Eighth Circle

'It's hot, Liala.'

'Yes,' she agreed.

'We need to get some clothes off or we will overheat.'

'Overheating can be very bad for you ...'

Liala peeled off her jacket and was loosening her blouse when the dolphins began to stir. She felt embarrassed to think they were watching her from the pool then realised they were sending out warning signals.

She reached for her ray gun.

'Bryn. Someone's coming.'

'It's probably Allain.'

'No. It might not be.'

Liala jumped to her feet and ran to the back of the chamber.

Bryn snatched up his gun and ran to the entrance.

'Keep quiet,' he whispered, 'and get ready to fire.'

He switched off his flashlight and sank against the wall.

It was pitch black. The only sound was water dripping from the roof ... one monotonous drip after another. It went on and on. Cold and wet it ran down his neck and there was nothing he could do about it. Time went by. His knees began to ache. He changed positions and wondered what he was doing there.

Perhaps the dolphins had got it wrong. It was difficult to tell. They sometimes got things wrong. On occasions they got them badly wrong. They might even have been upset by the way he was fondling Liala.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He heard it when his head was against the rock face.

Tap. Tap.

Three taps followed by two more. Bryn felt silly. It was Allain's signal. Sound travels through rock when you hit it. He was meant to sleep with a boulder for a pillow. That way he would have heard intruders. It was impossible to go along the passages without banging the pebbles against one another. The dolphins had heard it. He hadn't because he was with Liala.

He picked up a pebble and returned the signal. Three quick taps followed by two more. Allain was back and waiting for a reply. He wasn't going to burst in upon them without warning. He had seen what Liala could do with her ray gun and didn't want to be vaporised.

A flashlight came on and Allain appeared.

'You took a long time.'

He glared at Bryn.

'Sorry. Allain.'

'What kept you?'

'I didn't hear you at first.'

'Didn't hear me ...'

Allain looked around and saw Liala.

'Why aren't you wearing your jacket, Princess?'

'I was feeling hot.'

'Were you now?'

He walked over to where she had been lying with Bryn. Their sleeping arrangements indicated they had been very close. That seemed to annoy him. Her mother said the village people believed in free love and were doing it all the time. She wondered if Bryn's family was an exception or the free love story was just part of the nonsense put out by the guardians.