"We should go and deploy the garrisons," she advised, stepping over the praetorian. She paused to reach down and pluck a pistol from the guards belt then thoughtfully replaced it with the one she had taken from the dead Vuldrock earlier. That would certainly confuse the man when he woke up but she doubted it would be his major concern. The Duke would be furious that his orders had been countermanded, but at least the city might survive. Orion could, after the fact, claim he was just following his instructions to defeat the pagans, though it was a think excuse at best.

The hall outside the library was empty for the moment but Annika wasn't sure which way to go to get out of the labyrinthine complex. 

"This way," Ragnar declared decisively, gesturing down the hallway. Lacking better options Orion and Annika followed till they came to a small door. Although it probably wasn't locked Ragnar opened it with a kick that splintered its hinges and lead them through into a dark spiraling staircase. They raced down the stairs and as they descended the smell of roasting meat and industrial refigeration came up to greet them.

The reached the bottom and passed through a set of doors into a large kitchen in which cooks and their assistants were slaving over a hundred different meals. There was enough shouting and noise that at first they didn't notice the presence of strangers. Ragnar marched determinedly towards what looked to be loading doors at the far end of the vast kitchen.  A small man, puffed up with his own importance stepped inforont of the Vuldrock.

"And just who do you think you are to..." the man whined cutting off abruptly as Ragnar swatted him with a mighty fist sending him spinning to the ground.

"How dare you speak to the Duke's representative like that!" Annika demanded in a furious voice. There was a moment of startled silence but then they were through the doors and out onto a loading bay where a large open backed truck was finishing a delivery. The low wall of the palace was visible in the distance as was a post with armed guards, though they didn't yet appear to be on alert.