It was pitch dark, and Linua didn’t know where they were. The moons were out, lighting the sky enough for the sea to be visible as a great, dark, heaving swell. There was no sign of land, no low-lying shapes of mountains edging the horizon..

The settlers of from the Ḫūlušarri had seeded the land and the shallow seas with life from humanity’s original home world, but the depths of the oceans belonged to the native life still. This far out to sea there were varuna, a sort of spined sea serpent that could grow up to fifty feet long. They weren’t interested in or aggressive towards humans specifically, but sometimes they mistook small boats for their natural prey. The Reel Lady was a little too big for that, but now they were out in the middle of the sea it was a less than comforting thought.

She didn’t know how long it had been since they had left Herkow, but it felt like hours. The time had dragged by with excruciating, glacial slowness, each minute adding another churn of fear and tension and anxiety, all of it squeezing away inside her until she thought she would burst.

Finally, the pitch of the boat’s engine changed and slowed, and a great dark something passed overhead, blotting out the stars. Linua twitched in reflexive fear, but then realised the Reed Lady was gliding into a sea cavern.

Jaiya hauled Linua to her feet and pulled her out of the cabin. The cavern was a large one, big enough to admit the boat, and at the back was a flat ledge of rock. It was ringed with tyres to prevent the rock tearing holes in the sides of boats which docked there, and a metal post with a thick coil of rope lying beside it. There was a tunnel leading away from the ledge, a black hole filled with shadow.

The acolytes secured the boat with practiced ease, working silently.

“Right,” Tuwa Shone said, suddenly business-like. “The little Shang princess will come with me—”

At the same time Leo lurched forward, big and clumsy, saying desperately, “For Nimras’s sake, don’t do this…”

Linua nearly missed it. Eret leapt forward and, using a perfectly respectable wushu move, tackled Ceci, who had been holding the gun but had been distracted by Leo. There was a double report from gun going off and ricocheting against the cavern wall, and Linua prayed that it hadn't hit anyone.

They didn’t know about the second gun, she thought, even as she sprang into action. She took a couple of steps forward and hit GunBoy with a high leg sweep, knocking him to the deck, even as he pulled his own gun out of his pocket. Linua stamped down on the wrist that was holding the gun and he screamed, twisting his hand to try and get the gun free. He grabbed hold of her foot with his other hand, trying to tug her off-balance.

At the same time, Jaiya tried to grab hold of Linua, who instead ducked, using the leverage GunBoy gave her to fall to the deck on top the arm holding the gun. She twisted it out of his hand.

GunBoy yelled and tried to grab hold of Linua’s hair, but Jaiya knocked off his aim by jumping on Linua’s back. Linua used Jaiya’s own momentum to throw her—she went tumbling across the deck, which gave Linua enough breathing space to throw the gun overboard, then unfold into a hold that kept GunBoy’s right arm trapped.

She twisted his wrist and he screamed, even as Jaiya recovered, staggering upright towards them. Linua released GunBoy and launched herself at Jaiya—a few short, sharp moves later, Jaiya collapsed on the deck, winded, and Linua turned back to GunBoy, but he was just sitting there, cradling his arm.

Meanwhile, Eret was still grappling the girl, Ceci, at the other end of the boat. The gun had fallen to the deck. Even as Linua turned towards them, Eret flipped Ceci over his shoulder and into the water. When had Eret learned wushu?

There wasn’t time to think about that, because that still left Nancine, BoxBoy, and Tuwa Shone.

“Get to the door,” Tuwa Shone yelled at BoxBoy, who didn’t hesitate. He ran to the side of the boat, scrambled over it onto the ledge, and disappeared into the tunnel.

Then Tuwa Shone ran into the cabin, slamming the door shut. Well, they could deal with him later. Linua crouched down and quickly stepped backwards over her bound wrists, bringing them up in front of her. She could see Nancine, who was running for gun that Ceci had dropped, but Linua wouldn’t reach her in time.

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Then Leo stepped in front of Nancine, body blocking her, and she rebounded off him. Linua kicked the back of her leg as she staggered back. She fell to the ground. Linua pulled her hands back sharply to her torso a couple of times, until the zip tie finally snapped and fell away from her wrists. Then she grabbed Nancine in a reverse choke hold.

Eret had picked the gun, but he gave it an uncertain look.

“Throw it in the water,” Linua advised. She switched her attention to the two acolytes on the deck, GunBoy and Jaiya. Jaiya was still curled up in a foetal position and wheezing, and GunBoy seemed to have realised that the fight was over.

“No, give it to me,” Leo said.

“Do you even know how to use a gun?” Linua asked.

Leo ignored her, holding his hand out. There was an explosive blast behind them—everyone ducked, and Tuwa Shone stepped out of the cabin, holding a massively long gun with a heavy stock. Even as they stared at him he racked up another round with an ominous clicking sound.

“Shit,” Leo said. “It’s the bloody shotgun for the varuna.”

They had failed, Linua realised. They were probably all going to die. She felt a panicky fluttering in her chest. Tuwa Shone aimed the shotgun directly at Eret.

“Drop the gun, boy.”

Eret hesitated for a split second.

“Do it please, Eret,” Linua said. “Throw it in the water.” At least then it would be out of the way and they would only have one more gun to deal with.

Eret complied. Linua stepped in front of him, partly shielding him. She didn’t think Tuwa Shone would try to shoot Eret now, but she didn’t want to chance it, and she knew that she was the only person Tuwa Shone wouldn’t allow to come to harm, or at least not until he was forcing her to disarm the deadly defences of an Ancient Kāruan secret base. That was when she remembered what she had asked Eret to do earlier that evening. Maybe there was a way out of this after all.

Tuwa Shone waved Linua to the side with the muzzle of the shotgun.

“Everyone stay where I can see them.”

Linua moved to the side, but took several steps back until she was close enough to reach for Eret’s hand.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

His hand wrapped around hers.

“Yeah. You?”

“I’m good.” She turned her head and leaned it against his shoulder, hiding her face with her hair and whispering her next request as quietly as she dared. Eret glanced down at her sharply, but squeezed her hand a couple of times in reply. She felt his hand slipping into her pocket, and putting the replica key there, the one she had asked him to bring to show to Bead, earlier that evening.

Tuwa Shone had missed their little byplay. He was kicking his two acolytes, GunBoy and Jaya.

“Get up,” he said viciously. “Get Nancine, and get into the cabin. Lock the door so they can’t get in take over the boat.”

They complied, moving slowly. Tuwa Shone’s gaze focused sharply on his four captives, arrayed together at the back of the boat. There was a splash and the boat tipped slightly as Ceci hauled herself back onto the deck, her expression murderous.

“You too,” Tuwa Shone said. “In the cabin.”

She padded past them, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. Tuwa Shone gestured at Linua.

“You, get onto the ledge and stand against the wall.”

Linua obeyed.

The gun swung back around to Eret.

“You, boy, come here.”

Tuwa Shone made Eret walk a few feet in front of him the gun trained on the back of Eret’s neck. When they were both on the ledge, Tuwa Shone paused and glanced behind him at Leo and Horn. “You two will stay where you are. If I see a hint of either of you, I will kill the boy.”

A glow was now coming from the tunnel, revealing smoothly cut walls and a flat corridor. Modern battery powered lights had been fixed to the walls, probably by Tuwa Shone’s acolytes on previous visits. The tunnel snaked in a dogleg before ending in a wider space with a higher ceiling. At the far end of this was a recess with a round door made of a matte black substance. In the centre of the door was a small plate with the impression of a hand on it, and three small holes next to it.

The keyhole and the verification system.

Standing beside the keyhole was BoxBoy. He was still clutching the chest, his eyes wide and solemn.

Tuwa Shone motioned Eret against the wall.

“Give the candidate the key,” he said.

The word candidate sent horrified shivers running up and down Linua’s back.

The acolyte got to his knees and opened the chest, proffering it to Linua as if was some kind of royal gift. How many other candidates had Tuwa Shone tricked or coerced into this deadly little ritual? Linua plucked the key out of its bed of satin. It felt strangely slick and heavy in her hand. She turned towards the door.

“Go on,” Tuwa Shone urged. He sounded breathless now. “What are you waiting for? The secrets of Deen Tuwa are finally within our grasp.”

The way he was talking made it seem as if he had forgotten that Linua wasn’t here willingly. She repressed a shiver and turned, preventing him from seeing what her hands were doing. She stuffed her fingers into her pocket, and pulled out the replica key.

All she could do was hope that whatever security routines the secret base used wouldn’t recognise the replica key as an intrusion attempt.

“Put your hand on the plate,” Tuwa Shone said. “And put the key in the lock. Do it now, or I’ll shoot your boyfriend.”

Linua’s mouth was so dry she could hardly swallow. She looked over her shoulder and met Eret’s anguished gaze. Then she put her hand on the plate, aligned the prongs of the key with the three holes, and made a silent, heartfelt prayer as she slid the replica key home.