"What happens now, Captain?" Fitzroy asked.

"We're going to return to our ship."

"You'll never make it. The city watch is monitoring this chamber. The alarm has already gone out."

"Then we'll need you to escort us, Your Lordship! I'm sure you can keep your people from molesting us."

"Think, man! Even if you can make it to the landing bay, you will never get past the Alliance fleet. They'll destroy you as you launch."

"That's a chance we'll have to take. There will be no mercy for us if we are captured. Halley, you and Karen get those doors open." Sands strode up onto the dais, wrapped his arm around the laird's neck, and put the riot gun to his temple. "Your dagger, sir!"

Fitzroy gingerly removed the ceremonial knife at his belt and let it clatter to the deck. Sands marched him off the dais and down the aisle after the two women. In a few seconds, they were through the oversize double doors. Halley and Kimber quickly swung the doors closed behind them.

"What do we do now?" Kimber asked.

"We get back to the ship," Sands grunted. He fished in his tunic pocket for his comm unit, thumbed the emergency call button, and held it down for five long seconds. "Ross, prepare for launch! The rest of you, back to the ship. You've got five minutes."He did not wait for an acknowledgement. Ross Crandall had the watch aboardSparrowHawk . That, at least, was a lucky break. He would lose no time getting the ship ready to launch. As for the rest of the crew, if they weren't drunk, or in the arms of whores, they would make for the landing bay. Sands hoped they would arrive in time. Whether they did or not, he would not be able to wait. The Alliance ships were coming in too fast. Hugh Fitzroy was right about one thing. IfSparrowHawk were to have any chance of escape, they would have to get away before the Alliance fleet surrounded the city.

"What's the best way back to the bay?" Halley asked. "Tube car?"

"It's about the only option," Sands said. "Where's the nearest tube station, Your Lordship?"

"Down a level," the Glasgow leader said. "I can lead you there."

"No tricks." Sands kept the riot gun trained on the laird's midsection as he released him. "Lead the way."

Fitzroy led them down a long hallway and out into the castle courtyard. The two gate guards had come inside and were watching them warily. The laird led them through a door of what appeared to be solid oak and down a set of stairs to a tube station.

"Two cars?" Halley asked, eyeing the small vehicles lined up in the station. The cars were nominally two-person affairs, with seating for three if the three did not mind being cramped. Getting four full size adults into one was not possible.

"What do you think, Your Lordship? If we split up, will both cars get where we're going?"

Fitzroy shrugged. "The public cars can be remotely diverted."

"That's what I suspected. Get us a larger car, one with autonomous controls. A police car should do it."

"May I?" Fitzroy asked, gesturing toward the public comm screen that was standard for every tube station.

"Be careful what you say. I'll have this gun on you every second."

The laird strode to the comm screen, punched in a number, and then gave a terse order to a man in the uniform of the city watch. The policeman nodded and signed off. Thirty seconds later, a four-person tube vehicle silently entered the station. It was emblazoned with the city emblem.

Sands had Halley and Kimber climb in first, then held his gun on Fitzroy as the laird stepped down into the open car. Finally, Sands followed. When all were seated, Halley punched for the landing bay on the destination pad. The car took off with a sudden surge of acceleration, nearly causing the gun in Sands's hands to discharge. He exhaled long and slowly at the thought of what might have happened.

The car entered the travel tube in seconds. Sands relaxed minutely. It would be difficult for the city watch to get at them while they were in the tube.

"Would you mind telling me what this is all about?" Hugh Fitzroy asked.

Sands grinned without humor. He told Fitzroy about the raid on Cloudcroft in a few pungent phrases.

The laird gave out with a low whistle. "No wonder they're after you."

"You've got that wrong, Your Lordship. They're after Glasgow."

"I don't understand.""Admiral Mikal Blount is our employer. He is the one who arranged the whole thing. Obviously, he sent us here to give himself an excuse to take control of your cities."

"But why raid his own capital?"

Sands shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he wanted to embarrass Dalishaar's faction in the ruling council.

Whatever the reason, he obviously cannot let us live. If we are taken back to stand trial, we can expose him. That also means that he will kill you if he suspects you know his secret."

Hugh Fitzroy was silent for long seconds, and then nodded. "If what you say is true, then you're probably right."

Kimber looked at the Glasgow ruler and said, "It would seem to me, Your Lordship, that the best thing for your people is if we make good our escape. Once we are gone, you can proclaim your innocence loudly. That will not stop them from occupying your city, but it will give you time to get word to the Accretionist faction. Once Blount is dealt with, perhaps you can win freedom for your cities."

The laird thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll help you escape. After that, you're on your own!"

The tube car decelerated as it arrived at the landing bay. The scene reminded Sands of Cloudcroft during the raid. Scattered throughout the vast volume were numerous members of the Glasgow constabulary, all heavily armed and obviously irritated. The bay was clear of ships save forSparrowHawk , which was being hauled from the storage hangar to the launch catapult. It had only been a few minutes since he had sent his warning and somehow Ross Crandall had gotten the landing bay crew moving in record time.

The milling police officers watched intently as Kimber and Halley rushed across the bay to the moving ship. The two women clambered over the wing and disappeared through the midships hydrogen lock.

Once they were out of sight, the full guard force turned its attention to Sands and Hugh Fitzroy.

"Let's go," Sands ordered. Despite the laird's agreement to help them escape, Sands kept the riot gun planted firmly in his back.

The two men trudged slowly across the floodlit, cable-covered expanse of decking. They were the focus of at least a dozen hard sets of eyes, and doubtless countless others that were not apparent. It took nearly thirty seconds to reach the ship. A quick glance at his chronometer told Sands that it had been six minutes since they had left the audience chamber.

"I imagine there are snipers up in the rigging," Sands said, gesturing toward the maze of overhead plumbing and cables.

"Probably," the laird agreed. "The watch commander knows his business."

"Tell them to clear out. Make sure they understand that if I'm shot, my shipmates will light off our propulsion reactors while they're still in the bay."

"That would destroy your ship," Fitzroy said.

"It wouldn't do your city much good either. So let's be sensible, shall we?"

Hugh Fitzroy shouted a series of orders to the senior officer in the bay. That functionary ordered his people to back off. Every armed adversary in view quickly departed, leaving Sands to wonder how many hidden adversaries remained.He took a deep breath and released the laird. After five long seconds, he decided that he was not going to be shot down where he stood. Kimber appeared in the hydrogen lock. "Ross says the ship is ready for launch."

"Any word from the rest of the crew?"

"None."

Sands turned to the laird. "Have your people got them?"

"I'll need a communicator to find out."

Sands handed over his communicator. Fitzroy spoke a few terse words, and then listened to the soft response. He lowered the comm unit and shook his head. "They haven't been seen. The watch has just begun a sweep of the pleasure facilities."

"Where's the Alliance fleet?"

There was another hurried conversation. Fitzroy reported that it would arrive in another two minutes.

Sands made a quick decision. "We can't wait. When you find them, you may want to hide them from Blount. They're the only proof you have that I am telling the truth."

"Very well, Captain. I will keep them hidden until I find that it no longer benefits me or my people."

"Fair enough," Sands said as he stuck out his hand. "Sorry to get you involved."

The Laird of Glasgow took it. "If you are correct about the Alliance wanting my cities, perhaps I should be saying the same to you."

"If we get free, we'll do what we can to help you."

Sands turned, climbed up onto the wing, and moved to the midships lock. Kimber met him in the ship's longitudinal passageway.

"Where's Halley?"

"In the cockpit."

"And Ross?"

"In combat control."

"What are you going to do?"

Kimber frowned. "I don't understand, Lars."

"If you're smart, you'll get off now. Fitzroy can hide you, and even if he doesn't, you'll be no worse off than you were before we came along."

"I'm staying."

"This may turn into a very short flight," he warned.

"I'm not going to give the Alliance power over my father again. Besides, Blount has no idea what you have told me. He'll probably kill me out of hand rather than take a chance that I'll expose him.""A good point. Close the port and then come forward. Make it quick. This vessel is about to depart."

Sands poked his head into the compartment where Ross Crandall was preparing to fight the ship. "Give them a spread as soon as we get clear. I don't care if you hit anything, but let's remind them to be cautious."

"Right, Lars."

Halley Trevanon was in her normal seat as he swarmed into the cockpit. "We're hooked onto the catapult, Lars. One minute until Bolin gets here."

"Are we ready?"

"Ready!"

"All right, sound the alarm!"

The launch klaxon rang through the ship. To Sands's ears, it echoed hollowly without a full crew onboard. He was flicking switches with abandon when he heard Kimber arrive behind him and begin strapping herself in.

"What about environment suits?" Halley asked.

"No time. Ross, you there?"

"Here, Lars."

"Give me a reading on the opposition as soon as you can."

"Will do."

"Kimber?" he asked over his shoulder.

"Strapped down, Captain."

He gave a quick countdown, and then keyed the control that signaled the city computer. A moment later, they were all crushed into their seats by a giant invisible hand. The windscreen was instantly transformed from the floodlit expanse of the Glasgow landing bay into the infinite vista of blue-white that was the eye of the Glasgow Cyclone.

AsSparrowHawk was flung clear of the city, Sands brought both drive reactors to power and headed directly away from their former refuge. They passed the site where the new city was being built a few seconds later. This would be no long stern chase. It would be a short, all out sprint for the cloud wall. If they could get there before their pursuers, they would have a chance at evasion. If they were caught short of the clouds, there would be no hope.

"Damn, there are a dozen of them out there." Ross reported from the combat compartment.

"Where?"

"They're all around the compass. We are damned lucky Glasgow's warning system is so good. If they hadn't been detected fifteen minutes out, we wouldn't have a chance."

Which assumes, Sands thought,that we have one now. "Find me a hole in their formation.""I've got something," Ross reported after an interminable three seconds. "Come right to 080 degrees.

They've got two prowlers off in that direction, but they're spread pretty wide."

"Right." Sands rolledSparrowHawk into a vicious turn. As he did so, Ross launched a full spread of missiles at the ships around them, with special attention to the two directly ahead. Seconds later, antimissile lasers lashed out and vaporized the small dart shapes.

Sands responded by sendingSparrowHawk into a full power climb. As he had in the Dardenelles, he was trying to out climb the prowlers. The tactic proved unsuccessful as the two ships climbed to keep above him. Of course, he suddenly realized, it had not worked the previous time either. Their escape from Cloudcroft had been preordained. It was all part of the plot to seize the Glasgow Cluster.

They rocketed forward for two long minutes as they closed the gap with the prowlers. Suddenly their windscreen was ablaze with blue-green light.

"We're in laser range," Halley reported unnecessarily.

Sands did not respond. Down below, Ross Crandall was playing their own lasers across the prowlers'

distant forms. At this range, the antimissile weapons could do little physical damage, but the blue-green beams played havoc with sensors.

"We've got vampires coming in," Sands reported, using the ancient code word for a missile attack. "Six of them!"

Sands rolled his ship and dove. His only hope lay in the dense lower atmosphere where the missiles would be slow to maneuver. A dozen seconds into the dive,SparrowHawk shuddered under the impact of a giant fist.

"How bad are we hit?" Sands asked as he saw half his instruments go dead.

"Bad," Halley muttered, her voice coming to him over the intercom. The explosion had been accompanied by a vast increase in wind noise. That and the waySparrowHawk shuddered told Sands that they had been holed.