Farther off in the caves, she could make out a few ambient noises that seemed man-made. But for the moment, at least, they seemed to be in no danger of being discovered.

  But what time was it? Annja frowned. She’d never known how much a watch meant to her until she didn’t have one. But even then, being aboveground usually gave her a fair indication of the approximate time of day. Being underground, however, was akin to a form of sensory deprivation. She had no idea what time it was.

  “I think we’re okay. For now,” she said.

  Vic nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Eduardo. Eduardo didn’t blink, either.

  Annja sighed. “Guys, maybe you should just kill each other now and get it over with.”

  Vic shook his head. “It would cause too much commotion. And that wouldn’t be good for any of us.”

  “He’s right,” Eduardo said. “As much as it would give me pleasure to kill you both, it would be like committing suicide. And since I wouldn’t be taking out a lot of high-value targets with me, it would be a waste.”

  “Well, when you put it like that,” Annja said, “maybe we should just try to get along and find a way out of here, yeah?”

  Vic glanced at Annja. “Did you find something?”

  “No. But it seems pretty quiet out there, too. I’m not sure if everyone’s asleep or not. I have no idea what time it might be.”

  “It can’t be night again. They would have come for us by now. Even if we don’t know what time it is, I’m sure they know,” Vic pointed out.

  “Yes,” Eduardo said. “And Hector seemed very sure of himself that we would be killed at sunset.”

  Annja smiled. “Which is exactly why we should make ourselves scarce now. Let’s get moving.”

  Vic eyed her. “You’re armed, right?”

  Annja simply smiled.

  Vic nodded. “At some point, you’re going to tell us exactly how you managed to cut the bindings, right?”

  Annja smirked. “Not likely.”

  “Obviously, you have a blade hidden somewhere on you. Is it secreted in some dark nether place that you can’t show me?”

  Annja smacked him on the shoulder. “I’ll let your imagination run away with that one for a while. But don’t press me on the issue, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  Eduardo stood nearby. “We should have an order of travel. Someone will need to take point.”

  Vic looked at Annja. “You want me to do it?”

  Annja shrugged. “You’ve got the most experience creeping through the jungle, so maybe.”

  “This isn’t the jungle. This is under the jungle. I have no idea what we might encounter,” Vic said.

  “You’re still tops for the job in my book,” Annja replied.

  “Yes,” Eduardo said. “You do have the skill to be stealthy. I will grant you that at least.”

  “Lucky me.”

  Annja pointed at Eduardo. “You’ll go next.”

  “Next? I was going to suggest I bring up the rear.”

  “I’ll take the rear,” Annja said.

  Eduardo smiled. “You don’t trust me.”

  “Not one little bit.”

  He leaned closer to her and Annja could smell the foul breath caressing her face. “And what will you do if I suddenly kill Vic here? How will you stop me then, woman?”

  Annja grinned. “You don’t want to know what I’m capable of, Eduardo. So don’t push me.”

  “What you’re capable of?” Eduardo laughed. “What an utterly ridiculous statement.”

  “Hey,” Vic said. “She survived out in the jungle with nothing but the clothes on her back. That says plenty to me.”

  “She survived because she ran into you.”

  “Not right away she didn’t.”

  Eduardo started to say something else but thought better of it. He clamped his mouth shut and then just nodded.

  “We should go,” Annja said.

  Vic led the way out of the small entrance to their cavern. Annja followed behind Eduardo and cast a final glimpse back at their prison. It would have been nice to bring a torch along, but they couldn’t risk the light giving them away as they made their way through the cave complex.

  They’d have to do it all in the darkness.

  Fortunately, Annja didn’t think that whoever else was down there with Hector would be able to maneuver without a torch. That meant they’d have a pretty good warning of someone approaching them. It might just give them enough time to hide.

  She hoped.

  Vic eased his way down the path. Annja found it hard following along until she relaxed and sank deeper into her subconsciously aware state. Instead of relying on her conscious mind to guide her via her five senses, Annja allowed her instincts to take over.

  As soon as she did so, she could feel Eduardo’s presence in front of her and beyond him, Vic. Moving in this fashion, she knew how fast to travel and when to slow down. Vic didn’t keep his pace constant, but would sometimes slow down if he needed to check up ahead.

  Vic was nervous. She could sense it in the way he moved. Here and there, he made small noises that she knew he wouldn’t have made if he’d been totally comfortable in his environment.

  But if Vic was nervous, Eduardo was utterly terrified. And Annja didn’t think his fear stemmed solely from their predicament. He seemed to be scared of the darkness itself.

  That worried Annja. His fear could give them away if he didn’t do something to control himself.

  Annja sensed Vic stopping. She heard Eduardo whisper a message back to her. “He’s checking something out.”

  Annja nodded. “Are you all right?”

  The fear in Eduardo’s voice vanished. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not. You’re terrified. I can tell,” she said.

  “How can you tell?” His voice was a harsh whisper now, and Annja felt anger and wounded pride beginning to color his timbre.

  “I just can. Don’t worry about it so much. None of us can see.”

  “Vic doesn’t seem to have a problem.”

  “Only because he’s used to operating in near darkness. But even he’s nervous. Trust me.”

  Eduardo paused. “Who are you?”

  Annja smiled. “No one special. Just take some deep breaths and you’ll feel better about all of this. Vic will get us back up top and then we’ll be fine.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Sure.”

  Eduardo sighed. Perhaps he wasn’t so evil after all, Annja thought. She frowned. No. She wouldn’t let herself think that. She’d been too optimistic about humanity in the past and knew that people were capable of concealing their true nature if they thought it would help their cause.

  If I was in Eduardo’s position, she thought, I’d be doing exactly the same thing. He needs a friend right now. Otherwise, Vic will most likely kill him once we get out of here. But if he befriends me, he’ll think I might intervene long enough for him to either escape or kill us both.

  She knew she’d have to watch him carefully.

  Eduardo’s voice came back to her again. “Thank you,” he said.

  “You’re welcome.” But Annja wasn’t sure what to make of him. She sensed Vic returning and then they started moving again.

  Annja’s hands passed over cave walls that felt incredibly smooth, almost as if water had worn down all the nooks and crannies over the years until the stone felt like cool marble.

  Had an underground river carved this network out of the jungle?

  Annja wished she had a light source to see what they were passing. No doubt, it would have made for a great story on Chasing History’s Monsters. If only the threat of being sacrificed to some unknown deity hadn’t figured so prominently into it. Annja didn’t relish losing her life for the sake of good television. There were plenty of other saps who would aspire to that.

  They moved slowly for the better part of fifteen minutes. Annja felt sweat break out along her brow, even though the air here felt much less humid than it had aboveground.

  It’s the pace, she thought. Plus, the stress of not being able to make noise. Together, it would make anyone sweat.

  Well, she thought. Maybe not Vic.

  She sensed him getting more comfortable as he led them on past more tunnels and caves. Twice, they had come to an intersection, a choice where they could have gone either left or right. Both times, Annja checked the direction against her instincts and both times she felt Vic had chosen wisely.

  But there was only one way to find out, she decided. And that was to keep on going in the direction they were headed.

  Scattered bits of noise reached her ears now. Was there something going on up ahead of them?

  Annja assumed they’d only traveled a few hundred yards in total, so they still weren’t that far away from their prison cavern. Was it possible that they were coming into a more populated area?

  Perhaps Hector was rousing his tribe and getting them ready for the sacrifice.

  Vic stopped moving suddenly.

  “Someone’s coming,” Eduardo said. “Hide.”

  Annja shrank back against the rock, trying to find a way to press herself into some kind of niche. But the rock was as smooth as what they had been passing so far.

  “There’s no place to hide,” she whispered.

  She sensed more movement. Vic’s voice appeared in her ear. “Three men are coming with torches. If they pass by us, they will see us. We need to hide.”

  “Where? We can’t see,” she said.

  “I know. I was hoping you might have an idea.”

  “Me?” Annja frowned. “How would I—?”

  “I don’t know,” Vic said with an edge in his voice. “But you’d better figure something out. I’m all out of ideas and those guys are coming closer.”

  Annja leaned closer to Vic. “Okay. Follow me.”

  21

  “What do you mean he’s vanished?”

  The second tracker, whom Agamemnon had learned was called Joey, shook his head. “When I went back to get him as you ordered, he was nowhere to be found. I searched the area close by but he’s gone.”

  Agamemnon frowned. This was not good. Losing one of his trackers, especially Joey’s brother, was a horrible event. It would surely lead to a further loss of morale, something Agamemnon could not afford. With his men already worried about the nature of what they might be fighting and the possibility of spirits stalking them, another mysterious event could push them over the edge.

  Agamemnon summoned his patrol leader. When the exhausted soldier squatted next to him, Agamemnon pushed himself up. “Joey is going to show me the lay of the land for our search tomorrow. Take care of getting the men squared away. I want small fires only, nothing too large. There’s no sense advertising our presence if we can avoid it. Get them fed and to sleep. We’ll be back shortly.”

  The patrol leader nodded and moved away, pushing the men into action. Agamemnon watched him for a few seconds and then turned to Joey and spoke in a low voice. “Let’s go.”

  Joey led him out of the small clearing and down the trail. Agamemnon watched the tracker carefully pick his way through the thick brush. Agamemnon kept a hand on his pistol, just in case.

  After fifty yards, Joey stopped and pointed to the ground. “This is where his last track is.”

  Agamemnon frowned. “I can’t see anything.”

  Joey took his hand and placed it on the ground. “Touch lightly here.”

  Agamemnon did so and felt a shallow depression. “Ah.”

  “You feel the rounded parts?”

  “Yes.”

  “From the ball of his foot. He pushed off here. But his trail ends and I have cast around for the next one but can’t find a thing.”

  “You say he pushed off?”

  “Yes.”

  Agamemnon nodded. “So that’s good, right?”

  Joey frowned. “I don’t follow, sir.”

  “Well, if he was taken captive or killed, he wouldn’t necessarily be pushing off, would he? He’d be dragged somewhere.”

  “That’s true, I suppose.”

  “And since his track shows no sign that he was incapacitated, there’s a good chance he’s fine and has just wandered off, right?”

  Joey shrugged. “Well, I suppose so, but it’s odd that his trail ends. No matter where he’d gone, I’d be able to follow him.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Joey grinned. “We were trained together. We each know every one of the tricks the other uses to throw people off our trail. God knows we’ve had plenty of occasions to use them. When we were training to be trackers, we learned how to find each other regardless of what we tried to do to disguise our trail.”

  “But you can’t find him now.”

  “No.”

  Agamemnon glanced back over his shoulder. He could see small fires springing up. He couldn’t be out here much longer if he hoped to avoid his men growing suspicious. “Well, what do you suggest we do?”

  “Look for him,” Joey said.

  “Now?”

  “He could be in trouble.”

  Agamemnon frowned. “Look, we stopped because you and your brother told me it was too dangerous to go poking around here at night. Now you want me to forsake that very order and go off looking for your brother who may, in fact, be fine.”

  “He’s not fine,” Joey said.

  “It’s downright dangerous.” Agamemnon pointed over his shoulder. “Look, I’ve got a patrol of hungry, tired men who are already jumpy about our predicament here. Thanks to the rumors about spirits, they’re thinking nasty thoughts. If I go back there and tell them your brother has gone missing, it’s liable to make them run for parts unknown. Imagine how bad it will look knowing one of the trackers—one of the very people who are supposed to be helping us—has disappeared. I’ll have a mutiny on my hands.”

  Joey looked away. “I can’t leave him out there.”

  “I’m afraid you’re going to have to,” Agamemnon said.

  When Joey looked back at him, he found himself staring into the muzzle of Agamemnon’s pistol.

  “You should know that I will shoot you dead unless you come back with me right now and pretend that everything is fine. I need you and your skill,” Agamemnon said.

  “He’s my brother—the only family I have left.”

  “These men are my family. And I have a responsibility to keep them together, focused on what needs to be done. You going off on your own will not allow me to do that.”

  Joey’s eyes flashed and for a moment Agamemnon was worried he might indeed have to shoot him. But then Joey seemed to relax. “All right. You win. We’ll look for him tomorrow.”

  “Good.”

  Joey put his hand on Agamemnon’s arm. “But if anything happens to him between now and then—”

  Agamemnon pulled away. “Don’t threaten me, Joey. Don’t be that foolish. I’ve killed men, women and children for far less. And I’ve enjoyed doing so.”

  They made their way back to the improvised camp. As they approached, Agamemnon could hear a few stray laughs percolating in the darkness. That was good, he thought. They still had the capacity for humor.

  His patrol leader looked up as they came in. “Where is the other one?”

  Agamemnon glanced at Joey, who took his cue and cleared his throat. “My brother likes to make sure we aren’t surprised and has opted to spend the night out beyond the periphery of the camp.”

  “Alone?” the patrol leader asked.

  “Yes,” Joey replied.

  The patrol commander frowned. “He’s crazy.”

  Joey smiled. “We’re a bit unorthodox, yes.”

  “Isn’t he worried?”

  “About what?” Joey’s smile looked genuine enough.

  The patrol commander started to say something, seemed to think better of it and then just shrugged. “I thought he’d at least join us for dinner.”

  Joey shook his head. “We’re skilled at finding food without the need for fires and the like. He’s probably got himself in a tree, enjoying the solitude. He is a bit of a loner.”

  Agamemnon clapped his hands together. “Well, then, let’s get some dinner, shall we?”

  The patrol commander handed him a plate of rice and chicken. Agamemnon took a forkful and chewed it, marveling at how suddenly ravenous he felt. He tore through the food and then got himself a second helping.

  Joey ate little. Agamemnon could tell he was still thinking about the safety of his brother. That was fine, he reasoned. Provided he didn’t do anything stupid. And as long as no one else noticed his concern and got suspicious.

  The patrol commander passed around a canteen. Agamemnon washed down his meal with several long swallows. He passed it to Joey, who took a long drag on it before handing it back.

  “Thanks.”

  Agamemnon nodded. “You mentioned something about being in Laos a little while ago.”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  Joey shrugged. “We hired ourselves out to the local warlords in the Golden Triangle. They had someone who’d gone off with a suitcase full of money. Apparently the person took off into the jungle and the warlord wanted someone who could track them.”

  “They didn’t have anyone local who could do that?”

  Joey shrugged. “There’s a difference between knowing the jungle and being able to track. A local guide is good, but you still need the skill to be able to follow a man. That’s where Michael and I came in.”

  “So they paired you up with a guide?”

  Joey shook his head. “Nah. We just went in and did our thing. As long as we have a trail to follow, why bother with a guide? It’s not like we needed to know where we were going. We only needed to know where our quarry was headed. The evidence was the only map we needed.”

  Good, Agamemnon thought. I just need to keep him talking about this and I’m sure he’ll forget all about the need to go off and find his brother. “Was it a difficult task to find the man?” he asked.

  Joey grinned. “Wasn’t a man.”