More people entered the station, wearing the masked black uniforms of an emergency medical team.

A tall man stepped forward. "Stand aside," he said. "This isn't a crime."

"What's your authority?" The troopers barred the way.

The medic presented the seal badge of an officer. If it wasn't himself, someone of high rank was endorsing his actions.

The troopers relented.

A pair of robots lifted Lily onto a stretcher.

She endured a hasty ride across the zone, in the back of a bumpy transport, surrounded by urgent voices.

They delivered her to the infirmary, and laid her in a room where white lights and walls glared. She'd been here before, after a few small injuries.

The medical robots tended to her. They injected a pain killer, then removed the taser barbs.

The tall medic with the officer's seal entered the room.

"Please, sir. Is my father alright?" Her voice felt like hot sand in her throat.

"He's alive. We're doing our best to repair the damage to his eye. We've also provided him relief for the pain, as we have for you."

He removed his mask, revealing his familiar smile.

"Ben!"

"It's good to see you," he said, squeezing her hand.

"You too. How in the worlds did you get the seal of an officer?"

"We have an influential friend, and that's all I can tell you right now. I'm sorry, for what you've endured in this camp. We've waited longer than any of us expected."

She looked away. "I should apologize. It's my fault we're here."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. Your sacrifice saved your brother's life. I admire you, Lily. And we're leaving this place together, very soon."

She gasped. "Is Delia coming for us?"

"She's got a plan, but it's dangerous. All of her schemes are, come to think of it."

"When are we going?"

"I don't know. It'll be within weeks, that's the good news. There's also some bad news." The look on his face chilled her. "Hir Weingert is dead."

She felt no grief. "He tried to force me. To..."

"You don't have to explain," he said. "I just watched the security footage. What he attempted is a severe crime, under Pruessian law. The Kaezer himself condemns such acts, especially towards children. In this, you can defend yourself. However, there's a problem. One that we all hoped to avoid."

"Myrktilhet," she said.

"Yes. You've heard of them already?"

"He told me he was an officer of the Shadow, right before it happened."

Ben's gaze darkened for a moment. "Myrktilhet is one of the most elite orders in the Kaezer's block of power, and by far the most secret. Hir Weingert's death won't go unpunished, and it was your strike that killed him. Though I have no doubt your father meant to do the same."

"What's going to happen?"

"I hope we escape, before we find out." He smiled. "You're a brave girl. And there are others protecting you. Some are closer than you think. Watch for this sign, as always."

He raised a fist, and she saw the small tattoo of a star on the back of one finger. Then he replaced his mask, and left the room.

She was allowed to rest at the infirmary that night, and was excused from the sunrise drill.

At noon, Fru Haeveka arrived with a trio of domestic robots, to escort her back to the dorm. Once they were inside, she beckoned. "Come, Korenzdit. I'd like a word with you in my office."

She followed the stern caretaker, and felt a twinge of anxiety as the door closed. Being called into Fru Haeveka's office meant trouble. She'd faced the discipline a few times, usually after a fight. It was a rare occurrence, now.

"Sit down, please." Fru Haeveka sat on the edge of her desk, and lit a cigarette. She tapped a crimson fingernail against the stained wood surface. "I'll ask you something, and you must be honest."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Did this Hir Weingert rape you?"

Lily shuddered at the blunt atrocity of the word. "No. But he would have, if my father hadn't been there."

Fru Haeveka exhaled a thick cloud. "An attempt, only. This may be taken several ways by the council."

"The council?"

"Yes. I've received word from my superiors, and they've informed me that your case has already been forwarded to Pruessia."

"I'm to be put on trial?" Lily shivered.

"Unfortunately so," Fru Haeveka said, crushing her cigarette into an ashtray. "Rest assured, those who are hidden know the truth."

She twisted one of her clunky rings off, and extended a fist. The muscles in her forearm tightened. Fru Haeveka was a formidable boxer, and one of the main instructors in the camp.

Lily glimpsed the tiny star tattoo, identical to Ben's. "You're with the Fist of Heaven. Was it you who cleared us from arrest at the station?"

Fru Haeveka nodded, and slipped the ring back onto her finger. "As your caretaker, I watch over you, but I don't work for the great leader." She slid her uniform skirt up to her firm, pale thigh. A banded leather sheath was strapped among her garters. She withdrew a thin dagger, and tossed it. It landed with a lethal thud in the portrait of Hir Kaezer.

Lily grinned.

"Mr. Keene told me that he gave you his wristcom," Fru Haeveka said.

"He did."

"Keep it with you. The time is soon, and we may need it."