Page 72 of Her Soul for a Crown

A head flew over the terrace railing.

It knocked down the last of the Polonnaruwan banners and landed with a splash at the base of the palace stairs, floating alongside its commander.

“Anuradhapura belongs to no man!” Anula shouted from the terrace.

Bithul and his guards took up the chant, as did the Kattadiya, and every man, woman, and child gathered in the palace courtyard.

A crack of thunder shook the ground. Not from the Heavens, but the sky. Roiling gray clouds raced across the city, and down poured the first Maha season monsoon.