Allain felt a surge of alarm.
'Our dolphins arrived back early this afternoon. They had those green-noses with them. They were chattering away. You know how they make those noises. Got very excited. Wanted Bryn to go out with them.'
'Are you sure?'
'They were dashing back and forth like they do when they want you to follow them out somewhere. One had a bit of fabric. I think it was from one of those dolphin suits people wear.'
'What colour?'
'Sort of greenish ... like the dolphins.'
'Oh. My God.' Allain touched his forehead.
'What's the matter?'
'The princess has faked an accident or had a real one. At any rate, she sent her dolphins to search out Bryn. That piece of suit was to make him think it was serious and he should go at once.'
'That's what he did.'
'Which boat did he take?'
'The speedboat.'
Allain ran his eye over the boats in the harbour.
'This could lead to serious trouble. The guardians will be keeping a continual watch on the princess. The moment their computers detect anything irregular in her movements they will sound an alert.'
'Do you think he'll bring her here?'
'I can't think where else.' Allain glanced at his watch. 'Plaid Koerno needs to be informed. I'll get onto the commander. This is a Grade One Emergency. I'll brief him. He'll have to decide what to do.'
***
Liala felt the excitement of the bumpy ride. She sat in the front of the boat as it sliced through the waves and saw the rugged coastline draw nearer. Bryn couldn't take his eyes off her. At first he'd seemed embarrassed by her bare breasts and naked thighs. Now he was gazing straight at her. Or was he just steering the boat? Liala didn't care. He was no longer averting his eyes and he had stopped calling her princess.
He couldn't stop doing that when she jumped into the boat. He looked right past her and kept up a continual babble. It was princess this and princess that. She said she didn't need a title and she didn't want to be called princess ever again. The guardians had set the orcas on her and she wanted to get as far away from them as possible.
He plucked up courage to say his name was Bryn and he had come to rescue her from the orcas. Liala was pleased that they had left the savage animals far behind. The speedboat could outrace them.
When it came to doing things Bryn got on with it. He was nothing like Crispin and his friends. If they had come to rescue her they would still be out there staring at the orcas and discussing what to do next.