Hector’s chanting continued. And the effect was immediate.

Jajuba wasn’t quite the monster Annja had imagined, but it was still a huge beast. As it squatted on the ledge eyeing them, water dribbled off its leathery reptilian skin. It used its long, sharp snout to nose the air as if sniffing for its next meal. And the rows of sharp teeth were coated with blood and gristle from its most recent feedings.

“That’s no monster,” Vic said. “It’s a saltwater crocodile.”

“It’s huge, though,” Joey said. “It’s got to be twenty feet long at least.”

“With plenty of room, it would seem, for many more bodies,” Michael said.

Annja regarded the crocodile. She didn’t even know they lived in the Philippines. But here it was, hissing away at the five of them on the ledge.

And Hector continued to chant.

Annja glanced over at him. His joy was clearly evident. He stopped chanting and eyed Annja. “I told you.”

“I hate to tell you this, Hector, but you’re here with us. I don’t think that bodes very well for you.”

Hector shook his head. “I can leave any time I want to. As can my followers. Jajuba knows who we are. And he knows that we protect him. He won’t harm any of us unless we fall into the pit.”

Vic cleared his throat. “You have a plan, Annja?”

“I’m thinking.”

“Better think fast,” Hector said. “Once Jajuba rises from the pit, he usually only takes a moment to decide who he’s going to eat first.”

Joey glanced at the knife in his hands. “Somehow, I think I’m outgunned here.”

Michael stood next to him. “If we fight together, we might have a chance against it,” he said.

Hector laughed. “Jajuba will devour you all. Your tactics are worthless against his might. He is faster than any of you. And he is very strong indeed.”

Annja looked back at Hector. “I’m getting tired of listening to you, old man.”

“You should have listened to me before, and given yourselves up. Jajuba can be merciful, as well. Simply jumping into the pit will be enough to signal your desire to be sacrificed for the greater good. Jajuba will end your life quickly.”

Annja shook her head. “I never pictured myself dying by way of being eaten by a crocodile, so if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll pass.”

The crocodile hissed again. Annja watched its movements. She could see the ball eyes rolling around, eyeing everything nearby. The beast seemed to be sizing them all up. Possibly, it was trying to figure out the threat level they represented. As soon as the crocodile decided on how dangerous it was or wasn’t to attack, it would make its move.

And it might be too late then.

Annja knew that crocodiles could run at high speed for short distances. But when you’re twenty feet long, a short distance is pretty far anyway.

The best thing to do would be to get on its back and cut into its head. If she could get access to its skull, she could pierce the brain with her sword and kill it.

Getting there would be a problem, though.

Hector had taken up his chanting again. It seemed to have an almost lulling effect on the crocodile. As Hector repeated the chant, the crocodile’s head seemed to move back and forth in time to it.

“I can’t take this anymore,” Vic said.

Annja heard a dull whump and turned to see that Vic had clocked Hector over the head. Hector slid to the floor unconscious.

Vic looked back at Annja. “Sorry.”

The crocodile hissed again, louder this time, and now all of Hector’s followers fell silent, as well. The crocodile stamped around the edge of the pit, regarding it and for a moment, Annja found herself wondering if the beast might actually go back into the water.

But then the crocodile turned itself around again and took two steps toward the group of them.

“Annja,” Vic said. “Now might be a good time to let us in on your plan.”

“I’m thinking,” she said.

“Think quicker, please.”

Annja frowned. “I need to get up on its head in order to kill it. If I can stab down into its skull, I think I can end this.”

“Great. So how do we do that?”

“I don’t know.”

Joey and Michael looked at her. “What about a distraction?”

“That’s an awfully big gamble you’re talking about. If you mess up before I can kill it, it will eat you up.”

Joey looked at Michael and then back at Annja. “We don’t have a choice, do we?”

“I’ll help, too,” Vic said. “Not much I can do to help Annja get on its head. Besides, if it’s confronting three of us, it will see it as more of a threat than just two. And that might buy Annja the time and positioning she needs.”

Annja glanced at Vic. “You’d better be careful.”

Vic winked at her. “And miss our date if I’m not? Not very likely, I’ll tell you that.”

Annja smiled. “All right. How do you guys want to do this?”

The crocodile hissed again and took another step toward them. Annja held her sword out in front, aiming it directly at the beast’s eyes. That seemed to stop it momentarily.

Michael pointed over to the lip of the ledge. “We can start making our way there. If it gets too close, we can jump down into the main cavern.”

“And it might jump down on top of you,” Annja said. “What else do you have?”

“Nothing,” Joey said. “There’s no other option except for that. We aren’t exactly sitting on a big hunk of real estate here.”

“They’re right,” Vic said. “It’s the best shot we have.”

Annja frowned. “All right.”

Vic looked at her. “Give us ten seconds to get a reaction. If he follows us, then you should be able to get yourself onto his back. Just watch out for that tail. I think those things can kill just by swinging it around.”

Annja nodded.

Vic turned and got closer to Joey and Michael. “You guys ready?”

The brothers nodded. Together, the three of them brandished their knives and began making loud noises.

The crocodile reacted almost instantly, pulling its head around to face them. It clacked its jaws together, and Annja could see the huge teeth and stringy bits of tissue and tendon still dangling from it like bloody Christmas garlands.

Vic, Joey and Michael took turns screaming. They flailed their arms, while Annja sidled very slowly around to her left.

If she could just keep herself from getting noticed…

The crocodile made a sudden lunge forward and snapped its jaws at Joey’s head. Joey ducked and managed to get himself out of the way. The crocodile recoiled and considered its next action.

But Joey was now separated from Michael and Vic.

Annja had to move fast.

She worked her way around to the side some more and then looked at the crocodile’s right flank. She would just have to jump up and get on its back. Then she’d have to crawl up to the head.

If she wasn’t careful, the crocodile could buck her off and gobble her up in its jaws. And that would be that.

The crocodile seemed satisfied that it had managed to separate Joey from Michael and Vic. Instead of concentrating on the party of two, it settled on Joey.

Joey backed up, closer to the lip of the ledge.

The crocodile stalked him now, moving forward in very slow increments.

Annja waited a second more.

The crocodile snapped its jaws again, and this time Joey had to jump back. She heard him cry out and then he fell off the ledge to the ground below.

The crocodile rushed forward immediately, snapping its jaws again.

But as it did so, Michael and Vic rushed in and stabbed at its unprotected lower left flank. The crocodile recoiled and screeched as their blades punctured its skin.

Annja caught a whiff of the blood of the beast as it spilled out.

But the crocodile was enraged now. It twisted this way and that trying to get at Vic and Michael. They kept themselves between the crocodile’s front and rear legs, but it was far too dangerous. The crocodile could at any point shred them with its claws.

Annja jumped.

As she landed, the crocodile screeched again. Annja stabbed down into the beast’s back, trying to saw back and forth to give the creature a wound to worry about as she moved forward.

But the crocodile started bucking like a bronco, and Annja had to clutch on to its hard skin just to keep from being bumped off. She grasped her sword with the other hand, wondering how long she could last.

Michael attacked the crocodile’s flank again. But this time, as he stabbed the side, the crocodile reared up and its claw came down.

Annja heard a shriek from Michael and then he dropped and rolled away. The crocodile’s claws had torn open his arm and right side. He was bleeding profusely.

Vic kept up his attack and Annja had a moment to work her way forward. She crawled along the back of the beast up toward the head.

She could see the snout waving back and forth in the air as the crocodile tried to get around to attack Vic or dislodge Annja.

She reached the neck. Just a bit farther. And then she heard something.

Hector’s voice.

She glanced back. Not now!

But the high priest had apparently regained consciousness and was chanting again. Worse, his followers had joined in and the beast seemed to be feeding off their energy.

Annja frowned. If she could just kill Hector, then she could take care of the crocodile.

But in her position, even if she threw the sword, there was no way she could aim it properly from the writhing back of the beast.

She concentrated on climbing onto the crocodile’s giant head.

Hector’s volume increased.

Annja’s ears hurt.

She had to do something about him.

“Vic!”

He was busy dodging the crocodile, but still managing to keep himself out of the reach of its claws.

“What?”

“Hector needs to be stopped or we’ll all die!”

“Hector?”

“The chanting! The crocodile is feeding off it and getting stronger.”

She could see the desperation in Vic’s face. Annja couldn’t set herself right for a stab to the beast’s head. It was moving too much and she would need a moment—just a split second to deliver the killing thrust.

The chanting continued. Annja slipped back onto the crocodile’s neck.

“Vic!”

“I can’t get to him!”

Annja wriggled onto the crocodile’s head. She had the sword in one hand and leathery skin in the other.

She was almost ready.

Hector’s voice was now a shout that filled the entire cavern. His followers echoed everything he chanted. The crocodile seemed to almost be growing under her.

But that wasn’t possible, was it?

And then, Hector’s voice disappeared midway through a shout.

Annja struggled to look.

A kris knife jutted from his throat. He slumped over.

The crowd stopped chanting.

For a brief moment the crocodile froze.

Annja stood. She turned the sword point down.

And drove it home.

She felt the bony skull crack and give way as her blade slid into the brain cavity. She pushed until she could go no farther.

With a final hiss, the crocodile slumped to one side.

Dead.