Kai was on his heels. An arrow flew past Tao’s ear. “Don’t harm the boy, you idiot!” Fo Tu Deng’s voice rang out. “I need him captured alive. The dragon too. And remember, he might not be in the shape of a dragon. Capture anything that moves.” Tao could hear whinnying, stamping hoofs, and riders berating their mounts as the horses jostled for a place on the narrow path. Nomad horses were used to galloping on open plains, not creeping along cramped mountain paths hardly wide enough for a goat. The confusion gave Tao and Kai a head start. Tao allowed himself to believe that they would lose their pursuers, but the sound of a horse behind them soon burst that small bubble of hope. One nomad had got control of his mount and won the contest to be first after them. Over his shoulder, Tao saw Kai swipe the man with his tail, knocking him from his saddle. They kept running. When another nomad came up behind them, Kai pulled back a branch and let it go again, startling the horse. They left the path and ran into the trees, zigzagging to lose any other nomads who might be behind them.
