Eddie had just re-entered the throne room behind Nina when he heard the sharp crack. ‘We didn’t bring any guns, did we?’ he asked Vorster.

‘No,’ said the shipowner, startled. ‘But it might have been ice breaking.’

‘That wasn’t ice, that was a fucking rifle round. I think we’re in trouble.’ He hurried to the broken window and looked out at the ice cave. ‘Oh, yeah. We’re in trouble!’

‘What is it?’ asked Nina.

‘Two boats full of guys, and they’re all armed – and climbing up this way.’

‘What about Marc?’ said Imka. ‘He was outside!’

Eddie couldn’t see Naider, but a splash of bright red blood on the ice where they had entered the ship told its own story. ‘They shot him. If he isn’t dead, he soon will be.’

Cheng looked around in fear. ‘What are we going to do? Hide?’

‘If we hide, they’ll find us,’ Nina told him. ‘They’ll come looking for us – they must have known we were here.’

‘How could they know?’ protested Imka.

‘Don’t ask me, but they did. They want something – they want this.’ She held out her arms to encompass the structure around them.

‘But they couldn’t have known it was here,’ Eddie said. ‘We didn’t know it was here!’

‘Maybe somebody else talked to Krämer, or Stapper. But it doesn’t matter now.’ She made her way to the altar. ‘We can’t fight them. But if we wait for them, we can find out what they want – and we might spot a chance to get away.’

Eddie was not happy, but he nodded. ‘Okay. We’ll let them make the first move. Just hope it doesn’t involve pulling a trigger.’

Vorster looked towards the broken window. ‘Are you crazy? We should get out while we can! We can jump from there.’

‘Go for it,’ the Englishman told him. ‘It’s only a sixty-foot drop into freezing water.’ Vorster considered it, then let out an angry, frustrated breath.

Eddie joined Nina at the altar. Cheng followed, Imka holding back fearfully at the top of the mausoleum stairs. Vorster peered out cautiously from the window. ‘They’ve reached the top ledge,’ he reported. ‘They’ll be here any minute.’

‘They didn’t even give us time to work on our welcoming speech,’ Eddie replied dourly. He squeezed Nina’s hand, then noticed she appeared distracted. ‘You with us, love?’

‘It’s getting brighter in here,’ she replied. ‘The crystals in the walls – they’re glowing as well.’ The crystalline ribs running up to the domed ceiling were indeed emitting a soft but gradually strengthening light. She examined the recess in the altar. ‘I think my touching the key started it all off. Just like when I opened the vault in Turkey – it needed someone of Atlantean descent who could channel earth energy to provide the spark.’