Free Savage Lands by Andy Briggs Page B

more contently as he paced around her. She stood, wobbling as the lion playfully jostled her.
    â€œI think he remembers me,” she said with a broad smile.
    Robbie slowly moved and the lion growled a warning. “I don’t think he knows me,” said Robbie who had never been so close to a lion. Archie and Clark remained motionless.
    â€œCan you tell him to go away?” said Archie, his gaze switching to Greystoke who was still bleeding, though his wounds didn’t look so bad.
    â€œWell, we are on his land,” said Jane giving Greystoke a meaningful look.
    Robbie caught a flicker of movement in the grass—was it one of the Mbuti? Numa caught it too, but before Numa could react, a boom echoed across the valley as a huge helicopter swooped into it at high speed. The enclosing mountains reverberated the sound into a terrifying roar.
    Numa bellowed, roaring fiercely, but backed into the grass. He knew better than to take on the forces of modern man. With a final roar, he vanished into the grassland.
    The chopper circled around before hovering over them. The rotor’s downdraft pressed the grass flat, kicking up dry debris into a whirlwind. Robbie crouched as the helicopter landed on the riverbank. He was forced to close his eyes to avoid the whirling dust, but not before noting the stylized Greystoke logo on the side of the machine. For the first time, he began to wonder just what resources Greystoke had at his disposal.

7
    T he opening between the lion’s paws was bathed in darkness, and Tarzan didn’t have enough light to make out any detail inside. He paused at the entrance, his keen senses alert to everything. The wind had changed direction, and the air now tasted unpleasant, like rotten eggs. Through the black mask of the jungle, he could see flecks of glowing red rock spitting from the cone of the volcano above. The wind carried a faint, constant rumble that made him anxious.
    He turned his attention back to the cave. The stench of decay from within was stronger than ever, but he could still detect the scent of the Targarni and their captives, even if he couldn’t see into the void. The dark offered no terrors for the ape-man, but walking blind was not something he relished either.
    A few careful paces into the cave revealed stone steps leading down. He guessed they were man-made, but couldn’t see anything. Through touch alone he discovered the crumbling stone had been worn smooth by passing feet and running water. Several steps down he glanced back to the entrance, his eyes adjusting to the subtle shades of darkness beyond the entrance.
    As his eyes grew accustomed to the tunnel, Tarzan became aware of a faint glow. At first he thought it was his eyes playing a trick on him, but after several minutes, he grew accustomed to a faint green light clinging to the walls and ceiling. Closer inspection revealed it was some type of moss. He carefully continued down and the tunnel around him grew lighter, filled with soft luminescence.
    The steps turned in a graceful bend and the tunnel widened. A cool breeze blew Tarzan’s shoulder-length hair, and it seemed to increase with each passing step. Carried with it was an increasing scent of Targarni. Still he descended and it grew warmer. Tarzan judged he must be well under the slopes of Thunder Mountain. He pressed on until another jink in the passage revealed a stronger light ahead and a faint roar.
    The tunnel came to a halt and Tarzan froze in the opening as he gazed beyond at a huge cavern. Green and blue bioluminescent fungus clung to the walls and ceiling in long trails that made it seem as if the stars had leaked underground. It was much brighter there, so much so that Tarzan could easily see across the cave.
    Massive rock spires stretched from floor to ceiling some hundred feet above. The roof was a mass of slender stalactites—most much longer than the ape-man—through which flocks of bats raced at high speeds. The