It was well after midnight when the attendant, Ciara, awakened the princess. "There is a guardsman at the door my lady," she said quietly. "He claims to have been sent by your father to take you to safety." "Safety? From what?" "He did not say," Ciara told her. "But when I was at the door I thought I heard gunfire in the distance." The princess's heart skipped a beat. "Did he give you a word?" she asked quickly. Ciara nodded. "He said I was to say to you, 'Babylon.' I don't know what that means." The princess took a deep breath. "It means that my father really did send him. And it means there's trouble. We must dress quickly." A frightened look came on Ciara's face, but she nodded and began helping her mistress. "Yes, my lady." "Don't be afraid," the princess told her, trying hard to keep her own fear from showing. "It will be okay. My father had himself psi-blocked when he married my mother. It would be impossible to get that word from him against his will. He trusts this guardsman. And so must we."