Then, at last, he reached Ylana's room. It came to him as a shock when there was no guard.
Silently, he opened the door; stepped swiftly in, gun up and ready.
The bed, the room, were empty.
In a sort of frenzy, he ran through the rest of the suite; jerked open the neutron-bath and closets.
But the girl was gone.
He spun about, for a wild moment ready to race on through the rambling building, searching further.
But that was madness, and in his heart he knew it. Not even a clue as to Ylana's whereabouts had been left behind. He might hunt for hours to no avail.
And time was running short ... the seconds ticking by.
Jarl sagged back numbly. The fire went out of him. A dinning echo drummed within his brain. I've failed ... I've failed ... I've failed....