Robyn saw a sudden flicker of movement through the acacia trees as they clicked the coupler in place on the jeep’s tow bar. Tanky gave a high‑pitched squeal and lay down on the floor.

  ‘Something’s out there,’ whispered Niko.

  ‘Everyone into the jeep,’ said Roland in a low voice.

  But it was too late.

  A massive creature, taller than Robyn, burst from the undergrowth about twenty metres away with a terrifying screech. It was like an emu crossed with a dinosaur, heavy and muscled, with small wings, a thick, solid neck and an oversized head. A beak with a hooked end, sharp and vicious, curved out from turquoise feathers. Its legs ended in talons that looked sharp and strong as grappling hooks.

  ‘They’re terror birds!’ Grant shouted. ‘I’ve seen pictures in museums . . .’

  Two more identical monsters pushed through the thicket behind it. All three shrieked, lowered their heads and broke into a charge.

  Roland bellowed, ‘Open fire!’

  13

  Robyn drew her pistol, aimed and fired in one swift, adrenaline‑fuelled movement that took place without conscious thought. The gargantuan bird‑beast bearing down on her jerked back and stopped. Another shot knocked it sideways, making it screech in rage. She heard Tanky yowl in the trailer pen, the smash and rattle as he beat his body against the bars. But the sound was quickly drowned out by the fusillade of bullets as her dad, Grant and Niko unleashed hell on the attacking terror birds.

  Robyn saw one go down beside her, but more of the ravening creatures were pouring into the clearing from all directions – six, seven, eight . . . She heard Grant cry out in pain, saw him roll backwards over the bonnet of the jeep and vanish from sight. She fired at his attacker, but the shot went wide.

  This is it, she thought, firing again in desperation. We don’t come back from this one.

  ‘Look out, Rob!’ her dad screamed.

  A claw caught Robyn a glancing blow on the shoulder, and pain lanced down her arm. She dropped the gun and fell back against the side of the Casspir as a terror bird lunged towards her. With a shriek she dodged, and the hooked beak struck armoured metal like a pickaxe swung just over her head. Robyn fell to her knees, and a bony heel thumped into her chest. She fell back, staring up at the huge, taloned foot rising over her, ready to stamp on her neck.

  Suddenly there was a flash of dusty yellow, and a roar. A maned lion slammed into the body of the terror bird, which screamed as it was thrown sideways. Robyn blinked, unable to believe she was still alive. She realised in a flash that the lion’s tail was only a stump – clearly damaged beyond help in an earlier battle.

  Jari! she thought, dazed and amazed in equal measure. The lion she’d cared for as a cub had come to her rescue.

  Then something grabbed her good shoulder from beneath the Casspir and pulled hard. She gave a shout of surprise, and scrabbled at the leafy ground to stop herself being dragged under.

  ‘It’s me!’ Grant hissed.

  ‘Oh, thank God.’ Robyn closed her eyes and rolled closer to him, trying to calm herself with deep breaths of air that was tinged with oil and diesel. ‘You’re all right?’

  ‘Nothing a lifetime of therapy won’t cure,’ he hissed back.

  Robyn heard her dad shout over the roars and screeches. ‘Niko, the jeep! While they’re distracted.’ Two more gunshots sounded close by, and a door slammed. ‘Get in and get down.’

  I have to see, thought Robyn. I have to know what’s going on. She started to wriggle towards the rear of the Casspir.

  ‘Don’t!’ Grant kept hold of her. ‘Terror birds aren’t built for crouching, I don’t think they can get under here, but their claws are killers. Come in close.’

  ‘I need to help Jari!’ Robyn insisted, breaking away. There was room to move beneath the Casspir, since the body of the vehicle was raised off the ground to protect it against exploding landmines. She felt sick at the thought of losing Jari. Was he simply responding to predators invading his space, or had his protective instincts brought him into the fight when he’d realised Robyn was in danger?

  She couldn’t see her dad or Niko from here – only Jari, in the thick of the action, fighting two terror birds among the bodies of the fallen. One of the bird‑beasts lunged at Jari with a screech, striking down with its huge beak. Jari twisted out of the way then leaped upwards in an explosion of movement to grab the bird’s feathered neck in his powerful jaws. The terror bird struggled but failed to keep its balance, then Jari managed to drag it to the ground. But the other terror bird was circling warily, claws twitching, looking for a clear attack path.

  Jari was trying to suffocate the downed predasaur, his tight grip compressing its windpipe. But the terror bird was resisting; it was larger than a lion’s normal prey, stronger and tougher. Jari still wasn’t at his full strength, and Robyn knew that his missing tail meant that his balance would be slightly off. If it came to two against one . . .

  Grant crawled up beside Robyn, gripping his rifle. ‘I’ve got one shot left.’

  Robyn pointed to the terror bird still standing, its wings shivering as it crept closer to the savaging lion. ‘Get it!’ Robyn hissed. ‘Quick!’

  ‘Angle’s not easy from here,’ Grant muttered. ‘I’m more likely to hit Jari.’

  The terror bird hissed, its feathers raised in an intimidating display.

  Robyn groaned with fear. It’s going to take Jari apart!

  Then she heard a roar, startlingly loud, and felt a rush of fierce elation as Jari’s brother Sabal charged through the mopane trees and joined the fight. Snarling, Sabal thrust his claws deep into the other terror bird’s back. It screeched and twisted, trying to kick or strike with its beak. Jari looked up, his muzzle bloody, triumphant at last over his dying prey. Now he struggled up to help his brother; working together, the two lions wrestled the beast to the ground.

  ‘Look out!’ Robyn screamed as yet another terror bird charged from the bushes, ready to slam its huge, heavy beak into Sabal. Then Grant fired off a shot and a third red eye opened in its bony forehead. The monster bird fell close to the struggling lion brothers.

  Grant smiled and shrugged at Robyn. ‘Better angle.’

  Two booted feet dropped down in front of them, and Robyn gasped. But it was just her father; he must have been standing on top of the Casspir, out of reach of the carnage. Now he crouched and all but hauled Grant and Robyn out from under the vehicle. Robyn saw that Tanky was huddled on his side, panting and shaking, his eyes tightly shut. Even in the midst of the carnage, Robyn’s heart went out to him; he was clearly terrified, but at least the terror birds hadn’t made him their first target.

  ‘Any rounds left?’ Roland demanded. ‘I’m out.’

  ‘Me too,’ Grant said.

  ‘I dropped the rifle,’ Robyn admitted. ‘Dad, while Jari and Sabal have our backs –’

  ‘We need to get out of here,’ Roland agreed. ‘Both of you, join Niko in the jeep.’

  With the snaps and snarls of the final throes of the bestial contest ringing in her ears, Robyn raced across to the jeep. Niko, in the back, threw open the door and Grant jumped in. Robyn wrenched open the driver’s door, and saw her dad scoop up the fallen rifle before running over to join them. She got inside and tried the engine; it rumbled into life as her dad slid in through the other door.

  ‘Go!’ Roland commanded.

  Robyn pushed the accelerator in a controlled, steady surge that got them moving without rattling Tanky’s trailer too much. Then, with a crashing thump, a huge beak smashed through the roof of the jeep, barely missing Niko’s head. She and Grant yelled, but Robyn kept her cool – and her foot on the accelerator – and swung the steering wheel to the right to brush the jeep against the mopane trees as they drove past. There was a scraping and a scrabbling against the side of the jeep, then a thump as the bird struggled free and dropped away.

  ‘Is everyone OK?’ asked Roland. They were all shaken, but no one was injured.

  ‘What about Jari and Sabal?’ Feeling sick with adrenaline, Robyn was trying to glimpse them in the rear‑view mirror.

  Grant peered back. ‘I think they killed the one they were fighting.’

  ‘Even if they did, there could be more on the way,’ said Niko. ‘Drawn here by the sound of the battle.’

  ‘Two lions could never deal with them all,’ Robyn muttered.

  ‘Nor can we,’ said Roland frankly. ‘We have two rounds left.’

  ‘To last us till we reach Crocodile Lodge,’ said Robyn, gripping the wheel with determination.

  ‘It’s only a few miles,’ said Grant.

  Niko snorted softly beside him. ‘Only,’ she echoed.

  Ralph perched on the edge of his leather seat in the helicopter’s well‑appointed cabin. Staring out of the window, he was convinced that danger was about to swoop down on them, even from a clear blue sky. It didn’t help that Luke was so damned joyful, his dad’s arm around him, catching up. Of course he was happy for Luke; Ralph knew how much his friend had been through. But the sight of him so happy only emphasised the bitterness he felt inside at having lost Xai.

  How will I ever tell Dad, and Robyn? Ralph thought miserably. How will anything ever be the same again?

  He jumped at a tentative touch on his arm. Karl van Rok was smiling at him sympathetically. He was tall and tanned; in his designer suit he might have walked out of a men’s fashion magazine.

  ‘Not long till we reach your place,’ he told Ralph. ‘You know, Luke told me what you were doing before the soldiers came. If we had real evidence of criminal conspiracy –’

  ‘We were so close,’ Ralph said. ‘We had Gerhard and Mbato talking on CCTV. If only Zuma and her squad hadn’t come then –’

  ‘We can still get it,’ Luke said. ‘I emailed myself the IP address of each camera on the network. We just have to find out which camera has the footage.’

  ‘Before it’s deleted,’ Mr van Rok added. ‘If Gerhard works out what you were up to there, he’ll wipe the footage altogether. We need a decent computer so I can get past Gerhard’s firewall and clone the footage.’

  Ralph frowned. ‘Can you really do that?’

  Luke snorted. ‘Dad knows a couple of things about bypassing online security.’

  ‘We need to move fast, though,’ said van Rok. ‘Those soldiers saw us take off. It won’t take them long to link this copter to VanRok Security. They’ll know it’s me who came for you . . .’

  ‘So they might think we’d go back to your offices,’ Ralph said. ‘Or even your home, right?’

  ‘Right,’ Luke agreed. ‘Could give them a couple of false trails to follow. Buy us time.’

  Ralph nodded. ‘If we can get that CCTV footage of Mbato and Gerhard to Max Khumalo as well as the woolly rhino with Gerhard’s chip inside, then maybe he’ll be able to convince people that we’re innocent.’

  ‘Course he will,’ said Luke.

  If we ever get there, thought Ralph, turning back to the endless blue of the heavens beyond the window, keeping watch for specks in the sky that might be following them.

  14

  Robyn knew all the trails between here and Croc Lodge, and no one spoke as she drove at a brisk pace. Her heart ached at the thought of seeing home again, but she also dreaded what they might find.

  What else could Gerhard have done to their home?

  She knew that her dad and Niko must be thinking the same thing. Roland loved this land and the animals that lived on it. He and Xai had devoted years to developing and building up the reserve. I wish all this was over, she thought longingly, and we could all get back to rebuilding our lives.

  When they were about five hundred metres from the Lodge, Roland touched her arm. ‘We’d better scout ahead on foot. If there are any more terror birds waiting at the Lodge, they’ll hear the jeep.’

  Robyn sighed and nodded. ‘How about I stop under that bushwillow?’ she said. ‘It will give Tanky some cover, hopefully enough to keep him hidden.’

  ‘If we’re lucky, we won’t need to leave him for long,’ Niko added reassuringly.

  Yeah. Because we’re always so lucky, thought Robyn, steering them forward. A few of the bushwillow’s four‑winged fruits were still on the higher branches from the previous autumn. They scraped quietly against the roof as she eased the jeep and trailer among the shrubs. The finger‑thick branches bent as the jeep pushed through, but didn’t break. Years back, Xai had made her a bow to learn archery on out of one of these flexible branches because it wouldn’t break easily in her beginner’s grip. She smiled, looking forward to seeing him again.

  While Roland and Niko inspected the damage to the jeep, Robyn got out and stretched wearily. Her shoulder throbbed, and she felt tired to her core. She forced herself to focus on the familiar sounds of nature around her: the birdsong, the crickets chirping, the calls of animals nearby. There were no unfamiliar sounds or warning calls . . . yet. Hopefully the local wildlife would be their first warning of danger.

  She went around to the trailer to check on the woolly rhino. He was listless, lying on his side and breathing noisily, his eyes a milky pink.

  ‘He looks to have calmed down,’ said Grant.

  ‘He needs to get out of this cage,’ said Robyn sadly, stroking the side of Tanky’s shaggy head. ‘It’s wrong to move a wild animal so far in these conditions.’

  ‘It’s not like we had much choice. And this way, in the end, he’ll be free.’ Grant paused, looking at her. ‘Maybe we all will. We’re so close –’

  ‘Don’t.’ Robyn put her fingers to his lips. ‘Don’t jinx it.’

  ‘We are, though.’ Grant took her fingers gently in his. ‘We’re this close.’

  Impulsively, Robyn leaned forward to kiss him. The contact sent a jolt through her and she quickly pulled away, cheeks burning as she checked her dad wasn’t looking.

  ‘In case there’s no later,’ she murmured.

  ‘Uh, right.’ Grant looked kind of shocked. He took a few steps back and wiped sweat from the back of his neck, but he was smiling. ‘So. Should we try Tanky on some more kibble?’

  ‘Nope.’ Niko came to join them and shook her head. ‘If we’re going to clean out that wound properly and stitch him up, I’ll need to put him under anaesthetic ASAP. Feeding him will increase the chance of him vomiting.’

  ‘Nice,’ said Grant.

  ‘There’s water in the back of the jeep,’ said Robyn. ‘That’s all right, isn’t it –’

  ‘Quiet!’ Roland snapped.

  In the hush over the thrum and buzz of the crickets, Robyn heard the faint sound of a helicopter. Automatically, moving almost as one, they bunched together for cover under the bushwillow.

  ‘Mbato?’ Niko wondered.

  ‘Can’t be a civilian flight if there’s a lockdown,’ Grant said nervously.

  ‘I’ll check it out,’ said Roland.

  Robyn watched him move away stealthily through the branches. Grant stood next to her and took her hand.

  A muffled, electronic trill from close by made them all jump.

  ‘What the hell?’ Grant hissed.

  ‘Oh, I know what that is,’ breathed Robyn, prickling with excitement. ‘That’s the jeep’s emergency breakdown phone, stowed with the toolkit.’ She stepped past Tanky’s trailer to get to the boot catch. With the trailer in place, the door wouldn’t open fully. ‘It’s got to be Ralph! We both know the number off by heart.’

  ‘Pick it up – fast,’ Niko urged her. ‘That noise will bring whatever is out there – human or animal – down on us.’

  Robyn nodded. She lifted the sack of dried food from the boot then tugged at the liner to get to the toolkit beside the spare wheel. The ring tone sounded again, louder. She was surprised there was still any power in the phone. Xai always checked that the sat‑phones were charged before any expedition, but after all these weeks . . .

  She hit Answer. ‘Ralph?’

  ‘Rob!’ His voice sounded strained, cracking with relief. ‘I don’t believe it. Is everyone OK?’

  ‘Barely,’ said Robyn.

  ‘Thank God. I’m in a copter overhead –’

  She felt instant relief. ‘We can hear you!’

  Ralph’s words tumbled out in a rush. ‘I tried calling home but no one picked up, then I saw the Casspir abandoned and I was so scared, then I realised the jeep was gone and I thought, “emergency phone!” and . . . well, where is the jeep?’

  ‘We’re under cover of –’

  ‘Never mind that, Rob. Listen, we’re coming to get you guys, but you’ve got to be careful – there are terror birds all over the reserve.’

  ‘Terror birds!’ Robyn cut Ralph off. ‘That’s what Grant called them. You know about those things?’

  ‘They’re in one of the Predasaur games. And I met one at Gerhard’s complex. He’s been trying to control them like the others.’

  ‘Well, the ones we met were totally out of control.’ Robyn felt a shiver as she brought the phone over to Niko and Grant so they could listen in. ‘We haven’t reached home yet.’ She looked up at the sky, bright sunlight scattering through the vegetation, and racked her brain. ‘Ralph, remember the clearing where we picked up the trail of the old bull elephant?’

  ‘The bull Gerhard’s sarcosuchus tore apart,’ Ralph said. ‘Yeah. I remember.’

  ‘We’re quite close to there. I’ll get Dad – can you watch for us?’

  ‘Will do.’

  ‘Here, talk to Grant for a minute.’ She pushed the phone into Grant’s hand and ran over to the jeep and opened the door. Then she gripped the rear‑view mirror and wrenched it off.

  Niko frowned at her. ‘What are you –’

  ‘Check on Tanky,’ said Robyn, swiping the phone from Grant. ‘Then stay in the jeep.’ She ran off through the bushwillows. ‘Back soon.’

  ‘Wait!’ Grant hissed.

  But Robyn had gone.

  Ralph tried to orientate himself using the location of the elephant clearing relative to the main lodge. He cupped his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and leaned over to Mr van Rok. ‘Can you circle south? There’s a clearing. Maybe we can land there and collect Dad and the others?’