Though he appeared not to be armed with any form of projectile weapon, as would have been the case whenever paying court to such as Luneberg, Lucian now proved he was most certainly not unarmed. In that brief moment, Lucian raised his arm, the concealed digital weapon he always carried upon his right hand ring finger pointed straight across the table, at the Imperial Commander. 'You will allow us to withdraw to our vessel and to leave in peace'

'You will never leave here, Gerrit' Luneberg replied. Brielle could only assume that the man had never before had the business end of a digital weapon pointed at him. She chuckled inwardly as she saw that the weapon her father pointed was one that would not kill, but would instead have a far more interesting effect upon the target's nervous system. Luneberg, Brielle realised, had entirely failed to grasp the gravity of the situation.

'I had a feeling that would be your answer' said Lucian. 'These talks are at an end'

He fired the tiny weapon, a blinding white stream of light arcing across the space between the two men and striking Luneberg square between the eyes. The Imperial Commander stood transfixed as actinic lightning played around his head, before losing control of his bowels, explosively, and collapsing to the floor. There he lay, wailing and puking like a newborn, while his harem recoiled in horror.

Pandemonium descended. Before she could react, Brielle felt her hand caught by her father's as he ran past her, pulling her after him as he rapidly left the room. Korvane, blood streaming from his nose, caught them up in the corridor outside, and the three were soon racing down the claustrophobic passageways, unable to speak, because they were desperate to get a head start over their pursuers.

Her father in the lead and her stepbrother behind, Brielle raced down the dark corridors of Luneberg's palace. Clouds of dust billowed at their passing and candles guttered, making the way hard to discern. There were no lumens in sight.

'To the left, Father! Brielle heard Korvane shout from behind, looking ahead in time to see her father veer off down a side corridor. 'I remember this area from our first visit. This is an access corridor used by servants'

Lucian was leaning against the wall, catching his breath. Brielle did likewise, for although the flight had not been long, it had been sudden and she was in no fit state for such exertions. 'Well done my son' said Lucian, clapping a hand on Korvane's shoulder. He took another deep breath and looked across at Brielle, holding the contact for a few seconds. Whatever that was about will have to wait' he said, turning away before Brielle could answer. She felt the situation slipping rapidly from her control, and could see no immediate way of regaining it.

Which way, Korvane? Lucian asked, pushing himself from the wall once more.

'I think we continue on this corridor until it meets the main spine again. Then we need to work out how to get past the guards, to Bridle's shuttle'

Assuming I'll let you on my shuttle, you pompous idiot, Brielle thought, staring daggers into her stepbrother's back as they moved off, her father leading the way.

An angry shout sounded from behind, the deafeningly loud report of a large-calibre handgun following a moment later. The household guard had finally got its act together, and was closing with each passing minute.

'Right! Right! shouted Korvane as the three closed on another junction. They had been fleeing for what Brielle judged was no more than fifteen minutes, yet it felt like hours.

'How far to the gate? she heard her father shout, flinching as another shot was fired somewhere behind them. So far, they had been fortunate, for the guards had not taken proper aim before shooting. She prayed that remained the case.

'I think it's the next passage on the left' Korvane called.

'No! Brielle interjected before she could stop herself. 'No, it's the next right'

The three slowed, Lucian ducking back while Korvane peered around the next corner. 'Which is it?

'The left' Korvane repeated, at the same moment Brielle said, 'The right' her tone now assured. 'I remember from last night. I passed this way on my way out into the city'

Korvane sneered, but her father only nodded. 'You're sure?

She was. 'I'm sure'

Brielle signalled silence, edging around a corner. 'It's here. Only two guards. We can take them'

'We cannot "take them" said Korvane, 'we've committed grave enough crimes already without adding murder to the list'

We may have no choice, my son' Lucian said, moving next to Brielle for a view of the corridor down which she was looking. As if to punctuate his words, more shouts sounded from behind. The household guards were closing. Brielle realised they would need to make a decision here and now.

'We do it now, Father, or we fight both groups'

Lucian patted Bridle's shoulder before turning to Korvane. 'Bridle is right, Korvane. Are you ready?

Korvane sighed, over dramatically, Brielle thought, and drew his power sword. He checked the charge, disengaged the safety, and said, 'As ready as can be'

'Good' said Lucian. 'We don't have time for subtleties, so let's keep this simple. We need to get as close as possible and take them down before they know we're on them, understood?

Brielle sighed with impatience and frustration. She stepped around the bend and simply ran towards the guards. As she did so, she saw the expression of shock on her father's face, but she kept going nonetheless. She knew they had no time to sneak up on the guards at the portal, but she knew something else too, a fact of which her father and her stepbrother were entirely ignorant.

She ran on down the corridor, her vision filled by the back of the nearest guard. As she had noted the previous evening upon taking her leave of the palace, its guards stood watch against strangers attempting to gain entry. They expressed no interest whatsoever in events within the palace.

That was their undoing. As Brielle closed on the first guard, she made a fist, raising her arm and bringing it down in a wide swing across the back of the guard's head. The rings on her fingers made for brutal weapons, and she bit back the feeling of revulsion that welled within her as she felt the man's skull crack beneath her attack. In some detached part of her mind, she consoled herself that the guard would live, given half-decent medical attention.

Brielle's attack had taken only a second, but the other guard was already reacting. He turned as the momentum of her charge propelled her past him, shock and surprise writ large upon his face. Brielle came to a halt and spun to face the man, the realisation that she may have taken on more than she could handle dawning as he advanced upon her.

'Brielle, duck!

Brielle threw herself to the floor.

A high-pitched whine filled the corridor, followed an instant later by the screaming report of an energy weapon discharging at close quarters — another of her father's hidden, digital weapons, she guessed. The roiling bolt raced the length of the corridor, its light blinding in the enclosed space, before slamming into the guard's left shoulder.

The man's shoulder disintegrated, leaving nothing to attach his left arm to his body. The catastrophic wound was cauterised before the blackened arm flopped to the floor, to be followed a moment later by the rest of the guard.

Brielle looked into his fading eyes as life left them, the part of her that had rejoiced that the other man was not fatally hurt now strangely silent.

'Damn! she shouted. 'I had him. You didn't need to kill him!

Lucian reached Brielle, offering her a hand to stand up. The hand, she noted, that bore a lethal array of hidden weaponry. 'Believe me, Brielle, if I could have avoided it I would have. When it comes down to it, you mean substantially more to me than he did'