Maloghurst was known as ‘the Twisted’, as much for his labyrinthine mind as the horrible injuries that had broken his body and left him grotesquely malformed.

‘Loken,’ he said, ‘these are civilians.’

‘I can vouch for them,’ said Loken.

Maloghurst turned his eyes to her. A hand fell on her shoulder.

‘Wake up now!’

The hand on her shoulder shook her.

She opened her eyes.

The smell of blood and split organs filled her mouth and nose. Her head arched up and she vomited. Red light was flicking through the passage.

On. Off.

On. Off.

For a moment the walls and decking swam and warped.

Vengeful Spirit… She was on the…

She was on the Antius.

‘Mersadie.’ She looked up. Nilus was crouching beside her, his long fingers just withdrawing from where they had shaken her shoulder. The Navigator’s skin was white, the shadows soaking up the red blinking light. His eyes were wide. He looked as though he was about to be sick himself. Or about to run.

‘Where…’ she began, but then she remembered Koln, saw the flicker-skip of movement, the bodies of the crimson troopers torn to shreds, and then the flare and kick of the pistol and Koln’s head coming apart. No, that was the dream… the dream…

She twisted, eyes going to the gore on the walls and floor, the heaps of meat and cloth, the gun lying next to her on the deck. Fresh bile surged up her throat, and splattered the deck. Nilus flinched back.

‘Where are the children?’ she gasped, pushing herself up.

Nilus jerked his head to where two small shapes lay slumped against the wall. Further down the corridor Aksinya lay beside the open door hatch. Her weapons were still in her hands beside her. Blood had soaked her clothes black. A last additional gunshot wound had ripped a hole in her neck. Her eyes were open, but they would see nothing any more.

Mersadie lunged for the children, found warmth in their hands.

‘Catatonic,’ said Nilus. ‘Whatever happened here…’

But Mersadie was shaking the girl and boy, not listening to the Navigator.

‘Mori, Noon! Listen to me! You have to wake up!’

‘We have to get to the shuttle,’ said Nilus, his voice rising from cold to shrill. ‘I didn’t see anyone alive coming here and the engines are still on. I think all the crew are dead. We are rudderless…’

‘We’re not going to the shuttle.’

‘If they killed the crew then this is a tomb.’

‘No!’ Mersadie snarled. Her head snapped up to look at the Navigator. He took a step back. ‘There are hundreds of people on this ship, and I am not leaving them to die while I run.’

‘That did not stop you before.’

‘It does now.’ She looked down at the children. ‘And in all those people there might be some who might be able to get us to safety.’

‘You are serious, aren’t you?’