noon precisely
The shot will go right over the palace . I laid the gun myself before I left the ship . I do n't know if I mentioned it to you , sir , but I was in the artillery when I held a commission in the Megalian Army . '' The admiral fired his shot at noon precisely . The shell soared high above the palace , passed over the cliff behind and dropped harmlessly somewhere in the sea . The Queen and Kalliope stood behind the flagstaff from which the blue banner of Salissa flew . At the sound of the shot , while the shell 's shriek was still in her ears , the Queen gave her order .