‘I’m patching you through to the commander,’ said Foaly’s voice in her ear. ‘Standby.’

Commander Root’s gravelly tones barked across the airwaves. He did not sound in the best of moods. No surprises there.

‘Captain Short. I want you to hold your position until back-up gets there.’

‘Negative, Commander. Chix is hit. I have to reach him.’

‘Holly. Captain Kelp is minutes away. Hold your position. Repeat. Hold your position.’

Behind the helmet’s visor, Holly gritted her teeth in frustration. She was one step away from being booted out of the LEP, and now this. To rescue

Chix she would have to disobey a direct order.

Root sensed her indecision. ‘Holly, listen to me. Whatever they’re shooting at you, it punched straight through Verbil’s wing. Your LEP vest is no good. So sit tight and wait for Captain Kelp.’

Captain Kelp. Possibly the LEP’s most gung-ho officer, famous for choosing the name Trouble at his graduation ceremony. Still, there was no officer Holly would have preferred to have at her back going through a door.

‘Sorry, sir, I can’t wait. Chix took a hit in the wing.You know what that means.’

Shooting a sprite in the wing was not like shooting a bird. Wings were a sprite’s largest organ and contained seven major arteries. A hole like that would have ruptured at least three.

Commander Root sighed. Over the speakers it sounded like a rush of static.

‘OK, Holly. But stay low. I don’t want to lose any of my people today.’

Holly drew her Neutrino 2000 from its holster, flicking the setting up to three. She wasn’t taking any chances with the snipers. Presuming they were goblins from the B’wa Kell triad, on this setting the first shot would knock them unconscious for eight hours at the very least.

She gathered her legs beneath her and rocketed out from behind the statue. Immediately a hail of gunfire blew chunks from the structure.