'My inane scheming!' she shouted into his face, her face contorted with rage. 'If anyone's scheming is inane, it is you! You and that inept lout that trails you around like a dog that needs a good kick in the face! You're so rich, you've got so many men and so many guns, how come you were so stupid to come here with just that stupid animal and no plan, uh? You talk big, but you're just a stupid little man with a big mouth-'
She was silenced, her eyes wide, at the sight of the pistol that materialized beneath her chin, and at the black rage that contorted his features.
'That's it,' he said quietly, in a tone that made everyone watching very wary, still and pale. 'One more word and you're dead. Do you understand me?' To her men, he said, 'This is no longer a meeting. I am now taking over. Your only chance to get out of this alive is to follow me and wait for an opportunity to escape. This means all of us returning tonight to your hideout. From there we will plan our escape from Port Haven.'
'Shoot him, you cowards!' Camilla hissed, watching her support collapse.
Kara's brother looked at Camilla in mild surprise. 'You're pretty tough with someone else's life.'
'If I had a gun, I'd kill you myself!' she spat.
Kara stared at her brother's reaction. His sudden laugh was a vain attempt to disguise the admiration lurking in his eyes.
'I believe you would!' he taunted, a new look in his eyes. 'Well, when we escape, maybe one day you will get your chance. But for now, we go back to your hiding-place.'
Kara groaned inwardly at the thought of making the return journey, buried once again in the back of the wagon. But for the moment, she mused, the attention was off her. It wasn't much, but it felt like a reprieve.
The port authority soldier standing in the tower of the old fortress took over the telescope from the young lookout who first reported sighting the warship coming directly towards Port Haven. Even from this distance he could see that she was modern and well-armed, and more than a match for the port's outdated weaponry.
'Send a message to the Castellan,' the soldier said, not taking his eye from the ship. 'Tell him a warship comes, and that her guns are raised. In the meantime, prepare to sound the evacuation. If she attacks, we would be foolish to do anything until her soldiers try to land.' He shook his head, trying to dispel the reality of the situation. 'Even without guns, we hold the high ground and a wide kill zone with unlimited visibility. What can they be thinking? Even if they reduce the port to rubble, this will only make the task of landing more difficult.'