Mr Ambrose moved first. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, he jumped behind a column, brought up his gun and fired...into the air?

Everyone stared at him. Even the masked men.

One of the men snorted. "What was that supposed to do?"

Mr Ambrose cocked his head. "This."

The very next moment, high above the men's heads, the rusty lid on an old pipe bulged. Only then did I notice that the lock that had previously held the lid in place seemed to be gone.

The masked men seemed to notice that as well.

"Move, men! Mo—!"

Bang!

The lid of the old pipe slammed open, and a flood of sludge exploded into the tunnel. It sprayed the masked men with various indescribable substances. Those fierce men who, just a moment ago, had looked ready to kill us all, scattered in all directions. I didn't really blame them—because those who didn't move in time got a face full of muck and went down coughing and gagging.

All in all, an amazing result. The only problem?

I wasn't bloody exempt either!

"Crap, crap, crap!"

This was the second time in just a few days that those words were more of a description than a curse. I really hoped this wasn't going to become a habit. Continuing to mutter curses under my breath, I dashed away from the sewage pipe and threw myself behind the nearest object that could offer cover—which just so happened to be Karim. But in a situation like this, why be picky?

"Hey!"

"You're a bodyguard, aren't you? Go ahead and guard my body against the evil sewage!"

A string of curses in Punjabi told me what exactly he thought of that idea. Dashing away, he fled towards the corner of the cavernous room. Traitor!

Desperately, I glanced around. Adaira had taken shelter behind Captain Carter, who was bravely protecting her body with his own. Hm. I wonder...

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Mr Ambrose.

"Don't even think about it, Mrs Ambrose."

Darn! Where was the loyalty? Where was the love?

I didn't get a chance to find the answer to those questions before the sewage arrived. In desperation, I could only tear off my fake beard and use it to cover my face. Thank heavens for Indian fashion choices!

Splllurch!

The sound of massive amounts of sewage colliding with you is not something that one can adequately describe. Nor was it something I particularly wanted to describe or think about in any manner whatsoever. The only thing I wanted to do right now was jump into a giant bathtub and not come out again before next week. Unfortunately, I didn't have that luxury.

"You son of a...!"

One of the masked men finally seemed to have regained his bearings. Struggling to his feet, he raised his revolver and—

"Aaagh!"

—slipped on something unspeakable, only to land face-first in said unspeakable thing.

I winced in sympathy. Then I raised my gun and shot the bastard.

The companion next to him didn't seem to appreciate that. Lifting his gun, he took aim at me without hesitation. I tried to throw myself to the side, tried to get out of the way, but—

Click!

—the gun clicked, and nothing happened.

Well, nothing except a few bits of grime and dirty water dripping out of the front of the barrel.

So, a flood of sewage has its advantages after all, eh? At least as long as I don't get hit with it.

Without hesitation, I shot again. My opponent went down, still staring disbelievingly at his disobedient gun. One more shot from my gun finally ended him.

My companions weren't idle either. Karim was like a killing demon, swinging his sabre right and left, duelling three different enemies at the same time. Captain Carter and Adaira had teamed up, and he was rushing at enemies with his dagger, only for Adaira to take them out with a swift shot once they were busy defending themselves. As for Mr Ambrose...

Bam!

"Aaagh!"

My husband had divested himself of his local outfit, revealing the familiar dark tailcoat and trousers underneath. Clad entirely in black, he was like a ghost in the shadows, firing shot after shot at the figures fumbling about, trying to rise from the slippery ground.

They didn't move fast enough.

Bam! Bam, bam!

Quickly, I scanned my side of the room. There were only two masked figures who hadn't been shot down yet. One was choking in a corner, obviously having swallowed something he probably shouldn't have. The other...

The other was raising his gun, aiming at me.

I fired without hesitation.

Or at least I tried to.

Click!

Blast! Out of bullets!

Even through the cloth mask, I could see the victorious smirk spread over the face of the man opposite me. That is, until I threw a sewage-covered fake beard at him.

"Blrb! Agh! What the...?!"

Bang!

I lowered my freshly reloaded revolver with a smile. Striding past the fresh corpse towards the last masked man, who was still gagging on the ground not far away, I raised my revolver into the air and swung it down, butt first.

Whack!

The harsh sound echoed through the cavernous room. Looking around, I noticed that everyone else appeared to have dealt with their opponents, too. Especially Karim, who seemed to have dealt with his adversary rather more thoroughly than normal and was standing next to a pile of severed limbs.

Panting, I straightened and wiped some bits of dirt away from my cheek. That left only ninety-nine percent of the sewage spattered all over the rest of my body. Huzzah!

"Well, now..." At the sound of the voice, I turned towards Captain Carter. He was inspecting one of the defeated men. Turning over the prone body, he revealed a man wearing a familiar cloth mask, and one corner of the captain's mouth lifted. "Look at the bright side. At least after this, any doubts whether Dalgliesh knows that we're coming should be pretty much resolved."

Adaira sent her intended a glare. "That's a bright side?"

"It is compared to this gloomy old sewer," the captain answered far too cheerfully. "How many more of these fellows do you think we're likely to encounter?"

"Irrelevant." Rising from where he was crouching on the ground next to one of the corpses, Mr Ambrose reloaded his revolver. "No matter how many, we will deal with them."

His eyes met mine, and in them, I read the words he didn't say: Because no one is going to stand in the way of me reuniting with my son. No one.

I felt a wave of warmth spread through my chest. Almost instantly, however, it was replaced by blazing determination.

No one shall stand in my way, either!

"I agree with the Sahib." Wiping his bloody sabre on one of the corpses, Karim stared at the dark tunnel ahead. "We are going to squash them."

"So, no strategy, just charge ahead, eh?" Captain Carter nodded approvingly. "My old general would have loved you, may God rest his soul."

Adaira reached out and smacked the back of his head. "Now isn't the time for jokes, you!" Turning to her brother, she frowned ever so slightly. "That being said, Rick...he does have a point. Dalgliesh clearly knows we're coming. Just rushing ahead without knowing what we're going to face doesn't sound smart. We need a plan."

"Who says I don't have one?" Eyes glittering coldly, Mr Rikkard Ambrose checked his gun for one last time, then stepped towards the tunnel that likely led towards our foe. "The best kind of plan is always one for which enemy numbers do not matter."

***

Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh halted in mid-step.

"What is it, Your Lordship? Is something the ma—"

"Shh!"

With a finger on his lips, Lord Dalgliesh cocked his head. In the ensuing silence, the distant sound of gunshots was clearly audible.

A smile spread across Dalgliesh's face.

"Ah. Seems that our problems are taken care of."

"Um...pardon, your Lordship, but...how do you know it was our men that won?"

"I don't. But it doesn't really matter." Turning a corner, he came to a halt in front of a large staircase. It led straight up to a massive set of double-doors emblazoned with several bright red warning signs. "We're here."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key.

"Err, Your Lordship? It says 'Do not enter!' on the door."

"I know. I'm the one who ordered that to be written there."

Striding up the stairs, he slipped the key into the lock.

"Um, then why..."

"Rules are meant to be broken." His eyes flashed. "By men like me, at least."

Without hesitation, Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh turned the key and pushed against the massive set of doors. The portal opened into a vast, cavernous room, where, on wooden scaffolds that kept them nice and dry, rested several hundred massive crates, also covered with dense red warnings.

"M-my Lord...!" The soldier sounded like he had something stuck in his throat. Not that Dalgliesh gave a rat's arse, regardless of how easily available they were down here. The pawn could choke for all he cared—but not before he and the others had fulfilled their purpose.

"Search the room," he ordered. "There have to be some storage crates marked 'Supplies and Tools'."

"Oh." The leader of the masked men breathed a sigh of relief. "So, we're not looking for explosives, Your Lordship?"

"No." Dalgliesh smiled. "You're just looking for the fuse."

It was impressive how much terror a face could show, even through a mask.

"B-but Your Lordship—"

The smile vanished from Dalgliesh's face abruptly. "Move. Now."

The fact that the men immediately started marching towards the various crates said a lot about the weight of his commands. It didn't take long for the fuse to be found. Smiling once again, Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh watched as his men spread out through the room, connecting all the different crates with black cables. Thankfully, this place had been built well above the actual sewer, and the floor was bone-dry.

Dry enough to start a fire on.

Ascending the stairs on one side of the room, Lord Daniel Eugene Dalgliesh sat on one of the crates at the top like a king upon his throne and waited for his guests to arrive. Contrary to what he had told his underlings, he had no delusions about his dispatched subordinates being able to stop the people coming after him. He had a feeling he knew who it was, and during the years of his rise to power, he had come to trust his feelings. If he was correct, then...

Well, suffice to say things would get interesting.

His gaze focused on the doors to the room he had purposefully left open. Now, he just had to wait for his audience. Soon, it would be time for the play to begin!

***

We were halfway down the latest corridor when Mr Ambrose abruptly stopped in his tracks. When he hadn't started moving again after several long seconds had passed, I sidled up to him.

"What's the matter?" I whispered.

"Don't you feel it?" He held up his hand in the air.

I blinked. "What? The air? To be honest, I've been focusing more on the smell than the feel. Or rather, trying not to focus."

He sent me a look. "Not the air, Mrs Ambrose. The wind."

"We're in a tunnel," Adaira joined the conversation, keeping her voice low. "Isn't it normal for there to be wind? Different temperatures, air pressure and all those scientific thingamies..."

"It's not the fact that there is wind down here that bothers me. It's that there wasn't, up until a few moments ago." Eyes narrowing infinitesimally, he stared ahead into the darkness. "What do you think that means?"

It took a moment for me to get it. "You...you mean that there was a door up ahead that was closed until recently, and is now open?"

"Indeed." Mr Rikkard Ambrose narrowed his eyes even farther. Farther than I had ever seen him do so. Almost two millimetres. "So, from here on out, we're on high alert. Guns out and ready, everyone."

"Everyone?" Captain Carter queried, lifting his knife.

"Everyone who matters."

"Ah. Thanks for explaining."

Adaira sent her brother a glare, then pulled out an extra gun and handed it to her intended. "Here. I found this with one of the men that tried to ambush us. It's the only one that was still dry."

"You give the sweetest gifts, my lady." Captain Carter brought her hand to his lips. "I'll get you a howitzer for our first anniversary."

Adaira blushed. "Th-that's so romantic..."

Beside me, Karim leaned over, one bushy eyebrow raised. "Is it really?"

"No. They're in love, so they don't have to make sense. Shush!"

He seemed content with that explanation. Mr Rikkard Ambrose, on the other hand, seemed not.

"That's quite enough, you two." Stepping between Adaira and the captain of her heart and soul, Mr Ambrose manoeuvred her to a distance he found acceptable. Which was about a dozen yards away. "We have a fight waiting for us, remember?"

"Yes," Adaira told her brother and slipped past him, "I remember."

Then she threw her arms around Captain Carter's neck and drew him down for a fierce kiss, totally ignoring her brother's existence. Mine and Karim's as well, incidentally, but I didn't really mind. The same could not be said for the poor bodyguard, who was currently trying his best to hide under his turban. As for Mr Ambrose...he didn't do anything. Not even trying to peel Adaira off the man she was currently kissing passionately. He let her have her moment.

That, more than anything else, told me about the danger that lay ahead.

Slowly, reluctantly, Adaira separated from her man. "This is not the last time we're going to do that," she told him in a firm tone that brooked no argument. "You're going to come back to me, understood?"

He gazed into her eyes for a long moment—then inclined his head in a bow. "Your word is my command, My Lady."

Aww, so sweet. I had to resist the urge to clap.

By the looks of him, Mr Ambrose also had to resist the urge to clap—as in, clap the captain in irons. Finally, he could bear it no longer. With a low growl, he pulled Adaira away before she could start kissing people again.

"All right. Enough time wasted! There are enemies ahead, or have you already forgotten?"

"Oh," Adaira told him, "most certainly not." Her eyes moved to the dark tunnel and her hand clenched tightly around the grip of her gun. "I've been chased through this bloody city for days and had to hide cowering in a corner, all because that son of a bachelor couldn't stop himself from playing tyrant in this place. I have a few choice words to say to him."

"Well, you had better be fast then." Letting go, Mr Ambrose turned towards the tunnel, fierce eyes flashing in the darkness. "Because my bullets will likely be faster. Lilly?"

"Right here." Stepping up to him, I placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Stay by my side. If you see Dalgliesh, don't hesitate."

"Do you think after years of working as your secretary, I still know the meaning of the word 'hesitate'?"

"Adequate point. Karim?"

"I'll keep an eye on her, Sahib."

Lastly, Mr Ambrose cast a glance at the man whose name he wouldn't speak out loud.

"I will defend Adaira with my life," Captain Carter said sombrely.

And, in response, Mr Rikkard Ambrose...nodded? Did he just actually express approval for his sister's suitor?

I guess we might really be about to die.

"Well then...let's move."

And he strode off down the tunnel, gun cocked and at the ready. I and the rest of us followed closely, ready to react to the slightest movement in the shadows.

None came.

What did come was a long staircase leading to an absolutely massive set of double doors, the wings of the door, both covered in bright red warnings, wide open and ready to welcome us. I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand up.

"Welcome," came a far-too-familiar voice from within the room. "Why don't you come in?"

------------------------------------

My dear Readers,

Next chapter: big showdown! I hope you are all looking forward to seeing dear old Dalgliesh again. (Note boatload full of sarcasm) ;-)

Yours Truly

Sir Rob