From where Annja crouched behind a big rock at the entrance to the massive cavern, she could see the ropes holding Vic and the others twisting under the weight. She followed the rope up into the rocky ceiling and then to where they reemerged and fed down to three warriors holding the ropes.

With each drumbeat, they let another fistful of rope go, lowering their captives closer to the pit.

If I attack them, they’ll let the ropes go, she thought. And then they’ll drop right into the pit and be dead.

She needed another plan. She had to somehow get over to the ledge and take control of the ropes herself.

Or at least Vic’s rope. She had to be honest, admitting to herself that she didn’t much care if Eduardo and Agamemnon lived or died. But a part of her still wanted to remain faithful to the pact she’d made with Eduardo.

Agamemnon was another story altogether. She could still see the look on his face when he’d suggested he was going to have her decapitated and videotaped. It was hard to find any sympathy for the situation he was in now.

What’s in the pit, though? she wondered.

And what was this tribe, anyway? The longer she had contact with them, the more she doubted they were related to the famous Moros at all. Even though the warriors she’d killed earlier had been armed with the deadly kris knives, that didn’t necessarily make them Moros, did it?

She knew the Moros had been traditionally thought of as being Muslim. But this tribe clearly wasn’t worshiping Islam at all. Judging from their primitive cave paintings, they prayed to a different god altogether.

One that very clearly had a taste for human flesh.

Annja looked at the elaborate painting on the wall across the cavern. She hoped that the monster wasn’t drawn to scale, because it looked as if it must have been over twenty feet in length. It reminded her of a dinosaur, with rows of serrated teeth that it used to disembowel its victims.

Was it waiting for Vic and the others in the pit?

If so, it might be merciful to simply drop them in and let the fall kill them before the monster could. She reminded herself she didn’t believe in monsters.

Annja took a deep breath. The chanting was growing in urgency. The drums sounded louder and the acrid taste in her mouth seemed to be caused by a mixture of plants they had cooking over open flames throughout the cavern.

The crowd itself was getting more and more worked up. She’d seen this happen at church revivals. The preacher in charge could whip his flock into a frenzy where they would believe anything he said, do anything he ordered and just generally fade out of reality.

Annja didn’t think she’d necessarily have to fight the entire crowd of people. And she certainly didn’t want to fight any children.

But the men holding the ropes on the ledge and the head priest, Hector, if that’s what he was—they would be trouble.

Annja crept farther into the cavern, trying her best to keep herself low. She didn’t think anyone would notice her, what with the environment. But she couldn’t take a chance on being seen, infuriating the high priest and hearing him give the command to drop Vic and the others into the pit.

A winding path led down to the main cavern floor. Annja avoided it and concentrated on working her way around the periphery of the cavern, using a lip in the rock that was partially obscured from view by stalactites.

As she worked her way around closer to the ledge, she tried to figure out a plan. But her options were sorely limited.

If she risked a head-on assault, they could drop the ropes. And even if she grabbed one of them in time, she wouldn’t know whose rope it was. She might end up saving Eduardo or worse, Agamemnon, while Vic plunged to his death.

Annja reached the end of the lip and found herself still fifty yards from the ledge where the rope holders stood.

And now Vic and the others hovered just twenty feet from the open pit. Flames shot up into the sky as the fire ate into fresh boughs of wood. It crackled and popped and sent sparks into the air. The smoke was thick near the ledge, as well. Annja could taste the fumes from the plants and stifled a cough.

She had to stay quiet.

She closed her eyes and made sure the sword was ready to use. She’d need it soon enough.

A breeze blew through the cavern, causing smoke to swirl.

It enveloped her instantly. Annja used the diversion to make her move. She jumped as far as she could.

There was a roar in her ears.

And then she was out of the smoke, on the ledge.

She was behind the men holding the rope. They hadn’t noticed her yet, but they would soon.

Already people closest to the ledge could see the sword and someone screamed.

So much for surprise, Annja thought.

She knocked the first rope holder on the back of his head and he dropped while Annja clutched at his rope. The sudden amount of weight she took on jarred her and she had to drop to her knees to keep from being pulled off her feet.

She had no idea whose rope it was.

She struggled to her feet and wrapped the rope around the closest outcropping of rock.

The two other rope holders turned and faced her, still clutching their ropes. The high priest was screaming something in the strange language he spoke. His followers were shouting now, as well. Annja could see some of them trying to get up on the ledge.

She’d have to make this fast.

“Annja!”

She glanced up at Vic. “Hey!”

“Nice of you to join the fun.”

She almost chuckled but at that moment, a painted warrior leaped onto the ledge, blocking her way. He raised a long knife and Annja swept her blade out in front and cut his legs out from under him. He dropped and rolled off the ledge.

Annja stepped closer to the next rope holder. His eyes were wide and terrified. Annja flicked her blade at him and he screamed and let go of the rope and jumped off the ledge into the seething crowd.

Annja threw herself forward and grabbed for the rope, but she was too late. She saw Eduardo’s body plunge through the air and into the pit.

Annja expected to hear a thud.

Instead, she heard a splash. The pit was filled with water?

The third rope holder tied his rope to a rocky outcropping and then grabbed a wooden club. He swung it overhead and charged at Annja.

Annja dropped to her right knee, extended her foot and tripped him, sending him right off the ledge, as well.

She grabbed the rope and released it. Vic’s body came down slowly. As he got within range, Annja grabbed him and swung him over to the side, cutting his bonds as she did so. Vic sat on the ledge for a moment, letting the blood rush back into his lower body.

“Thanks,” he said.

“Don’t mention it.”

“Get me down!”

Annja looked up. Agamemnon still twisted from his rope. Annja glanced at Vic, who just shrugged. “What the hell,” he said.

Annja helped him down and Vic got him onto the ledge.

Another two warriors jumped up and tried to rush Annja. Unfortunately for them, the entry to the ledge was wide enough for only one of them. Annja speared the first man through his heart and he fell back into the second.

Agamemnon knelt by the pit and fished his hands around. Annja looked and saw that he’d managed to haul up Eduardo’s body.

“Is he alive?” she asked.

Agamemnon shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Vic helped him pull Eduardo out of the water. He looked lifeless, but Agamemnon started rescue breathing and soon enough, Eduardo coughed and vomited some water.

Annja watched the front of the ledge and staved off another attack from a very determined woman who had jumped on to the ledge with a four-foot staff in her hands. Annja pirouetted as she attacked, and smacked the flat of her blade against the woman’s head. She fell off the ledge.

The drums and chanting stopped. No more warriors jumped onto the ledge.

Annja stood with her sword poised to attack anyone who did. Out of the corner or her eye, she saw the high priest regarding her.

“You are very skilled,” he said.

Annja looked him in the eye. “Who are you?”

“I told you my name is Hector.”

“And you’re the high priest here?”

He smiled. “We prefer to think of ourselves as caretakers.”

“Caretakers of who?”

“You mean, what.”

Annja narrowed her eyes. “You’re not going to kill us. I won’t allow it.”

Hector nodded. “I can see you won’t be an easy person to kill, but we’ve had others here we thought were troublesome at first. Soon enough, they all died.”

“Well, things are different this time,” she said defiantly.

“Are they? And where will you go? There’s no escape for you. I have many followers, as you can see. And while you’ve killed some of them, I have no doubt that we can eventually overpower you.”

“You’ll lose many in the process.”

“Perhaps. But they are committed to the ideals we worship. Dying would be a reward of sorts,” Hector said.

Vic muttered under his breath. “Sounds like friends of yours, Agamemnon.”

Annja ignored him. “And you’re willing to sacrifice them?” she asked.

“Of course, but I don’t think that will even be necessary.”

Annja glanced around the cavern. From the back she could see a commotion as people seemed to part and move out of the way. She could see a group of warriors heading toward the ledge.

“Why not?” she asked.

Hector smiled and pointed at the group moving toward them. From behind her, she heard Agamemnon gasp.

She turned. “What is it?”

Agamemnon pointed. “Those are my men they’re herding in here. Joey and Michael. My trackers.”