Some of the Neetha guards had guns-but most of them were old and poorly maintained, and they were no match for the modern weapons of the invading force.

And so Wolf's force advanced through the ravine system, killing Neetha defenders on every side. The Neetha fought fanatically, giving away nothing, fighting to the bitter end.

Many Congolese troops were killed, either by gun or by arrow, but their numbers were too great and their techniques too good, and soon they were spilling out onto the main village square.

As the invasion of the ravine system began, pandemonium broke loose all around the prisoner platforms.

The villagers-until then eagerly awaiting the results of the hunt in the maze-had scattered. So too the royal clan members, taking up their weapons.

Any warriormonks who had remained near the platforms quickly dashed to the safety of their templefortress, crossing its first drawbridge and taking up positions in their holy tower-the fourstory structure situated out on the lake, halfway between the temple fortress and the opposite sh.o.r.e.

As for Lily and Wizard, they were simply left on their platforms.

They could only watch helplessly as explosions and gunfire rang out from the ravine, growing louder and closer.

But then Lily saw some movement on the other side of the lake.

She saw the warlock and two monks dash out to the triangular island in the middle of the lake and scoop up the three sacred items sitting there: the Delphic Orb, the Second Pillar, and the inclinometerlike sighting device.

Then they turned and bolted for the opposite sh.o.r.e, arriving at a narrow path next to the maze's outer wall just as- -Zoe and Alby dashed out along the same path, racing out from the shadows at the southern end of the maze!

Lily almost cheered.They'd got through the maze...

A struggle ensued, with Zoe disarming the two warriormonks before jamming the b.u.t.t end of a spear into the warlock's face, felling him, knocking him out cold.

Lily then watched as Zoe and Alby s.n.a.t.c.hed up the three sacred objects and- Clunk!

Lily turned at the sudden sound.

And saw Ono standing opposite her platform, holding a plank vertically, as if he was ready to lay it down across the void to her platform. Diane Ca.s.sidy stood similarly near Wizard's platform, also with a plank in hand.

They both held rather oldlooking pistols in their spare hands.

In the chaos all around them-Neetha warriors rushing to the defenses, exploding grenades, wild gunfire-the prisoner platforms were being ignored.

Ono said quickly, "Young Lily! There is escape tunnel hidden within priesthood's island tower! I will show you...if you take us with you."

"Deal," Lily said.

Ono didn't understand the word.

"Yes, yes," Lily said quickly. "We'll take you with us."

Clunk! Clunk!

Both planks thunked loudly into position on the two platforms and Lily and Wizard dashed off them, free at last.

As they ran toward the templefortress of the priesthood, Wizard saw Zoe and Alby on the other side of the lake, running in the same direction, carrying the island's sacred objects.

"Zoe!" he called. "Get to the central tower! The priests' tower! It's an exit!"

"Got it!" Zoe yelled.

No sooner had she spoken than a great explosion blasted out above the huge waterfall at the northern end of the Neetha ravine.

The awning of bentover trees concealing the ravine there spontaneously erupted in flames, and burning branches and tree trunks rained down onto the lake below, falling a full four hundred feet.

Then with a terrific roar, two CIEF Black Hawk helicopters swooped down through the opening that had been created, hovering perfectly-noses up, tails down-directly above the priests' island tower!

They were modified Black Hawks known as Defender Armed Penetrators, or DAPs- although the only modifications they possessed were in the amount of weaponry they carried. These choppers were armed to the teeth with guns, rocket pods, and missile launchers.

Rockets shot out from the two DAPs, hitting every one of the Neethas' strategic defensive positions. Stone towers were blown to pieces. Warriors were hurled into the lake.

Obstacles in the main entry ravine were blown clear out of the water, allowing the Congolese foot soldiers to pour into the village unopposed.

The priesthood's templefortress was also hit by a rocket from above.

In a single instant, flames flared from every one of its narrow stone windows, and a moment later its huge armored doors flew open and burning warriormonks came spilling out of it, rushing down the steps and hurling their flaming bodies into the lake...where the flames were doused, but where the everpatient crocodiles lay waiting.

Screams. Splashing. Thrashing.

"This is our chance," Wizard said. "Inside! Now!"

With Lily, Ono, and Ca.s.sidy behind him, he rushed for the templefortress, ducking arrows and dodging bullets- -only to be blocked at the steps of the templefortress by three unexpected players: the obese chief of the Neetha and two of his sons, all of them brandishing pumpaction shotguns aimed right at Wizard's fleeing group.

The chief barked some angry words at Ono and Ca.s.sidy, and they immediately lowered their little pistols.

"What'd he say?" Wizard whispered.

"He says that we cannot leave," Ca.s.sidy said. "He says that I am his, that he owns me.

When this is all over he says he will teach me a lesson in his bedroom, and that he will thrash Ono to within an inch of his worthless life."

Ca.s.sidy glared at the chief.

"There will be no more lessons in your bedroom," she said flatly, defiantly, just as she whipped up her pistol and fired it twice-expertly-into the foreheads of the two royal sons.

Both men dropped, the backs of their skulls bursting with blood, dead before they hit the ground.

Stunned, the chief whipped up his own shotgun, only to find himself already staring into the barrel of Diane Ca.s.sidy's pistol.

"I've been waiting five years for this," she said.

Blam!

The bullet went through the Neetha chief's nose, breaking it on the way into his brain, causing a ma.s.sive geyser of blood to splatter all over his face.

The fat ruler collapsed onto the steps of the templefortress, his body sliding down them, his crackedopen skull oozing brains.

The King of the Neetha was dead.

Diane Ca.s.sidy stared down at his body with a mix of disgust and b.l.o.o.d.y triumph.

Wizard scooped up the fallen chief's shotgun and grabbed Ca.s.sidy's hand. "Come on!

Time to go."

THE DRAWBRIDGES AND THE TOWER.

WIZARD'S GROUP hurried through the templefortress of the Neetha priesthood.

It was like running through a Gothic freak show.

b.l.o.o.d.y skeletons hung from torture devices, steaming pots of foul liquids simmered, ancient inscriptions lined the walls.

They hurried up some stairs and came to a long drawbridge that led to the central tower out on the lake. A second matching drawbridge stretched out from the tower itself, meeting with their lowered bridge in the middle.

"This way!" Ono said, rushing out onto their drawbridge.

The group raced across it.

But when they were halfway across, a call stopped Wizard dead in his stride.

"Epper! Professor Max Epper!"

Wizard turned...to see Wolf standing down near the Fighting Stone, looking directly over at him.

"We found you, Max! You knew we would! You can't win this! My son couldn't, so how can you?"

Wolf held up something for Wizard to see: A battered and worn fireman's helmet, bearing the badge: "FDNY Precinct 17."

Jack's helmet.

Beside him, Wizard heard Lily gasp as she saw it.

"I watched him die, Epper!" Wolf called. "My own son! You're all out of heroes! Why keep running?"

Wizard instinctively clenched his teeth. "Not completely out," he said softly, taking Lily by the hand and racing into the tower.

On their side of the lake, Zoe and Alby were also heading for the central tower inside the priests' enclave.

They were rushing along a narrow lakeside path toward a small fort nestled up against the ravine wall when a new wave of Wolf's men entered the ravine, this time from the north, from above the waterfall.

They came abseiling down the cliffs there on drop ropes, two dozen Congolese and American troops, covered by one of the Black Hawks.

Alby was gazing up at this new wave of attackers when suddenly a Neetha warriormonk popped up into view on the roof of the little fort in front of him and fired-of all things-an Angolan RPG up at the Black Hawk!

The RPG hit its mark, and hovering above the lake, the Black Hawk exploded, blasting apart. Bleeding smoke, it nosedived into the water, landing with a ma.s.sive splash not far from the tower.

"Jesus, I think these Neetha guys have kept every weapon they've ever found," Zoe said.

As the Black Hawk crashed, the warriormonk who'd fired the rocket ducked from sight, probably to reload.

His disappearance gave Zoe and Alby the opening they needed to race to the cliffside fort, dash inside it, and climb its internal stone stairs.

One floor up, they came to a stone halfbridge stretching out from the fort toward the central tower. Mounted on several stone columns, this halfbridge was designed to meet the island tower's eastern drawbridge when it was fully lowered-as it was now.

As they looked out across this doublebridge, they spotted Wizard standing in the doorway to the tower, waving them over.

"This way! Hurry!" he yelled as, without warning, the drawbridge in front of him began to rise.

Wizard seemed perplexed. He wasn't doing it. Someone else was.

"Run!" he called.

"Run!"Zoe said to Alby.

She and Alby dashed out into open s.p.a.ce, gunfire and explosions ringing out all around them, an RPG zooming past them, its smoke trail slicing through the air before it slammed into the cliffside fort behind them and detonated. The fort erupted. Rocks and debris flew every which way.

But the RPGfiring warriormonk who had been on its roof had already got out of there- and he came charging out of the little fort behind Zoe and Alby, also seeking to cross the doublebridge and get to the tower.

The drawbridge was rising-one foot above the leading edge of the halfbridge. Two feet...three...

Zoe and Alby were almost at it.

The monk was sprinting hard behind them.

Zoe and Alby got there as the rising wooden drawbridge rose four feet above the gap. Zoe quickly picked up Alby and hurled him at the rising bridge's edge.

Alby flew through the air and thudded chest first into the leading edge of the drawbridge.

The hit winded him but he got a handhold, and held on, halfbent over the edge of the rising bridge.

With Alby safely on the drawbridge, Zoe jumped for it herself, leaping from the end of the stone halfbridge, arms outstretched, and she caught the edge of the drawbridge with her fingertips and exhaled a sigh of relief.

Until the warriormonk behind her also leaped for the drawbridge and, since he could no longer reach it, caughther by the waist!

Zoe was jerked downward, yanked by the extra weight, but she held on, her fingers going white as they gripped the edge of the ascending drawbridge.

Ever rising, the drawbridge pa.s.sed through twenty degrees, thirty, then fortyfive degrees...

Bent over the leading edge of the rising bridge, clutching the Second Pillar in one hand, Alby saw Zoe beneath him, struggling with the warriormonk. He shifted awkwardly, juggling the Pillar, so that he could get into a position to help her...

...when-thunk!-without warning the whole huge drawbridge stopped with a violent lurching jolt that sent the unbalanced Alby flying clear off its upper edge and tumbling down its length, headinginto the tower!

Alby rolled down the steep drawbridge, trying his best to keep hold of the Pillar. But at the very bottom of his fall, he landed heavily on the stone base of the halfraised drawbridge and the Pillar popped from his grip and bounced away from him, through the tower and out onto theother drawbridge, the one that stretched back toward the village.

Alby watched in horror as the gla.s.slike Pillar came to rest out on the other drawbridge, right at the point where it joined with the matching drawbridge that folded out from the templefortress.