The tributary on the far side is narrow but deep, and they make better time on the bank, after crossing with a rope flown by Diamond. Tiri Tal spots signs of a large party, mixed edeinos and human, moving ahead of them… but nobody realises that that other party has stopped until the ambush is sprung.

There are eight edeinos warriors, two humans, a stalenger and two edeinos priests. The party readies weapons but doesn’t open fire at once; Tiri Tal says something placatory, but the two lead warriors burst into flames (which don’t seem to harm them) and move to attack.

Stephen dispatches his flame warrior fairly quickly; Thorfin takes rather longer, as his is remarkably agile. The stalenger whips tentacles over the others’ heads, until Diamond shoots it down with pistol fire; it falls into the river and is torn apart by small enthusiastic fish. Automatic gunfire starts up from further back in the jungle, though the short bursts are not well-aimed.

The spear-wielding edeinos move in on Stephen, who finds himself struck blind – briefly, until Diamond guns down the two priests. Stephen and Diamond work their way through the edeinos; Thorfin disconnects while trying a deceptive attack with the troll-claw knife, and Stephen does the same as his magazine starts to run low, but in the end all of the enemy (including the two rifle-wielding gospog) are downed, the last gospog being shoved at spear-point back into the flames of the last flame warrior.