The sun ticked on and the sea continued to rise in bursts. Now the tide reached Toby’s ribs, sucking at his shirt. It felt as if a million ants were biting. It was probably a good thing that his hands were stuck behind his back, or he wouldn’t be able to resist scratching, opening his skin and poisoning himself even more.
After what Bianca had said, the girls had backed away as far as they could go and left him to his misery. Even Moira had no words to taunt him.
“Where are they?” Lenka muttered eventually.
“It’s a maze – they’re lost.” Toby’s eyes were pinned to the tunnel, still hoping.
Bianca had said that they had got Ayla, but Bianca didn’t know Ayla the way he did. She would never give up. If she was alive, they still had a chance. The longer the tunnel went empty, the more likely it was that Ayla would be the next one out of it.
But time beat on, measured by the thump of his heart and the pull and push of the tide, and she did not emerge.
The water rose over Toby’s chest. He could no longer feel his legs at all. Numb was probably better than tingling … or did that mean permanent damage? He thought longingly of Uma’s barrier cream.
“They willnae let us drown, will they?” For the first time since he had met her, Moira sounded frightened.
Toby tore his gaze from the tunnel. Moira’s spiky Mohawk gave the impression of height but now, as the tide bubbled at her chin, he saw that she was much shorter than he was.
“Ashes.” He closed his eyes.
If the girls drowned, they would be out of the running for the festival, the challenge over. If Moira or Lenka succumbed, he and Ayla would surely win by default. He pictured Ayla lying injured somewhere. The sooner the girls drowned, the faster Ayla could get help.
He owed Moira nothing.
The Phoenix was the important thing – Toby and Ayla had to win the competition and get the inverters out to her.
He was a pirate. He had lost friends, enemies and loved ones … Toby was no stranger to death.
“Damn it all to hell and ash,” Toby couldn’t let her die in front of him. He waded awkwardly through the water to Moira. Her eyes glittered with terror and she was tugging ineffectually at her chains.
“You’ll dislocate your shoulder,” Toby snapped. “Stop it.”
“We’re gonnae drown!” Her accent was getting even thicker and she twisted as she floated in the lifting tide.
“Shut up.” Toby crouched as low as he could without submerging his own face. He could not use his arms for balance, so he spread his feet and dug them into the sucking sand.
“What’re ye doin’?” Moira gasped.
“Get on,” Toby snapped.
“Are ye serious?”
Lenka gaped as Moira struggled on to Toby’s bent thighs and lifted her face out of reach of the salt. Toby wobbled dangerously.
“You’re going to fall,” Lenka said eventually. She too waded closer. She leaned against Toby’s back, propping him up. Then her fingers found his and she gave them a squeeze.
Arthur was yelling. Toby looked towards the tunnel. Two shadowy figures limped towards them. He sagged, his heart sinking at the inevitability of it: Matus and Brody.
How badly would it hurt to have his tongue removed? And what would be worse: being forced to work in the sanctuary for the rest of his life or knowing he had let down the Phoenix? The captain would try and get him out, of course, but he didn’t think there would be any escape.
He returned his attention to the tunnel to see who would be out first. At first he thought he saw a trick of the sun – it looked as if Matus had a third limb. Then the limb moved sideways and Ayla was behind them. She was catching up.
He jerked to his feet, dunking Moira into the salt.
“Ayla!” he yelled.
Her head shot up and she moved faster.
All three of the runners were shambling, exhausted. Ayla dragged one leg behind her, her hands clamped around her thigh. Matus’s right ankle was at the wrong angle and each time he put weight on it his whole body twitched. Brody had to hold on to the tunnel wall, half shuffling, as blood dripped from his hairline into his eyes. Toby remembered Arthur saying that he had hit his head.
As Ayla drew level, Matus tried to shove her. She dodged and almost collapsed as her bad leg took her weight, then she loped forwards. Again Matus tried to push her backwards, but this time she was ready.
Instead of dodging his arm, she released her thigh and grabbed his wrist and elbow.
Toby gasped as he saw the crimson sheen of blood on her leg.
With a practised twist, Ayla forced Matus to his knees and used her good knee to dislocate his shoulder. Toby flinched at the crack and Lenka screamed as loudly as Matus. Ayla released him and he rolled sideways.
“Matus, think of the Sun!” Lenka shouted.
As Ayla overtook him, Matus rolled to his knees and grabbed her ankle with his good arm. Toby grunted as she went down with a thud and a puff of dust.
As Matus crawled up Ayla’s legs, Brody stopped walking. He swayed, unfocused.
It was Moira’s turn to scream. She jumped as high as she could, thrusting her face from the water. “Brody!”
Brody saw her, frowned and staggered onwards.
Ayla howled as Matus reached her injured thigh and punched it as hard as he could. She twisted and kicked but couldn’t shake him.
“Brody!” Moira choked as a wave pushed her under.
Ayla managed to clamp her own good leg around Matus’s throat, while Brody stumbled for the exit.
Toby watched, heart in his throat, as Brody moved into the light and paused. Then, as Moira’s screams were once again lost in the salt, he wobbled on to the beach. Finally he splashed into the water and had enough presence of mind to lift Moira out of the salt.
“Where’s th’ key, Brody?” Moira panted.
“Key?” Brody frowned.
“For the chains.”
“The key!” Brody tried to hold her with one arm while he patted his pockets. As he searched, clarity returned to his eyes and his face fell.
“I’m gonnae have tae put ye down.” He pressed his forehead to his cousin’s. Moira nodded and he dropped her.
His search became so frantic that Toby’s attention was pulled from Ayla’s fight with Matus.
“Is it round your neck?” Toby muttered. “That’s where Arthur’s was.”
Brody nodded and pulled desperately at his collar. “Oh Sun, I cannae find it.”
He lifted Moira, whose head was fully underwater. “Ah cannae find th’ key. Ah must have lost it when the trap sprung…” He glanced back to the maze. “Ah’ll go back.”
“There’s no time,” Lenka whispered.
She was right. If Brody left her, Moira would have only moments left, and Ayla and Matus would be out of the maze before he could return. Toby could see the thoughts chasing themselves over their faces.
“Look again,” Moira spluttered. “It has to be on ye.”
“It’s not.” Brody exhaled shakily. “Ah failed.”
A whoop of triumph drew Toby’s attention and he watched Ayla shake free of Matus and begin to crawl, leaving him lying still behind her.
She dragged herself towards the tunnel exit. Beside him Brody sobbed quietly, his tears vanishing into the rising salt.
“Matus!” Lenka was pleading with her partner to get up.
“Come on, Ayla,” Toby called.
“Shut your mouth.” Lenka whipped around to face him, her expression vicious. “Wake up, Matus!”
He started to stir.
“Ayla, he’s coming round!” Toby screamed.
Ayla took a moment to haul herself to her feet then kept moving. The tunnel seemed never ending.
Behind her, Matus started to crawl.
Then Ayla was at the tunnel edge and passing the line of shade cast by the sun.
Ayla curled her lip at Lenka as she reached Toby. “They tried to stop me.” She grabbed Toby’s shoulders.
“Scum!” Toby spat. Brody and Matus had considered Ayla enough of a threat to hurt her, yet they had still managed to underestimate her.
He glanced at Brody, who was trembling with the effort of holding Moira out of the water.
“The key?” Toby asked.
Ayla raised her arm – it was wrapped around her wrist.
“Get me out of these chains.” Toby bent over to present his lock. The salt sucked at his clothes and chin, but Toby raised his arms as high as his shoulders would allow.
Ayla unwrapped the key chain just as Matus crossed out of the maze. With a smirk she raised the key, put it in Toby’s lock and tried to turn it.
Nothing happened.
“Ayla?” Toby’s heart thumped.
“It’s not moving,” she spoke through gritted teeth.
Lenka stood up straighter. “Matus, quick – there’s something wrong with their key.”
Matus started to run; hobbling on his injured ankle.
“Ayla,” Toby warned.
He could feel her behind him, frantically shaking the lock. “I can’t turn it.”
“It must be the wrong key.”
Ayla shook her head. “There was one for each of us. That’s how I knew where Arthur’s was, I found his before I found mine.”
“Then it’s just stiff. Try harder.” Toby leaned down, trying to lift his hands higher out of the salt. Seawater thrust past his lips making him choke, but he forced himself to remain low, so Ayla could see what she was doing.
He felt, rather than saw, Matus splash into the surf.
His chains shook as Ayla yanked and pulled at the lock. Her howl of frustration undulated over the water.
Then, suddenly, the chains slipped free, his arms snapped open and Toby burst from the waves. He grabbed Ayla’s arm, put it over his shoulder and pulled her on to the beach.
When he heard a clang Toby looked back. Lenka’s chains were swinging back to the post. She too was free. Brody stood helplessly, holding Moira up, and watched them go.
Toby thudded into the rocks next to Arthur and Summer and started to strip off his sodden clothes. Summer hadn’t removed her baggy cream dress – was she really so modest that she preferred to sit in salt-soaked cloth than remove it?
Toby forgot about the girl as the skin of his legs peeled off along with his trousers and he squealed.
“Ashes, Toby, how long did they have you in the salt?” Ayla started to help him, her fingers gentle as she pulled his shirt over his head.
“Too long,” Cezar answered for him. “Moira would’ve died without you, Toby.”
“She still will, if they don’t get her out of there right now,” Arthur muttered.
“Where are they?” Toby growled. “Where are the damned attendants? They must be watching to see who loses.”
Cezar pointed. “There’re hatches all along the wall. This must’ve been real entertaining for them.” His voice was sharp with bitterness.
“How’s your leg?” Toby grabbed Ayla’s thigh. “What did they stab you with?”
“A sharpened branch.” Ayla pushed his hands off.
“You shouldn’t have pulled it out.” Toby said, just as Matus dumped Lenka next to Bianca. He threw himself at Matus, thudding into his chest with a noise like a sack of grain hitting a deck. “I’ll kill you.”
“Arthur, stop them,” Summer squeaked.
Arthur made no move. “Matus deserves what he gets,” he said, turning his face away.
Toby punched Matus, hearing the satisfying crack of bone under his fist. Matus put his hands over his head. “It’s a competition,” he shouted. “What did you expect?”
“Not this.” Toby grabbed Matus’s hair and forced his head around so that he was looking at Ayla’s bleeding leg.
“I can’t blame you for cheating,” Ayla said. She reached out a hand, silently asking Cezar to help her stand. “Ask Toby – I’ve cheated him. But if you’re going to cheat, make sure you damn well win. The fact is, at this point, if you think the only way you can win is to cheat then you’ve already lost.” She turned her back on him.
Toby shoved him away and spat in his face.
Matus wiped the spit off, his bruised face murderous, but he said nothing.
“That was too close.” Suddenly shaking, Toby sat down next to Ayla. He turned his back on the junk-filled horizon and was faced with Cezar staring hungrily over the salt.
“I don’t want to lose my tongue,” the boy mumbled, squinting into the afternoon haze.
“You won’t.” Ayla pointed. “Moira and Brody are still out there.” She glanced back at the walls where Cezar had shown them the hatches. “You hear that?” she yelled. “They’re still there. It’s over. Get them out.”
There was no sound and no movement behind the wall.
“Do you think they’re waiting for Moira to drown?” Summer whispered, her face pale.
Toby clenched his fists. “I don’t know what they’re waiting for.”
“I can’t do this any more.” Cezar looked at Bianca. “We can’t win. Look at me.” He thumped his twisted leg. “We’ve more challenges to go – more torture. And then we’ll lose our tongues.”
“We’ll win.” Bianca stood. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“How?” Cezar snapped, then he gestured, taking in Arthur, Toby and Matus. “We don’t stand a chance. Even if we do…” He hung his head. “I-I don’t want to go blind.”
Bianca gasped. “You said you’d do this for me – for our families.”
“We can’t win, Bianca. Our families won’t get the money and the colony will be two workers short – for what? We thought that if we didn’t get the crowns, we’d be sent home. Win-win. Well, that’s not what happens, is it? I’m needed back home, I can fix the broken equipment and there aren’t enough of us left healthy to waste two.”
Bianca began to tremble. Her nails curled into her palms. “You promised.”
“I didn’t have all the facts,” he said quietly.
“We can’t escape.” Bianca shook her head. “There’s no way out.”
“No way out of the sanctuary.” Cezar stared out to sea again. “But we’re out here now and there’s no one to stop us.”
“We’re on a pile of rock – there’s nowhere to go.” Summer stared at him.
Cezar pointed out to sea.
“You’re insane.” Bianca retreated.
“You want your tongue torn out, B?” Cezar tilted his head. “You want to face whatever tomorrow’s challenge is?”
“Whatever it is, I’ll win it for us,” she pleaded.
“No, you won’t,” Ayla spoke up. “If it’s you or me, I know who I’d place my money on.”
“Shut the hell up.” Bianca’s claws snicked out. “Anyway, you’re injured now.”
“But I’m not,” Lenka said quietly.
“They’re right. I’m swimming.” Cezar slipped down the rocks.
“You can’t!” Toby reached for him. “You were in the salt, Cezar, you know what it’s like. That was at the shoreline – you only had a taste of what it’ll do to you further out – the currents are poison.”
“And what about your leg?” Bianca swung her head. “You’re not strong enough.”
“We only have to make it round the headland.” Cezar stood in the waves now; orange water simmered at his knees and tin cans banged against the rocks with hollow thuds. “There has to be somewhere we can hide until the festival. They’ll assume we’ve drowned.” He looked at the others. “That’s what you’ll say, isn’t it?” He was walking backwards, the orange salt rising up his thighs.
“Cezar, it isn’t possible,” Toby begged. “Come back in.”
Cezar shook his head, tears in his eyes. “I’m not going back, Toby.”
“Can you even swim?” Summer called.
“There’s a lake by our village.” Cezar continued to retreat.
“Damn it, Cezar!” Bianca looked wildly from her partner to the cathedral and back again. The sun blazed from the great bronze disc on the roof and lit up her hair. “You know I can’t let you go alone.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You could stay.” Summer grabbed Bianca’s arm. “They’ll take out your tongue, but you’ll still be able to work in the sanctuary.”
Sadly, Bianca shook her head. “I want to stay, this place was my dream, but he’s right. If our village isn’t going to get the money, it needs us more than I need this.” She sniffed and suddenly she looked very young. “I should never have talked you into it, Cezar, but you were the only blond in our generation and I needed you. I got you into this … so I should get you out.”
“You’re going to swim?” Lenka said. “You’ll die.”
Bianca shook her head. “Please! I can do it. Without me, he’ ll die.” She cocked her head towards her partner. Then she carefully navigated her way down the rock.
She hissed when her toes touched the water and her eyes met Toby’s. “It does burn.”
“It’ll get worse.” He held her gaze. “You don’t stand a chance – either of you.”
“Maybe she does,” Ayla grunted. She slid awkwardly down to stand beside Bianca, her path leaving a bloodstain on the rock. As she splashed into the salt, she glanced up at Toby.
Cezar was still splashing backwards, as though terrified someone would catch him and pull him back.
Ayla turned to Bianca. “I don’t like you and you don’t like me.”
“Whatever,” the girl sneered.
“But we’re alike, so just you listen.” Ayla leaned close until only Bianca and Toby could hear. “You’re strong enough, so you might get him around the headland. Keep your faces out of the salt if you want to have any chance at all.” She paused. “Head for the cliff on the north side – there should be a boat.”
“A boat?” Bianca’s head shot up, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Keep your stupid voice down,” Ayla hissed. “Toby’s family will be there – they’d never go far.”
“And you’re telling me this, why?” Bianca glanced at Cezar.
“He deserves a chance.” Ayla shaded her eyes. “If the boat is there, tell the sailors Toby sent you.”
Bianca swallowed. “We’re not strong swimmers.”
“Then you’d better get stronger.” Ayla held up her hand and Toby pulled her back on to the rock. “Good luck.”
“This is a mistake,” Toby said for the last time. “Don’t do this.”
Cezar shook his head, turned his face to the horizon and began to swim, doggy style. He passed Brody and Moira who watched him with horrified faces. Toby’s heart sank.