'Once Urien returns, I'll be under a death sentence. No one will be able to save me then. But you can save me now.’

'At the price of betraying Foster-father,' he said bitterly. 'I will be ruined in his eyes.'

He'll get over, it. You're all he has. You must stand up to him, Minis. He'll think more of you for it.'

'You don't know him.'

'You say you love me, you've sworn to save me, but you qualify it every time. Prove your love — help me to escape. If you do I'll give myself to you, soul and body. Fail me and you collude in my death sentence.'

Minis could not meet her eyes. He marched up and down the tent, casting glances just shy of her direction. 'You do not, you cannot know what you are asking.'

She allowed him no respite. 'All I'm asking for,' Tiaan said sweetly, 'is my life.'

'At the price of my honour.’

'How will your honour withstand my execution?' she snapped.

'Please, Tiaan. It hurts to hear you speak that way.'

'How else should I speak to a man who professes love but won't lift a finger to save my life. You're pathetic, Minis. You're not a man at all — you're a snivelling child.'

'That's not true, Tiaan' he wept. 'I do love you.'

'Then save me.'

His face became dark, congested. The veins in his neck throbbed. 'Ah, Foster-father, what am I to do?'

'Run away with me. Now!'

'I can't get you out of the camp. Every construct must have a pass, and every person in it.'

'But surely, as Vithis's son …?'

'He doesn't trust me with you. But maybe, in a few days' time—'

'Tomorrow will be our last day, as you know very well. The camp is nearly empty. There are only eighty-nine constructs to go. After tomorrow we'll be in the main camp and they won't let me near one. You can't put it off, Minis. Once Vithis comes back, it'll be too late.'

'But what can I do?' he wailed.

Tiaan wanted to hit him. It's my life! Doesn't that mean anything to you? She closed her eyes, thinking desperately. She'd tried everything with Minis, but he was too cowed by Vithis. There was only one option left, though it went utterly against her nature. She'd have to really hurt him. 'Nothing!' she said with all the sarcasm she could muster. It was not strong enough. She had to shake him to his toes. 'You can't save me because you don't have the balls, Minis. You're a boy trying to fit into your foster-father's pants, but you don't have what it takes to fill them. No wonder Vithis holds you in such contempt.'

He reeled. 'You are cruel, Tiaan.' She stared him down. The time for words was over. 'I.. , may be able to do something,' he said. 'Tomorrow, when you're towing the last of the constructs. I'll try then.' 'Try what?' She did not allow herself to hope — Minis had let her down too many times.

We'll stop midway. I'll find a way to distract the guards. I'll unfasten the tether, as if to check something. We'll have to be quick, but we can do it.'

Tiaan hadn't thought that she would ever convince him. 'You're sure?' 'Yes. My mind is made up.'

'Oh. Minis.' Pushing herself up in bed, she reached out to him.

He threw his arms around her and wept, which made her feel even more guilty.

'I'm sorry for doubting you, Minis,' she said. 'I was so afraid.' Tiaan looked up at him and, acting purely on impulse, pressed her lips to his.

She'd not kissed a man before and did not expect anything of it. The kiss was like touching an electric eel. It sensitised her whole body and, when they parted, her lips felt swollen to three times their normal size. She saw the desire in his eyes and for an instant Tiaan was tempted, but only ill could come of that. 'Take me home, please,' she said. 'First the proof.'

Tiaan was woken at dawn by an Aachim she did not recognise. 'Where's Minis?' she said.

He has other business to attend to.'

Tiaan took that as a sign that Minis had taken the coward's way out after all. By the time the sun rose she was getting ready to haul the chain of sixty constructs to safety, the second-last trip. The crystals of her helm had been freshly charged in the black tesseract. The Aachim guard carried her to the construct, lifted her in and after that never moved from her side. Minis must have betrayed her plan.

Two hours later, the sixty constructs had been delivered safely to the southern camp and the Aachim there were all smiles. The rescue, which few had ever believed possible, was almost complete. Only twenty-nine machines to go. She returned to Snizort. The tents had been packed and the remaining Aachim, all but her two guards being from Clan Elienor, were waiting in their constructs. The war camp had disappeared, the only evidence of it the flattened grass, the humps of the infilled latrine trenches and, in the distance, the memorial pavilion beside the battlefield.

It was past lunchtime. As the constructs were being cabled up, Minis appeared.

'I'll take the last set,' he said to Tiaan's guard. 'It'll give you the chance to ready your own gear.' The fellow nodded and sprang down.

Tiaan sat in the machine, eating bread and sausage. 'I've nothing to say to you, Minis,' she said as he climbed up.

'I've found a way to save you. It's all planned.'

She was unable to believe, unable to trust. 'How?'

'We'll take the constructs halfway, then stop as if there's a problem. I'll call to the first construct to check the cable. As soon as he unfastens it, we'll flee.'

Tiaan had had time to anticipate all the problems. 'It's not much of a plan. If the constructs fire before we're out of range, we won't have a chance.' They didn't need the field for that, their catapults and spear-throwers being mechanically operated. But she hadn't come up with anything better, and once she towed the last set of constructs to the southern field it would be too late.

He stared into her eyes, quivering with emotion. 'You must trust me, Tiaan. I'm prepared to renounce my birthright for you.'

The declaration failed to comfort her as he'd hoped. It was to for Minis. Whatever he did, she would find fault with it. I've become a monster, she thought. There's no way back now.

'Very, well,' she said. 'We'll do it.'

The cable was attached to the first construct, and from it to the two lines of the others. 'Wait one moment,' said Minis.

'What is it?' 'You'll see.'

The Aachim were calling to one another and two of them began walking, five or six paces apart, in the direction of the distant pavilion. Both wore helms not unlike the one Tiaan used, and the woman on the right held out a rod-like object, which she pointed towards the pavilion. The man on her left did the same.

Someone behind them called a series of Aachim words that she did not recognise, followed by one she did. 'Now!'

A blue ray shot out from the woman's rod and a green ray from the man's. Where they intersected, above the pavilion, the air shimmered. There came a distant sound of thunder and a glimmering dome formed, swelling until it covered a good part of the battlefield where the Aachim had fought. Coloured lines writhed across it, like tamed lightning. 'It's beautiful,' said Tiaan, 'but what is it?'

'Let me see.' Minis lifted the helm off her head and put it on his own. 'Ah, what a marvel they've built!' He passed the helm back to her. 'It's a kind of protection — to keep out intruders and scavengers until we find a way to retrieve our dead, and our constructs. Now we can go.'

The protection had vanished as soon as the helm was taken off Tiaan's head. She put it on, took one last look at the shimmering luminescence of the dome, and reached for the controls. Tiaan eased her machine into motion, uncomfortable about placing her life in Minis's unreliable hands. What if this passion wore off, or he got cold feet again? She must be prepared to act on her own, the instant an opportunity came.