eaning low over the horse's withers, he continued to fire, and was
both surprised and gratified to hear a cry of pain mixed with the
return fire; it was damn near impossible to hit anything from the back
of a running horse even if you tried to aim.

Cortin heard the shots, then rapidly-approaching hoofbeats. So did the
rest, and there was no need to give orders; all had been in similar
situations often enough to know precisely what to do. By the time
Odeon came in sight, Chang and the prisoner were far enough off to the
side to be out of the firefight, and the rest were behind good-sized
trees. This wasn't exactly what Cortin had had in mind, wanting
action--it was more like the kneeling-behind-a-barrier segment of a
firing range exercise--but it would do.

When Odeon passed their positions, the team opened fire. Cortin hit
two, someone else hit two more, and the terrorists turned into a
milling, cursing mob whose return fire was sporadic and poorly aimed.
Cortin smiled, continuing to aim and fire as coolly as if she were on
the target range. She had no more hits, but others did; three more
terrorists fell, and the rest fled, demoralized.

She stood, brushing off her trousers, then reloaded and holstered her
pistol. "Anyone hurt?" she called.

"Nope."

"Fine here."

"Nicked by a chunk of flying bark, nothing serious."

"We are unhurt."

Hoofbeats from the rear brought them alert again, but it was Degas
galloping up, his gun drawn. He holstered it as he pulled his horse to
a stop, looking disappointed. "I missed all the fun, huh?"

"I'm afraid so," Cortin said, smiling. "Bad guys zero, good guys
seven."

"Eight," Odeon said. "I hit one when they started chasing me. I don't
know if he's dead or just wounded, though."

Chang had come up and started checking the casualties; now she
reported. "Six dead, Captain, the other critically wounded."

"Can he be questioned?"

Chang frowned. "Perhaps, if you hurry. He is conscious, but will
probably not survive more than a few minutes."

"I'll hurry--which one?"

"Over here." Chang led the way, kneeling beside the terrorist and
doing what she could to keep him alive for Cortin's questions.

Cortin knelt on the man's other side, pulling her gloves off. "My
medic says you only have a few minutes to live. If you've got any
desire to make your peace with God, now's the time to do it." That
didn't seem a very promising tactic, but it was obvious he