The roar of the water thundering next to them filled their senses as they slowly climbed the side of the mountain. It had been at least forty-five minutes since they had started this climb. Sam hoped they would not be defenceless targets; usually, she would have come prepared for such a sheer rock face as this; mentally, she went through her list ... ropes, powder, and links would have been the basics. Other equipment would have gotten them to the ledge behind the waterfall quicker and without all this physical effort. Sam glanced over her shoulder, checking on the others before looking around and seeing this would be the perfect spot to get everyone across.

"Why are you stopping?" Steve called, his voice almost lost against the roaring thunder.

Glancing over her shoulder, Sam grinned, "If I don't stop now, we'll be at the top in no time, and this is the most advantageous place to get to the ledge."

"Great ... how exactly are we going to do that?" Steve asked, looking around for something to use to get to the other side, but unlike Sam, he saw nothing that made sense to him.

"We're going to jump," Cherry said, grinning as she glanced over her shoulder, "right, Sam?"

"Something like that," Sam said, edging toward the ledge and reaching for a thick vine draping between the two rock faces, "but it'll be with a tweak or two."

"Tweak how?" Steve asked as Sam swung herself up and over the vine, waiting to see how it would take her weight, "you're going to hang from the vine and ...."

"Swing you two onto the ledge," Sam said, cautiously looking around for a second vine in case she may need it, "then I'll swing myself onto the ledge once you two are there."

"Oh, that's not dangerous at all," Steve muttered as Cherry moved slowly toward Sam moving into a sitting position and began swinging back and forth.

"Ready?" Sam asked, locking eyes with Cherry.

"As I'll ever be," Cherry gasped as Sam flipped backwards, hanging upside down, "Sam ... be careful."

"You'll need to time it well," Steve said, swallowing hard and looking at the long drop below them; breathing in, he watched with his heart in his throat as Cherry leapt from the side of the rock face reaching for Sam's extended hands.

The vine jolted with the extra weight, but Sam grasped Cherry's wrists with ease as though she was born to do dangerous things like this every day of her life. Steve muttered a worried exclamation, but it was swallowed into the sound of the pouring water.

"One ... two ... three," Sam called before releasing Cherry with a sharp flick. Steve watched with his heart in his throat as Cherry sailed through the air and landed with her torso on the ledge, her feet suddenly scrabbling as she found a handhold and pulled herself up.

Sam and Steve exhaled together before locking eyes, and Steve gave Sam a slight nod, "I'm heavier than her; hopefully, that vine will hold both our weights."

"Let's do this," Sam said as she pulled herself into a sitting position again and reached for two vines tugging at them before twisting them around her wrists.

Sam scanned the area, and the sensation of being watched was stronger. Narrowing her vision, she tried to find the source of unease. But the foilage and undergrowth were thick at the entrance of their beautiful sanctuary, making it challenging to locate whoever or whatever it was that had either followed them or found them. Testing the release on the vines, Sam frowned as an almost imperceptible sound came from the entrance to the sanctuary.

Sam frowned, "We have company."

"Who is it?" Cherry asked, glancing toward the entrance.

"Can't see," Sam said, "but it sounds like two people. Two heavy people, definitely grown people ... possibly male the way they are thrashing around."

"Oh no," Cherry muttered, "they couldn't have found this place."

"They've been digging around this place for years," Steve said as he moved into place, "my guess is they found every kind of entrance there could be. Sam, we will need to do this quickly and possibly fly together."

"I'm ready," Sam said, flipping back into place with the added twisted and knotted vines around her arms, "let me get as much momentum as possible."

A shout from the entrance drew Steve's attention Ares and Andris Tenderhook stood staring at them. Steve's blood ran cold in his veins. He knew those cold eyes, what they were capable of, and the kind of people they were at heart. Studying in the same college had been a fluke, but seeing how they behaved toward other people had never sat well with him. He was happy to be part of the petition that had them removed from the classes, dorm rooms and campus. They had been furious and threatened retribution, but the evidence was overwhelming that not even their fathers could make it all disappear. He wondered if they recognised him and if so would they kill him?

"Steve," Sam called, "focus on me, only me ... and jump."

Steve found footing he could use to push from and focused on Sam swinging just above him, "Now."

Pushing his feet, he extended his hands as she swung toward him, grasping her around the wrist as she latched onto him.

"Got you," Sam called, grunting slightly as her arms took his total body weight.

Steve looked up at Sam, "When we swing next, let go and let me bring you in."

Sam frowned, "Too dangerous ... if we'll both fall, it's a long way down, and we could drown."

"Trust me," Steve said, gauging the distance with narrowed eyes, "we can both get to the ledge."

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Sam inhaled, glancing toward the Tenderhook brothers as they pulled out guns and aimed in their direction, "I don't think we have a choice. Do I count?"

Steve nodded, "I'm ready," he extended his legs using the momentum created and swung them closer to the ledge.

Sam began to count as the sound of a bullet entered the chamber; on three, she released the knotted vines, letting them drop to just above the water and moved with Steve as they flew toward the ledge. Sam felt him hit the shelf's surface as the ridge's edge slammed into her torso and the side of the mountain peppered in a spray of rocks. She quickly pushed herself onto the ledge as Steve came to his knees, using her grasped hand to pull her toward him. Extending his free hand, Steve grabbed the back of her black T-shirt and groaned as he took her weight while she scrambled to get out of the path of the shattering rock slithers and flying bullets. Hot lead skimmed past him, grazing his side ... Steve gasped as Sam rolled up onto the ledge, still holding his hand.

"Thank you," she gasped, looking around the area, "Cherry stay behind the waterfall; you cannot afford to be hit."

"Why?" Cherry frowned, "I saw them shooting at you."

"They'll be following us," Sam said, slowly rolling to her feet and moving toward Cherry as Steve slowly followed, "those two are desperate," Sam said, "now how do we get into the back door."

"We need to go behind that rock over there," Cherry said, "we'll be exposed for a moment or two, but once we are there, we need to fulfil the entry requirements."

"Do you know what the entry requirements are?" Steve asked.

"Of course I do," Cherry said, frowning at him, "why wouldn't I?"

Steve shook his head, "Sorry, with everything you've been through, I find myself asking many questions."

Cherry smiled gently at Steve, "You've been through a lot with me. Thank you."

Sam smiled at the pair, "This is really sweet, but we're not through this yet."

"She's right," Cherry whispered, "we need to move around these stakes here and between those two huge stones as carefully as possible and then make a run for it."

"Why not go this way?" Steve asked, pointing toward the back of the cave as he shifted toward it, "there's loads of open space, and we can still get to where we need to."

"NO," Cherry cried, pulling him toward her as a wooden spiked gate fell from the ceiling slamming into the floor, "remember all the things that could happen if you come from above?"

"Ah ... yes," Steve gasped, hugging Cherry, "I remember ... so that big open space is where they all happen," Cherry nodded, patting him on the shoulder, "Okay, big open space for bad stuff to happen ... got it."

"Steve, we know it's your job to ask questions and make us think things through, but how about, for now, you follow Cherry and help us all get through this. Ask your questions while we're going her way," Sam whispered, "we all need to make it to the other side ... whatever that may be."

Steve nodded as Cherry slowly pulled away, looking over her shoulder, "This way."

The trio slowly made it through the stake obstacle course before coming to the two large stones.

Sam stood breathing hard, looking at the way they had come. It looked easy, but being forced to move through specific areas and keep to particular paths was physically challenging, making it a difficult journey. She was happy about the workout but worried about the other two. They were not as fit as she was, nor did they have her experience in getting through harrowing adventures. Resting her hands on her hips, tilting her head back, and inhaling, Sam took in the boulders Cherry seemed to think were large stones. Cherry drank from her canister while Steve crouched, panting and sipping from his water canister.

"This is what you call large," Sam said, glancing at Cherry, "tell me we're moving between them, not climbing them."

Cherry chuckled, "In between them ... the trick is to stay on the aqua stones, and we'll get to the other side."

"What happens if we don't?" Steve asked.

"I seem to remember something about being washed into the stream and down the waterfall," Cherry said, her brow wrinkling, "or was it something else."

"She's messing with us," Steve said, pushing to his feet and looking at Sam, "tell me she is messing with us."

Sam shrugged, "Do you want to find out what could happen?"

Steve shook his head, grimacing and looking at his stinging side, "I'm good with moving between the stones."

"Awesome," Cherry smiled, "just so you know, the aqua stones should be the blue ones."

"Should?" Steve asked, glancing worriedly at Sam.

"Come on," Sam said, grinning but glancing at the small red mark on Steve's shirt, "we'll make her go first and follow in her footsteps."

Nodding, Steve followed Sam and Cherry toward the narrow path between the rocks, "Why do I feel like we're part of one of those movies where the skeletons will chase you and some booby trap will force you onto another, more hazardous path."

"What are you talking about?" Cherry asked, grinning, "we're already there."

"Not funny," Steve said, taking his first step onto the blue stones and hoping they would make it through to the end.

"Missed them," Ares snarled as the trio disappeared behind the waterfall, "we need to stop them."

"You may have missed, but I'm sure I at least nicked the guy," Andris grinned, "he doesn't know it yet, but he's probably bleeding out at that moment."

"You used a delayed bullet, didn't you?" Ares grinned.

"Yeah, I've been wanting to try them out for a while," Andris said, "we may have another chance at them," he said, pointing at the gap between the stone wall jutting from the waterfall and the rock face holding the door which would help them head into the mountain, "we may be able to shoot them there."

"We may, but we need to get them before they get to the door," Ares said, "we disabled the bridge, but we have another way of getting across ... of course, they didn't know about it ... otherwise, they would have headed in the direction we're going now."

"How much time will it take?"Andris asked.

"Ten minutes," Ares said, "if they come out into the area between the stone wall and the door, we shoot them. If we get there first, we meet them at the door."

"Fair enough, I like the plan ... it's time we get that upstart back for getting us expelled from college," Andris said.

"Upstart?" Ares asked, frowning.

"You don't recognise that goodie-two-shoes who was front and centre with that petition about us being inhumane?" Andris asked, glancing at his brother.

"I just thought it was because he lived in the same village as we grew up," Ares shrugged, "if you watch them long enough, you feel like you know them."

"There is that," Andris said, "but he was the one who testified against us when we partied with those girls."

"Right, he made it sound like we killed them by forcing them to drink all that alcohol and take those pills," Ares shook his head, "but we were only having fun."

"We were, but they didn't see it that way," Andris said, "they were hospitalised, and I think two died."

Ares shrugged, "Even Dad couldn't fix that. Could have happened to anyone."

"Exactly," Andris nodded, "it will be fun to give him some much-needed payback."

Ares grinned at his brother, "Yes, it will be ... in fact, it will be fun to watch him bleed out, and there will be nothing they can do."

"Let's move," Andris said, "keep your eyes open just in case we don't need to hurry in this insect-infested swamp."

"Once this is over, we can return to the city for good. This way," Ares smiled, "we are nearly at the end of it all."