They were in a deep, steep-sided hole.
A clearly man-made hole.
Nik pinched the bridge of his nose.Damn. It was some kind of trap.
Outside, he heard the shouts of the others, and realized they’d fallen into similar traps.
A long, drawn-out whistle sounded.
The creatures appeared above, sniffing the edge. They looked less crazed now, tongues lolling.
“They herded us into the traps,” Nera said.
Nik gave a short nod. “I think so.”
“What?” Galen said. “Who?”
Another sharp whistle and the beasts retreated.
What now?Nik stared upward.
A face appeared at the rim, peering over at them.
A man. His head was devoid of hair but covered in dark tattoos. He wore some sort of leather top, and more primal tattoos twined around his muscled arms. He studied them for a moment, then looked back over his shoulder. He called out something in a language Nik’s high-tech lingual implant didn’t recognize.
The man pulled back and disappeared.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say we’re well and truly fucked,” Galen said.
Nik kicked at the ground. “Yeah, you could say that.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Nera marched along behind Niklas. Her hands were bound in front of her, and while it was some natural vine that she’d been tied with, she’d tested it, and it was damned strong. She wasn’t slipping free any time soon.
They were all bound together in a long line, their captors keeping guard, their tattooed faces grim.
The warriors had a primitive look, with their animal-hide clothes and black tattoos. They carried spears and large, machete-like knives carved from shiny black rock. Nera also noted how they all moved with a precision that screamed intensive training, and they gripped their weapons in a manner that promised her they knew how to use them. On top of that, the spears were tipped with a green-black substance she guessed was the corrosive poison they’d encountered before.
Primitive, but effective. And they knew the terrain.
Their little band was following the cliff face. The mutant dogs trotted along beside them, deceptively calm, tongues lolling. But any time they looked at one of Nera’s group, they growled.
She pulled in a breath. They just had to be patient and wait for an opportunity.
And if anyone tried to hurt Niklas…well, they’d soon realize that was a mistake.
Ahead, two more warriors appeared out of the vegetation, calling out to the others in their strange language. They, too, had black tattoos covering their bare chests. They were talking quickly and gesturing.
One of their captors prodded Nera and she moved on. They passed fences of sharpened spears pointed toward the jungle. On one, she saw the decaying remains of zombies. Ahead, she saw a huge cave entrance in the rocks, with more sentries flanking it.
They passed inside. She watched Niklas looking around with interest, and she shook her head. The man just absorbed everything and loved learning. The tunnel was wide and well-used, the dirt floor compacted down.
Soon, they came to a junction with three tunnels spearing off, each in a different direction. Their captors kept going, taking them straight ahead into the largest tunnel.
Ahead, she heard the echo of voices, smelled smoke.
The tunnel opened up into a giant cavern.
