The warlock yelled and slashed at the bounty hunter, as he grabbed the man’s arms and yanked hard to either side, dislocating both the man’s shoulders. A blood-curdling scream filled the chamber. Brownstone finished by headbutting the warlock’s face, and the man’s nose crunched, as his eyes rolled up. The bounty hunter let go, and the unconscious man fell to the ground.
Shay caught up to James. “Okay then, Brownstone, I’ll admit it. You’ve got skills.”
Her background check of Brownstone, along with his class five status, meant he’d be able to handle this sort of thing, but all that information was just bytes in a computer and rumors in the end. Seeing the man take down three Warlocks like he was going out for a jog crystalized the truth of his skills in her mind.
He jerked his thumb at the other end of the tunnel. “You go get the Rod. I’ll deal with these jokers.”
Shay nodded and jogged back the way she’d come, her heart still racing from the short fight. She didn’t expect the Warlocks would be too much trouble between the two of them, but at least a little bit of a problem. James’ presence was a bonus… even if she was going to keep that to herself.
The tunnel gave way to an octagonal room. A large stone sarcophagus dominated the center, its lid already removed by the previous expedition and its occupant was also gone.
Shay didn’t care. She wasn’t there for a dead Incan. She was there for a rod that made dead people rise up and walk. She circled the chamber, carefully pointing her flashlight at the junctures where the walls met the floor. Her research told her there was a hidden area in the room.
A couple of minutes’ effort rewarded her search, although she would have missed it if she hadn’t known exactly what she was looking for. It was a small carving in the wall that from a certain angle, illuminated with only a single beam of light resembled a stylized humanoid figure.
The earlier expedition might have eventually found it if they didn’t have to worry about things like Communist insurgents. Shay smiled. When she’d taken the job, she wasn’t worried about the idea they might run into local rebels. Brownstone didn’t seem to care either. The only real threat were the Warlocks.
Of course, even if the earlier expedition hadn’t fled, they wouldn’t have found what she sought. The Professor had told her the magical shielding of the site had concealed hidden treasure chambers like the one she was about to open.
There was probably gold and jewelry to be found, but she didn’t care. The payoff from the Rod made the trip worthwhile, and she didn’t want to stick around in case more Warlocks showed up. Handling thirty might not be as easy as handling three.
Even if the expedition had found the spot on the wall, she doubted they would have been able to figure what to do next. Being a field archaeologist, whether you wanted to call someone in that profession a treasure hunter or tomb raider, required equal parts daring and knowledge.
Blood freely given will reveal the sacred treasure. Shay grabbed her knife and sliced the tip of one of her fingers. Rubbing her hand over the carving, she grinned to herself.
I’m damn good.
The burial chamber rumbled, and Shay straightened, crossing her arms and waiting. The wall parted on the other side, revealing a small stone box and a faded wall painting of a dark-eyed man in a dark cloak wearing a round golden headpiece. She’d seen similar depictions in her research for the job.
It was undoubtedly Supay.
Shay searched around the box for any indications of a trap. Satisfied that she wasn’t about to be blown up or poisoned, she pushed the lid off, releasing a cloud of dust.
A curved bone rod lay inside. Swirling patterns and sigils that Shay didn’t recognize decorated the artifact.
Not taking any chances, Shay slipped on gloves before grabbing the Rod of Supay. Fortunately, from everything she’d read, it didn’t activate without exposure to blood. She slipped the covered rod into her backpack and took a deep breath.
“That went well.”
She had to admit that if she’d been by herself, she might have misjudged the Warlocks, but that didn’t mean they would have won. It wasn’t that she needed Brownstone.
He’d just made things easier.
With the Rod of Supay in hand, Shay didn’t see any reason to stick around. She walked quickly out of the burial chamber and headed into the tunnel. Brownstone was gone, as were the downed Warlocks. Picking up the pace, Shay hurried out of the tunnel into the entrance chamber and up the stairs.
The bounty hunter stood at the top, an unconscious and zip-tied warlock lying next to him.
Shay patted her backpack. “I got it.”
“Good.”
She glanced down at the warlock. “What happened to the other two guys? When we were flying down here, I thought you told me that you could get a bounty per guy.”
He shrugged. “No room on the plane. I should have thought that through.” He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “I threw the other two into the river. Hope the alligators don’t get indigestion.”
Shay stared at him for a moment. He looked bored, and she had no idea if he was telling the truth. For all I know, he ate them for magical power. We need to get out of here. I’m rolling with this one.
“You have a very dry sense of humor, Mr. Brownstone,” Shay told him. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Chapter Five
Shay smiled to herself as she stepped out of her red Fiat Spider and walked across the campus to the modern Fielding building where she lectured, named for the late President.
She’d already delivered the Rod of Supay to the Professor. Brownstone hadn’t been there. He was off turning in his bounty.
She didn’t know what to make of the man. He frustrated her on many levels, but at
