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‘Look, if that big statue outside drops by even a couple of inches, we’re not getting out of here! Forget taking pictures – just take the real thing.’ He reached past Cellini and tugged the volume from Talonor’s golden hands. It was heavy, its pages thin sheets of inscribed metal.
    ‘Eddie!’ Nina protested. ‘What are you doing?’
    ‘It’s going to be taken out of here anyway, innit? I’m just saving some time—’
    Another rumble, louder than before – and the whole chamber shuddered. Dust and silt dropped from between the ceiling’s stone slabs, forming ghostly stalactites in the water.
    ‘That was not me,’ Eddie said firmly, glaring at the statue. ‘That was a coincidence, not a booby trap!’
    Cellini gave him a worried look. ‘You are right. We should go!’
    Both men launched themselves at the exit, using their suit thrusters to power down the passage before stopping at its end. Eddie squatted to check their escape route. It was still clear. ‘Okay, you go first,’ he told Cellini.
    The Italian shook his head. ‘No, you first! We have to get the Secret Codex out of here.’
    ‘Your life’s worth more than some book. And so’s mine, for that matter!’ But Eddie could tell the young man was not going to change his mind. He had seen the same attitude often enough in his wife. ‘Oh, for— All right!’ He threw the Codex as hard as he could into the low crawlspace. It spun through the water, skidding to a halt about ten feet in. ‘I’ll push it through ahead of me. As for you, you’d better be right behind!’
    He dropped to his belly and pulsed the thrusters to move himself into the passage. Cellini took hold of his feet to push him onwards. When he reached the Codex, he shoved it along the narrow tunnel. A faint drumming reached him through the water. He put his fingertips to the ceiling. The statue was trembling.
    Above him, he saw scrapes in the gold where the deep suits had ground against it. He rolled slightly to give himself as much clearance as possible. ‘Nerio, I’m almost at the tight bit. Let me line up before you push me through.’
    The Italian released his ankles. Eddie shuffled across to bring himself into what he hoped was the right alignment. ‘Okay, now!’
    Cellini pushed him again. The scrapes passed above his head . . . then the suit jarred against the ceiling, stopping him dead.
    ‘Push harder!’ he barked, trying to hold back his rising panic – not simply because he was caught, but also because now that he was in direct contact with the statue, the shudder was being transmitted into the hard body of his suit. It was an irregular pulsing thump, like a door banging in the wind, only something much bigger and heavier.
    Whatever it was, it was getting worse.
    He scrabbled at the floor with both hands as Cellini strained to force him through. His fingers brushed the Codex. He angrily pushed it away, wriggling and twisting as the ominous drumbeat grew louder—
    A rasp – and suddenly he was free. Cellini released his legs. He kicked, the fins driving him forward. Another shove of the Codex, then he fired the thrusters to bring himself to the base of the stairs. ‘I’m out!’ he said, turning to look back into the cramped passage.
    ‘What about the Codex?’ asked Cellini.
    ‘The stupid thing’s here, don’t worry. Hurry up, your turn!’
    He aimed his light down the tunnel. Cellini was edging towards the lowest point beneath the statue. ‘A bit to the right,’ Eddie told him. ‘That’s it. Keep on coming, you can do it . . .’
    The young man reached the clench point, his suit knocking against the ceiling. ‘I can’t fit!’
    ‘Yeah, you can,’ Eddie replied, trying to sound reassuring. ‘Just roll a bit and you’ll be able to get your air tanks through. Trust me,’ he added with a smile.
    Cellini nervously followed the instructions. ‘That’s it!’ said Eddie. ‘Come through, now!’
    The Italian advanced. This time, the suit’s