swim.
Camera helped pull Kelly aboard. Manny grabbed Nate's wrist and hauled him up onto the bamboo planks. 'That was some pretty fast thinking, doc,' Manny said with a grin.
'Necessity is the mother of invention,' Nate said, matching his expression with a tired smile. 'But I'll be damned glad to be on dry land again.
'Could there be more of them out there?' Kelly asked as the group paddled toward the other raft.
'I doubt it,' Manny said with a strange trace of regret. 'Even with an ecosystem this large, I can't imagine there's enough food to support more than two of these gigantic predators. Still, I'd keep a watch out for any offspring. Even baby giants could be trouble:'
Camera kept watch with her rifle as the others paddled. 'Do you think that the Ban-ali sent these after us, like the locusts and piranhas?'
Kouwe answered, 'No, but I would not put it past them to have nurtured this pair as some de facto gatekeepers to their lands, permanently stationed guards against any who dared to enter their territory'
Gatekeepers? Nate stared at the far shore. The broken highlands were now clear in the afternoon brightness. Waterfalls were splashes of silver flowing down cliffs the color of spilled blood. The jungled summits and valleys were verdant.
If the professor was right about the caiman being gatekeepers, then ahead of them stretched the lands of the Ban-ali, the heart of their deadly territory.
He stared at the other raft, counting heads. Waxman, Kostos, Warczak, and Camera. Only four Rangers remained of the twelve sent out here-and they hadn't even crossed into the true heart of the Ban-ali lands. 'We'll never make it,' he mumbled as he paddled.
Camera heard him. 'Don't worry. We'll dig in until reinforcements can be flown here. It can't take more than a day.'
Nate frowned. They had lost three men today, elite military professionals. A day was not insignificant. As he stared at the growing heights of the far shore, Nate was suddenly less sure he wanted to reach dry land, especially that dry land. But they had no choice. A plague was spreading through the States, and their small party was as close to an answer to the puzzle as anyone. There was no turning back.
Besides, his father had taken this route, run this biological gauntlet. Nate could not retreat now. Despite the deaths, the dangers, and the risks, he had to find out what had happened to his father. Plague or not, he could only go forward.
Waxman called as they neared the far shore. 'Stay alert! Once we pull up, move quickly away from the swamp. We'll set up a base camp a short distance into the forest:'
Nate saw the way the captain kept scanning the swamps. Waxman was clearly worried about other caiman predators. But Nate kept his gaze focused on the jungles ahead. In his blood, he knew that was where the true danger lay-the Ban-ali.
Across the water, Nate heard the captain fall upon Olin Pasternak. 'And you, get that uplink running as soon as possible. We have a three hour window before the satellites are out of range for the night'
'I'll do my best,' Olin assured him.
Waxman nodded. Nate caught the look in the captain's eyes: full of grief and worry. Despite his booming confident voice, the leader of the Rangers was as nervous as Nate. And this realization was oddly reassuring. Nervous men kept a keen eye on their surroundings, and Nate suspected that their survival would depend on this.
The pair of rafts reached the shallows and soon were bumping into solid ground. The Rangers offloaded first, rifles ready. They fanned out and checked the immediate forest. Soon, calls of 'All clear!' rang out from the dark jungles fringing the swamp.
Nate glanced up as he waited for the okay to disembark from the rafts. Around him, the soft roar of countless waterfalls echoed. To either side, towering cliffs framed the narrow defile ahead, choked with jungle. Down the center of the canyon a wide stream flowed, emptying sluggishly into the swamp.
Warczak shouted from near the forest's edge. 'Found it!' The corporal leaned out of the shadowy fringe and waved to his captain. 'Another of Clark's markers:'
Waxman motioned with his rifle. 'Everybody on land!'
Nate did not wait. He hurried with the others toward Warczak. A few steps into the forest, a large Spanish cedar had been pegged with a strip of cloth. And under it, another carved marking. Each member stared at it with a growing sense of dread. An arrow pointed up the defile. The meaning was clear.
'Skull and crossbones,' Zane muttered.
Death lay ahead.
3:40 PM.
'Now that was quite entertaining,' Louis said to his lieutenant, lowering his binoculars. 'When that caiman exploded. . :' He shook his head. 'Resourceful:'
Earlier that morning, radioed by his mole, Louis had learned of the Rangers' plan to camp near the far shore until reinforcements could be flown in. He imagined the loss of three more men would cement Captain Waxman's plan. The group was now down to four Rangers. No threat.
Louis's team could take the other at any time-and Louis didn't want those odds changed.
He turned to Jacques. 'We'll let them rest until midnight, then rouse the little sleepyheads and get them running forward. Who knows what other dangers they'll prepare us for?' Louis pointed to the swamp.
'Yes, sir. I'll have my team suited up and ready by nightfall. We're draining several lanterns now to collect enough kerosene:'
'Good:' Louis turned his back on the swamp. 'Once the others are or. the run, we'll follow behind you in the canoes.'
'Yes, sir, but . . :' Jacques bit his lower lip and stared out at the swamp.
Louis patted his lieutenant on the shoulder. 'Fear not. If there had been any other beasties lurking in the swamp, they would've attacked the Rangers. You should be safe:' But Louis could understand his lieutenant's concern. Louis would not be the one using scuba gear to cross the swamp on motorized sleds, with nothing between him and the denizens of the swamp except a wet suit. Even with the night-vision lamps, it would be a dark and murky crossing.
But Jacques nodded. He would do as ordered.
Louis crossed back into the jungle, heading to the camp. Like his lieutenant, many others were on edge, the tension thick. They all had seen the remains of the Ranger back in the woods. The soldier looked like he had been eaten alive, down to the bone, eyes gone. A scattering of locusts had still crawled around the site, but most of the swarm had dispersed. Alerted by his mole, Louis had carefully kept burners of tok-tok powder smoldering as they crossed through the forest this morning, just in case. Luckily Tshui had been able to harvest enough dried liana vines to produce the protective powder.
Despite the threats, Louis's plan was proceeding smoothly. He was not so vain as to think his group moved unseen, but so far the Ban-ali were concentrating all their resources on the foremost group, the Rangers.
Still, Louis could not count on this particular advantage lasting much longer, especially once they entered the heart of the secretive tribe's territory. And he was not alone in these thoughts. Earlier, three mercenaries from his party had attempted to sneak off and flee, abandoning their obligations, fearful of what lay ahead. The cowards had been caught, of course, and Tshui had made an example of them.
Louis reached their temporary jungle campsite. He found his mistress, Tshui, kneeling by his tent. Across the way, strung spread-eagle between various trees, were the AWOL trio. Louis averted his eyes. There was surely artistry to Tshui's work, but Louis had only so strong a stomach.
She glanced up at his approach. She was cleaning her tools in a bowl of water.
Louis grinned at her. She stood, all legs and sinewy muscle. He took her under his arm and guided her toward their tent.
As Tshui ducked past the flap, she growled deep in her chest and, impatient, tugged his hand to draw him into the dark heat of the tent.
For the moment, it seemed rest would have to wait.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Shadows
