“That’s true. Move faster, Catherine. I’m figuring that you have perhaps forty minutes to get down to the hot springs before Kadmus’s soldiers start pouring up here.”

“I am moving fast.” But her pace instinctively became even faster. “And I was allowing thirty minutes.”

“But you did such a fine job of disposing of that sentry. It should allow you a little more time. You did everything right. I’m lost in admiration.” He paused. “The path should be right ahead, between those two boulders. I won’t communicate again other than to give you directions or information. You’re going to need to concentrate.”

“Good.”

She was entering the narrow darkness between the boulders. She could see nothing. But the twisting path was sloping downward she realized with relief.

“Catherine?” Erin was behind her, moving cautiously.

“I’m going to turn on my flashlight as soon as I’m sure that we’re below the surface and there aren’t any cracks between these boulders for light to escape. I hope you’re not claustrophobic. There’s barely room to move in this passageway.”

“No, but it’s hard to breathe, isn’t it?” She paused. “But Cameron was right, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, but we won’t know how right until we get down to those hot springs. As soon as we’re able to see better, we’ve got to put on more speed.”

Silence. “Is that what Cameron told you just now?”

She stiffened. “Erin?”

“He was with you, wasn’t he? You were so quiet, and I realized that Cameron was there.”

“Oh, no, not you, too. I’m having enough trouble dealing with Cameron and his so-called talents.”

“I don’t have any talents. But I’ve been so close to Cameron that it would be strange if I didn’t sense him near me. Only now he’s not as close since he’s with you.”

“And do you resent that?”

“No, why should I? Cameron always makes the right decisions.”

“I believe I’m beginning to feel ill.”

“May I help?” Erin asked, concerned.

“No, that was sarcasm.” Catherine turned on her flashlight. It did little good. Because of the twisting downhill narrowness she still couldn’t see more than a few feet ahead before the next turn. But at least, they weren’t in complete darkness. She would have to be cautious that there wasn’t a falloff beyond one of those turns.

“No time. Go for it. I’ll help you.”

Was that Cameron’s sense of urgency or her own?

Both.

But it was her instincts on which she had to rely. She was still far from the springs that could be their salvation. And who knew what hazards might stall their progress when they reached them?

And Kadmus could be hot on their trail.

Throw caution to the winds. Rely on luck, Sadiki, and yes, even Cameron.

“Stay close,” she tossed to Erin over her shoulder as she began to move at a half run through the passage. “We’re on our way.”

*   *   *

“They’re on the move,” Brasden’s eyes were bright with excitement. “We have a sentry reported missing north of the village.”

“Missing?” Kadmus said. “What the hell do you mean missing?”

Brasden shrugged. “What I said. Li Kim was on guard on the upper road, and we weren’t able to reach him by phone. I sent two men up to his post and he wasn’t there. No signs of struggle. He was just … missing. We’re searching for him now. And for Ling and Erin Sullivan. There has to be a connection. They were probably hiding up there near the top and decided it was time to make a break for it.”

“And where are you searching now?”

“Down the road leading past the village to the bottom of the mountain.”

“Down?” Kadmus gazed thoughtfully up at the top of the mountain. “Why would Ling have taken Erin Sullivan up there anyway? Because it would have been the most unlikely place for them to hide?”

“It makes sense.”

“No, it doesn’t. It’s a dead end, and Catherine Ling is no fool. Was the top of the mountain searched?”

Brasden frowned. “Yes, I wouldn’t forget that.”

“But you wouldn’t have done it with the same care as more reasonable escape avenues.”

“Perhaps not,” he said reluctantly. “But it doesn’t matter. They’re on their way down. They disposed of the sentry, but we have a heavy force all the way to the main road. We’ll get them.”

“What if you don’t?” Kadmus asked harshly. “And what if they were going up, not down?”

“Why would they do that? As you said, dead end.”

“How do I know? Maybe they arranged to have a helicopter pickup there.”

“We detected no electronic transmissions.”

“Don’t argue with me. There are always ways to get around problems. Ling was on that road for a reason. She got rid of the sentry for a reason.”

“You’re telling me to abandon the village and road leading down—”

“Don’t be an idiot. I’m just telling you that road could be taken in either direction.” He was still gazing at the mists shrouding the top of the mountain. Are you up there, Catherine Ling? It would be unexpected. A red herring? Or something more dangerous? He didn’t know enough about the mountaintop to be certain. He’d only gone up there once after he’d taken over the palace and property. He’d been unimpressed. “You keep your search going as you’ve begun. I’ll take a few men and climb to the top and look around.” He turned and started to cross the courtyard. Then he stopped and glanced back. “And rout out one of those monks who are still living in the village and send him after me. Maybe that old lama who refused to leave his precious mountain. He might be able to tell me more about that area.”

“It’s only a bunch of boulders and rocks.”

“Send him,” Kadmus said. “Right away. Bring him to the sentry post.” He strode over to the jeep parked near the compound gate. He would only be able to take the vehicle a short distance before the road narrowed as it neared the top. That didn’t matter. Speed was important now.

I thought there was only one way out. Did you find another one, bitch?

It won’t do you any good. You can’t get Erin away from me. It was meant to be. I was meant to have it all.

Shambhala.

*   *   *

“How are you doing, Erin?” Catherine’s words were coming in gasps. Her own lungs were tight, her breath almost nonexistent. It seemed as if they had been running down this twisted, spiraling path, for hours. If she had felt like this, what must Erin be feeling? “It can’t be much farther.”

“Promises. Promises,” Erin said breathlessly. “I’m okay. Except that my legs feel like spaghetti.” She drew a deep, shaky breath. “And I didn’t expect all these weird echoes down here. I guess I should have, it’s sort of a cave, after all. But it’s like being in a giant fun house.”

“Without the fun.” The echoes had also startled Catherine when she had first noticed them. “Anything else?”

“I’m dizzy from all these twists and turns. But then I bet you are, too.”

“Yes. But it would be worse if the incline were straight—” She stopped. “Do you smell something?”

Erin sniffed, then stiffened. “Something’s dead.”

“No, though I can see how you might think that. It smells like rotten eggs.” She sniffed again, then said eagerly, “Sulfur smells like rotten eggs. And hot springs are full of sulfur. We have to be close. Hurry.”

“What else have I been doing?” Erin asked ruefully. “But you may be right. I’m feeling warmer.”

Dressed as they were in this cold-weather gear, they were going to feel a good deal warmer as they got closer to the springs, Catherine thought. Even in extreme, frigid temperatures, the area surrounding a hot springs could be seventy degrees or much higher. “You’ve lived and worked in Tibet for a number of years. You probably know more about these hot springs than I do. I’ve only taken a bath in one of the springs up north, and then I was in and out. Cameron said they could be scalding. Have you ever run across that?”