Annja crouched in the darkness on the stone stairs that led down toward some point far below. There was no way she could attack right now. The stairs were only wide enough to permit one person at a time, and any attempt she made would likely result in the death of Godwin, Wishman or Nyaktuk.

Instead, Annja trailed them down the steps, using the ambient light from their torches to help find her way. The flames appeared like small fiery orbs dancing as they descended ever farther into the bowels of the mountain. Annja couldn’t help but wonder when they would stop. Wherever it was, she hoped it was flat ground that she could fight on without worry.

Her breathing had calmed and the more she descended the stairs, the better she felt. Her time on the mountain had drained her, but she could feel her strength starting to return. Her pulse throbbed a steady beat, and she knew that when the fight came, she would be ready.

Around her, the walls of the mountain rose, and the whole place reminded Annja of a pumpkin carved for Halloween with its guts scraped out. The mountain actually seemed hollow, and once again, Annja thought about the dwarves of modern men who toiled away in the mines and deep caverns beneath such places.

Who was the demon Onur and what was his history? Annja had never heard the name in all her travels or studies. Still, she wasn’t that surprised. There were many things that had been lost over time—traces of culture, whole languages and the religious and spiritual customs of countless tribes and ethnicities. Just because she hadn’t heard of Onur, it didn’t mean he didn’t exist. Or that he wasn’t a very dangerous foe if allowed to come onto this plane. She knew that wasn’t the most rational thought but nothing made sense anymore.

The party ahead of her seemed to pause on the stairs. Annja froze in place, tensed and waiting for them to continue on. Had they spotted her?

But then she heard them urging Wishman to move faster. She couldn’t hear their exact words, but the urgency in their voices was evident even at this distance. Most likely the trip had been hard on the old man and he was in need of rest.

If Hansen and Derek had their way, Wishman would be at rest soon enough—terminal rest.

She moved again as the party continued down the steps. Annja was getting closer to them. She was only one person whereas they had five and could not travel as fast.

Gradually, Annja carefully picked her way down the stairs. She remained in a semisquat position.

She believed that there was no way for them to see her unless they looked at her at the wrong moment and caught a glimpse of her movement. She watched them closely and whenever they paused, so did she.

Their scuffles and footfalls rebounded and echoed in the great cavernous passage. Annja had to be especially careful now as she drew ever closer. One mistimed step would alert them and then her element of surprise would be lost.

Right now, that was her most precious weapon.

And if I blow it, she thought, they’ll all be dead.

At last, Hansen and Derek led them off the stairs and their torches were level. Annja stayed where she was, still two hundred feet above them, perched like a great jungle cat.

She could hear Derek’s voice. “Everyone in good shape?” He laughed. “Well, good, we’re so happy about that.”

Godwin seemed to be eyeing him. Derek thrust his face at him. “Something you’d like to say?”

Godwin paused and then his words made Annja’s hairs stand on end. “I will enjoy seeing you die.”

Derek leaned back and laughed. “You first, my friend. And when I drive my blade into your heart, I will feast on your blood.”

Godwin was silent and Annja wanted to jump right then and there, but a sudden movement caused her to stop. Another torch came into the flat area from somewhere unseen. There must have been another tunnel that connected to the cavern.

“All is ready.”

That voice. Annja recognized it even though she hadn’t heard it in days. She tried to ease closer to the ledge and then in the flickering torchlight, she caught a glimpse of the rough-hewn face and knew who it was for certain.

Dufresne.

Annja felt her heart beat faster. The traitor! He’d insisted on remaining at the camp by the burial mound, but here he was. And how had he beaten Annja and the hunting party to the mountain?

Annja thought back to their journey and Wishman’s insistence that they do their best to set a trail that would delay pursuers. Did Wishman know that Dufresne was a traitor or did he even suspect it?

Yet somehow, Dufresne had reached the mountain first. Annja shook her head. What had become of the Araktak men who had stayed behind at the burial mound? Were all of Dufresne’s men evil, as well? Was this entire company hell-bent on sacrifice and resurrecting demons?

Annja wanted to know what had happened, but Dufresne wasn’t alone. There were other men with him now. And these faces, Annja did not recognize. Dufresne spoke to them in French, and they hustled Godwin, Wishman and Nyaktuk away, leaving Dufresne, Derek, and Hansen alone at the foot of the stairs.

Derek cleared his throat. “Who shall we deliver first?”

“The old man is one of the ancients. He has battled the forces of our master for many years. His death will bring him great pleasure,” Hansen said.

Derek nodded. “Excellent point. But what about Godwin? He has changed since I met him at the company. Where I once saw a young man who was shy, now he holds himself differently. I was no doubt deceived by him, but to what end?”

Dufresne chuckled. “We could torture him. Find out everything we need to know before we kill him.”

“He claims to be a half-breed Araktak, but there is something about his nature that speaks of his past. He’s tried hard to conceal it. Hell, he fooled the woman. And he fooled us, as well. But there is something about him, something deadly. I want to know what he’s about.”

Dufresne bowed once. “I will see to it personally.”

Derek smiled. “Make sure he’s still alive when you’re done. Our master does not like sacrifices that are already dead.”

“On my death I swear it,” Dufresne said. He withdrew from the chamber.

Hansen eyed Derek. “Are you sure that’s wise?”

Derek shrugged. “Godwin has a story. I would like to know it before I kill him. Did you see the way he looked at me? He knows how to kill—of that I have no doubt. But where did he learn? And has he killed before?”

“I’m certain of it,” Hansen said. “But we could find nothing of value in his records. It’s almost as if he’s some sort of ghost. His claims of being a half-breed don’t add up, either.”

Derek smiled. “Dufresne will find out his secrets. I’ve never met a man who could hold out against his technique.”

Hansen coughed and the sound echoed up to Annja. “What about the others? Wishman and Nyaktuk must be sacrificed soon. The hour of our master’s rebirth grows near.”

“We will sacrifice the ancient first. Then Nyaktuk. After that, Dufresne should be finished extracting all the information we need from Godwin. He can then join his fallen friends in the pits of Hell.”

“Excellent.”

They walked out of the chamber, the fires from their torches receding as they strolled down the unseen tunnel.

Annja crept down the last few steps and paused. In the darkness, she could see the tunnel entrance as a vague outline. The torchlight grew fainter in the distance. She took a breath and stole down the tunnel.

The mountain seemed to be honeycombed with a variety of tunnels and branches that shot off in unknown directions. Some of these, she imagined, might contain dead ends or traps. She’d been in enough ancient tunnels to know that their construction was simultaneously as devious as it was utilitarian.

But somewhere ahead of her, there had to be a room used for the sacrifices that Derek spoke of. That was where she would find Wishman and Nyaktuk.

She had a bigger problem, though. If she freed Wishman and Nyaktuk first, Dufresne might hear the commotion and simply kill Godwin. Likewise, if she freed Godwin first, Hansen and Derek would kill the others.

Annja hesitated at a fork, trying to decide which way to go. She could take the left option, which sloped upward toward some other destination. Or she could go to the right and continue on the level floor. Down that avenue, she could just make out the last of the torchlight from Derek and Hansen.

That would be where they would sacrifice Wishman and Nyaktuk.

Annja frowned and weighed the options. At last, she came to her decision and started up the slope toward the left. She would free Godwin first, trusting in his ability to fight and help her free Wishman and Nyaktuk.

She just hoped they would be able to take on the rest of the people in the mountain. Annja had no way of knowing how many of them there were. She would have to assume there were many more than she had seen so far.

She crept up the tunnel and paused every few feet to listen. Annja knew she was running out of time, but she needed her stealth in order to preserve her advantage for as long as possible.

As she climbed up the slope, she could see flickering torchlight ahead. They lit this area of the mountain. That must mean that there was more activity in this section than in other places.

Annja crouched by the turn and waited. She heard the scuffle of footsteps and noted their rhythmic quality.

A guard.

She would have to take him out before she could progress any farther. She listened carefully, judging when the guard walked closer to her position and when he moved away.

He seemed to be on a three-minute cycle, covering a wide section of the hallway. Annja risked a glance around the bend and saw the torch was fixed in a bracket in the wall of the mountain. At least that would work in her favor. She would have to stalk the guard when he turned his back to her.

She waited until he had come close to her and then turned.

Annja crept from her hiding place and padded down the corridor toward him.

His back was huge and Annja frowned. She never got the small guys to take out. She made sure she was lower than he was and just as he was about to turn back in her direction, Annja snaked an arm around his throat and threw herself backward, rolling back and jerking her arm toward her.

She felt his trachea give way and he started to retch, but Annja kept the pressure on as he fought desperately to clear his airway.

Annja wrapped her legs around his waist for better support and clenched her teeth, listening to him drown on his own vomit as he struggled to get free.

It took almost a full minute for him to pass out from the lack of oxygen to his brain. Annja slowly crawled away from him.

She took a breath as she untangled herself.

She crept up and beyond the range of the torchlight. The tunnel intersected with another and she had three new options to consider.

She could see more torchlight far off in the distance. Did that mean there was another guard down there? And if so, would she be able to get the jump on him as she had with this one?

She decided to move down the tunnel.

That was when the screaming started.