“I was almost killed,” he said again, louder this time. “The plan was you wait for us to disembark and then shoot at everyone but me.”

“That was the plan,” Sanguine agreed, “but then I found the rocket launcher. Wilhelm, how many times in civilian life do you get the opportunity to fire a rocket launcher at a plane? Three? Four? I had to take that opportunity, Wilhelm. Had to.”

“You nearly killed me.”

“And that was very inconsiderate of Billy-Ray,” said Tanith, shooting Sanguine a look, “but I hope you realise his actions do not reflect the opinions of the rest of the group. We’re all very happy you’re here.”

“I’m not,” said Jack.

“I’m not, either,” Annis said quickly.

“But Sabine is happy,” Tanith said before anyone else could speak, “and so is Dusk. Aren’t you, Dusk?”

Dusk didn’t bother answering. Probably for the best.

“So,” Tanith said brightly, “the final part of the mission. Three down, one to go, and here we are, heading back to merry old England. Are we excited? I certainly am, I don’t mind telling you. Sabine, how long do we have until the charge on the dagger runs out?”

“Eighteen hours,” Sabine answered.

That wasn’t good news. That meant it would be gone before they had a chance to rob the sword. Still, no sense in worrying everyone.

“Perfect!” Tanith said brightly.

“How are we going to do it?” Sabine asked. “Breaking into the Sanctuary is suicide.”

“I have a plan, don’t you worry.”

“We could use the weapons,” said Jack. “No one would stand a chance against us then.”

Tanith shook her head. “No, sorry, not using the God-Killers. What if something goes wrong? What if we’re beaten? Then all the weapons will be in the hands of Grand Mage Ode. Nope, we’re going in armed only with our magic, our wits, and a few swords and guns and knives.”

“What about me?” Dusk asked quietly.

Tanith hesitated. “We’re going to need you at your feral best, I’m afraid, so that means no serum for you.”

“You’d better know what you’re doing,” he said. “In my vampire form I make no distinction between ally and enemy.”

“And that’s why we love you.”

“How are we going to get inside?” Wilhelm asked. His eyes were wet and he looked queasy. He annoyed her already. “Are we going to just walk in the front door? I told you this months ago – every major Sanctuary around the world now has integrity alerts, primarily because of Mr Sanguine and his tunnelling. If he tries to pass through a wall or floor, the vibration will set off a massive security operation.”

“I’m famous,” Sanguine grinned.