Part 50 (1/2)

The shaman king clapped him on the shoulder. ”He good man:”

Nate did not know how to respond to this. He found himself nodding while really wanting to rip into the shaman. Ifhe was such a good man, whydid you murder him?But from working and living with indigenous tribes throughout the region, he knew there would never be a satisfactory answer. Among the tribes, even a good man could be killed for breaking a taboo-one could even be honored by being turned into plant fertilizer.

Kelly finished her examination of Frank. ”His wounds have entirely sealed. The rate of granulation is amazing:”

Her expression must have been clear to the shaman. ”Yagga heals him. Grow strong. Grow-” The shaman frowned, clearly struggling to remem-ber a word. Finally, he bent down and slapped his own leg.

Kelly stared at the shaman, then at Nate. ”Do you think it's possible? Could Frank's legs really grow back?”

”Gerald Clark's arm regenerated,” Nate said. ”So we know it's possible:”

Kelly crouched. ”If we could watch the transformation in a modern medical facility. . :”

Zane interrupted her, lowering his voice and keeping his back toward the shaman. ”Remember, we have a mission here:”

”What mission?” Frank asked.

Kelly quietly explained.

Frank brightened. ”The GPS is working! Then there's hope:”

Kelly nodded.

By now, the shaman had wandered off, losing interest in them. ”In the meantime,” Zane hissed, ”we're supposed to gather a sample of the sap:”

”I know where it comes from,” Kelly said, nodding toward a channel carved deep into the wall. s.h.i.+elded by the two men, she picked up the empty nut drained by her brother and pulled out the straw. She crossed to the wall and removed a small wooden plug. A thick red sap began to flow into the channel.

She bent the nut's opening into the flow and began col-lecting the sap. It was slow work.

”Let me,” Zane said. ”You look after your brother:”

Kelly nodded and stepped to Nate. ”The stretcher is still here,” she said, pointing an arm to the makes.h.i.+ft travois. ”When and if we get the signal, we'll have to move fast:”

”We should-”

The first explosion shocked them all. Everyone froze as the blastechoed away. Nate stared at the open slits high up the curved walls. It was not thunder. Not from blue skies. Then more and more booms followed. Beyond the roar, sharper cries arose.

Screams.

”We're under attack!” Nate exclaimed.

He turned and found a pistol pointed at him.

”Don't move,” Zane said, crouching by the wall, a tight and scared expression on his face. He held the nut, now overflowing with sap, cradled in one arm, and the 9mm Beretta in the other. ”No one move:”

”What are you-” Kelly began.

Nate interrupted, immediately understanding. ”You!” He remembered Kouwe's suspicions:other trackers on their trail, a spy among them. ”You G.o.dd.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.d. You sold us out!”

Zane slowly stood. ”Back away!” The pistol was held rock steady on them.

Beyond the tense room, explosions continued to boom. Grenades.

Nate pulled Kelly away from Zane's threatening gun.

Behind them, the shaman suddenly bolted toward the opening, fright-ened by the explosions, oblivious to the closer threat. A sound of alarm rose on his lips.

”Stop!” Zane screamed at the tribesman.

The shaman was too panicked to listen or to comprehend the stranger's tongue. He continued to run.

Zane twitched his gun and fired. In the enclosed s.p.a.ce, the blast was deafening. But not so deafening as to drown out the cry of surprise from the shaman.

Nate glanced over his shoulder. The shaman fell on his side, clutching his belly, gasping. Blood flowed from around his fingers. Red with anger, Nate turned on Zane. ”You b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He couldn't understand you:”

The gun again pointed at them. Zane slowly circled around, keeping his weapon aimed. He even kept a safe distance from Frank's hammock, not taking any chances. ”You were always the gullible fool,” the Tellux man said. ”Just like your father. Neither of you understood anything about money and power.”

”Who are you working for?” Nate spat.

Zane now had his back to the exit. The shaman had rolled into a moaning ball off to the side. Zane stopped and motioned with his pistol. ”Toss your weapons out the window slits. One at a time:”

Nate refused to budge, shaking with rage. Zane fired, blasting wood chips from between Nate's toes.

”Do as he says,” Frank ordered from the hammock.

Scowling, Kelly obeyed. She freed her pistol from its holster and flung it out one of the windows.

Nate still hesitated.

Zane smiled coldly. ”The next bullet goes through your girlfriend's heart”

”Nate. . :” Frank warned from the bed.

Teeth clenched, Nate edged to the wall, weighing his chances of firing at Zane. But the odds weren't good, not with Kelly's life at risk. He unslung his gun and heaved it through one of the slits.

Zane nodded, satisfied, and backed toward the exit. ”You'll have to excuse me, but I have a rendezvous to make. I suggest you three remain here. It's the safest spot in the valley at the moment:”

With those snide words, Zane slipped out of the chamber and disap-peared down the throat of the tunnel.

8:12 A. M.

Deep in the jungle, Manny ran alongside Private Camera. Tor-for raced beside them, ears flattened to his skull. Explosions ripped through the morning, smoke wafted through the trees.