ut of it. He might have appeared fierce enough, ordinarily.
But things were happening too fast for him.

Geoffrey had never killed anyone but a noble in his life. Not
intentionally and at close range, in any case. The completely baffled
and helpless look of this one somehow found time to remind him that this
was not, after all, one of his peers--that the man was hopelessly
outclassed in fair combat--or in anything else, for that matter.
Geoffrey did _not_ stop to weigh the probity of this idea. It was the
central tenet of his education and environment. Furthermore, there was
some truth in it.

He couldn't kill the man. He swept up his arm and struck the flat of The
Barbarian's broad knife against the side of the guard's head, and bowled
the man over with his rush. But the guard had a hard skull. He stared up
with glazed but conscious eyes, and squalled: "Lord Geoffrey!" Geoffrey
hit him again, and this time the guard stayed down, but the damage was
done. Scrambling to his feet, Geoffrey ran over to The Barbarian, who
was letting the other guard ooze to the ground.

"We'll have to hurry!" Geoffrey panted. "Before that man comes back to
his senses."

The Barbarian gave him a disgusted look, but nodded. "Hurry we shall."
He lurched to the trailer door and slapped it with the flat of his hand.
"Let's go, Myka."

There was a scrambling sound inside the trailer, and the light went out.
The door slid open, and Geoffrey found himself staring at the most
beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She was lithe almost to the point of boyishness, even though she was
clearly some years older than Geoffrey. She had short hair the color of
hammered copper, high cheekbones, and tawny eyes. She was wearing a
tunic and short trousers, and there was an empty pistol holster strapped
around her waist. Obviously, she was not a lady. But it was much too
late for Geoffrey to care about that. She stopped in the doorway,
shaking her head slowly at The Barbarian. "I swear, Hodd," she said in a
low, laughing voice, "one of these days you _won't_ come back from the
dead, and I'll be surprised."

"It was close enough, this time," The Barbarian growled. He jerked his
head toward Geoffrey. "That young buck over there knows how to handle
his enemies. Once he learns what to do about his friends, I may have to
retire."

Myka arched her burning eyebrows. "Oh? What's the story behind that, I'd
like to know."

"We can always talk," Geoffrey said a litt