Camera spoke, "I've fitted a new cartridge into the Bailey. But it's my last."
Manny crouched with his pistol, "There's some old debris blown in the back of the cave-branches, leaves, whatnot. We could light a fire at the entrance:'
"Do it;" Kostos said.
As Manny turned, a long, low growl rumbled up the slope. Everyone froze. Illuminated by the flare, a large shape revealed itself on the rocky slope. Weapons were raised.
Note recognized the shadow as the largest cat.
"A female," Manny mumbled.
It remained in plain sight, studying them, challenging them. Behind it, the jungle churned with sleek bodies, muscled and clawed.
"What do we do?" Camera asked.
"The bitch is trying to psych us out," Kostos grumbled, lowering his eye to the sight on his rifle.
"Don't fire;" Nate hissed.
Ban-ali," Nate said.
The figure stopped, turned their way, and seemed to be waiting.
"I think he wants us to follow him," Manny said.
"And the jaguars aren't leaving us much choice," Camera said. "They've settled into the jungle below us:"
The distant figure simply stood.
"What do we do?" Camera asked.
Nate answered, "We follow him. It's why we came. To find the Ban-ali Perhaps this was their last test, the jaguar pack:"
"Or it could be another trap," Kostos said.
"I don't see we have much choice," Camera said. "I have a feeling we go or the pack will finish us off."
Nate glanced over his shoulder to the deeper depths of the cave. Ten yards back, Kelly, Kouwe and the others were still gathered around Frank, now stripped to his boxers. The man seemed to be sedated. Anna stood; holding an IV bag at shoulder height. Kelly had one of her brother's stumped limbs already wrapped in a bandage and was tying off a vessel in the other. Kouwe knelt beside her, ready with the bandages for this other limb. Around them, empty syringe wrappers and small plastic drug bottle littered the cave floor.
"I'll see if Frank can be moved:"
"We leave no one behind," Kostos said.
Nate nodded, glad to hear it. He crossed to the others. "How's Frank doing?" he asked Kouwe.
"He's lost a lot of blood. Once he's stable, Kelly wants to transfuse him:
Nate sighed. "We may have to move him:"
"What?" Kelly asked, tying off a suture. "He can't be moved!" Panic, exhaustion, and disbelief hardened her words.
Nate crouched as Kelly and Kouwe began bandaging the second stump. Frank moaned softly as his leg was jarred.
As they worked, Nate explained what had happened at the cave's entrance. "We've been contacted by the Ban-ali. Perhaps invited to continue on to their village. I suspect the invitation is a one-time offer:"
Kouwe nodded. "We must've passed some last challenge, survived some gauntlet;' the professor said, parroting Nate's early assessment. "Now we've earned the right to move onward by proving ourselves worthy."
"But Frank . . . ?" Kelly said.
"I can rig up a stretcher out of bamboo and palm fronds," Kouwe said softly, touching Kelly's hand. "Knowing these tribesmen, if we don't move him, he'll be killed. We'll all be killed:"
Nate watched the woman's face tighten with fear. Her eyes glazed. First her daughter, now her brother.
Nate sank down beside her and put his arm around her. "I'll make sure he gets where we're going safely. Once there, Olin can get the radio up and running:" Nate glanced to the Russian.
Olin nodded his head vigorously. "I know I can at least get the GPS working properly to send out a decent signal:"
"And once that's done, help will arrive. They'll airlift your brother out. He'll make it. We all will:"
Kelly leaned into him, softening against him. "Do you promise?" she said, her voice soft with tears.
He tightened his embrace. "Of course I do:" But as Nate stared at the pale face of her brother, with blood slowly seeping through the man's new bandages, he prayed it was a promise he could keep.
Kelly shifted in his hold, and her voice was stronger when she spoke. "Then let's go:"
He helped her to her feet.
They quickly began arranging for their departure. Kostos and Manny crossed to the jungle and gathered material to construct the makeshift stretcher, while Kelly and Kouwe stabilized Frank as well as they could. Soon they were ready to head out again into the night.
Nate met Camera at the cave entrance.
"Our visitor's still out there," she said.
In the distance, the lone shadowy figure stood.
Kostos raised his voice, returning to make sure everything was in order. "Keep together! Keep alert!"
Nate and Camera separated. The group filed out between them with the sergeant in the lead. Near the end of the line, Manny and Olin carried the stretcher, the patient lashed to the bamboo for extra security. The men in the party would take turns hauling Frank.
As the stretcher passed, Kelly followed last. Then Nate and Camera moved in step behind her.
Just past the entrance, the toe to Nate's boot knocked an object from the shale, something dusty and discarded. Nate bent to pick it up and inspected it.
They couldn't leave this behind.