"Hang back," Captain Waxman hissed, keeping them all hidden in the thicker underbrush that fringed the lower cliffs. He signaled for Warczak to forge ahead.
The corporal flicked off his flashlight, slipped on a pair of night-vision goggles, and ducked into the shadows with his weapon, vanishing almost instantly.
Nate crouched. Flanking him, the two Rangers took firm stances, watching their rear. Nate kept his shotgun ready. Most of the others were also armed. Olin, Zane, Frank, even Kelly had pistols, while Manny bore a Beretta in one hand and his whip in the other. Tor-tor had his own built-in weapons: claws and fangs. Only Professor Kouwe and Anna Fong remained unarmed.
The professor crept backward to Nate's side. "I don't like this," Kouwe said.
"The caves?"
"No . . . the situation:"
"What do you mean?"
Kouwe glanced back down toward the swamp. Distantly the two rafts still burned brightly. "I smelled kerosene from those flames:"
"So? It could be copal oil. That stuff smells like kerosene and that's abundant around here:"
Kouwe rubbed his chin. "I don't know. The fire that drew the locusts was artfully crafted into the Ban-ali symbol. This was sloppy."
"But we were on guard. The Indians had to move fast. It was probably the best they could manage."
Kouwe glanced to Nate. "It wasn't Indians:"
"Then who else?"
"Whoever's been tracking us all along:" Kouwe leaned in and whispered in an urgent hiss. "Whoever set the flaming locust symbol crept upon our camp in broad daylight. They left no trace of their passage into or out of the area. Not a single broken twig. They were damned skilled. I doubt I could've done it:"
Nate began to get the gist of Kouwe's concerns. "And the ones who have been dogging our trail
were sloppy."
Kouwe nodded toward the swamp. "Like those fires:"
Nate remembered the reflected flash high in the treetops as they hiked through the forest yesterday afternoon. "What are you suggesting?"
Kouwe spoke between clenched teeth. "We have more than one threat here. Whatever lies ahead-a new regenerative compound, a cure for this plague-it would be worth billions. Others would pay dearly for the knowledge hidden here:"
Nate frowned. "And you think this other party set those fires? Why?"
"To drive us forward in a panic, like it did. They didn't want to risk us being reinforced with additional soldiers. They're probably using us as a human shield against the natural predatory traps set by the Ban-ali. We're just so much cannon fodder. They'll waste our lives until we are either spent on this trail or reach the Ban-ali. Then they'll sweep in and steal the prize.
Nate eyed the professor. "Why not mention this before we set off?"
Kouwe stared hard at Nate, and the answer to his question dawned in his own mind. "A traitor," Nate whispered. "Someone working with the trackers."
"I find it much too convenient that our satellite feed went on the fritz just as we drew close to these Ban-ali lands. Plus it then sends off a false GPS signal:"
Nate nodded. "Sending our own backup on a wild-goose chase."
"Exactly."
"Who could it be?" Nate eyed the others crouched in the underbrush.
Kouwe shrugged. "Anyone. Highest on the list would be the Russian. It's his system. It would be easy for him to feign a breakdown. But then again both Zane and Ms. Fong have been hovering around the array whenever Olin has stepped away. And the O'Briens have a background tied to the CIA, who have been known to play many sides against one another to achieve their ends. Then, finally, we can't rule out any of the Rangers:'
"You're kidding:"
"Enough money can sway almost anyone, Nate. And Army Rangers are trained extensively in communications."
Nate swung back around. "That leaves only Manny as someone we can trust:"
"Does it?" Kouwe's expression was pained.
"You can't be serious? Manny? He's a friend to both of us:"
"He also works for the Brazilian government. And don't doubt that the Brazilian government would want this discovery solely for itself. Such a medical discovery would be an economic boon:"
Nate felt a sick sense of dread. Could the professor be right? Was there no one they could trust?
Before he could question Kouwe's assessment further, a scream split the night. Something huge came flying through the air. People scattered out of the way. Nate backpedaled with Kouwe in tow.
The large object landed in the middle of the crouched group. Flashlights swung toward the crumpled figure in their midst.
Anna cried out.
Transfixed in the spears of light, Corporal Warczak lay on his back, covered in blood and gore. One arm scrabbled up as if he were drowning in the spreading pool of his own blood. He tried to scream again, but all that came out was a croaking noise.
Nate stared, frozen. He could not tear his eyes from the sight of the ruined corporal.
From the waist down, Warczak's body was gone. He had been bitten in half.
"Weapons ready!" Waxman shouted, breaking through the horrified trance.
Nate dropped to a knee, swinging his shotgun out to the darkness. Kelly and Kouwe dove to aid the downed corporal, but Nate knew it was a futile gesture. The man was already dead.