Entering the fireplace, Alban reached into the shaft. Securing the two ends of the rope, he stepped carefully out onto the platform. "Been a while since I've done this. Come on then, brother Wallace, yer laddie needs oor help."

"Wait, Angus, take these." True handed him the two G-SHOKs, quickly showing him how to set the fuses.

Angus pocketed the explosives, checked his flashlights, then eased himself into the shaft next to Alban, grabbing the right side of the rope.

The two Black Knights of the Templar released the cable, allowing the counterweight balancing the lift to lower them slowly into the darkness.

Inside the Guivre Lair

They were everywhere, circling in the stagnant waters of the aquifer, crawling behind me along the rocks, creeping out from the shadows. Anguilla eels… dozens, perhaps hundreds of them. Saliva gurgled in the back of their throats, the high-pitched sounds received in my headpiece as whispers.

I yelled as loud as I could, hoping to scare them off, but the helmet muted my sounds, and the lesions in their brains made them immune. I needed to do something and fast.

My lights flickered again and then sparks sizzled behind me. The eels were chewing at the connecting wires of my backpack!

With a grunt, I lashed my mechanical arms at them, the limited range of motion rendering the gestures useless.

Should have listened to Brandy… should've listened to True. But noooo, you had to be a tough guy, had to face your fears like brave fucking Sir William. Idiot! Did the thought ever occur to you that maybe the dreams were a warning not to come down here?

My eyes caught movement. Quickly, I adjusted the angle of my dimming forward beam.

In the fading light I could see the milky gray surface of the river and a pair of yellow eyes as they slid back into the water like those of a stalking crocodile.

The Guivre was biding its time, waiting for my lights to fail.

Okay, Wallace, think! The eels probably chewed through the umbilical cord, so it's just a matter of minutes before the entire backpack fails.

The thought of being cast into total darkness with these predators was even more frightening to me than dying. I still had the explosives, but the weight of the Newt Suit made it impossible to toss the mini-bombs.

I realized I had to climb out of my protective armor.

Releasing the smaller hand-held light, I felt along my aluminum skin's waistline with both sets of pincers and removed the utility belt holding the charges. After a great struggle I managed to release the backpack's harness.

The heavy propeller assembly fell away from my shoulders and crashed behind me, the noise sending several of the Anguilla wriggling across the rocks.

Now I was down to one dull light.

With trembling hands, I forced open the snaps on the latches securing the two sections of the Newt Suit together.