needing some help.
Annja allowed one eye to open and glance around.
The interior of the cave was absolutely dark. She could see nothing. But she could feel something.
Mike was moving.
She rolled over and felt for him in the darkness. Her hand found nothing.
Annja sat up.
“Mike?”
She sensed another source of movement. “Tuk?”
“Yes?”
Annja relaxed a little bit. “Is Mike with you?”
“No. He’s lying next to— Wait.” Annja heard Tuk rustling around and then the flashlight beam cut into the darkness, illuminating the surrounding cave.
Mike was gone.
Tuk scrambled to his feet and shone the flashlight all around the cave. Annja was on her feet, as well. “Where the hell did he go?”
Tuk looked down at their improvised bedding and shook his head. “I don’t see any fresh bloodstains. That’s at least a good sign.”
“Yes, but he’s gone,” Annja said. “And that’s not a good thing.”
Tuk looked around. “He was right next to me.” He looked at Annja. “Forgive me. Ordinarily, I would have remained alert. But I’m afraid the exertion from my trek earlier quite exhausted my ability to stay awake.”
“You deserved the sleep,” Annja said. “I should have been on watch. I didn’t think we’d have anything to worry about with such a crazy storm outside.”
Tuk shook his head. “This doesn’t make any sense. If Mike is gone and we cannot find him—”
Annja frowned. “How far back did you search the cave earlier when we got here?”
“Almost as far as I could go. The roof converges and the walls actually get much closer. I don’t think there’s any way that Mike could have gotten out back there.”
Annja grabbed the flashlight and headed toward the back of the cave. Tuk followed along behind her. “Annja? I don’t think he went this way.”
“Then where did he go? Outside? That would be suicidal. And Mike’s not the type to do that.”
Tuk cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to sound cold, but perhaps he was worried that he was weighing us down. That if we were concerned about him, then we might all die. Perhaps he thought—”
Annja flashed the light back on to Tuk. “Stop it. I don’t believe that for a second.”
“It was just a thought.” Tuk clamped his mouth shut.
Annja shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just that I know Mike and he wouldn’t think of doing that. There would be another way to solve the problem. Besides, Mike was too fixated on the purpose of our mission.”
“And what was that?”
Annja smiled. “We’re searching for Shangri-La.”
Tuk nodded. “Really?”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
Tuk shrugged. “You’re not the first foreigners to come looking for it. The lure of an idyllic world isolated from the rest of the earth is a powerful one. Many people have come to Nepal looking for it.”
“Do you believe it exists?” Annja asked.
Tuk shrugged. “I believe in only what I can control—my own future, until recently.”
Annja reached the back part of the cave and frowned. Just as Tuk had said, the cave roof and walls all converged at a point that made any more progression in that direction impossible. Unless you had a drill or the means to pass through solid rock.
Annja had neither.
She supposed that the sword might be able to penetrate the rock at least for a few inches. But what was the point of that? she wondered. Unless there was a hidden route through the rock, it would be a useless gesture.
She glanced toward the front of the cave. As much as she hated the idea that Tuk might actually have a point with his suggestion that Mike had gone out into the storm, she had to at least satisfy herself that he hadn’t.
She looked at Tuk. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“Outside.”
Annja scooped up the jackets and tossed one to Tuk. “Put it on. I’m almost one hundred percent certain that he wouldn’t do this, but in his feverish state, who knows how his mind might operate.”
She zipped up the
Annja allowed one eye to open and glance around.
The interior of the cave was absolutely dark. She could see nothing. But she could feel something.
Mike was moving.
She rolled over and felt for him in the darkness. Her hand found nothing.
Annja sat up.
“Mike?”
She sensed another source of movement. “Tuk?”
“Yes?”
Annja relaxed a little bit. “Is Mike with you?”
“No. He’s lying next to— Wait.” Annja heard Tuk rustling around and then the flashlight beam cut into the darkness, illuminating the surrounding cave.
Mike was gone.
Tuk scrambled to his feet and shone the flashlight all around the cave. Annja was on her feet, as well. “Where the hell did he go?”
Tuk looked down at their improvised bedding and shook his head. “I don’t see any fresh bloodstains. That’s at least a good sign.”
“Yes, but he’s gone,” Annja said. “And that’s not a good thing.”
Tuk looked around. “He was right next to me.” He looked at Annja. “Forgive me. Ordinarily, I would have remained alert. But I’m afraid the exertion from my trek earlier quite exhausted my ability to stay awake.”
“You deserved the sleep,” Annja said. “I should have been on watch. I didn’t think we’d have anything to worry about with such a crazy storm outside.”
Tuk shook his head. “This doesn’t make any sense. If Mike is gone and we cannot find him—”
Annja frowned. “How far back did you search the cave earlier when we got here?”
“Almost as far as I could go. The roof converges and the walls actually get much closer. I don’t think there’s any way that Mike could have gotten out back there.”
Annja grabbed the flashlight and headed toward the back of the cave. Tuk followed along behind her. “Annja? I don’t think he went this way.”
“Then where did he go? Outside? That would be suicidal. And Mike’s not the type to do that.”
Tuk cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to sound cold, but perhaps he was worried that he was weighing us down. That if we were concerned about him, then we might all die. Perhaps he thought—”
Annja flashed the light back on to Tuk. “Stop it. I don’t believe that for a second.”
“It was just a thought.” Tuk clamped his mouth shut.
Annja shook her head. “Sorry, it’s just that I know Mike and he wouldn’t think of doing that. There would be another way to solve the problem. Besides, Mike was too fixated on the purpose of our mission.”
“And what was that?”
Annja smiled. “We’re searching for Shangri-La.”
Tuk nodded. “Really?”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
Tuk shrugged. “You’re not the first foreigners to come looking for it. The lure of an idyllic world isolated from the rest of the earth is a powerful one. Many people have come to Nepal looking for it.”
“Do you believe it exists?” Annja asked.
Tuk shrugged. “I believe in only what I can control—my own future, until recently.”
Annja reached the back part of the cave and frowned. Just as Tuk had said, the cave roof and walls all converged at a point that made any more progression in that direction impossible. Unless you had a drill or the means to pass through solid rock.
Annja had neither.
She supposed that the sword might be able to penetrate the rock at least for a few inches. But what was the point of that? she wondered. Unless there was a hidden route through the rock, it would be a useless gesture.
She glanced toward the front of the cave. As much as she hated the idea that Tuk might actually have a point with his suggestion that Mike had gone out into the storm, she had to at least satisfy herself that he hadn’t.
She looked at Tuk. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“Outside.”
Annja scooped up the jackets and tossed one to Tuk. “Put it on. I’m almost one hundred percent certain that he wouldn’t do this, but in his feverish state, who knows how his mind might operate.”
She zipped up the
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