Savage Lands (17 page)

Robbie saw Clark farther down the magma river, trapped between the molten rock and the enormous snake. He had given his only weapon to Jane and frantically searched around for anything he could use. The telescopic raft paddles were the only things at hand.

Robbie charged from his hiding place, bellowing as loudly as he could. The dozen Targarni around the cavern saw him and galloped to intercept. But their path was blocked by the prisoners, who finally saw their chance for freedom. To Robbie's surprise, Greystoke led the charge, his pickaxe swinging down on the nearest Targarni with lethal ferocity.

The snake's attention was focused on its nearest two victims and didn't sense Robbie. He arced the paddle backward, extending it to its full length in a series of clicks, and swung it as hard as he could. The flat blade struck the enormous snake, and it lunged for the threat, its jaws unhinging so wide the paddle got caught in its mouth. Unable to close its jaws, the snake writhed with such power that the paddle was yanked from Robbie's hand. But his job was done and Clark scrambled away from the edge of the bubbling magma.

• • •

J
ane
slashed the ropes binding Tarzan and he slumped onto his side. She put the machete down and pulled the syringe from her pocket. The hypodermic needle was in a protective plastic sleeve and she had difficulty removing it as her fingers were shaking so much. She dropped it and cursed. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she tried again. On the third attempt she got the needle onto the end of the syringe.

Idra had told her to inject straight into a vein. Jane held the needle over one of Tarzan's bulging veins and hesitated. Even after decapitating a Targarni, this seemed like a terrible thing to do. She had never liked injections, despite her father being a doctor. But with Tarzan close to death, there was no time to lose. She gritted her teeth and plunged the needle into his skin, thumbing down the plastic plunger to inject the anti-venom.

Tarzan gasped and a spasm pulsed through him as the adrenaline in the mixture kicked in. His eyes flicked open and he bellowed so powerfully that several Targarni froze in fear—providing easy targets for the handful of prisoners to pick off.

• • •

T
he
prisoners were fighting the Targarni to the death—bodies, both human and ape, lay strewn around. Robbie looked away, not wishing to linger on the carnage. The viper was still writhing on the floor, attempting to dislodge the paddle, so for now it was no threat. Robbie saw Jane helping Tarzan sit up, so shoved Clark toward the boat.

“We're leaving,” said Robbie.

“You're not going anywhere!” snarled Queen La, sprinting to intercept them. “Your queen forbids it!”

She grabbed the whip from her robe and swung it at them. Clark's hand snapped out and he grabbed it. The leather coiled painfully around his arm, drawing blood. But with Queen La holding the other end, he yanked her forward.

“I was never a stickler for rules,” he snarled, and punched her in the face, so hard that two of her fangs shattered and she was lifted clean off her feet. Clark pulled the whip from around his arm and tossed it aside.

Robbie tried to help him back to the boat, but Clark resisted. Queen La was not moving. She was lying just feet from the magma, which was quickly seeping across the floor toward her.

“Clark!” said Robbie urgently.

“The jewels!” he said, his eyes filling with greed as he shucked Robbie off.

“Leave them!”

Clark ignored him and approached Queen La. Already she was regaining consciousness.

A terrific bang shook the entire cavern, throwing Clark off balance. The magma torrent exploded in volume to almost five times its size and the cavern wall disintegrated as a huge fiery wall of magma poured into the chamber. Spurts of molten rock landed in the freshwater river upstream, hissing violently and sending up a wall of steam that rapidly cut off visibility.

Clark's hand was just a foot away from the fortune he craved. “We have to go!” yelled Robbie, pulling Clark away from the queen.

The raft had fully inflated as they returned. Idra had made it to the raft and was readying for launch. Clark stopped in his tracks.

“We're leaving in that?” he said incredulously.

“There's no other way out,” said Robbie. Already, the steam obscured most of the cavern as it throbbed a dull red, lit by the magma flowing behind.

“Leave everything here,” Idra commanded, tossing her rifle and spare ammunition onto the bank. “We have to keep weight down.”

Robbie cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “We're leaving! Come on!”

Idra helped Clark aboard before following. She reached for Robbie.

“We can't wait!” she warned.

Robbie didn't move and called out again. “JANE! LET'S GO!”

Idra extended the remaining paddle and dipped it into the water. “WE'RE GOING!” she called out to whoever was left to hear them.

To Robbie's relief, two figures emerged from the mist. “You had me worried… .” he began—but it wasn't Jane and Tarzan, it was Greystoke supporting Ramón.

“He was hurt saving me,” said Greystoke simply. He was covered in blood and his arrogant swagger had been stripped clean by the Savage Lands. A Mbuti porter followed closely behind. Robbie looked doubtfully at the raft, which was built for four people plus supplies—six at a push. He had discussed with Idra how they would get the rest of the prisoners out, but she had simply ended the conversation by reminding him that whoever was aboard first got to live.

“Robbie,” Idra warned as Greystoke helped Ramón aboard, before clambering up himself, “get in.”

Then Jane emerged through the mist, and Robbie felt one of the many knots of tension inside him vanish. Tarzan followed close behind, the skin on his legs red and raw, but not making a single sound of complaint.

Jane clambered onto the raft, helped by the Mbuti porter who quickly followed her. Robbie looked doubtfully at the boat—it was already at capacity.

“Come on!” said Jane urgently.

“If we board, you'll sink,” said Robbie desperately. He hated the conclusion he'd abruptly reached, but it was an obvious one. “You'll have to go without us.”

The heartbroken look on Jane's face tore him apart inside. She reached desperately for him, as did the Mbuti man, encouraging him in his Kango language. Tarzan made no move to climb aboard, and Robbie guessed the ape-man had drawn the same conclusion.

“That's it then,” said Idra as she leaned her weight on the oar and pushed away from the bank. “Sorry, guys.” The boat only moved a few feet; the prow caught against some rocks.

Jane was overwhelmed with emotion and reached for Robbie. “NO!”

As if fueled by her emotions the cavern shook again with a constant rumble. Massive chunks of rock—some the size of houses—fell from above, obliterating everything they struck. Robbie felt as if he was trapped in a meteor storm.

A car-sized chunk splashed down close to the boat, sending a wave that bucked the raft. Idra lost her balance and fell backward into the water, as did the Mbuti man, who pulled at Jane as he flailed for a handhold.

At that precise moment, a familiar challenge pierced the air. Goyad sprung through the mist, his white fur covered in blood. He landed forcibly on Tarzan. As the two titans battled, nobody saw the white shape swirling beneath the water, drawn toward the swimmers.

J
ane struggled to tread water. The water was intensely cold and she fought for breath as the chill gripped her. She was a confident swimmer, but the current was already tiring her out. However, she thought she could use her new circumstance to persuade Robbie.

“You get on the boat before me or I'm staying right here!”

She had expected him to argue, to tell her not to be so silly. Instead, he stared dumbly at the water. The Mbuti porter and Idra were swimming hard against the current, struggling to get back to the boat. Clark leaned over the side to reach for Idra as she was the nearest.

Then Jane saw what had stupefied Robbie, and she couldn't quite believe it herself. A pale shark fin rose from the water, zeroing in on the swimmers. One moment the Mbuti man was swimming, the next he vanished below the water without a whimper. Jane expected to see a fountain of blood, but there was nothing.

“Shark!” Robbie finally managed to say. “What the … ?”

Idra looked frantically around as Clark hauled her from the water.

“I got ya, darlin',” Clark assured her, just as the head of an albino bull shark erupted from the water like a torpedo. Its jaws perfectly encircled Idra's legs, clamping down hard. This time there was a lot of blood as she screamed with agony. She was yanked from Clark's grip and dragged below the surface.

Jane couldn't take her eyes off the macabre spectacle unfolding just yards away. She knew that she was next. The cold water felt like icy pins digging into her skin and she began hyperventilating, barely able to stay afloat, but too frightened to try and make it to the boat.

• • •

T
arzan
was still very weak as he wrestled Goyad to the floor, pummeling the wound he had inflicted with his knife. The ape showed no signs of weakness despite the many injuries he had sustained. He was driven by pure insanity and hatred, determined to kill Tarzan, no matter what the cost.

The Targarni's jaws bit into Tarzan's shoulder. Tarzan tensed, absorbing the pain as his other hand grabbed a rock that he used to smash into Goyad's skull repeatedly until the ape let go. Both fighters rolled aside, dazed.

Tarzan had only fought so close to death once before. That had been a long time ago, when he faced the lioness Sabor. He had only defeated her by using his blade and rope, but now he was weaponless.

No, not weaponless. His injuries were numbing his mind. He focused, his hand falling to the vine rope coiled at his waist. He pulled it free and cracked the rope tip at Goyad.

The ape hissed, the vine reminding him of the cruel whip Queen La used to lash her subjects into submission. The ground shook furiously as more of the cavern disintegrated, and Tarzan could feel intense heat as the wall of magma, hidden by steam, oozed toward them.

Tarzan threw the lasso, but Goyad had been expecting the move and darted aside. Just as Tarzan had planned.

The lasso had been a distraction, and the ape had now positioned himself exactly where Tarzan wanted him. With lightning speed Tarzan sprang for the ape, planting both feet into Goyad's chest.

The ape was catapulted backward at speed. He crumpled to the ground, but refused to stay down. With the last of his strength he pulled himself upright and hissed furiously—just as a huge chunk of rock slammed down, obliterating him.

Tarzan retrieved his lasso and ran for the raft. He had expected it to be halfway down the river by now, but was surprised to see it hadn't moved. The rocks had wedged it yards away from the bank. He saw the pale shark shoot through the water, and then saw Jane, shivering as she used the last of her energy to stay afloat.

A further explosion tore through the cavern as the earthquake rose in might. The entire underground city was falling apart. The colossal crashing sound and sudden rush of air told Tarzan they would all be buried alive if they didn't leave immediately.

He picked up Robbie, who started to protest as Tarzan took a running jump toward the raft. He landed perfectly in the center and dumped Robbie to the floor. Their momentum freed the raft from the rocks and the strong current caught it, twisting it around as they were suddenly pulled away from Jane.

“JANE!” Clark yelled, stretching precariously over the edge of the boat, extending the one remaining oar.

Tarzan hauled Clark back into the boat as the shark made a spirited attempt to break the surface where Clark had been hanging over. He threw his lasso with precision, and it looped around Jane's shoulders. She clung on to it with numb hands as Tarzan pulled. It was a gamble—the shark could easily go for the bait—but Tarzan was counting on chunks of rock falling from the roof to scare it away.

The surface of the water became unsettled as rock fell down with increasing fury. A pale fin broke the surface, zeroing in on Jane. With a grunt of effort, Tarzan yanked the rope, bringing Jane just within reach. He leaned as far as he could over the edge of the raft, ignoring the shouts from the others as the boat started to list under his weight. The fin was too close… .

Tarzan's fingers found Jane's arm and he hauled her aboard so quickly they both tumbled back into the boat, making it rock precariously as the shark swam underneath. Another slab of roof splashed down close by, forcing Clark to row for their lives.

Robbie and Tarzan checked on Jane—she was in shock, but all her limbs were attached. They looked up and saw the pitch-black cave mouth looming ahead, coming closer with increasing speed as the raft caught the whitewater current and was sucked deeper underground.

Greystoke had wedged himself in the prow and now used Idra's flashlight to illuminate the void. Even with the powerful light all they could see was spitting whitewater as the passage angled sharply downward. The stalactites lining the cave's mouth resembled teeth, and they all shared a feeling of being consumed by the earth.

Caught in the monstrous current, the raft hurtled through the tunnel at an insane speed. Jagged rocks sped past, mere inches away, caught in the glare of Greystoke's flashlight. Clark tried to use the paddle as a rudder but it was a futile gesture. The paddle was best used to push the boat away from the wall when it got too close. It took both hands, so Clark buried his foot into one of the straps on the floor—it was the only thing keeping him on board.

Jane, Robbie, and Tarzan clung on for dear life, with Ramón stowed between them. Robbie's flashlight provided extra illumination, but aside from the wall rushing past, all he could see was the wild grin on Tarzan's face. He was actually enjoying the rollercoaster ride.

The tunnel twisted and turned like a piece of knotted string. Some bends were so severe that the raft rolled halfway up the wall, caught in the frothing maelstrom splashing icy water all over them. Greystoke had stopped yelling in terror when he swallowed so much water he began to choke.

As if the echoing roar of the river wasn't enough to deafen them, the rumble of the volcano rose in pitch. With it the swell of water increased, pushing the raft closer to the rock above.

Holding on for his life with numb hands, Robbie glanced behind and saw a frothing wall of water fill the tunnel behind them, pushed on by the eruption. The raft was riding just ahead of it. He didn't want to imagine what horrors were swimming inside the wall of water… .

“HOLD ON!” shouted Greystoke suddenly.

Robbie turned back in time to see a stone column in their path. The raft caught a glancing blow, the rigid hull bouncing off and twisting around like a waltzer. Everybody was thrown to the side, their movement increasing the rate of spin. Robbie's flashlight strobed through a series of images: the wall of water pushing them from behind, the tunnel wall just feet away, the steep dip of the tunnel ahead.

The next drop was so sharp that the raft flew out of the water, the prow crashing into the roof. Greystoke slid back along the slick rubber and Tarzan's hand shot out to stop his cousin from falling out.

The raft did a belly flop back into the steep flume and their speed increased before the tunnel bent back to near horizontal so suddenly that the raft was completely submerged.

The raft was designed to float even if swamped so its positive buoyancy shot it back to the surface like a cork popping from a bottle. Robbie tried to breathe, but the water in his lungs made him retch. The world around him was a confused blur. But then the darkness gave way to blinding light as they emerged outside. Everybody had adjusted to the subterranean gloom so well that even with the sun blocked by the volcanic plume, they couldn't open their eyes—which was just as well.

The subterranean river ejected almost two hundred feet above a river as it poured from a gorge wall. It would normally plummet straight down into a steep picturesque valley, but the increased water flow curved the waterfall farther out over the river below. The raft spun as it was shot out. No longer carried by the water, the raft offered some air resistance. But the occupants were still falling fast.

The rushing air was not deafening enough to drown out the multiple screams of those on board. The gorge walls raced passed dangerously close and the raft prevented anybody from seeing the ground rush up to greet them. It was like tumbling through a nightmare.

The raft splashed down into the river with a jarring thud. A massive wave erupted beneath it and everybody was flung into the water. Robbie was submerged in a confusing swirl of bubbles. He kicked his legs and headed for what he hoped was the right direction. He broke the surface and sucked in the tropical air.

Robbie could hardly believe they were alive and outside. Euphoria coursed through him until he was laughing uncontrollably. Everybody else surfaced and swam for the raft, which had flipped over but provided a convenient float between the steep gorge walls. Even Tarzan was bellowing with laughter, and the others fought their hysteria. Pieces of debris from Opar floated around them, but just served to make them laugh harder.

Only the supersonic boom from the volcano brought them crashing back to reality. The gorge cut around the side of the volcano, but it was so close they could feel the shockwave resound down the canyon as the top of the volcano erupted. A fountain of lava spewed vertically up before splashing down the side of the cone. The top tier of jungle burst into flames as the lava swamped it, rolling down beyond their field of view.

Water from multiple falls continued to surge from the honeycomb gorge walls. It must have been a beautiful sight to behold on a normal day, but now, as the sky turned almost midnight black, it was sinister.

Another boom rattled the land as the volcano fountained again, higher this time, the lava glowing with intensity as it spattered down. The multiple waterfalls suddenly eased as billowing clouds of steam poured from the tunnels.

Robbie was getting uneasy. “I think we better get a lot farther away.”

“Help me flip this over,” said Clark, who picked up on Robbie's trepidation. He tried lifting the raft, but in the water it was too cumbersome.

Then the steam clouds turned red and glowing lava spewed from the gorge tunnels in a curtain of fire. The water hissed as the lava-falls cascaded into the river, creating more massive clouds of steam.

Everybody started scrambling to turn the raft, but they couldn't raise it. Tarzan delivered a powerful punch, which succeeded in flipping the boat over. They all quickly clambered on board, rowing with their hands as chunks of the gorge wall began crumpling away behind them, issuing more lava. It was only a matter of time before one entire side of the gorge collapsed.

The air tasted sulphurous as a third explosion pounded the landscape. Soft flakes began to fall. For a moment, Robbie was confused and thought it was snowing. Jane held out her hand and saw that they were flakes of gray ash, which crumbled to powder in her palm.

“Faster!” shouted Clark, before he burst into a coughing fit as he inhaled the ash. He splashed his face to prevent the ash from clinging to him.

The gray blizzard increased as they furiously paddled around a bend. This stretch of water took them out of the ash cloud's path and they were able to breathe easily once again. Where the gorge had towered on both sides of the river before, one side now lowered offering a wide pebbled beach that led into the jungle.

Robbie paddled for all he was worth, but suspected their rapid progress was due to Tarzan's contribution. They abandoned the raft the moment it crunched on the stones and then sat down to catch their breath. Even Tarzan looked exhausted. Nobody had the energy to move, even when the gorge wall on the opposite bank, upriver from them, gave way spectacularly and countless tons of rock cascaded into the gorge, blocking it. Magma swiftly oozed from the new opening in the ruined gorge wall, sending spectacular lava falls into the river. Water hissed angrily where the two met, sending up plumes of steam.

Jane tried to stand from the boulder on which she sat, but her legs trembled from the effort and she collapsed back down. Silent glances were exchanged as they all ran through the day's events.

Ramón broke the silence as he stood uneasily and extended his hand to Tarzan. “
Gracias
. Thank you.”

Tarzan stared at the hand, unaccustomed to the gesture. Ramón was unsure if he had offended the ape-man, until Jane giggled.

“That's not Tarzan's way.”

Ramón nodded uncertainly and went to pat Tarzan on the shoulder—but hesitated. He withdrew his hand and simply repeated his thanks. Tarzan nodded once. He didn't need thanks.

Jane met Greystoke's vacant gaze. “So? Was it worth it?”

Greystoke wore a hangdog expression and licked his lips, looking away. Jane switched her accusing glance to Clark.

“I had some of them gems … inches away …” Clark recalled dreamily. “A fortune …” He levelly met Jane's gaze. “But I walked away.” He looked as if he regretted that decision. “But thanks for comin' for us.” He included Tarzan and Robbie with a simple wave of the hand.