The chess pieces begin to move across two continents. Anne Marie's letter has set sail for Europe under the protection of the British flag, while in Singapore, Julian and Kartika must face a final assassination attempt from Friedrich's secret agents who managed to infiltrate the port.
The guest pavilion at Admiral Sterling's residence was silent that night, but Kartika could not close her eyes. She sat in a wooden chair by the window, her ears catching the faint friction of cloth against the marble floor outside Julian's room. Those were not the footsteps of the Indian servant who usually brought tea.
Kartika rose soundlessly, pulling out her silver hairpin, which had been modified into a small, lethal dagger. She slipped out just as a man in dark clothing—one of Friedrich's paid Vrijwilliger (volunteers)—raised a knife in front of Julian's door.
"Die, traitor!" the man hissed in Dutch.
Before the blade could touch the door, Kartika lunged. A struggle ensued in the gripping silence of the dark hallway. Kartika moved with the agility of a dancer but the precision of an executioner. With one twisting motion, she incapacitated the assassin's wrist and pressed her silver dagger against his throat.
Julian was jolted awake by the muffled commotion and rushed out with a pocket pistol in his hand. He froze, seeing the usually graceful Kartika standing with cold eyes, pinning an assassin beneath her feet.
"Friedrich isn't waiting for us to return, Julian," Kartika said, her breathing steady. "He wants us dead here, in a foreign land, so his secrets are buried forever."
Julian looked at the assassin, then back at Kartika. He realized the woman before him had protected his life more than once. "We must depart tomorrow morning, Kartika. Sterling has prepared the steamship HMS Spitfire to escort us to the edge of international waters."
Meanwhile, far on the northern coast of Java, Adrian had landed. Under the dim moonlight, he stood on the black sand beach, gazing toward the hills where village torches began to light up one by one.
"Master Adrian has returned!" whispered the villagers who had long awaited his instructions.
Adrian clenched his fist. "Spread the word to every corner: the true Van de Berg is heading home. Sharpen your bamboo spears and steady your courage. Batavia will not fall by letters alone, but by our unquenchable spirit."
Culture & Language Notes
Vrijwilliger: Historically refers to volunteer soldiers or mercenaries used by the Dutch colonial government for special or "dirty" operations.
HMS Spitfire: A fictional representation of a British Royal Navy steamship, symbolizing the technological and military edge of the British in the region.