She nodded. ‘Go if you want.’

Nilus swore, looked around, and then swore again.

‘I’ll go to the bridge,’ he said. ‘I know something about ships.’

Mersadie heard him move away down the corridor. She bent over the still girl.

‘Mori…’ she said, and shook her. The girl’s head twitched. ‘Mori!’ The girl’s eyes flickered and opened and her shriek split the air. ‘Mori, look at me! Look at me!’ Mersadie held tight to the girl’s hands. Mori’s eyes steadied. She was breathing hard, face flecked with drying red. ‘Mori, I need you to listen to me. We are going to be fine, but your brother needs you. He needs you to help him stay safe. You can help him, can’t you.’

The girl nodded once and then again, faster, her eyes twitching but not moving from Mersadie’s.

‘Noon,’ she whispered. ‘Noon… Is he?’

‘He is asleep, just like you were. He will wake up, but we need to get out of here.’

‘Father…?’

Mersadie blinked. She thought of what Nilus had said about the crew being dead, about the crimson troopers, about the shadow creature that had been Sub-mistress Koln.

Daemon… an old word but one that was true nonetheless.

‘Your father would want you safe,’ said Mersadie, ‘so I am going to make sure you are.’

Mori nodded.

‘All right,’ said Mersadie. ‘I need you to stand up and keep hold of your brother’s hand.’

Mersadie lifted the boy, his sister gripping his dangling hand. He was heavy, and her muscles ached as she took the first step towards the open door hatch. Mori’s eyes found the still shape of Aksinya, and she heard the girl draw breath to cry. Thick fluid was still dripping from the ceiling.

‘Look at your brother,’ said Mersadie. ‘That’s it, look at your brother. Keep walking.’

They reached the hatch.

Down, thought Mersadie. They needed to go down to the cargo decks. She thought she could remember the route from when Aksinya had taken her to see the refugees. The image of angry eyes in cold faces rose from out of memory. She paused halfway through the door hatch.

‘Hold your brother,’ she said to Mori. The girl took the boy, hugging him. Mersadie stepped back through the door, bent down and took the pistol from out of Aksinya’s hand, and the fresh clips from the bandolier beneath the bodyguard’s cloak. She tried not to look at the woman’s face.

‘What are you doing?’ asked Mori.

‘Making sure I don’t fail her,’ said Mersadie. She tucked the pistol and ammo under her clothes, stepped back through the door and took the still unwaking boy from Mori. ‘Remember, keep hold of his hand.’

The Phalanx, Terran high orbit