"Get down," hissed Kyrnrie while doing his best to hide behind the sea of heads swinging around towards the door.

"We've come for information, Deklow," said the first voice.

"And you are going to give it to us," added the second.

"Voluntarily, unless you fail to volunteer," clarified the third.

Kyrnrie managed to catch sight of The Three in between the frozen heads. They had recovered. They looked... younger. Much younger. Instead of old crones, they were...

"Women?" queried a gruff voice somewhere in the inn.

"Women," suggested a tentative voice across the room.

"Women!" agreed a more confident voice nearby.

And, as if in a well-rehearsed tactical manoeuvre on the high seas, the sailors all jumped and began chanting the word women. Excitement filled the air as the sailors swarmed The Three in a sea of unkempt grey hair and adventurous groping hands.

"What are you doing?" demanded the first.

"Get your hands off me!" shouted the second.

"Stop touching me!" screamed the third.

"Let's go," whispered Kyrnrie, gesturing for the others to follow him. "Now is our chance. Keep low!"

They crept past the edge of the bar towards the kitchen. Kyrnrie tried to call Deklow, but received only the rapid waving of a hand below the bar, ushering them outside. They rushed out through the back door, and began running towards the beach.

They heard a chorus of three ear-piercing shrieks from behind, followed quickly by a loud explosion, and then shattering glass. Kyrnrie risked a glance, and saw the shell of the tavern appeared intact, but smoke was already wafting out through the broken windows. A few sailors burst through the doors as the sign above them swung dangerously on one failing hook.

"It's not going to hold them," warned Kyrnrie. "Any ideas?"

"Follow me," called Pektyne as he took the lead, running towards the beach. "I know where we can hide."

Kyrnrie saw the shipwreck near the edge of the water – its hull was damaged, but otherwise it was in good shape. It was easily the largest ship he'd ever seen. He glanced around him as he ran, making sure they were all accounted for. Tailfin and The Scribe were keeping pace; Tyke and Rendyle were struggling to keep up, but still behind them.

Another explosion resounded across the beach, and Kyrnrie turned in time to see broken shards of mortar leaping hundreds of feet into the air. The Sharpened Bluntooth had been reduced to ruined walls no more than knee-high at best. Sailors ran in all directions – those that had made it out, at least. He could see no sign of Deklow, but The Three were still standing in the rubble.

"Keep running!" he commanded.

"Over there," called Pektyne. "The cave."

In moments, they crammed into a small cave entrance, rounded a bend, and quickly found themselves at a dead end. The chamber was small, maybe ten feet wide. Large enough to hide in. Large enough to be trapped in. Curiously, there was a lit torch in the centre of the chamber.

"Now what?" said Kyrnrie. "It's a dead-end."

"Now we hide," said the constable.

"What if they find us?" asked Rendyle.

"We don't even know if they are looking for us," said Kyrnrie reassuringly.

"That's not as reassuring as you might think," observed Tailfin.

"Any better suggestions?" asked Pektyne.

The chamber was silent.

"What about The Scribe?" said Kyrnrie, turning to face him. "Can't you... you know, write something?"

"Hmm," said The Scribe, consulting his parchment and scratching something down.

The chamber was silent again, the only sound was that of the quill on the parchment, and the occasional yelling of a panicked sailor outside.

"Well?" prompted Kyrnrie.

"I'm thinking," hissed The Scribe.

A nervous quiet filled the chamber as everyone watched The Scribe thinking.

"May I ask... while we're waiting," ventured Pektyne, "does anybody else find it strange that there is a torch burning in an empty cave?"

"Not this again," sighed Rendyle.

"Well, it is here, again. It has to have a purpose. It must mean something."

"Why can't it just be a torch? Just... innocently burning for no reason. Why does it need an explanation? Can't you just accept that, well, there is a torch here, it's burning, and that's that?"

"What? No! There must be a reason—"

"Must there?"

"Will you two give it a rest?" demanded Kyrnrie.

Pektyne sulkily stared at the torch as Rendyle sighed in relief. Kyrnrie didn't want to admit it out loud, but it did seem rather curious that there was a lit torch in an empty cave, as if it was set there on purpose. There must be a reason.

"They're coming," hissed Tailfin as he returned from cave entrance. "They're coming this way!"

"Godsdammit," said the thief as he turned back to The Scribe. "Anything?"

"To begin with, we should have run in the opposite direction," said The Scribe insightfully.

"That's not as insightful as you might think," pointed out Tailfin.

"Allow me to finish," insisted The Scribe. "Since we didn't run in the other direction, we are trapped in here, left with few options. If The Three walk in here now, they will see us. There is only one thing we can do that makes sense."

A smug expression covered The Scribe's face as he straightened his papers.

"We're in a bit of a hurry, if you don't mind," urged the thief.

"If I were writing this tale," he said, scribbling on his parchment, "I'd say the next thing to do, would be to extinguish the flame. That way, when The Three walk in, they won't be able to see us."

"That's... a rather good idea, really," admitted Kyrnrie.

He stepped forward and attempted to pull the torch from the ground, but it held fast. He pulled with all his strength, but it wouldn't budge. Tyke tried to help, but even together the two of them couldn't shift the torch.

"They're getting closer," hissed Tailfin. "Just wrap some cloth around it, cut off its air."

Tyke hastily pulled off his cloak, and, with surprising dexterity, covered the whole flame at once, snuffing it out immediately, only small sparks of red shining through. The cave was plunged unto darkness. In the silence they could hear The Three approaching.

"Where are you, little thief?" called the first.

"Where could you be hiding?" yelled the second.

"You must be here somewhere," added the third.

Why were they looking for him, Kyrnrie wondered. If anything, they should be going after the navigator. Shouldn't they?

"I wonder what's in that little cave?" began The Three.

"Could it be that's where they're hiding?" sang the next.

"I think we should check in the cave," suggested the last.

"Well, yes, that's why I pointed it out," said the first.

"That's why we are going to check the cave," added the second.

"Alright then, let's check the cave," concluded the third.

The flame was still fighting to break free of its cloth prison, and The Three were getting close.

"What's that?" asked Pektyne.

Kyrnrie saw it too. Something was glowing dimly in the dark; it looked like some sort of rune painted on the cave wall. He walked towards it cautiously to take a closer look. It was small enough for him to cover with his hand. He prodded it, jabbed at it, twisted it, then finally pushed it downwards. A soft click echoed, and the rock wall swung away from him.

"Hah!" sniggered Pektyne, "A secret door – only visible in the darkness. I knew it! I told you, Rendyle!"

Tyke pulled his cloak from the torch, which immediately burst into flame again. They all ran for the secret tunnel, squeezing in one after the other. Kyrnrie was the last to enter, ushering Tailfin in before him.

"They're here," whispered Tailfin, warning in his eyes.

Kyrnrie closed the door behind him, then pressed his ear up against it. He didn't need to; The Three were making plenty of noise.

"Where are you?" crooned the first.

"Show yourselves," chanted the second.

"Come on out," croaked the third.

"We're going to find you wherever you're hiding," said the first.

"Wherever it is," added the second.

"We'll find your hiding place," warned the third.

"Do you two have to do that?" snapped the first.

"Do what?" asked the second.

"What are we doing?" queried the third.

"That!" she screamed. "Godsdammit, you are driving me crazy! Every time I say something, you have to repeat what I say in slightly different words."

"They are our words."

"They words are ours."

"No they aren't, you're just repeating me! And sometimes you try to finish my sentences, as if it's something we all rehearsed together beforehand."

"We do like to finish your sentences."

"You like us to finish your sentences."

"No, I don't! Half the time you don't even say what I had in mind! You just make up whatever you feel like saying."

"We say what we are thinking."

"We think what we are saying."

"What? What does that even mean? Godsdammit, why do I have to be the smart one?"

"You are the most wise."

"The cleverest of us all."

"I know. I know. Right, fine. They're not in here, let's go. They can't have gone far."

"They must be nearby."

"They can't have run far."

"You two are lucky I need you!"

"We are fortunate—"

"Oh shut up!"

Kyrnrie listened as the voices of The Three faded away. He would have laughed if he wasn't quite so terrified. The only thing worse than three dangerously powerful demon-goddesses, was three dangerously powerful demon-goddesses that had become unhinged.

The secret passageway was dark. With the door closed, Kyrnrie couldn't see anything at all. He decided to stay where he was, with one hand on the door itself, while the others explored their surroundings.

"What's down that way?" he asked, unsure who was there.

A near silence was broken by the sound of shuffling and stubbing of toes followed by muted curses.

"Don't know," said Pektyne eventually. "I can't see anything."

Candlelight appeared from nowhere, a girl standing behind it. All six of them jumped in fright.

"You fellas alright?" she asked.

"Merilyce?" said Tailfin.

"Merilyce?" exclaimed The Scribe.

"Merilyce, I presume," said Kyrnrie.

"Hi," she greeted happily, a large smile let loose. "Deklow sent me. He thought you could use some help."

Kyrnrie glanced around. In the candlelight, he could clearly see there was no other way into the secret chamber. And he was fairly sure he would have noticed a girl idly standing around with a candle when they'd arrived – not that he wasn't pleased to see her. She seemed vaguely familiar, had they met before?

"Where did you come from? How did you get in here?"

"Deklow has been training me."

That didn't exactly answer the question. On the other hand...

"The Three won't have gone far," said Merilyce helpfully.

"That's not as helpful as you might think," said Tailfin.

She glared at the crime lord, unafraid.

"I'm here to save your life, Tailfin. Again. Now follow me, if you want to live."