Savage Lands (16 page)

• • •

J
ane,
Robbie, and Idra edged away from the tunnel, hiding behind a large knot of ferns growing on a porous boulder. They had moved just in time, a Targarni barreled past them and into the tunnel they had just vacated. Moments later, the ape returned, hooting loudly—the cave-in had been discovered. Goyad galloped across to check on the tunnel himself.

As they watched, Idra whispered, “Watch what they do next. They must know which other tunnels lead out of here.”

Goyad returned, hooting a series of calls, which sent several Targarni scattering to different tunnels across the cavern.

“I don't think they have another way out,” said Jane in confusion, as some of the apes reappeared and checked different tunnels.

“We're trapped,” said Robbie desperately, once again fighting to keep calm. Jane squeezed his hand, which had a surprisingly sobering effect.

“We'll get out. Somehow.” She smiled.

Jane spotted Tarzan crabbing around the Targarni perimeter as he inched closer to the old mining gantry supporting the waterwheel. He drew his knife and gracefully vaulted up the wooden supports so he could reach the wheel's axle. Propping himself in the framework, he began hacking at the rope securing it in place.

Jane tried to think ahead. Would the waterwheel cause enough of a distraction for the prisoners to make a bid for freedom? With some of the apes missing as they checked the tunnels, this was the ideal opportunity—but she still didn't know how they would escape.

Tarzan slashed the waterwheel's bonding ropes on one side and the entire structure wobbled as he set about severing the others. With a loud crack the waterwheel suddenly spun off the poles that held it in place.

It was turning with such momentum that the wheel shot off at speed, crashing through part of the poorly constructed gantry, sections of which collapsed in its wake. The startled Targarni looked around in surprise as the wheel rolled toward them. One was too slow in his attempt to outrun it and was crushed under the heavy wood.

The prisoners yelled in surprise and dashed in different directions as the wheel passed through the area they were mining. Queen La watched with dismay as further sections of the gantry collapsed, the pulley system snapping, sending buckets of rock crashing to the ground. One crushed a Targarni; another almost killed Ramón, who darted aside just in time.

Greystoke grabbed Clark by the shoulder as he tried to run, and twisted him around to face Tarzan. “Clark! This way.” He stopped to remove his gem from the rock as they ran toward Tarzan, slipping it inside his pocket.

• • •

Q
ueen
La watched the stray wheel ramp over the edge of the magma lake before splashing into the liquid rock. The entire wooden frame ignited as it sank rapidly. She turned quickly and saw Tarzan standing on the remains of the gantry, grinning mischievously.

“Get him!” she roared, pointing at the ape-man.

A Targarni close to her hissed with frustration and clawed irritably at her, showing Tarzan that her control of the apes was tenuous. She backed up her command with a short leather whip concealed in the folds of her robe. The black leather snapped across the belligerent ape. “I said, get him!” repeated Queen La in a roaring hiss. The ape leaped into action.

Tarzan saw Greystoke and Clark running toward him, along with two of the other prisoners. But under Queen La's oppressive command, a pair of Targarni overcame their confused fear and followed close behind, ready to charge the ape-man.

With a bull roar, Tarzan dived from the gantry, soaring over Greystoke and Clark to block the path of the attacking Targarni. Tarzan raised his blade and brought it down across the lead ape, killing it instantly. The second ape was already airborne. A loud gunshot echoed through the chamber and the ape slumped, falling dead at Tarzan's feet.

Queen La snarled, bearing her sharpened fangs. She quickly glanced around, searching for the source of the gunshot, before turning back to Tarzan who was advancing toward her, blood dripping from his knife.

Goyad suddenly jumped from a rocky outcrop, aiming straight for Tarzan's back. But the ape-man had been anticipating the move and had deliberately left himself open for attack. He turned as Goyad landed on him, sending them both rolling across the rocks. The albino screeched as Tarzan rammed the blade into his chest. He had been aiming for the heart, but missed by an inch and the blade sank up to the hilt. It was a terrible wound, but not the killing stroke Tarzan had intended.

Greystoke and Clark stopped in their tracks as they saw Tarzan fall. Clark limped back.

“Where are you going?” called Greystoke.

“We've got to help him!” yelled Clark, fueled by thoughts of revenge against the mad queen.

Greystoke dithered as more Targarni emerged from the tunnels they had been exploring and set out to circle the fleeing prisoners.

Tarzan pushed Goyad off of him, the injured ape clutching at the knife in his chest as he swayed drunkenly. Tarzan rolled to his feet just as another three Targarni mobbed him, pressing his face down on the rock. He felt their teeth bite and claws scratch, but he endured the pain with grim determination, refusing to show any weakness. But they had him prone on the floor, and yet another three apes weighed him down. The loss of blood weakened him and he was unable to muster the strength to hurl the apes off.

A cold cackling stopped him from struggling. He tried to look up, but could only see Queen La's calloused bare feet and the glint of the jewels adorning the hem of her robe.

“It seems Queen La has the wild man as her new pet.” She knelt down so he could see her cruel face. She smiled, revealing those wicked teeth. “And she wonders what a Jungle God would taste like.”

A
lbert Werper pressed further into the underground labyrinth of Opar, guided by the natural illumination. With each step, he began to doubt the tales of untold riches and tried to imagine who had plundered the city before him; at least the archeological value of the site was something that couldn't be taken from him. That alone would secure his place in the history books.

Lost in his musings, he almost walked into a pale Targarni that galloped up the corridor toward him. The ape hadn't seen him, giving him scant seconds to push himself flat against the wall, hidden behind a carved rib. He held his breath, hoping the ape would simply walk past.

Then a distant crash and shriek reverberated down the tunnel and the Targarni skidded to a halt, its head cocked back the way it had come, before it quickly turned and retreated back down the passage. Werper breathed out in relief and crept down the passageway, noticing the light ahead.

The passage gave way to a large balcony area some twenty feet above the huge cavern. His mind raced as he took in the peculiar image. The lava-fall cascaded to one side—the river was nearer to him—and a lush slice of jungle carpeted the floor, just reaching the top of the balcony he was standing on. Below, he saw the Targarni circling a group of bedraggled captives and he immediately identified Greystoke and Clark among them.

He was shocked to see a slender handsome woman flanked by Targarni. The albino ape sat to one side, bleeding from a chest wound as it slid out a knife that was buried deep in its flesh. But all eyes were on Tarzan as he was hauled to his feet by the apes, his hands firmly tied behind his back. As the woman moved he realized her robe was laced with precious gems, and his greedy eyes widened as he watched, unseen in the shadows.

• • •

T
arzan
struggled against the rope, but Queen La had tied him securely, looping it around his arms, legs, and neck, so every time he moved he choked himself. She studied him curiously.

“What are you?”

“Tarzan,” he growled. “Free us or you
will
die.”

Queen La's head tilted back as she laughed, almost pleasantly. “You dare threaten Queen La, Priestess of Opar?” She gestured around the cavern.

The mountain suddenly rumbled and Tarzan enjoyed watching her momentary flicker of concern. She recovered, yelling “Silence!” at the Targarni who had begun hooting anxiously. The apes fell silent, prompted by a lazy swish of her whip. She circled Tarzan as a cat would play with its next meal.

“You come to Opar to free your friends … but there is no escape from here. The slaves volunteer their lives for their queen.” She gestured toward them with the whip, then squeezed Tarzan's broad shoulders. “You wouldn't even make a meal—all muscle and gristle, no doubt. So if you don't make a meal … then you must make an example.” She whispered the last thoughtfully. “Yes … a sacrifice to the Fire God …”

She looked around the cavern, her eyes suddenly wide and raised her hands and shouted. “Tarzan shall be sacrificed to appease the Fire God!”

The statement excited the Targarni who began whooping their approval. Tarzan struggled at his bonds, choking himself so tightly he dropped to his knees, gasping for breath. Queen La stood over him and mocked him.

“So full of power, Tarzan will make a fine sacrifice once subdued.” She crossed to a new section of the cavern—a section the Targarni kept a noticeable distance from. Tarzan was feeling weak due to his wounds and lack of oxygen. With his head bowed, his eyes followed Queen La to a large square bath carved into the stone. Covered in hieroglyphs, it was the size of a small swimming pool and came up to her waist. A large stone snake arced from the end, curved so it peered down into the bath.

Queen La slowly reached in, a manic look in her eyes. With a smile she suddenly pulled out the largest
histah
Tarzan had ever seen. The snake was as wide as his arm and the length of two men. Queen La held it just behind its head, but it hissed furiously as it thrashed. Despite her wiry frame, the queen was incredibly strong—able to lift the snake out with one hand, draping it around her neck and under one arm. The thrashing reptile curled its body around her. She approached Tarzan with slow methodical footsteps, extending the snake toward him. Tarzan recoiled, but the simple act forced the rope to crush his neck. Queen La teased the snake close to his face, which only irritated the serpent. Its jaws hyperextended as it hissed.

Tarzan could see venom dripping down the two-inch fangs and he tried to move again, but Queen La shoved the reptile closer and in a blur of movement it struck Tarzan's shoulder.

• • •

J
ane's
hand crossed her mouth to prevent her from screaming aloud as the snake bit into Tarzan. The mighty ape-man slumped face-first onto the ground.

“He's dead!” She could hardly get the words out.

Idra placed a consoling hand on her shoulder and shook her head. “Not yet he's not. It's a Gaboon viper. Only I've never seen one so big. It'll pack a punch with its venom. Those fangs sink deep but will have trouble getting through that much muscle. Plus he's tied up so his circulation is restricted. With luck, he could still make it.”

They watched as Goyad crossed to the unconscious ape-man. Walking on all fours was painful, so the chimp stood on two legs, as if mocking Tarzan, and kept one hand clamped across its chest to stem the blood from its wound. He sat at Tarzan's head, batting him with a backhand, and tensing to flee just in case the man retaliated. But Tarzan remained motionless. Goyad was about to strike again when a scent suddenly caught his nose. He looked around quickly, trying to identify it.

“We don't have any luck,” intoned Robbie as Goyad disappeared into the bushes.

“In that case, he's got about five minutes so I can administer an anti-venom.” Idra patted the first-aid kit in her pack. “It's a generic one, but we can only hope it's enough.”

“I don't think we have five minutes,” said Robbie urgently. “And I hope you can do it without us being spotted.”

• • •

Q
ueen
La began strapping Tarzan to sections of wood that had fallen from the gantry. Clark took a step forward, but a hiss from a Targarni made him quickly retreat.

“We've got to do something,” he said to Ramón and Greystoke, but both men looked helpless now that their one chance of escape had been thwarted.

La pushed a plank under Tarzan's armpits, so the back of his neck braced it in place. She attached a rope and ordered several Targarni to heave on the pulleys to lift Tarzan several feet off the ground.

The cavern shook as she did so, debris raining from the ceiling. The lava-fall spluttered, and then spectacularly ejected even more molten rock into the river below. The edge of the lava tube, from which it flowed, crumbled from the pressure building behind. The Targarni looked around fearfully, but Queen La's words prevented them from fleeing.

“We hear you Mountain God!” screamed Queen La. “We will sacrifice this beast to appease you!”

The apes pulled on the rope and Tarzan was hoisted further into the air.

• • •

“C
an't
you shoot her?” Robbie asked in desperation.

Idra lined the crazed woman in her sight and nodded. “Sure. But then who will hold the apes back?” She lowered the rifle. “And where are we going to go?” her voice quivered fearfully. “Sorry, guys, I just can't see a way out of this.” She lifted the rifle again. “But I'm going to take her out anyway.”

With the pulleys working, Tarzan was inched closer to the magma.

“Stop!” said Jane suddenly, pushing Idra's barrel down. “Can you shoot the rope?”

Idra looked uncertain. “If I miss, it's not going to be a pretty sight… .”

Jane felt anger well up inside her. She was not going to give in, not now—not this close to rescuing Clark and Greystoke. Then an idea formed, born out of desperation. Usually, she would have never given it another thought. But it was their only chance.

• • •

C
lark
tensed as Tarzan was hoisted several feet over the magma. The terrific heat was scalding the ape-man's legs, but still he remained unconscious. Only the slight rise and fall of his chest convinced Clark that he was still alive.

Clark couldn't see a way out of their predicament, and he had been in many tight spots in his life. He didn't want to accept that his greed had helped lead them all to certain death, it was not a burden he wished to carry to the grave. If he was going to go out, it would be on his terms. He braced himself, ready to run the fifty yards to the crazed woman. Four Targarni blocked the way, but Clark was determined to fight to the death.

• • •

F
rom
his vantage point, Werper could see everything play out beneath him. He saw Jane dash from cover, crouching through the foliage just as another huge spurt of magma increased the flow of the molten fall.

The wood to which Tarzan was strapped was starting to char and he could only guess what it would be like for the ape-man to be cooked alive. Queen La and the Targarni watched with glee, the apes hooting their approval and bobbing excitedly on all fours.

Then Werper's gaze fell to the prisoners where Clark was clearly tensing for action. Werper knew the lame fool wouldn't make it a dozen yards. He had wondered how he could reach the queen himself so he could rip the jewels from her robe. His initial plan of waiting until she slept was in jeopardy now that the lava flow had increased. Since everybody was focused on Tarzan, nobody had noticed the magma river was rising. Even as Werper watched, the liquid inched above the channel it had carved over hundreds of years. It was just a matter of time before the chamber reverted to its old purpose and was filled with magma.

Logic told Werper to run, but he was too weak and the lure of the jewels was too great. If a miracle occurred, and he survived the inevitable eruption, then he wanted to ensure he was a rich survivor.

He became aware of the hot breath on the back of his neck before he heard the hoarse breathing. His blood chilled as he slowly spun around. Goyad rose from the darkness behind him.

• • •

J
ane
crawled silently on her belly through the undergrowth. In her pants pocket she carried a syringe Idra had quickly prepared from her first-aid kit. Getting the anti-venom into Tarzan was critical, even if it meant she got caught. She clutched Robbie's machete in her hand. She didn't know if she had the stomach to attack Queen La or the apes with it, but she would find out soon enough.

She tensed, ready to make the run across the mined earth the moment Robbie and Idra started their distraction—but suddenly all was chaos.

A blood-curdling scream jerked her attention to a balcony where Goyad hurled the body of Albert Werper from the twenty-foot drop. She didn't see Werper hit the floor, but his screams quickly switched to murmurs of pain. The albino gave a triumphant yell and dropped onto him.

Jane watched as Clark made the most of the distraction and dashed for Queen La. He passed two confused Targarni before a third one coiled to attack. But before it could, a gunshot cracked, killing it.

Now it was her turn. Jane bolted from her hiding place. Nobody saw her coming and she made it to the nearest Targarni who had paused in hoisting Tarzan to his fiery death. She saw flames begin to lick the surface of the wooden disk, which only served to ignite her own rage.

She swung the machete at the savage apes, closing her eyes as she did so. The blade decapitated one, the other screeching in fear as it jumped back several paces before twisting around to attack her. Another gunshot rang out and the rock close to the ape's foot shattered as Idra's bullet ricocheted from it. The ape bolted for safety, and Jane hoped that Idra's aim would hold steady before she was shot too.

• • •

“N
o!”
screamed Queen La as Clark collided into her. She staggered backward, falling hard, still with the great viper around her shoulders. Clark fell next to her, uncomfortably close to the magma's edge. He tried to scramble away, but the snake was blocking his only path to safety. It coiled, hissing loudly as its head swayed between him and Queen La, deciding who to strike first.

• • •

R
obbie
could scarcely believe Jane's escape plan when she had revealed it back in the tunnel, but now he could see it was the only chance they had. He sprinted down the tunnel to retrieve the raft from the alcove room. Rolling the raft back into its carry bag wasted precious moments. He was halfway back when all hell broke loose in the cavern.

“You were supposed to wait!” he muttered when he heard Idra's first gunshot.

Emerging from the tunnel, he saw Idra quickly reloading her rifle. She gave a quick nod of the head. “Go!”

Robbie followed the back wall, circling around to the river. Jane's distraction was working perfectly—he didn't bump into a single Targarni. He reached the edge of the fast-flowing river and slung the pack to the ground. As he unrolled the raft he peered into the water. It looked deep and dangerous. He tried not to think about the journey that lay ahead.

He laid the raft flat on the ground and activated the small internal electric pump. It was noisy and he was concerned that it would attract attention. But nobody paid him any heed. He had initially expected the raft to inflate instantly, but Idra had warned him it would take a minute or so.

Another gunshot rang out and he risked peeking over a pile of boulders that was offering cover. He was relieved to see Jane hauling Tarzan back to safety. The ape-man was still trussed up, his head bowed in uncharacteristic weakness.