I'd long since tested the wrist ropes and found them too tough to break. Hugo was still strapped to my forearm but, for the moment, of no help at all. Unless I found some way to get loose, Rita Kenmore would die and I'd be next. The wax would splash down on her little by little, with burning, scalding pain, finally covering the lovely lips and face until suffocation finished it off.
Unexpectedly the chanting stopped and the whole troupe rose and silently filed out of the main room. Rita's eyes were filled with tears as she turned her head and looked across at me.
I was busy figuring a way to get out of there. My eyes swept over the girl's naked form without regard for the utter loveliness of it I — was looking at her hands. They were free to open and close, even though her wrists were strapped to the stone. She could hold something in them, like Hugo! I didn't know how long we'd be alone, so it was now or never.
I started to propel myself across the floor, inch-worm fashion with ankles bound together. I was only halfway across when I realized my clothes were soaked with perspiration but I kept moving along, sometimes turning on my back and pushing myself forward, then scooting along on my side.
When I reached the edge of the stone slab, I had to stop for a moment to regain my breath. My chest was heaving and my mouth was dry, muscles strained and crying out for release. Sitting up, as straight as possible, I leaned my forehead against the edge of the stone slab and balanced myself as I managed to pull myself upright. It was precariously uncertain with ankles bound tightly together. But finally I was standing, hands still tight behind my back, leaning half across Rita's naked body to keep my balance enough to stay upright. My head came to rest on her right breast. In any other circumstances I'd have enjoyed it immensely.
My lips rubbed across one small pink tip.
Pulling myself along the edge of the slab, I stopped where her hand lay against the stone. Still bent forward, my head now resting on her thighs, I glanced up over the rise of the belly and the dark mound just in front of my eyes.
"Listen carefully to me" I said. "I'm going to turn around and I'll have a stiletto in my hand. I'm going to put it into your hand. You hold it tight, point up, and I'll shred these wrist ropes against it. Understand?"
"Yes," I heard her say, her voice strained, hoarse. I turned, carefully, fighting to stay upright and keep my balance. Pressing my forearm against the edge of the slab, I released Hugo and felt the stiletto drop from its sheath into my hand. Maneuvering cautiously, I felt Rita's open hand and put the stiletto into it. I held on until I felt her hand close around the hilt of the blade.
"Good girl," I said. "Now hold it tight." Slowly, taking care not to dislodge Hugo from her grip, I pressed the wrist ropes against the blade, moving them up and down against it, sometimes bringing them down onto the point. I had just gotten started when it happened, all at once. I knew rather than saw what had occurred. The first thing was Rita's scream of pure pain. Her hand opened involuntarily and I felt the stiletto fall from it and heard it land on the floor.
I lost my balance and fell forward, twisting my body to avoid a bashed face. As I did so I saw that the first funnel of molten hot wax had let go and the substance lay over the girl's abdomen, still emitting little wisps of steam.
Rita's scream of pain had turned into choking sobs now. As I lay on the floor beside the stone slab, looking up, I saw a second short length of metal reach its limit, tilt and send another stream of liquid wax down on the girl. This one landed just beside the first, a little above it at the edge of her ribs and once again she screamed in anguish.
I thought of picking Hugo up with my teeth as the stiletto lay within reach, pulling myself up again and placing it back into her hands. But I knew that was no good. I'd be painfully slow and her screams would shortly be bringing the others to enjoy her anguish from ringside. And then, even if I did get the blade in her hand again, another deluge of wax would bring the same results. I was running out of time and it galvanized me in angry desperation.
I rolled this time along the length of the stone slab to where a thick candle burned in a tall holder at the far end of the altar. Pulling myself up on my knees, I threw myself forward, hitting the tall, wrought-iron holder hard. It toppled, the candle still in place, and lay on the stone floor. Ignoring the bruised pain of my knees and my aching muscles, I inched forward to the candle on the floor. Gritting my teeth against the searing pain, I thrust my wrists into the flame, holding them as long as I could stand the pain, and then pulling away. But only for an instant. Taking another deep breath, I plunged the wrist-ropes into the flame of the candle again. The skin of my wrists grew raw and started to blister, and my stomach was nauseous from the pain. Then I felt the ropes burn through enough. I rolled away and pulled and my hands came free. I gave myself ten seconds to lie there and then I was sitting up, reaching over for Hugo and slicing through the ropes binding my ankles.
I got up, started to slide out the panel of my belt buckle when I saw another of the metal funnels starting to tip. I cut through Rita's ankle and wrist straps and yanked the girl from the stone slab just as another deluge of the hot wax splattered down. She was in my arms, clinging to me, shivering, her body wet with perspiration. I pushed her away and slid out the small sending unit at the back of my belt buckle.
"Operation DS," I called out. "Operation DS." I gave the call letters three times more, and then asked for gunfire. I gave them the description and position of the island and told them to destroy the temple on it. Ostrov had said that four of the S.O.I. Class sub chasers would be standing by. They each carried four 50mm guns in twin mountings, plus four five-barrel rocket launchers. All together, they could bring more than enough fire power to bear. If the power pack had done its job, they should have heard my call.
I'd just finished when Tumo appeared with three other men. Seeing Rita's naked form beside me, he knew at once something had gone wrong. He reached into his robe and pulled out a gun. The sound of the shot told me it was Wilhelmina. I pushed Rita to one side and hit the floor just as Tumo got off another shot. He was running toward me, and I rolled behind the stone slab of the altar just as the temple resounded to the reverberating clang of an ancient gong.
Tumo, joined by one of the other men, was approaching the stone slab. Crouched down on the other side of it, I heard their footsteps moving cautiously. The candle I'd used to burn off my wrist ropes still burned in its tall holder only a few inches from me. I reached out and pulled it toward me slowly, making no noise. I could hear the sound of others coming on the run. As I expected, Tumo waited, hanging back on one side of the stone slab while other men moved around the end.
Holding the bottom of the tall holder, I shoved the burning candle in one of my attackers' eyes as he rounded the end of the altar stone. He screamed and fell backwards. Tumo would be scrambling up over the top of the altar stone now for a clear shot at me. I lifted the long iron holder and flung it up into the delicately balanced candles and funnels over the stone. I rolled to one side as I heard Tumo scream. The hot wax came down on him from half-a-dozen of the metal strips. He was atop the altar stone, grabbing in pain at the back of his neck, when I let Hugo fly. It went into his right temple, just above the eye, with full force, penetrating all the way to the hilt I saw the man shudder and fall forward to lay limp across the altar stone, insensible to the hot wax still splattering down upon him.
I crossed the few steps in one quick bound, pulled Hugo free, wiped the blade on Tumo's shirt and scooped Wilhelmina up. At Rita's scream, I whirled and got off two shots. The two men holding her were flung backwards by the force of the big 9mm slugs at close range. Rita ran toward me and I met her halfway, firing at the others as they came rushing into the area from the surrounding corridors.