Eighth Circle

Crispin leant forward and shouted at her.

'The dolphins can't cope with complex messages. That's why I asked for this meeting. I have to tell you about the professor ...'

The boat was anchored in mid-channel and straining on its anchor. Crispin continued to glare at her. Liala felt guilty for arguing with him. Being out in the open with the resistance fighters had been stressful but it hadn't been easy for Crispin either. She had never seen him so animated. He was far more dynamic and forceful ... and he had learnt some new words.

'The professor says the guardians are stuffed.'

'Stuffed?' Liala said.

'Yes ... stuffed. It's a military term.'

'What does it mean?'

'It implies that their security systems are rat shit.'

'I don't get it.'

'The professor has penetrated the inner workings of the guardians' composite mindset. He has the codes to gain access to the integrated intellectual capacity of their combined will.'

Liala wondered what her brother was talking about. Bryn didn't have any such problems. Moments earlier he looked as if he would burst out laughing when Crispin talked about rat shit. Now he looked deadly serious.

'The professor has hacked into the central computer?'

'There was no need,' Crispin said. 'The professor duped the guardians into giving him the codes. Once you've got them it's easy. You can get in from an ordinary computer like the one we have here.'

'The codes will be stored on a microchip.'

'That's right.'

'Do you have them?'

'That is something I must discuss with the commander.'

'The commander can't be here.'

'I must discuss it with him,' Crispin insisted.

'You can discuss it with me,' Bryn's tone hardened.

Liala was surprised by the way he was speaking to her brother. When they first met he couldn't stop calling her Princess. He had not used Crispin's title once. Bryn had changed. He was starting to talk like his Uncle Allain.

'The messages conveyed by the dolphins indicate that you have something important to tell us,' Bryn said. 'My orders are to listen and report back.'

To Liala's relief, Crispin didn't argue.

'It's a bit complicated ...'

'Go on, Crispin.' Bryn continued to stare at him. 'I do know something about computers. We are allowed to own them. They are on sale in the shops ... in case you didn't know.'

'It's not so much the computers as the defence protocols.' Crispin returned Bryn's stare. 'Did they have play stations at your school ... good trolls fighting bad monsters and terrorists?'