“Threats in a house of God. Shame.” Gaios shook his head to show how sorry he was that Jane’s friends had revealed themselves as faithless boors. Jane came up behind Gaios, following them to the door. Gaios leaned toward Malcolm, eyes narrowing into blast furnaces, and he whispered, “Archer has killed you both.”
Malcolm looked into the demigod’s gaze with a quiet calm before turning away. He walked past a field of corn toward the forest’s edge. The spot between his shoulders twitched as he felt Gaios’s powerful stare following him. He knew Jane was watching them too. Penny’s steps beside him were frantic and quick. His mind raced to work out their next move as he tried to slow Penny’s pace. Just beyond the tree line only fifty yards away, he could see a hunched shape angling toward the spot where their path would enter the jungle.
Malcolm eyed the dark thing. “I’m betting that beast won’t come out of the forest where Jane might see.”
“But we have to go through the forest to get back to the boat.”
“True.”
“What are we going to do?” Penny saw signs of the skulking monster and slowed.
“No idea.”
“That’s not very comforting.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
“Word of advice. Try to be more comforting in dire situations. Simon makes jokes.”
“Simon thinks the world is funny but he’s wrong.” Malcolm noted a white smoke plume drifting onto the green lawn ahead and off to the right.
“I’d feel better if you did. A little gesture would go a long way.”
Malcolm suddenly grabbed Penny’s hand. Her head lifted in surprise until he pulled her abruptly toward the smoke.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Another lava pit hopefully.”
“How is that a good idea?”
“There’s something that separates us from the apes. We have an edge. Brain over brawn.”
“I know there’s a joke in there somewhere but I’m too terrified to think of it.”
As always, Malcolm took comfort in Penny’s spunk. “Your brains and my brawn can overcome most anything. I couldn’t ask for a better cohort strolling into hell.”
Immediately he regretted saying the truth out loud. The expression on Penny’s face told him that she remembered his statement on that winter night outside the Mansfield estate. He had meant it then and he meant it now.
The air thickened in their throats and a wash of heat made their skin prickle. They saw a vast crevice that stretched from the edge of the lawn toward the coast, burning a raw scar through the jungle. The ravine spread quickly to fifty yards or more. Both sides of its jagged rim were covered with smoking black pumice. They passed the end of the crevice and darted into the trees, putting the steaming canyon between them and the gorilla.
They could glimpse the huge silverback through the trees. It made its way quickly toward them, but never moved closer to the open tree line. It was likely under conditioning to stay hidden at all times so Jane wouldn’t glimpse the monsters that protected the spa.
Malcolm and Penny ran down the far side of the glowing canyon. To their relief, the gorilla rumbled to a halt at the opposite edge. It slammed a metal fist against the earth in anger. Rocks cascaded down fifty feet into the river of bubbling magma.
Penny pulled the collar of her leather jacket across her mouth. Malcolm drew out the grey scarf and wrapped it around his mouth and nose to keep the acrid air from his lungs. Neither was adequate protection. The hot sand and rocks seared the soles of their shoes. Malcolm had his bearings and moved along the side of the ravine toward the sea, which was nearly a mile away. Penny stumbled and Malcolm caught her quickly before her hand touched the burning ground. She nodded gratefully, but he could see that the heat and fumes were taking their toll. She handed him a vial of Kate’s fire-retardant gel and they coated any bare skin.
A thunderous roar shook the air. The trees on the far side of the ravine crashed together. The mechanical gorilla burst from the jungle and galloped with startling speed across the black soil straight toward the ravine. Malcolm saw that it was angling toward a spot where the gap narrowed. It pounded to the edge of the canyon and launched itself into the smoky air. The beast sailed over the lava and crashed barely ten yards ahead of Malcolm and Penny. The earth started to crumble under it, but the gorilla sank its massive hands into the soil and fought onto firm ground.
The mass of furious muscle turned immediately and charged them. Long metal canines bared as the ape bellowed. Malcolm raised a pistol and let loose a barrage. Four shots slammed into the chest of the gorilla, drawing blood. The thing was so enraged it scarcely felt them. Stumbling under a swing of its massive arm, Malcolm lost his grip on one of his pistols. It skittered out of his reach.