No one argued. Her people did come from the line of the Nephilim as it were. Their customs were probably the giant’s at one point, modified over time.

  “Does it matter, really?” Ares asked.

  “No,” Fitz answered, “but talking about it beats thinking of death every friggin second.”

  That got a laugh out of just about everyone. The only ones that didn’t chuckle at Fitz’s latest quip were Fayng, who didn’t seem to have much of a sense of humor, and Kiani, who just looked downright disturbed. Logan saw it and moved to her.

  “Hey,” he said, squeezing her shoulder.

  Kiani immediately fell into his arms and she quietly hugged him, uncaring of who saw. Her nerves were shot and, like all people in a tough situation, she needed companionship, closeness with another. Logan squeezed back and rubbed the back of her neck, massaging it deeply.

  “Don’t…stop,” she said, moaning at his touch.

  Logan let out a tired laugh and pulled away, kissing her. “Never.” They parted and he stroked her dirt-smeared face. Even covered in filth the woman was something to behold.

  “You two done?” Fitz asked, getting a grin out of CJ.

  Logan was about to chastise the man, but Kiani beat him to the punch.

  “Stuff it, Gray.”

  Now the entire team burst into exhaustion-laced laughter, some tearing up, not being able to stop. Once they did, however, they quickly calmed down and quieted. They still had a job to do after all.

  “Okay,” Kiani said. “Where to, Captain?”

  Logan eyed her and turned to Fayng. “Forward?”

  She nodded, leading them deeper into the kingdom of giants. What they would find when they got there was anyone’s guess. While some of them really wanted to stop and take a look around, they all appreciated the gravity of the situation. The Nsanga blockade was open for the first time in hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. The creatures back there would eventually grow a set and come check things out. Logan and the others could get overrun at any moment if they dropped their guard.

  Unless they know not to come here. Logan remembered reading about how a lot of animals had certain things encoded into their genes. For instance, birds weren’t taught to migrate, they did it because it’s what their DNA told them to do.

  “Eyes open,” Logan ordered. “I don’t want any surprises.”

  * * *

  The tunnel behind the waterfall was tight and he barely fit, sometimes having to expel all the air from his lungs to do so. At one point he’d gotten stuck and almost broken a rib as he forced himself through two bulging outcrops of rock. He gritted his teeth as he popped free almost shouting in both pain and frustration.

  He banked right a few minutes into his escape and began a slight upward climb. If it continued, he was sure to pop out somewhere above ground soon. The expanse surrounding the cave entrance was relatively flat after all, only having the small hilly elevation laying atop it. It was a perfect example of natural camouflage, hiding it from prying eyes.

  Not that anyone knew to look.

  Even if someone did want to take a peek, they wouldn’t be able to via satellite. The canopy was just damn thick. Ground penetrating radar may have shown an anomaly, but then again, all of the Congo was itself an anomaly. Caves were known to dot the landscape and he doubted anyone would care if they found another.

  Besides not getting stuck, his main worry was one of the smaller lizard creatures finding him there. He’d have no room to maneuver and defend himself. He’d become a tasty meal served on a silver platter.

  His hand instinctively went to his thigh as he checked to make sure his sidearm was still present. It was, but it didn’t change anything. It was dark and all he had was a small LED flashlight to see by. Even it didn’t do much to light his path, though. While the caves behind him had a natural light source, this particular route was jet black with next to no visibility. The meek, yet, still powerful LED was swallowed up by absolute darkness.

  Not spooky at all, he thought, clenching his jaw tightly as he squeezed through another claustrophobic passage. Like before, he blew out what oxygen he held and sucked in his stomach, compressing himself further. He closed his eyes and pushed, feeling his ribs flatten further. But unlike the last time, he didn’t budge.

  Damnit, he thought, panicking, I’m stuck. And with no air, he began to thrash like he was underwater. Need…air…

  As soon as he thought it, his head warbled and his thoughts danced. He knew he was about to lose consciousness and with no oxygen at his disposal, he’d most likely suffocate.

  No, I need to make it to the surface and call in my support. They need to know what I’ve seen.

  With one last ounce of strength, he pushed again, feeling one of his lower ribs crack. He cried a silent yelp and fell forward, slipping from death’s cold grip. But he was without air for too long and slipped into unconsciousness before he hit the ground.

  30

  As they neared, the underground city began to take shape. Those who had flashlights swept them back and forth as they passed through what was a large gate at some point. Now, it was just an arched opening with a perimeter wall. An intersection greeted them, the road extending left and right. Both roads eventually turned north and disappeared into the dark.

  Maybe a circular path leading around the entire complex? Logan thought, trying to picture the place in his mind. He turned around and looked up and saw that the wall on either side of the arch was built right out of the cave wall but was ground down and smoothed.

  “Why would they need protection?” CJ asked. “If that thigh bone was from a humanoid species, it would’ve stood at least fifteen-feet-tall—maybe closer to twenty.”

  “You're assuming that bloke was full grown, though,” Fitz commented, earning a look of disapproval.

  “Thanks a lot, Gray,” CJ said, “Couldn’t just keep your yap shut, could you?”

  Fitz only responded with an apologetic smile and then a, “Sorry, mum…”

  “The Nsanga?” Zeus asked.

  CJ shook her head. “Wouldn’t have been much of a threat if the Nephilim fought like the Ka did. They were surely stronger and just as brutal.”

  Zeus nodded his agreement and went back to investigating a nearby structure. It may have been a guard shack with it being positioned directly inside the gate butted up against the right-hand wall. The fact that it was even there gave credence to the idea that the giants were watching for something beyond the city limits. It may have been only after they walled up the entrance that they used the alcoves regularly, safe from the threat on the other side.

  “Fayng,” Logan said, seeing something further into the city that bothered him. “Are there any stories about the Nsanga from before your time. Any chance there may have been bigger ones?”

  “What makes you say that?” Fitz asked.

  “The blockade Ares blew through…”

  “What about it?” Fitz asked.

  “It was the same size as the arch you're standing under.”

  Fitz looked up and whistled. The perfectly constructed entrance was at least thirty feet above his head and another twenty wide. It matched the height and diameter of the tunnel they just exited too.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Logan said, facing Fayng again. “There has to be a reason for all this protection. Why wall in the nesting grounds if there wasn’t anything in there of danger.”

  “There is one,” Fayng replied, quietly, remembering something from her youth.

  “Tell me,” Logan replied.

  Everyone stopped and listened. A break was needed anyways, and so far, they hadn’t seen anything else trying to kill them. It might even be the last time they’d have the opportunity.

  “My grandfather once spoke of what he called…” she took a moment to think of the right word, “what you would describe as a cave dragon.”

  “Sounds familiar,” Kiani said. “The locals said something similar to Hagenbeck a hundred years ago. They said the beast they sought was half-dragon.”

  “I remember him,” Fayng said. “He was a brutish man, thinking of us as peasants.”

  “You met Carl Hagenbeck?” Kiani asked.

  “No,” Fayng replied, “I just observed him from the shadows as he was sold secrets by the other tribes living among us. Thankfully, he didn’t find anything useful in his searches.”

  “You had humans living amongst you?” Kiani asked.

  “Had…” Fayng replied, softly.

  “Back to your grandfather,” Logan said, “how long ago did he tell you about this cave dragon?”

  She thought. “About 250 years ago, give or take.”

  “Right…” he said, forgetting about the insane timeline surrounding Fayng’s life. He scratched the back of his head, wincing as his fingers brushed against the cut he suffered when falling down the cliff with Kiani. He checked his fingers for blood, but thankfully, didn’t see any. “Please continue.”

  “He said that his own father once saw it, but no one believed him. Even back then people had their doubts about the species.” She glanced back the way they’d come. “The female…” she paused, thinking of her son, “is the largest of them in over two millennia.”

  “Because you get rid of them before they have a chance to grow larger,” Logan added.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Do they level off as they age?” Kiani asked. “Do they stop growing?”

  The look on Fayng’s face said “no.”

  “Great…” Fitz commented. “So, they’re like sharks, then.”

  “What about them?” Fayng asked.

  “Most sharks, including Great Whites, don’t stop growing as they age. Their bodies and brains never deteriorate as time goes by. Old age, illness, or overzealous fishermen are the only way they die.”

  “But when they do,” Logan added, “they’re just as capable of predators as they were in their youth.”

  “Like Fayng here,” Fitz said, earning a pride-filled smile from the woman. “Ages like a fine wine.”

  “Question,” Zeus said, speaking up for the first time since entering the city. “How old was the big female lizard?”

  Everyone turned to Fayng. “She was born before the German’s butchered my husband.”

  “Which was over seventy years ago,” Fitz said, running a hand over his shaved head. “Phenomenal… So, the buggers live a long friggin life and keep on growing until they die a shark’s death.”

  “While this is good and all,” Ares said, fidgeting a little, “why does it all matter?”

  “Because of that?” CJ said, seeing what Logan did for the first time. It’s what must’ve spurred the line of questioning.

  The group all looked at her as she pointed. Twenty feet away and right smack in the middle of the first two buildings, was a footprint embedded in the grime covered stone.

  “Damnit,” Ares said, shouldering his rifle, looking in every direction.

  Logan noticed the soldier was acting overly twitchy. Could just be his nerves. He understood what it felt like to be scared but as he surveyed his team, the only other people to be that jumpy was CJ and the five Ru’kan captives. Even Kiani had mellowed some.

  “Um…” Fitz replied, not believing what he was seeing.

  The print they saw was at least twice that of what the female left behind but similar in overall shape. Whether it was fresh or hundreds of years old was inconclusive because of its condition. It had been smeared by something else. Regardless, Logan knew they needed to be extra cautious as they moved forward. If the “cave dragon” was still alive, he was pretty sure they’d have no way to stop it.

  “Guys,” Zeus said from behind. He’d moved off to the guard shack nearer to the inside of the gate wall, standing just inside its tall doorway. “Check this out.”

  “What’d you find?” Logan asked, stepping up next to the Delta operator.

  “Nothing good,” Zeus replied, motioning to the floor.

  “Son of a…” Ares said.

  “Good, God,” Fitz added wide-eyed.

  Logan bent down and swiped his hand across the six-toed footprint. “No dust…which means…”

  “It’s fresh,” Fitz finished, being an equally skilled tracker.

  “It can’t be,” Fayng said, putting a hand to her chest. “We’ve never found evidence of them.”

  “Until now,” Zeus said, stepping into the large footprint. It engulfed his size twelve boot.

  “We’re gonna need a bigger boat,” Fitz said, nervous as all hell. He looked at everyone’s confused faces. “Sorry, just a wee-bit frightened.”

  Logan turned and gripped his rifle harder. “We aren’t alone.” He looked at Zeus. “I don’t suppose these demons of yours had six toes?”

  Zeus nodded. “And fingers—twin rows of teeth too.”

  Logan slung the weapon over his shoulder and rubbed the frustration from his forehead, doing what he could to massage away the slight headache he still had as a result of the multiple blows to the head. While still present, the only reason he could function at all was because of Kiani had her pain-killers.

  “Over here.”

  Six sets of eyes turned and found Kiani inspecting the corner of the arched entrance. She slid her hand over its surface and held her palm out for everyone to see. Logan joined her first and did the same.

  “There’s some age but—”

  “There should be more,” Kiani finished. “This city is newer than the alcoves with the bodies.”

  “Maybe the surviving giants built this place after they were attacked,” Logan said, thinking as he spoke. “What if this fortification was constructed as a result of a battle with the Nsanga?”

  “Could’ve been,” Fitz replied, likewise running his hand over the smooth stone. “Fayng said her people were natural enemies with the creatures. Plus, it wouldn’t be the first time an ancient civilization responded to a threat and protected themselves as a response.”

  “Great Wall of China,” Zeus said.

  “Bingo,” Fitz replied.

  “This may have been the first one to do so, though,” Logan added, looking at his friend.

  Fitz nodded his agreement and continued looking over the construction. He unsheathed his knife and picked at a seam. “Nope,” he said, “perfectly cut. Just like the Egyptian pyramids.”

  “So much for aliens helping,” Ares said under his breath.

  A commotion arose from Logan’s left, back near the large Nsanga print. The five women were rambling on and pointing into the shadows deeper within the city. From where they were, they could only see a few other buildings before they too were absorbed by the darkness of the dimly lit cavern.

  “What are they saying?” he asked, stepping towards them.

  Fayng held up a gentle hand and quieted them, conversing with the medic. She explained in rapid-fire bursts, getting a stunned look out of the normally stoic Ru’kan elder. Patting the young woman’s hand, Fayng turned and met Logan halfway, pulling him aside in private.

  “What is it?” he asked in a whisper.

  “She says…” Fayng replied quietly, looking back over her shoulder. The medic nodded emphatically, tears streaming down her face. “They all said they saw movement further into the city.”

  Logan didn’t respond. His only reaction was to calmly wave over Fitz, Zeus, and Ares. After another second of processing what he was told, he relayed it to his men. “We’re not alone.”

  “Hey, mate,” Fitz said softly, getting Logan’s attention. “Too late to go back the other way?”

  Instead of verbally giving an answer, Logan just stepped around his friend and started forward. “Zeus, you and Ares are with Fitz and me. We’ll scout ahead and see what we can find.”

  “Right, then,” Fitz mumbled, “I guess we’re pushing on.”

  31

  Logan swept his rifle’s barrel back and forth, absorbing every single detail his brain would allow. The construction was pretty basic in design, but considering they were in a cave dating back thousands of years and that there was no evidence of backhoes or heavy cranes to assist…

  “Pretty impressive,” Zeus whispered, stepping in stride with the SDF captain. “It’s not the buildings themselves, it’s the time period and method used.”

  “Has ancient architecture always fascinated you?” Fitz asked from Logan’s right. He peeked around Logan, eyeing Zeus. “Tickled your fancy much?”

  “Stonehenge,” Logan said. “Every unexplained monolith may have just been tattled on. We may have found their architects.”

  “You think these Nephilim helped build some of the world’s other ancient structures?” Fitz asked.

  Logan gave him a simple look.

  “Right—damnit,” Fitz said, “me too. I’m done being a nonbeliever. Either way, too bad none of us are history majors. Right now, all we have to go on is the History Channel and Zeus’ crazy nan.”

  “Thanks, Gray,” Zeus replied, keeping his eyes on his surroundings.

  “I’d have to disagree with something you said,” Logan said, stopping.

  “What’s that?” Fitz said, turning to him.

  “Dave’s grandmother wasn’t completely nuts.”

  Fitz and Zeus followed Logan’s gaze, landing on a trail of oversized six-toed footprints. Fitz knelt, and like before, he swept his hand across the tracks, gauging its age.

  “This is fresh,” Fitz said, holding up his hand.

  “And those,” Ares said, standing over Fitz, pointing.

  They all looked up from the print and found the rest of the trail, heading around a building to their left.

  “Also, fresh,” Fitz said, standing. “Unfortunately…”

  “Any ideas?” Logan asked.

  “I still vote for abandoning this asinine plan and taking our chances with the nesting grounds again.”

  Logan didn’t get to acknowledge Fitz, hearing a booming noise instead. Then, the building to his left shook, getting the rest of the four-man team’s attention. They all faced the large three-story structure, losing its uppermost level to the darkness. Logan estimated their visibility to be around fifty, using the building as a ruler. Each of the levels were twice the height of a normal man-sized building. Those averaged ten feet in height.