Eighth Circle

'The orcas are not as well armed as the trolls, Princess. Trolls fire back. You can best serve the cause by staying alive and being who you are.'

Liala didn't like his patronising tone. He reminded her of the chancellor when he lectured her on how to behave. She leant over and examined his gun. It was of the old-fashioned sort that fired metal bullets.

'You had a ray gun just now, Commander. Why aren't you using it?'

'It's a special combat weapon, Princess.'

'You mean you can't recharge it so you just have it for show?'

'Can you recharge your gun, Princess?'

'My brother recharges it, Commander.'

'Are we talking about Prince Crispin?'

'My brother, Crispin, has access to the main power supply in the palace. The guardians let him use it for his marine science research work. They think he is too stupid to use it for anything else. He says the guardians are the stupid ones. They haven't invented anything new for hundreds of years and have forgotten how the old stuff works. Crispin says they don't understand what they are doing half the time and that's how we are going to defeat them ...'

The commander had stopped talking and was looking around. Liala wondered if she had got him thinking. Or, had something happened to attract his attention? The mist was clearing and a bright moon lit the sky. They could see more of their surroundings than before.

They were driving along a rough road with marshland on both sides. Here and there, stunted trees poked up from outcrops of jagged rocks. Mist lingered in the hollows and obscured their vision. It was a perfect place for an ambush.

A blue light appeared on the road ahead.

'Trolls!'

The commander tapped Allain's shoulder. Liala watched as he slowed the vehicle and shifted into a lower gear. They seemed to be following a standard routine. The men released the safety catches on their weapons and slipped them under their coats where they couldn't be seen.

'Is your pass in order, Captain?'

'I updated it before we left.'

'Very well,' the commander nodded. 'It's probably a routine patrol. Otherwise we might have problems. Get ready to blast 'em away if they give trouble.'

He turned to the rear where Balduur was sitting.

'You at the back. Don't do anything clever or my sergeant will put a bullet through your balls. Just sit there and don't say a word.'

He turned to Liala.

'Does your gun have any power left in it?'

Liala's spirits rose. He hadn't called her Princess and he was treating her like a fellow member of the team.