"Let's see them walk away from that," said Angeline, as a thunderous roar faded in the air.

The ship swayed back and forth in the dragon's grasp. Dorothea knelt on the floor by Turner's side as Gorso checked his neck and head, his fingers parting his hair as he assessed the extent of his injuries. Dorothea gently squeezed Turner's hand, anxious for some sign of cognisance, but there had been no further response. Gorso removed the stethoscope from his neck and returned it to his bag of instruments, snapping the bag shut.

"His injuries are minor," he assured Dorothea, "but he suffered a concussion from the blast."

"He'll be alright, won't he?"

"There's some swelling around the ankle, a slight sprain, by the looks of it. I've finished bandaging that... All we can really do now is wait. "

"Don't you worry about Turner," Herrera said. "He's a strong lad and in good hands. The very best, in my opinion." He nodded at Gorso. "Let me speak for all of us," he added, looking back at Dorothea, "and express our thanks. You and your magnificent friend up there saved us all. You have the eternal gratitude of this Brigade."

"That you most certainly do" said Collin, crouching in a corner. He had dismantled a rifle and was now cleaning the individual pieces. "I thought us doomed, beyond all hope and measure."

"Still, a real shame about the island," Angeline said, pulling shrapnel out of the wall of the furnace with a pair of pliers. Her arm sported the bandage of an insistent Gorso, despite her protests that it was nothing more than a scratch. "It was a wonder, a real feat of engineering," she mourned.

"It was a beautiful island," Dorothea said, thinking of the garden and what Gorso said there. "I know it was important to all of you."

"That it was, young one." Herrera shook his head. "A dire blow has been delivered to all our hearts. I just can not figure out how the Commission  found us so quickly."

"I'm telling you, we were followed," Angeline said, waving the pliers for emphasis.

"I was as careful as ever flying us back to the isle," said Gorso. "No way we were followed. No - way. There's only one way for it, so far as I can figure. I hate to say it... but someone must have clued the Commission in."

"You're suggesting one of us is playing the part of a turncoat?" Collin asked. "That a traitor is among us?"

"How dare you, Gorso!" Angeline said, arms crossed, clearly upset by the idea. "There's no way one of us would turn traitor!"

"I'm not pointing fingers, but only the Brigade know Rainbow's End's whereabouts at any given time. Not even the folks back at Davishna know."

"I can't believe it," said Angeline. "I won't believe it."

"If one of us is a traitor," said Bastion, twirling a pistol about on is finger, "no place would be out of harm's way. Every safe house would be compromised."

"And the Commission has people everywhere," said Collin. "No way we can know for sure where we'll be safe from their spies. Even Davishna..."

"So we go someplace nobody knows about," Bastion said. "Not them or us."

"Where exactly would you suggest, Bastion?" Gorso asked.

Bastion shrugged. "Where are we heading now?"

Everybody on the ship looked to Dorothea.

"The Golem City," she answered. "It was the only place I could think of."

"Intriguing," Herrera mused.

"I could ask it to take us someplace else..."

"No, this is good. Fabulous, even. We can take refuge at the city, and determine the reality of it at the same time."

"And if the Commission manages to find us again?"

"I understand your concern, Mr Gorso, but for lack of any better alternatives, we'll just have to hope they don't. And, this time around, I really can't see how they could."

******

Outside one of the many rooms in the musty labyrinthine depths of Fortress One, a pair of stony-faced sentinels opened the conference room doors to permit Udo Kritzinger to enter, relieving him first of his sturdy, pewter-topped cane. He hadn't been told what the impromptu meeting was about. Ever since the last exchange, he and his men had been kept in lockdown to await word of whether they were to be accused of spying. He dreaded the possible news that Balsa had captured Dorothea and perhaps even located the lost city. He looked around. A large nest of hooded lanterns burned overhead, the ochre light illuminating a large map spread across a long table. Pens and magnifying glasses were suspended over the map by adjustable accordion arms. Two individuals were seated at the table, the always enigmatic First Secretary Qandisa Umei and a scowling Wilhelm Balsa. The scowl lifted Kritzinger's spirits somewhat. He nodded at the First Secretary, ignoring Balsa, and seated himself with deliberate insouciance, as if his future were not potentially hanging in the balance.

"Through circumstances beyond his control," Secretary Umei began, after a short silence, "General Balsa and his forces were unable to complete their mission." Her expression remained implacable. "The girl and those who harbour her remain at large."

Kritzinger bit back a smile. "This peasant girl is a difficult thing to keep a hold of, isn't she, General?"

Balsa's scowl grew darker. Kritzinger relished his fury. Having seen the destruction wrought by the golem on Fortress Five, Balsa should have known they were dealing with forces they didn't understand, but still he was determined to act without sufficient preparation. He'd rushed headfirst into the fray, believing he had the measure of the girl's abilities and could conquer any further shows of preternatural might with the forces of Fortress Six. His ham-fisted approach had been brought low. He'd been given sufficient rope to hang himself by and had not disappointed.

"I have every intention of recovering the child and eliminating those who have her very soon," Balsa said, with effort. He stood and pressed his finger on the map. "The tracking device placed on the girl is still active but we cannot fathom why she would be headed to this most unremarkable corner of the ocean."

All thoughts of Balsa's humiliation disappeared as Kritzinger stared at the map. The only marking in the otherwise empty sea was a small dot within the Dini Sea. He retrieved his glasses from his jacket pocket and studied the map.

"The Kraken's Crag," Kritzinger read. He straightened up and looked at the First Secretary. "I've never heard of the place. The girl is headed there, you say?"

"You're here to answer questions, Kritzinger, not ask them," Balsa said, his tone abrasive.

"No, I'm here because I was imprisoned here, unjustly I might add, on suspicion of treason," Kritzinger snapped. "But we know who's really guilty of that."

"We understand your frustration, Agent Kritzinger," the First Secretary said, her voice soft. "You are upset, both with your present situation and the intentions of this Commission. This is why I am extending to you a chance to assist us, to prove that we can still count you among our allies. It is my hope that you will grasp what is at stake here and how assisting us would unquestionably be in your best interest."

Kritzinger understood the threat behind her words. If he didn't cooperate, they would consider him an enemy and deal with him accordingly. There would be no trial, no opportunity to publicly make his case. The chance of jeopardizing the Commission's long-term plans would be too great. If he were going to risk his own life, he decided, it was better to risk it for a good reason than to make a pointless stand.

"What is it you want to know?"

"It should be obvious," said Balsa. "Is this the location of Golem City?"

Kritzinger shrugged.

"It's certainly possible. Countless places have been suggested over the years that never panned out. I suggest you send a scout."

The First Secretary shook her head. "Time is against us." She pointed to a black cross that had been inked on the map. "The destruction of Fortress Five represents a significant strategic loss, both literally and figuratively. It has made us appear vulnerable and weakens the very unity we have worked so hard to achieve in order to maintain the status quo. We cannot afford to linger. We need the Golem City, before what authority the Secretariat maintains is stripped from it by those who would unbridle humanity's dark nature. As such, I am sending General Balsa to investigate  immediately."

Kritzinger's eyes flashed in irritation. "Then why summon me if you have already made your decision?"

"Because we need an expert to assist in the recovery and dissemination of its knowledge, should this prove to be the Golem City. You are that expert. You will accompany General Balsa. I expect you to counsel him and adhere to his decisions with regard to any and all military matters."

"With all due respect, First Secretary, we have no idea what threats might await us there. Twice General Balsa has been foiled by this girl and the power she commands. What has changed to make you believe he'll somehow manage to succeed this time?"

The First Secretary remained silent. Kritzinger glanced at Balsa and was disconcerted by the man's confident expression. No doubt such confidence was nothing more than unfounded arrogance, and Kritzinger had nearly lost his life once already to this man's insufferable conceit.

"That isn't your concern," Balsa retorted.

"It is if you expect my expertise."

"Let's just say that we have utmost faith in General Balsa and his men," Qandisa said. "This time there will be no mistakes."

There was a warning in her words, not just for Kritzinger but also for Balsa.

"With your approval of those measures we discussed, the success of this mission is certain," Balsa said, with a deferential nod. "With good winds and fair weather, Fortress Six should arrive at the crag in four to five days. Rest assured that if this is the Golem City, it will be ours within the week."

"Agent Kritzinger, you will accompany him. That will not be a problem, I take it." It was not a question. She rose. "For the good of the world." The men were barely halfway out of their chairs before she was gone.

Kritzinger knew he wasn't being given a choice but to accompany Balsa. The odds that this proposed location would turn out to be the Golem City were slim. But Kritzinger felt uneasy nonetheless.

Balsa growled at Kritzinger from the doorway.

"Just remember to keep out of my way."

******

Kritzinger had an idea, but he only had a few hours. It was ambitious. It would be a gamble. And he couldn't do it alone. He would need help. And he had a pretty good idea of who that help would be. He eventually located him in the courtyard topside.

"Walk with me, Vale," he said in a low voice. "I need to speak with you on an urgent matter. I must be able to rely on your utmost discretion."

"Of c-c-course, sir," Hamish Vale answered. 

They walked out of sight of the other officers.

"Balsa believes he has located the Golem City," said Kritzinger. "Nothing is certain, but we have to assume it's a possibility.

Vale hesitated. "C-congratulations, sir."

Kritzinger shook his head. "No, that's a problem. And that's only part of the problem. I have been giving considerable thought to how uncommonly successful our enemies have been recently, such as how those men managed to find the girl so quickly on board our ship and then again when we'd hidden her in Fortress Five. It's really the most remarkable thing. It's almost as if they knew precisely where to go and where to look."

Vale opened his mouth and then closed it again.

"That night we first lost the girl," Kritzinger continued. "I told you to take her to the rear of the ship. Instead, you were discovered in the mid-section, which meant you went in the complete opposite direction and led her right to her kidnappers."

"We were t-t-trying to escape, sir. You t-tasked me with k-keeping the girl safe. I was injured t-trying to protect her, sir," Vale protested.

Kritzinger's eyes bored into Vale.

"A suspiciously light injury, considering the bullets being used on the rest of us."

"You escaped unscathed, sir," he blurted.

"But it was during the golem rampage on Fortress Five," Kritzinger continued, ignoring Vale's comment, "where you were spotted with the girl, having taken her from her room without my say so. That was when my suspicions were truly aroused."

"The fortress was on fire! I thought you'd want me to—"

"Overstep your authority? I'm going to be outright with my suspicions, Vale, because time is short and I have little else to lose but precious time on this act. I believe you're a spy, and have been since probably the very beginning."

Vale flushed.

"I don't intend on turning you in, even if I could prove anything," Kritzinger turned his gaze into the distance. "I need an ally. Someone who can help me." He turned back and gave Vale an appraising look. "We have a common enemy, and you're my only connection to the people I need to reach."

"If you could reach those people," Vale said, finally breaking the silence, his voice calm and all traces of his stutter now gone, "what is it you would want to tell them?"

"The Commission intends to fight the states by acquiring the Golem City. I have reason to suspect your friends may be headed there now." When Vale failed to comment, he continued. "Balsa is tracking their movements and intends to pay them a visit. On Fortress Six," he emphasised. "However, should these people be informed and given sufficient time to prepare for his coming, they would have the priceless opportunity to deprive the Commission not only of the Golem City but also another of its fortresses. After sustaining another significant loss and with no golem army to command, the Commission would be stripped of its remaining authority and finally dissolved. Believe me when I say," he added grimly, "that would be best for everyone. I need to reach them, to warn them of what's coming."

Vale steepled his fingers. "An interesting proposal. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I originally believed the Commission when they stated that their mission was solely to preserve the peace. As it turns out, what they really want is complete control and submission."

"I'll need access to a radio."

"No transmission will reach that far. You need to go personally, ahead of Balsa, who'll be leaving shortly. I can arrange a plane for you. The First Secretary has ordered me to accompany Balsa. I can tell you when to expect his arrival, what his forces might number – everything you'll need to lay down an effective ambush and put a stop to the Commission's plans."

"Why are you doing this?

"The same reason I've always been: For the good of the world. Only I mean those words, unlike the Commission and the farce it has become."

Hamish Vale grinned, approvingly. "For the good of the world."