Harran slid woozily to his feet. ‘Alright, pass me my axe.’

He looked at the Princess, and then Cosmo – and over Cosmo’s head, where the hologram had kept playing: showing the Princess and Cosmo dragging Harran away from the airlock door, beside which his axe had been carefully propped.

The Princess caught the look in his eye.

‘Harran …’

‘Do we have any weapons in here?’

‘Cosmo has a dagger.’

Harran stuck out his hand. Cosmo retrieved the dagger and gave it to him.

In one motion, Harran flipped it so the blade faced Cosmo, and stuck him right to the hilt.

Cosmo spluttered, the dagger dropped to the floor. He retrieved it.

’It’s a stage dagger, for magic tricks.’

‘So I discovered.’

‘When you say discovered,’ the Princess said, ‘do you mean before or after you …’

‘Yes, Princess?’

‘Nothing.’