‘Run,’ hissed Frazer and the two of them sped away across the clearing, keeping as low to the ground as they could. They hit the bushes a second before a loud bang came from the house. Amazon sensed the leaves above her head shudder as a bullet passed through them. She expected to feel fear, but what she actually felt was indignation. She wanted to shout out: ‘How dare you fire real bullets at us! We’re only kids. It’s not fair!’

That she didn’t was due partly to the realization that that would be insane, but more to the fact that Frazer was dragging her along behind him. Branches whipped at their faces and vines caught their legs, but still they ran blindly on.

Another shot rang out, and some guttural curse or command in Chinese followed it. Then, to Amazon’s horror, she heard an answering shout coming from the trees to their right. And then, even more dismayingly, from their left.

‘They’re all around us, Frazer,’ she panted.

‘Dang it,’ replied Frazer as he tried to drag some of the heavy night air into his gasping lungs. ‘Should have realized that he’d have guards posted around the place. We must have struck lucky and missed them on the way in.’

‘Would have been luckier if we’d seen them and simply gone back to our hut. Maybe we should just give ourselves up and explain. I mean we didn’t do anything wrong. At least nothing that deserves getting shot at.’

‘There’s no way I’m handing myself in to those madmen. If Huru Huru would eat endangered turtles, he’d probably eat us as well. And Chung is about as stable as a one-legged man trying to pick his nose with his toe during an earthquake.’

They heard the voices getting closer, and the sounds of heavy feet crunching through the undergrowth. Amazon opened her lips to speak again. The words, however, never emerged. A hand closed over her mouth, silencing both the words and the scream that would have taken their place.