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“Ah, yes, my faithful Reks.” Nandreeson nodded at them. Lando could feel them back away from him. They were apparently afraid of the flames that could shoot from his mouth. “Toss Calrissian in the drink and go back to your ship. Your credits will be waiting for you.”

“No—!” Lando started, but the word wasn’t completely out of his mouth before he found himself airborne. The Reks tossed him high. He flew into a swarm of gnats, and half of them got into his mouth, choking him. He was spitting them out as he hit the water.

It was hot and slimy and it tasted of doughy bread. He sank quickly, scraping against the moss-covered rocks, and feeling the heat grow the deeper he went. A bubble rose past him, and he realized with sudden fear that this pond was fueled by an underwater heat source, one that he was sliding into.

He flapped his arms, and got caught in his cape. Panic. Panic. Panic will kill you, he thought to himself. His chest ached with the need to breathe. He could last. He knew he could last. He reached up and unfastened his cape. It slid into the hole where the bubble had emerged from, but he could move now. He tilted his head. Light filtered in from the lamps on the cavern’s ceiling. He swam up toward it. His lungs burned with the need for air, his arms ached, and black spots danced before his eyes. That moment of panic had cost him a lot of air. He didn’t think he would make it when he suddenly broke the surface, spewing foul-tasting water out his mouth and taking deep breaths.

Somehow he had twisted around. Nandreeson was behind him, and on the side of the cavern, six Glottalphibs sat, their large feet soaking in the water. Their mouths were open and they were grinning.

At him.

“What are you staring at?” he asked, his brain too addled to think of a better insult.

“Why, you, human,” Nandreeson said from behind him. “I never realized you creatures had such a low tolerance for water.”

“Liar.” Lando was treading water. He turned slowly so that he could face Nandreeson. “And this isn’t water. This is liquid slime.”

Nandreeson’s tiny eyes were following Lando’s every move. “This,” he said with considerable pride, “is the product of years of experimentation. I can only hope that your body chemistry hasn’t ruined the delicate balance of my pool.”

“You should have thought of that before you had the rubber men toss me in here,” Lando said. He looked at the sides of the pond. The rocks were higher than his head and covered with a greenish moss that looked extremely slippery. The only stairs were near the door on the far side of the pool, past the guards. It didn’t matter. He wanted to save his strength, not tread water until his energy gave out.

He turned and flutter-kicked behind him, beginning the neat crawl that he had learned as a boy. A huge flame seared the water in front of him. Steam rose, blinding him, and the heat burned him. He stopped.

“Ah, Calrissian. You see the price of disobeying me.”

“You never said that I had to stay in this mud hole.” Lando kicked away from the steaming water, and moved closer to Nandreeson.

Nandreeson opened his snout; his tongue emerged and snapped up a mouthful of gnats. He swallowed and groaned with delight. “I never said you could leave, either. You are mine now, Calrissian. You had best get used to it.”

“All right,” Lando said. “Get me out of this pond, and we’ll discuss the price of my freedom.”

Flame curled out of Nandreeson’s nostril. Lando had learned a long time ago that tiny fires were the sign of Glottalphib temper. “The price of your freedom, Calrissian, is your death.”

Lando’s arms ached. He stopped moving them, and kept himself afloat by kicking his legs. The water’s viscosity also buoyed him. But if he was going to stay in it much longer, he would have to shed some of his heavier clothing. “You’re being a bit dramatic, Nandreeson. I was a young smuggler trying to prove my worth. I had no idea whom I was stealing from. I’ve tried to pay you back over the years, but your