‘…and I say there’s no justification for it!’ Serrah raged. She saw them come in and stopped.

Darrok was there, his disc perched on a bench. Pallidea stood beside him.

‘Reeth,’ Serrah said. ‘Good. You’ll back me on this.’

‘Back you on what?’

‘That.’ She nodded at a large open chest sitting on a table.

He walked over to it, Kutch in tow. The chest was crammed with fist-sized cloth pouches. One had been slit. Inside was a quantity of tiny, almost translucent, bluish-white crystals.

Kutch was puzzled. ‘What is it?’

‘Ramp,’ Caldason said.

‘Yes, fucking ramp,’ Serrah confirmed, near incoherent with anger. ‘It’s Zahgadiah’s.’ She glared at him.

‘What’s going on, Darrok?’ Caldason said.

‘Nothing anybody need get worked up about.’

‘Really?’ Serrah hissed dangerously. ‘How do you figure that?’

‘I’m not denying it’s mine. Or the island’s, strictly speaking.’

‘I knew you’d been a rogue in your time, but I thought even you’d draw the line at dealing in this shit.’

Darrok held up a hand. ‘Hear me out,’ he grated. ‘I don’t like it any more than you do. But the fact is I inherited it. Well, more accurately it came as one of the assets when I bought the island.’

‘Assets? This stuff killed my daughter!’

‘I know, Serrah, and I’m sorry about that. But you have to understand the nature of the Diamond Isle. People paid fortunes to come here. Or they used to, in its heyday. In exchange they expected to indulge in whatever experience took their fancy. Ramp was one of the things they wanted. But I never offered it. They had to ask.’

‘But it’s illegal.’

‘Not here. Ordinary laws never applied to this place because we’ve always been outside any state’s jurisdiction. The only rules were the ones we imposed ourselves. Actually, I guess that’s why some guests wanted ramp. You know, the allure of something they couldn’t safely get at home. For most it was plain curiosity.’

‘That’s how it started with Eithne.’

‘She was a child, Serrah,’ Darrok replied gently. ‘I’m talking about adults. People mature enough to make their own decisions.’

‘It’s a fine distinction. And it’s not one my old employers back in Gath Tampoor made. For all their many faults, they had no tolerance for ramp traffickers. Fighting those people was part of my job, remember.’

‘Do you know where ramp came from?’

‘Came from? What do you mean?’

‘It’s not a natural substance, you must know that. It consists of a number of natural ingredients, but it has to be processed. Manufactured. Who do you think first did that? Do any of you know? Reeth?’

‘No idea.’

‘Nor me,’ Kutch added gravely.

‘Criminal gangs,’ Serrah said. ‘The same people who make the stuff.’

‘I was part of a criminal gang,’ Darrok reminded her. ‘Not that we had much to do with narcotics, despite being pirates. But I know ramp didn’t come from the criminal underworld.’

‘Where, then?’ Caldason asked.

‘One of the empires.’

‘What?’ Serrah exclaimed.

‘Some say Gath Tampoor, others blame Rintarah. Perhaps it was something they both came up with independently. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Kutch admitted. ‘Why would anybody invent such a horrible thing?’

‘As a weapon. A covert munition in the war between the empires. It was designed to disrupt the enemy’s population and weaken morale; to encourage criminality and corrupt institutions. Not to mention diverting resources to deal with it.’

‘But that’s wicked,’ Serrah said.

‘Since when was morality a strong point for either empire? In its twisted way, it was a brilliant idea. Nobody could deny the damage it’s caused. But it was stupid, too. For all their cunning, the empires didn’t foresee it getting out of control. They didn’t anticipate it seeping into the lives of those who served them. Or affecting their own children, come to that. That young man whose death you were accused of, Serrah. What was his name?’

‘Chand Phosian,’ she whispered. ‘The Principal-Elect’s son.’

‘Phosian, yes. He was killed by ramp, indirectly.’

‘And through that my eyes were opened and I came to the Resistance.’

‘Ironic, isn’t it?’

‘If what you say is true, they killed Eithne as well, as surely as if they plunged a blade into her heart.’

Darrok nodded. ‘If you needed further proof of the evil the empires do, there you have it. It doesn’t matter if it was Rintarah or Gath Tampoor.’

‘How do you know all this?’ Caldason wondered.

‘When you live outside the law you occupy another world. You get to see and hear things ordinary folk don’t. I was told the story about ramp many times, by people whose word I relied on. I even spoke to old hands who claimed that in the early days, when ramp was first appearing, they were offered it as contraband by government agents. I’d no reason to disbelieve them.’

‘She didn’t stand a chance,’ Serrah murmured, eyes misting. ‘It’s so damn addictive.’ Caldason slipped an arm around her shoulder.

‘There might be a reason for that, beyond its narcotic properties,’ Darrok offered. ‘It could be just a myth, but it was rumoured that some kind of spell was built into its formula, to make users crave it more.’

Caldason glanced at Kutch. The boy looked away, reddening.

‘When I found this,’ Serrah said, indicating the chest, ‘it all came back. Eithne. Everything. What I’m hearing now isn’t making me feel any better. You’ve got to destroy it, Zahgadiah.’

‘I can’t do that, Serrah.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because we might need to use it as a kind of weapon ourselves.’

‘What the hell does that mean?’

‘You know what ramp does to someone taking it. Increased strength, stamina, aggression. It turns people into fearless…beasts. For a while, anyway. I heard some Resistance members in Bhealfa took it during the cull, out of desperation. If it comes to the last resort here, I think it should be available for those who want it.’

‘If I’m going to go down fighting I’d rather do it without that muck in my head.’

‘So would I. But I can’t deny it to anybody who feels differently. And in some circumstances it just might turn the tide.’

‘So what are you going to do, dole it out to everybody?’

‘No. It’s a last-ditch thing. It’ll be there if things get hopeless. Along with a stock of poison I keep, for any who prefer that.’

‘You paint a very charming picture of our prospects.’

‘I’m just trying to be realistic about what might happen.’

‘It stinks, Zahgadiah, and I don’t like it one bit.’

‘This isn’t the time to argue amongst ourselves,’ Pallidea suggested.

‘You don’t say much,’ Caldason told her, ‘but it usually makes sense.’

‘Hear, hear,’ Darrok added. ‘I’m sorry you feel the way you do, Serrah, and I understand why. But this is something the Council’s agreed on, too. So let’s drop it, shall we?’

‘Do you agree with this, Reeth?’

‘Whatever you or I think doesn’t make much difference, Serrah. It’s been decided.’

‘Is that all you’ve got to say about it?’

‘We’re not in a normal situation. Everybody on this island could be heading for death. Who are we to dictate how they face it?’

She sighed. ‘Well, at least get the damned stuff out of my sight.’

‘I’ll have it moved,’ Darrok promised. ‘It’ll be hidden. And hopefully it’ll never be needed.’

‘I think we have something more positive to discuss, don’t we, Zahgadiah?’ Pallidea said.

‘We do. Reeth and I have worked up a plan for rescuing your friend Kinsel.’

‘How are you going to do it?’ Kutch asked.

‘Good question. Let’s discuss it while we eat, shall we?’