‘I’ll be back,’ said Ollie, his face impassive. He stepped into the tunnel. A moment later they heard shots, then the now familiar rumbling crash and the dust shot into the cavern. Through it, gun tucked into the waistband of his trousers, came Ollie. His expression hadn’t changed.

Walking back into the cavern, he stopped next to where Albert was standing with Marcus and Theo and beckoned to June, who was still kneeling beside the wounded Zain. As she hurried over towards him, Colby and another man followed.

Ollie turned to Theo, ‘Do us a favour, lass. Go through Marcus’s bag and see if there’s anything else of any use in there, will you? And when you’re done, see how you can help with that poor fella over there, huh? Give him what he needs.’

‘All right,’ said Theo, turning and walking away. ‘But don’t think I dunno you don’t want me to hear what yer saying!’ she called back over her shoulder.

Ollie made a hurt face. ‘Women, I tell you! Even at that age!’ Then he turned and looked at June, who was coming up to them, Colby and his companion at her heels. ‘How is he?’

June shook her head. ‘Bad. He’s awake again, but he’s lost a lot of blood, and then there’s the shock, not to mention the risk of infection.’

Ollie’s face was impassive. ‘I see. Nothing we can do for him here?’

‘Not without a sedative. He won’t even let me fix his bandages, he’s in that much pain.’

Her voice dropped even lower. ‘I don’t think he has long left, Ollie.’

He nodded. ‘Can he be moved?’

She hesitated, and began to answer, but Marcus interrupted her. ‘We cannot take him with us.’

‘Hey, wait a minute,’ said Colby, his swarthy features flush with anger. ‘What’re you saying, huh? That we leave him behind?’

‘He will die on the way.’

‘True, but he’ll die if he stays here too,’ said Ollie. ‘This way at least he has a chance—’

‘He has no chance.’

‘Now look here, you—’ began Colby heatedly, and stopped as the wounded man moaned, a low, agonizing sound that nevertheless seemed to fill the cavern.

Ollie grimaced and turned to June. ‘Can you do something about his pain at least?’

June shook her head.

‘I will ease his pain,’ said Marcus softly, turning around.

‘Hold on, Marcus,’ said Ollie quickly. ‘It hasn’t come to that ye—wait! Hear that?’

They all turned, looking where he was pointing, and they heard it too. A sharp, grating, whirring sound from the tunnel through which they had first entered the cavern. As they looked, puffs of dust whiffed into the cavern from the tunnel, then a stray rock rolled in as well, and then another and another.

‘Well, what do you know,’ Ollie said pleasantly. ‘Larry’s finding a way through. All right. Hurry now!’