in the cold wind , and though he stood in the shadow of the newly risen walls , amara could see his eyes on hers , calm and cool , even as he drew back the second shaft , aimed , and loosed pirellus stepped in the way of the shot , cutting it from the air with a contemptuous slap of his blade , and called to the men behind him fidelias 's soldiers were joined by the knights aeris who circled back above the fortress and then dove toward the gates pirellus dragged amara back to the stables and growled , `` stay down `` even as he did , amara could see the legionares form into a ragged rank that met the oncoming troops and the knights above with an uncertain tenacity fidelias , on the barracks roof , climbed down to the ground , his eyes flickering over the hay scattered there he knelt into it there came a blurring in the air , and then he simply vanished , covered by a woodcraftmg of his own `` there ! ''