Ushered towards a set of rickety wooden steps, Jack descended with the others into the very bowels of the ship. Here in the dingy bilge – only a single oil lamp for light – a dank mildew smell filled the air. Their feet sloshed into knee-deep grimy water. As their eyes adjusted to the dark, Jack could make out a large wooden grille that separated the square-ended bow from the rest of the ship. One of the guards unlocked a small door.

‘I hope you’ll be comfortable during your stay!’ he laughed.

The other guards grunted their amusement as they shoved Jack and his friends into the slimy confines of the ship’s on-board prison. Miyuki and Cheng lost their footing on the slick deck and Saburo fell face first in the water. Jack rushed to pull his friend out before he drowned. Rolling him on his back, he dragged Saburo to the side, propped up his head and wiped the putrid water from his face.

‘Are you all right?’ asked Jack.

Saburo didn’t blink.

Jack shook him. ‘Saburo! Are you –’

‘Yesssss,’ came the faintest of replies, no more than a breath.

Jack smiled with relief and held his friend close.

Bedraggled and dripping wet, Miyuki and Cheng got back to their feet.

‘No thanks to them,’ spat Miyuki, glaring at the guards as they locked the door. Two remained behind to keep watch over their charges, sitting on the steps to avoid the noxious bilge-water.

Jack and his friends didn’t have that luxury. They were forced to crouch in the darkness and sludge. Yori discovered a narrow ledge and they laid Saburo along it. He was still unable to move, yet the fact that he’d spoken gave them hope. But the cold dank prison was no place for him to recover. Jack took off his jacket, placing it over his friend in an attempt to keep him warm, while Miyuki quietly resumed her Sha healing.

From far off, a bloodcurdling scream was heard.

‘Sounds like the captain’s boiling that pirate alive!’ laughed one of the guards.

Cheng winced at their cruel jibe. ‘Not having arrived at the Yellow River, the heart is not dead,’ he whispered to himself.

‘What did you say?’ asked Jack.

‘It’s a Chinese proverb,’ explained Cheng, sitting on his haunches beside him. ‘It means only when there is no road left should we feel despair. And, because of you, I’ve escaped the fate of my fellow pirates.’

‘Don’t thank me yet,’ said Jack. ‘Our road is almost running out too.’

He studied Cheng and noticed something odd. ‘Why don’t you have a spider tattoo like the other Wind Demons?’

Cheng self-consciously touched his neck and looked embarrassed. ‘I haven’t earned my right to one yet. Any Wind Demon must prove themselves on a raid first – either by killing, stealing or saving another pirate’s life. I suppose now, I won’t ever get my tattoo.’