Topic: Answers

Eleanor Marshall

Date: 2018-10-28 09:22 EST
Dawn could not come fast enough for the Howard-Marshall expedition deep in the Amazon Basin. But came it did, and with it, a parting of the ways as Jay, Eleanor, Alex, and young Collins packed supplies enough to last them the journey to Boa Vista alone and watched the rest of the party head north-west before turning full north themselves. There had been no further sign of the strange man-shaped jaguars since their apparent fright at the electric torchlight, but as the little group moved into greenery that seemed to have been tamed in some way, they were aware of eyes watching them. Not with hostility nor friendliness, but definitely with intelligence.

Jay knew they were courting danger as they set out to follow Estevo's map to the ancient ruins that had been Eleanor's father's last known location. They traveled single-file, with Jay taking the lead and Alex the rear, Eleanor and Collins between them, instinctively keeping as quiet as possible, not only being cautious but as respectful of their surroundings as possible.

They walked armed but with their weapons relaxed, ready to defend themselves but not to start a fight. Eleanor had been very insistent on that. Walking directly behind Jay, she peered up into the canopy high overhead, absent-mindedly counting.

"The trees have been deliberately thinned here," she murmured to her husband as they walked. "these ruins must be quite close."

"Why do you say that?" Jay asked, glancing momentarily upwards at the trees above their heads and around them. He wasn't sure the fact the trees were so much a sign that the ruins were close as they were that someone - or something - had purposely changed the landscape.

"The trunks are evenly spaced," Eleanor murmured softly. "The same distance between them in paces. That only happens when someone has landscaped to a certain extent."

Jay came to a halt, just long enough to refer once again to the map he was carrying in his jacket. "I think you're right," he said, tracing a finger along a route Estevo had marked on the map. "If this is accurate, the pyramid should be just up ahead."

"Are we stopping?" Alex asked from behind.

Eleanor met Jay's eyes. He knew she didn't want to risk anyone she didn't have to; it wasn't a great leap to guess that she was silently suggesting they leave Alex and young Collins here and enter the ruins alone.

But would Alex and Collins be safe there alone" And should they take a chance and leave their weapons behind with Alex and Collins, while the two of them traveled on to the pyramid alone" He was afraid there were no easy decisions to be made here, and making the wrong one could cost them all their lives. Jay folded the map back up and tucked it away inside his pocket.

"This is where we split up," Jay replied, as he slid the revolver from its resting place on his hip and handed it to Collins. "Wait here. If we're not back in three hours, go on to Boa Vista without us. And no matter what you hear, do not under any circumstances follow. Do you understand?"

Eleanor just about managed to hide her relief as Jay agreed with her silent request, turning to hand her rifle to Alex.

The Scot looked offended, frowning at both of them. "You mean to go on alone and unarmed?"

"I know what you're thinking, but I don't think we have much choice," Jay replied, with the grimly-serious expression of his. He wasn't sure he needed to explain; the man wasn't stupid, after all. They were damned if they did and damned if they didn't. The key to survival here wasn't so much a show of strength in arms as it was a show of respect and their willingness to come in peace.

Alex frowned, glancing between them. "We'll give you four hours," he said firmly. "That's time enough to wait, and time enough for us to get back to the camp we used last night and fort up for the night."

Eleanor bit her lip. She didn't like the sound of that, but she understood the need for such precautions.

There was a worried look on Jay's face. In four hours, they could very well be dead, and he had given them strict orders not to interfere, no matter what happened. "I don't like it any better than you, Alex, but I don't think we have much choice." They did have one ace in their pocket and that was Eleanor.

"Aye, well ....come back, that's all I'm asking," was Alex's quiet response. He held Eleanor's eyes for a long moment, but nodded reluctantly, stepping back with one hand on young Collins' shoulder.

As for Collins, he was looking not only a little confused, but a little scared, as well. "Why aren't we going with them?" he was overheard asking, despite the whisper in his voice as Alex steered him away.

Jay didn't make a fuss of saying good-bye, turning instead to Eleanor to ask one last time, "You're sure about this?"

She looked a little pale, but nodded firmly. "I have to at least try," she told him once again. "If I get you killed, I really am very sorry."

He couldn't help but smile at that. It was just too ridiculous. "Well, we did say 'til death do us part," he said, hoping she'd see the humor in it and not think him too morbid. He took her hand, drawing it toward his lips for a kiss. If they were being watched, then let them see that this woman belonged to him.

"I was rather hoping that wouldn't be for about sixty years," she countered with a wry smile of her own, leaning into him as he kissed her hand. "Come on. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be back."

He leaned close to kiss her again, this time touching his lips to her forehead, before started off, hand in hand, in the direction of the ruins. He hadn't forgotten his promise to protect her, but he wasn't sure how much he could do against creatures that were half-man and half-jaguar.

Hand in hand, they advanced through the thinning trees, the sunlight ahead growing brighter as the greenery opened out in front of them to reveal a stepped pyramid of a sort. It was tall and steep, creepers climbing over it everywhere but the cut stone stairs that lead up to the opening visible near the very top.

Eleanor swallowed. "Good God, my father was an idiot," she muttered.

"What do you think happened here, El?" Jay asked, as they came to a halt a short way from the pyramid. As tempting as it was to explore, he had a feeling that was something the natives wouldn't look kindly on.

"I think my father went inside," she said with a heavy sigh. "No doubt he thought he would find some treasure or other and intended to steal it. In such circumstances, wouldn't you kill him?"

Jay shrugged. "It depends on his intentions, I guess, and what side I was on." He'd led plenty of men through the jungle - some explorers, some hunters, some - perhaps like her father - treasure seekers, all for a fee. He hadn't always liked what they'd planned to do during those expeditions, but he hadn't been paid to question motives. Still, he had his limits and a line he refused to cross.

Eleanor Marshall

Date: 2018-10-28 09:23 EST
"But these are not men," she reminded him warily. "They do not have the same reasoning we do. If he violated a place that is sacred to them, of course they would kill him. I just ....I need to know if they did, if there is any evidence that this is where he died."

Jay frowned, that grim, worried look on his face again. "That probably means going inside," he said, with a nod of his head toward the opening at the very top of the pyramid.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't want to die out here looking for something they might never find, and more importantly, he didn't want her to die with him. It was a strange thing to realize that after everything that had happened, after all his own self-destructive behavior during and following the war, he really and truly didn't want to die. But maybe that was because of Eleanor, too.

"Then I believe we should climb." She rolled her shoulder out of the strap of her pack, setting it down at the very foot of the pyramid. The steps were deep, at least a foot and a half deep, and would be a struggle to climb, but as she had said, this was something she had to do. She just had to hope that she was not leading Jay to his death.

"Wait!" Jay called, searching his own pack for a flashlight before his pack joined hers at the foot of the pyramid. He didn't have a good feeling about this, but there was no turning back now. And then, he was joining her, taking the rear, in case they'd been followed, though he had no weapon to defend them but his bare hands and the flashlight.

It was a hard climb, made harder by the heat and humidity. Eleanor had to keep herself from looking down, already dizzy by the time they reached halfway. Yet if she had looked down, she would have seen a few of the strange jaguar-men sniffing curiously at their packs left at the foot of the pyramid.

At least, they'd had the presence of mind to take their canteens. A few hours in the heat without water, and they'd be done for. As it was, by the time they reached the top of the pyramid, they were drenched in sweat, not only from the heat and humidity, but the sun that had been blazing down on them while they'd climbed.

At the entrance so high above - actually above the level of the trees - the carvings were clearer, the creepers obviously cleared away from the archway that offered a way into the cool darkness beyond. A darkness that growled softly when they came into view. Eleanor hesitated, her hand groping toward Jay's.

Jay heard the growling and hestitated. Every fiber of his being was telling him to turn tail and get her the hell away from there, but they'd come too far to turn back now. "Follow me," he said, taking the lead and ducking into the darkness, the flashlight the only light to guide their way.

"No, wait."

She tugged on his hand, her eyes turning to the carvings that decorated the archway. The left lintel showed a man and a woman - human, not jaguar - side by side; the central lintel was carved with presumably the same pair kneeling before a grotesque jaguar thing; and the right showed the pair making an offering of some kind.

Eleanor pointed to them thoughtfully. "Are these instructions, do you think?"

He was about to plunge headlong into the darkness, when Eleanor drew him back. His eyes followed her gaze to the carvings, unsure what they meant, though they did seem to indicate what was expected of those who entered. He wasn't an archaelogist, after all - he was just a guide and a tracker; an ex-soldier looking for his place int he world.

"Now that you mention it ..." he said, his gaze moving over the carvings. "What do you suppose they're doing?"

In the darkness, the growling softened as they stopped to study the carvings, as though the mere act of showing interest in their surroundings was a sign of more respect than had been shown here for a long time.

Eleanor shook her head slowly. "I have no idea," she admitted. "It seems as though they're making an offering of some kind, but I can't quite make out what the offering is."

"Neither can I," Jay admitted with a thoughtful frown. "It stopped," he said as he tilted his head toward the opening to listen. "The growling has stopped."

Or at least, it had lessened. Despite the heat, he found himself stifling a shudder at the thought of what might have been making that sound. He'd seen some pretty strange things in the jungle, but never anything like this.

"Then perhaps we should move slowly," Eleanor suggested, though she paused a moment longer. Her hands rose to her neck, undoing the thin gold chain she wore to remove the diamond and gold ring that hung beside her locket. "If an offering is what they want ..."

Jay's gaze followed her movement, realizing what she was thinking. If only he had something he could offer instead, but gold wasn't something he had much use of here. "Was that your mother's?" he asked curiously. How had he never noticed it before"

"Yes," she said simply. "Her engagement ring. It is not the only thing I have to remember her by, Jay, and ....well, if it helps us discover my father's fate, she would be pleased to have it offered up, I think."

His frown deepened, a little upset that she was so easily willing to give up something that clearly meant so much to her, and yet, in a way, it seemed fitting. He only wished she could have saved her father's life by doing it, instead of only looking for proof of his death. "It doesn't seem right, but I don't think we have much choice," he grudgingly admitted.

Did she really seem so willing" Perhaps she did. It was a quirk of her personality, and one he was going to have to grow accustomed to, that she could make the most difficult decisions with a clear face and a calm manner, aching inside all the while. Eleanor refastened her necklace, gently rubbing her thumb over the diamond ring in her fingers.

"No, I don't think we do," she agreed softly, reaching to take his hand. "But if my mother's ring is the cost of your life, then I will gladly pay it."

"My life?" Jay echoed, furrowing his brows. "What makes you think it's my life that's in danger, and not yours?" he asked, really not liking any of this. He wasn't sure why. Maybe he should have been flattered that she was willing to trade her mother's ring for his safety, but somehow it only made him feel annoyed that she had to do it at all.

She sensed his annoyance, the knowledge of it pressing against her calm facade, breaking it for just a moment. "Our lives, then," she said, her voice shaking as she pulled herself together again. "I misspoke."

"Why are we here, El" You don't need any proof of your father's death. I don't give a damn about your money, and I don't give a damn about your cousin. We'll figure out another way. This ....this is too dangerous," he argued, probably a little too late. Why had he ever agreed to this" The most ironic part of it all" It wasn't his life he was worried about but hers. It was just a ring, after all. She was the real treasure here.

"You think I can live with myself for the rest of my life without knowing for certain that my father is dead?" she shot back at him, seemingly unaware of the glint of curious eyes within the darkness of the pyramid watching their suddenly heated exchange. "Without being able to put his ghost to rest?"

Jay exhaled a sigh, all the fight going out of him. "I know," he said, reaching for her hands. "I just ....I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you," he told her in a quiet voice, unaware they were being watched.

Eleanor Marshall

Date: 2018-10-28 09:23 EST
She leaned into him, her hands curling into his grasp easily. "Don't you think I feel the same way about you?" she whispered to him. "I'm the reason you're here at all, the reason you're facing this danger. It would destroy me if you were hurt, or killed, because of my stubbornness."

"I love you, you know," he told her, finally saying the words at long last, as he took her face in his hands and drew himself close to catch a kiss. He had no way of knowing if it would be their last, but if there was any chance he wasn't going to make it out of this alive, he needed her to know that he loved her.

She sobbed just a little into his kiss, at the realization that these might be their last minutes and he chose to use them by telling her his heart. "I love you too," she admitted, the first true inkling that she knew her own heart. She wasn't falling in love; she had been in love for weeks now, quietly hoping only to have those hopes fulfilled.

He felt her sob, knew she was close to crying, though he wasn't sure if those were sad or happy tears. Happy to hear the words, sad to know they might be the last time she heard them. He let his lips linger against hers a long moment before slowly drawing back to rest his forehead against hers, his fingers gently brushing any trace of tears from her face.

"It's going to be okay, Ellie," he promised her quietly, though he could hardly know that. He had to believe they hadn't been brought together just to lose each other so quickly after finding each other.

"I'm so sorry, Jay. I never thought it would lead us to this." She breathed him in, wrapping her arms about his waist to press into a long embrace, eyes squeezed tightly shut against the sun beating down on them.

And from within the darkness of the pyramid, an elderly female voice spoke. In English.

"Why say you goodbye when come you for truth?"

Jay wrapped his arms around her, wishing they could stay in this moment forever, except for the sun beating down on their heads. She had nothing to apologize for as far as he was concerned. He'd known what he was doing when he'd agreed to this, and he had to admit, he'd done it more for her than what she was paying him. He was about to assure her that it wasn't over yet, that he wasn't planning on losing her that easily, when an unexpected voice interrupted. Not a growl or even a snarl, but a woman's voice speaking words in English. He blinked in surprise, looking in the direction of the voice before looking back at Eleanor with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Ah ..." Eleanor hesitated, as startled as her husband by the unexpectedly coherent voice in the darkness. "We are afraid that we may offend you and the ....the males below," she offered in an uncertain tone. "That perhaps we won't see the sun again."

The elderly voice chuckled gently. "You daughter, ain't you? Come, come. Come inside, Howard-daughter. Bring man."

Jay's brows furrowed, unsure about this latest development. It was only a voice; they hadn't seen anyone yet. Were they hearing the voice of an old woman or something else? Whoever she was she sounded friendly enough, but Jay wasn't so sure. Still, once again, they seemed to have no voice. He only nodded his head, and held onto Eleanor's hand all the tighter.

Eleanor seemed to hesitate again, clinging to Jay's hand. "May we use our torch?" she asked the unseen voice. "Our eyes are not keen enough to see in the dark."

Again, the elderly voice chuckled. "Bring light, bring," she said cheerfully enough. "Come, come."

Whoever or whatever the voice belonged to seemed cheerful enough. He didn't think they were likely to invite them inside and then make a meal out of them. Whether that was true or not, they didn't seem to have much choice, and it did seem to be the only way they were going to find out for sure what had happened to her father. "I'm right behind you," Jay whispered, one hand gripping Eleanor's while the other had hold of the flashlight.

With a last glance to her husband, Eleanor dared to step out of the sunshine and into the deep shadowed darkness of the inner pyramid. Her boots scuffed against smooth stone, finding a shallow lip that warned of steps leading down. But the steps were only one or two deep, and in the darkness beyond, she heard movement, coming to a halt. The old voice seemed to come from all around them when it spoke next.

"Howard-man, he say man would come for him. Howard-daughter braver than he think."

Jay did his best to light the path ahead of them, but it was difficult to penetrate the darkness. Still, it probably helped them find their way in the darkness and saved them from tripping over their own feet. Jay didn't let go of her hand for a single instant, and when the voice spoke of Eleanor's bravery, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as if to say he agreed.

"You man," the voice said then, turning her attention to Jay as Eleanor shrank back against him, frightened of the darkness that surrounded them. "You smell on her, but she not your mate. What you to Howard-daughter?"

Jay slid a protective arm around her waist, the other still holding the flashlight, but unsure just where he was supposed to shine it. He'd cast it about in the darkness, but had not yet found anyone or anything that would explain the voice they were hearing. The question caught his attention though, a little taken aback by it and not quite sure how to answer. "She is my mate, actually, but ..." He glanced momentarily at Eleanor, his gaze softening with obvious affection. "She is my wife, but we were only recently married," he explained, unsure if whoever was listening would understand his words. He had a sense that they were being judged somehow, but he wasn't sure what standards they were being judged by.

The shuffling of bare feet on stone came closer, the voice seeming to find a location while growing louder. "What is married" Howard-man say married is mating but you not mate." There was a pause, and the sound of sniffing in the gloom. "Not yet, not all."

Blushing crimson, Eleanor couldn't even begin to answer the question, closing her eyes briefly in the hope that Jay might be able to answer.

"Is Howard still alive?" Jay asked, needing an answer to that question, if only for Eleanor's sake. He didn't mind answering questions, but he had a few questions of his own. "We came here to find him and bring him home," he explained further, though he realized that might be impossible.

The darkness was silent for a moment. Then the answer came. "He die, ten moons gone by. He sick, not killed."

And even though she had been expecting that answer, Eleanor still shuddered, still caught her breath in shock, turning her face against Jay's shoulder for a long moment.

The elderly voice in the darkness sighed quietly. "He teach me speak like this."

Eleanor Marshall

Date: 2018-10-28 09:23 EST
Jay held Eleanor close as she pressed her face against his shoulder, the light moving to illuminate whoever it was that belonged to the elderly voice. "What happened?" he asked, hoping for more details than what they'd just been given.

The shuffling feet came closer, into the beam of the electric torch, to reveal a tiny elderly woman. Her face was heavily lined, her long hair was white and loose, and she wore a very basic robe. Her eyes were green, and glinted in the torchlight, just like the eyes of a cat. "He come to us," she said carefully. "He try to take jaguar-heart. The boy, he steal and we kill. Howard-man, he not fight. He stay to guard jaguar-heart, he say. I think he want to steal, but sickness got him first."

Jay frowned, sad to hear Estevo's boy truly had been killed, but equally sad to learn how Eleanor's father had died. Even though he had not known them, he deemed they'd both died senseless deaths, just like all those he'd lost in the war. "We are not here to steal anything," Jay assured the woman, hoping she'd believe him.

Lifting her head from Jay's shoulder, Eleanor pulled herself together. "If you still have my father's belongings, may I take one thing from them to prove to his brothers that he is gone?" she asked softly, holding out her hand toward the woman. "I can give you this in return - the ring he gave my mother when she agreed to marry him, to be his mate."

The woman tilted her head, studying them both for what felt like far too long. "And you man," the strange cat-like woman said to Jay. "You want anything from us?"

Eleanor may have lifted her head from his shoulder, but his arm remained protectively around her waist, as though he was reluctant to let her go. His brows arched upwards, surprised at the woman's question, before he replied. "No, all I want is safe passage to Boa Vista for us and my men," he said. "Is there anything you want from me?" he countered.

"What you give us for passing?" the woman asked in a shrewd tone.

Eleanor frowned for a moment, tucking her free arm about Jay's waist. "Silence," she suggested. "We won't tell anyone what we have seen here."

"I'm afraid I don't have anything worth much," Jay said, though he had no idea what these people might covet. He wasn't wearing any jewelry, and he'd left anything of any real worth back home in London. He had a few coins and bills, but he didn't think money would be much use to a tribe of shape-shifters or whatever they were. "You have my word as a gentleman that no one will hear of this place from us."

"You speak for others too?" the woman questioned more closely. "For man and boy close to' Know I how many you saw my son."

Eleanor glanced at Jay. If necessary, they could pay Collins, Riggins, and Hennessy to keep their mouths shut.

Jay tried not to bristle, but clenched his jaw, a little defensively. "I hand-picked my men because they are loyal and trustworthy. They'll do what I tell them to do and not ask questions," he said, hoping that was true. And if it wasn't, he'd give them a damned good reason not to talk.

The old woman shuffled closer, peering into his face. "We dying," she said quietly. "You world too fast, too rough. You bring bang-sticks that kill and dogs that bite. We last ones left. I die, my sons go to the wild. You silence give us peace. Yes?"

Jay's brows arched upwards again, a look of mingled shock and sadness on his face, the defensiveness melting away. "I'm sorry," he said, feeling a sense of guilt and even grief for what was happening to these people, even though he was not directly to blame. "I can't keep others from coming here, but I can promise you not to encourage it or tell anyone what we've seen here." He paused a moment to glance at Eleanor. "Perhaps there's some story we can give them that will keep them away." He didn't like lying, but sometimes lies were a necessary evil.

"Sickness, perhaps," Eleanor suggested. "It isn't precisely a lie, if that is how my father died." She looked curiously at the old woman, still holding her mother's ring out in payment for something of her father's to take back.

The woman smiled, seemingly relieved by their response. "You good hearts," she said. "We be gone in some few seasons. We stay stories."

"Yes, but neither of us is sick, El. Without proof, how are we going to convince them of that?" Jay pointed out. Without a body, without proof, it was just their word. He turned back to the woman then, further saddened by her statement. He felt the need to apologize for all of humanity, but the world was a constantly changing place, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. "Those stories might not be accurate, if they're told by men," he pointed out.

The woman laughed, shaking her head. "You not only men in forest," she pointed out. "Those men, born here, they know us. They stories." She closed Eleanor's hand over the ring, patting her knuckles gently. "You keep. Come, come. Howard-man things over here."

She was right, of course. It wasn't the natives who were threatening their way of life, but those who'd come from other places to hunt and kill and plunder. Jay hoped he was not one of those men, though he'd led his fair share of men through the jungle.

"I understand. I'm sorry," he told her, apologizing again, for all the men who'd violated this place and were to blame for their demise.

"You come with respect, no weapons," the woman told him. "You not like men come before. If you were, you dead now."

Eleanor blanched at that thought, her closed hand now captured in the old woman's grasp as she was tugged deeper into the darkness. Given that her arm was still around Jay's waist, he was just going to have to come along too.

Jay let go of his hold on Eleanor's waist, but grabbed hold of her free hand as she was dragged deeper into the darkness. The flashlight was meager help, but it was better than stumbling around in complete darkness.

Drawn into the deeper darkness, guided carefully down shallow steps, they were finally brought to a halt in a corner where a waxed canvas bag had been propped neatly beside the wall, a leather satchel beside it. The satchel bore the initials L.H. on the brass plate that adorned it. Eleanor bit her lip.

"Oh, Daddy," she whispered, half glad, half-hurt to find no body.

Jay's frown deepened as they were led to Eleanor's father's remains. His thoughts turned toward memories of his own father, both good and bad, though he made no mention of that. He gave her hand another reassuring squeeze, before letting go so that she could collect her father's things and grieve his death in her own way, without his interference - though he was there for her, if she needed him.

"He say everything in animal bag leave this place," the woman told them quietly. "I promise him. He stay because he do bad. He my friend." Eleanor nodded, lowering onto her knees to gently open the satchel and check the contents.

Jay couldn't help wondering what would have happened if they'd never come here, if Eleanor had never come looking for him; but there was no point in following those thoughts through. They were here, and the mystery of her father's death had been solved. Now, they had to convince Walter. "Thank you for letting us come here," he said, to the woman, his voice sincere and a little bit sad.

Eleanor Marshall

Date: 2018-10-28 09:24 EST
"Glad I you come," she answered quietly. "He say men come, no daughter come. Glad I daughter come. Blood follow blood. You take all Howard-man things have name on. You mate daughter, bring smile back."

"I'm trying," Jay said, of the latter comment, a small smile on his face. Here he was, inside a pyramid, having a conversation with an old woman who was likely half-jaguar and he was smiling. And he was married, though not legally yet. He shook his head, laughing a little at all of it. "It's a good thing I can't tell anyone about this because it's likely no one would ever believe it."

"World be stranger than you want see," the woman offered, watching as Eleanor rose onto her feet, tucking the strap of the satchel over her head. "Howard-daughter, you go live you life. Howard-man, he love but not good father. You be good where he not."

"I can try," Eleanor murmured in answer. "Thank you, madam."

Ironically, they'd both promised to try to be better people, but they owed it to themselves and each other to do more than just try. "You won't be alone," Jay reminded her, stepping forward to take Eleanor's hand again.

The strange jaguar-woman nodded to them both, smiling. "You go now, go safe," she told them. "Take friends away."

There was a part of Jay that wanted to ask more questions, to explore the pyramid, to uncover all the jaguar people's secrets, but a promise was a promise, and at heart, he wasn't an explorer or even a treasure hunter. Whatever secrets they had would remain theirs, if he had anything to say about it. "Thank you again," he told the woman. "I promise you, we will keep our word."

"I trust you," the woman reminded him. "We gentle, you gentle. Is deal, yes?"

Eleanor smiled, squeezing Jay's hand. "Yes, it is," she agreed. "We will leave you in peace, madam. Thank you, truly."

The woman chuckled her merry chuckle, patting their joined hands, and gestured back the way they had come, to where the opening into the sunshine was easily visible through the darkness. "You go, live long. Be happy."

Jay wasn't sure he'd use the word "gentle" to describe himself. He had a lot of blood on his hands, mostly from the war, but he hadn't killed anyone in since then, and he hoped he never had to again. "Thank you. We will," he said, rather than "We'll try." For the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful about his future.

With the little woman ushering them on, they climbed back out and into the sunshine. Eleanor squinted, shading her eyes as she tried to adjust to the brightness once again. "Goodness," she breathed, looking down at the ring that now encircled her forefinger. "That was ..."

"Yeah," Jay said, echoing her thoughts without quite saying them. He, too, was blinking in the sunlight, pausing a moment to turn off the flashlight, which was no longer needed. "Are you okay?" he asked, turning to face her, needing to know the answer to that before he did or said anything else.

Her free hand tightened on the strap of the satchel for a moment. "No," she admitted honestly. "But I will be. All his personal effects are in here. This is evidence enough that he's gone. Alex can certify it." She swallowed. "There's ....he kept his diary up to date," she said in a quieter voice. "I'm afraid to read it."

"That's for you, Ellie," Jay was quick to point out. "No one else should be reading that but you." Not only because they'd made a promise to reveal nothing about this place or the people who lived here, but because whatever her father had written in that journal was private, for no one else's eyes but hers.

"No, no one else will," she agreed, though she didn't include him in that generalization. "But his grandfather's pocket watch, his signet ring, things he would never have abandoned or sold - those are proof enough." She drew in a shaky breath. "We should get back to Alex and Collins."

"Let's hope it's enough to convince the proper authorities," Jay murmured, though that was mostly up to Alex. "Follow me," he told her, taking the lead this time, one hand in hers, as they made their descent. It didn't seem like they were inside that pyramid long, but the sun had already moved past the zenith, and there was little change they were going to catch up with the rest of the expedition today.

The jaguar-men did not hide from them as they descended - clearly being accepted by their mother and allowed to leave meant they were friends in some way. Eleanor couldn't help reaching toward one of them at the bottom of the pyramid, surprised and touched when he allowed her to pet his furry head.

Jay was not quite as openly curious or friendly as Eleanor, guardedly cautious, but not hostile. The jaguar-men obviously made him nervous, but the fact that he and Eleanor had entered the pyramid and had been allowed to leave - alive and well - seemed to have made a difference. He didn't think they'd ever be friendly exactly, but at least, they weren't growling.

"Thank you," Eleanor murmured to her new friend, gently drawing her hand away. He chuffed, shaking his head as he stepped back, letting his brothers sniff at the fur she had ruffled. She bent to pull her pack back onto her shoulders, turning to Jay. "Shall we?"

Jay watched, more curious than he dared admit. Were these creatures - these beings who called this place home - more animal or human' They seemed in awe of Eleanor for some reason. Did they not have any females of their own kind, save the one who they'd met inside the pyramid. These were all questions Jay thought might never be answered, though some of those answers might be found inside Eleanor's father's journal. Jay blinked out of his thoughts, a quick nod of his head. "We should probably be getting back before Alex starts to worry," he said, though the other man was probably worrying already.

"He was born worrying," she murmured, sliding her hand back into his. As they reached the edge of the trees, she paused to look back at the little group of strange predators watching them go. "Goodbye."

"He worries because he cares about you," Jay pointed out, not bothering to mention that he cared, too, as that kind of went without saying. He followed her glance to the little group of jaguar-men, frowning in thought. "You almost sound like you're going to miss them," he said, quietly.

She lifted her gaze back to his. "I feel sad for them," she told him, her voice low as they turned to continue retracing their steps. "She's the only female, isn't she" They were dying before my father ever reached this place. It's very sad."

"I'm sorry, El," Jay said, sounding as sincere as he could be. "It's a shame, I know, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it," he added. It wasn't so much that he didn't care as that he simply had no clue how to help.

"They asked for peace," she said softly. "They want to be left alone. So ....we saw nothing. We found a ruin, and my father's belongings in it. Nothing else." She caught his eye. "Yes?"

"Yes, of course," Jay replied. He hadn't made that promise in vain. He was a man of his word and intended to keep it. If she thought otherwise, then she didn't know him the way he thought she did. He hoped they were asked to mark its location on a map of any kind.

Eleanor Marshall

Date: 2018-10-28 09:24 EST
Eleanor nodded, smiling up at him. "We both need to be saying the same things," she added gently. "I wasn't questioning your integrity, darling. I won't even tell Alex what we found. Let everyone else convince themselves that they saw just large jaguars last night."

"Agreed," he said, coming to a stop a short way from the pyramid - far enough away that the jaguar-men were out of sight, but not yet close enough for Alex or Collins to overhear. "And the pyramid?" he asked, which Estevo, among others, were aware of.

"All Estevo called it was a ruin," she mused. "So long as all we call it is a ruin, no one is likely to question us further, are they' I was under the impression that there is still more to explore across the Amazon. Conveniently forgetting where we were when we saw it will at least buy them time to fade in peace."

Jay chuckled a little upon realizing her train of thought was following his, though he wasn't sure it would work. "Or we could simply give them a different location," he said, unsure if anyone would believe a man of his skill would simply forget where he'd been.

"Well, I know nothing of maps," she teased sweetly. "You will be the one asked about that, I believe. After all, I am just a woman." Her eyes sparkled impishly as she looked up at him. It wasn't that she didn't feel her loss, or that she hadn't experienced the same shock in the pyramid. More that she was waiting for some gesture toward privacy, some time in which to mourn one last time for her father.

"You will never be just a woman to me," Jay said, smiling back at her, though the moment was bittersweet. He knew she needed some time to mourn her father's death and deal with the ultimate struggle over his estate, but he hadn't taken his vows lightly; he wasn't going anywhere without her by his side.

"I still have to wait for you to mate me properly though, hmm?" she asked innocently ....though it was clearly not quite as innocent as she might have first seemed.

"I can't very well do it here and now, can I?" Jay teased back. He was sure it would happen, when the time was right and when they were assured some privacy, though that might not be until they reached Boa Vista.

"From what I understand of the act, no," she agreed in amusement, raising his hand to her lips to press a kiss to his knuckles. "We should be able to at least reach last night's campsite by this evening if we find a decent pace."

"And what exactly is it you understand of the act?" he asked, clearly amused by this line of conversation, as well as the affection she was showing him by kissing his hand, rather than the other way around. He wrapped his fingers around hers again, as he fell into step, leading the way back to place where they had left Alex and Collins.

Blushing, Eleanor rolled her eyes at him as they walked through the thickening forest. "I have been lead to believe that it requires somewhere to lie down in comfort," she informed him, knowing perfectly well that she didn't have to answer his question. He was teasing her, but it felt good to be teased, especially after the revelations in the pyramid.

Jay chuckled at her reaction, both at the blush and the assumption. "Lying down helps, yes," he said, adding with a mischievous smirk of his own, "Though it's not required."

She stumbled a little, surprised by this revelation. "You ....you don't have to lie down?" Her curiosity piqued, she tilted her head toward him. "Are you sure?"

"It's more comfortable lying down," he replied, "especially for you." He came to a halt suddenly and turned to face her, brows furrowing in puzzlement. "Do you really not know?" he asked, as gently as he could. He didn't want to embarrass her, but he needed to know just how much or little she really knew about what went on between a husband and a wife.

She bit her lip at his gentle puzzlement, ducking her head in embarrassment and shame. "I was very sheltered," she said quietly. "And I do not have friends I did not grow up with. You must think me awfully stupid, Jay, but ....I truly do not know what happens between a man and his wife."

He'd heard some of this before, but somehow he'd always thought she was teasing him a little. The truth was that this woman who he'd fallen in love with and made his wife was almost as innocent as a child. "I see," he murmured after a moment. "Well, I suppose I shall have to show you then," he said, though that wasn't going to happen now.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, darling," she murmured apologetically, squeezing his hand. "If there is anything I can do to alleviate some of your disappointment, I shall. I will submit to any lesson you wish me to take."

"I'm not disappointed, love," Jay assured her, a soft smile on his face. "I will try to go slow," he told her further, but he wasn't really sure how to explain what to expect. It would be a lot easier to show her. He only hoped he didn't shock and frighten her.

She lifted her face to meet his gaze, a faintly guilty smile quirking at her lips as he smiled down at her. Then Alex's voice called through the trees.

"Ellie" Jay' That you?"

She rolled her eyes, sighing softly. "His timing is impeccable, as always."

"It could be worse," Jay remarked with a grin. He touched her cheek and brushed a quick kiss against her lips before answering Alex. "It's us! We're fine!" he called back, quieting his voice for her, "We'll finish this later."

She smiled into his kiss, murmuring agreement to postponing their conversation for a more private time as Alex pushed through the greenery, eager to actually lay eyes on them. He scanned the pair of them worriedly.

"What happened" Did you see those things again?"

Jay opened his mouth to reply, before looking to Eleanor again. They'd promised not to tell anyone what they'd seen or been told in the pyramid, but did that include Alex" "We found proof he was there," Jay said, letting Eleanor decide what else to tell him.

"We have his things," Eleanor told her friend quietly, tapping the satchel she still wore. "He's definitely dead, Alex."

The Scot frowned, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ellie," he said gently. "We knew it was most likely, but that doesn't make it any easier. And you didn't see any monsters?"

Eleanor offered her friend a soft smile. "No, Alex," she told him firmly. "We didn't see any monsters."

That wasn't exactly a lie, as Jay no longer considered the creatures monsters. There was clearly an intelligent side to them, and he no longer thought of them that way. "Just ruins," Jay said. "He must have gotten sick or lost and couldn't find his way out."

Alex frowned, shaking his head. "Bad way to die," he said unhappily. "Poor man. But no sign of anything unusual at all?" He looked searchingly at them both - it seemed as though he was looking for some support for deciding that last night had been some sort of mass hallucination.

Eleanor Marshall

Date: 2018-10-28 09:25 EST
"No," Jay replied simply. He didn't like lying, but a promise was a promise. "Best to move on and let it go," he said, giving Alex's shoulder a squeeze. "It's too late to go any further today. We'll stay the night and start out in the morning for Boa Vista."

The Scot nodded. "Aye, you're likely right," he agreed. "Just the four of us means three watches at night."

"Four watches, thank you very much," Eleanor interrupted with a tart expression. "I am quite capable of holding a watch, you know."

Jay didn't think posted watches were going to be necessary anymore. It was unlikely the jaguar-men were going to bother them further, but there was still the possibility of a threat from wild animals. The biggest threat in his opinion, though, was that from rival expeditions, as unlikely as it was they'd run into anyone here.

"We'll split the night in half with two people standing watch," Jay suggested, though in the end, it was his decision to make.

Alex nodded again, though he clearly didn't like the idea of Eleanor taking any watch time at all. "Collins is already raising tent by the stream," he said then, stepping back. "This way."

It was awkward lying to Alex, but that was just the way it was going to have to be, at least, until they were back in London. Even then, they couldn't risk sharing the truth until Eleanor's father was declared dead and his estate was settled. Jay only nodded, taking Eleanor's hand as he started toward the stream.

It was an odd set up, to have just four of them making camp. When they had been separated, and Jay and Eleanor had been together and alone, it had not felt quite so awkward as it did with Jay, Eleanor, Alex, and Collins. Still, they were a small group, and they would be able to cover ground more quickly. With luck, they would catch up to the rest of the party in just a few days.

Jay wasn't sure why things felt so awkward between them now that they'd returned, but he let Alex and Collins think it was sadness over Eleanor's father's death that was causing it. It wasn't so far from the truth, after all.

"Did anything happen while we were gone?" Jay asked, breaking the awkward silence, once they were settled.

Alex shook his head, glancing over to where Eleanor was reading her father's journal. Collins was cooking fish on hot stones by the fire. "Quiet as the gr-" The Scot stopped himself just in time. "No, nothing out of the ordinary. Perhaps it was something in the smoke from the wood we burned last night, had us all seeing and hearing things."

"Perhaps," Jay said, pausing a moment before continuing, dropping his voice so that it wouldn't carry to Eleanor or Collins. "Or perhaps we saw something that should be left alone," he said, which was as truthful as he dared.

Alex raised his brows, curiosity sparking in his gaze. He knew Jay was not a man given to exaggeration. "Something that wants to be forgotten, perhaps?" he asked, keeping his own voice low. He was a very good lawyer, after all.

"Yes, exactly," Jay confirmed, not really needing to say more than that. He trusted Alex with the truth, and yet, he'd made a promise and couldn't take a chance in breaking that promise. "To be honest, I'm more worried about Ellie," he said quietly, with a nod of his head toward the woman they both cared so much about.

"What about her worries you?" Alex asked. He felt reasonably confident to decode his friend for her new husband, especially since they had grown up together. He was of the opinion that Jay would probably need all the help he could get with Eleanor's more recalcitrant personality traits.

Jay frowned as he considered how to explain. "She's so young, so innocent, and yet, she has such inner strength. I worry how she will take her father's death, and I worry about her cousin preying on her grief," he confessed. "I am not sure how to help."

"Jay, you have to realize she did her grieving for her father three years ago," Alex told him quietly. "When the letters stopped coming, she knew he was dead. She's already said her goodbyes; it was losing that contact that killed her mother in the end. And as for Walter, well ....he hasn't a leg to stand on, even more so now you're wed to her." He reached over to pat Jay's shoulder. "Ellie seems strong, but she's fragile inside. She won't want to disappoint you by showing that soft heart breaking, but she'll need a good cry at least once over this. You're best placed to comfort her through it."

"Nothing she does will ever disappoint me," Jay said. Though they'd only been married a few days, he felt sure of that in his heart, and he hoped she felt the same about him. "I only want to help her through this," he explained.

"Then look at it like this, Jay," Alex suggested, setting his pack aside for a moment. "Everyone who has told her they love her has left her. Her father left the country and died abroad; her mother didn't consider Ellie worth living for once he was gone. She's no friends, no true friends, but me. Best thing you can do is stay with her, no matter what, and I know you will."

"Of course I will," Jay insisted, trying not to sound too defensive. "I care for her, Alex. It's not about her father's estate," he said, not for the first or probably the last time. He didn't want to be her friend though; he wanted something more.

"Aye, I know that." Alex eyed him for a long moment. "James, if there'd been any doubt, I'd have punched your lights out for seducing her. Any fool can see you're smitten. And she doesn't want the estate anyway."

"Smitten," Jay echoed with a chuckle. "That's one way of putting it, I suppose." He didn't think he needed to explain or justify his feelings; actions spoke louder than words, after all. "I have to admit I'm rather dreading the return to London."

"Ah, you'll not be going to London," the Scot assured him. "The estate's in Hampshire - all business will be taken care of at my father's offices in Portsmouth. You'll not have to go near the capital if you've no wish to."

"Ah, that's good, I suppose, but what about Walter" I do not look forward to seeing him again," he said, though that was more likely to occur upon their arrival in Georgetown. By that time, they'd be officially married, and there wasn't a bloody thing her cousin could do about it.

"He is waiting for her to return to Georgetown," Alex pointed out. "Of course, you could avoid ever seeing him again if you chose to go back to Manaus and caught the boat from the Brazilian coast rather than Georgetown itself." He shrugged innocently. "Just a thought."

"I like how you think," Jay replied with a smirk. He'd been thinking along similar lines himself. He hadn't left much behind in Georgetown that couldn't be replaced, and the thought of confronting cousin Walter was one he'd like to avoid, for both their sakes.

"Aye." Alex flashed him a grin. "Ellie can pick up what she needs in Manaus; so can I, for that matter. We can send someone to fetch our trunks when the boat docks in Georgetown, and so long as we stay out of sight for the day we'll be at the mooring there, Walter will have no reason to come aboard. He'll still be waiting for you to bring her out of the jungle to the west."

"I can see why you're a lawyer," Jay remarked, that smirk still on his face. He hoped Alex took the compliment the way it was meant. "Shall we check on the fish before it's inedible?" he asked, regarding Collins' skill with a cooking fire.

"Oh!" Alex lurched to his feet, belatedly remembering that he was supposed to be teaching the lad how to cook fresh-caught fish the way he had been taught as a boy, and hurried to the cooking fire to do just that.

Eleanor Marshall

Date: 2018-10-28 09:25 EST
Jay moved to his feet, chuckling a little as Alex hurried to check on Collins and the fish, but instead of heading that way, too, he looked over at Eleanor, his heart aching for her loss. After a moment, he started that way instead. "Am I intruding?" he asked upon his arrival.

She raised her head, one hand marking her page in the journal as she smiled wearily up at him. "Not at all," she promised softly. "Is everything well" Alex looked a little bothered when he stood up."

"Oh, he forgot he's supposed to be teaching young Collins how to cook," Jay explained, hoping dinner was still going to be edible. They hadn't eaten since morning and he was sure she was as hungry as he was.

"Oh, I see." She giggled quietly, reaching to pat the log beside her. "You can sit down next to your own wife, you know. I'm not going to leap up and run away from you."

"I should hope not," he said, chuckling again as he settled himself on the log beside her. "It's a bit late for that," he added, though he supposed it wasn't, if she'd changed her mind.

Her smile didn't fade, her eyes crinkling warmly as she leaned against his arm easily when he was sat beside her. "I rather think it was too late around three days after we met," she commented softly. "You did rather catch my attention somewhat."

"Only somewhat?" Jay echoed, eyes bright with amusement. "I must not have been trying hard enough." In fact, he hadn't been trying at all. Though he'd noticed her, even been attracted to her, he hadn't thought he had a chance in hell to win her.

She laughed again, wrapping her hand about his bicep as her cheek touched his shoulder. "If you had been trying, I rather think I would have proposed before we left Georgetown, darling."

"Your cousin would not have liked that," Jay pointed out, but he wasn't all that worried about Walter - not as much as he made out. He only didn't want to create problems for her. As far as he was concerned, if cousin Walter pushed his luck too much, he might find himself sporting a broken nose.

She rolled her eyes. "My cousin, Jay, is neither here nor there," she reminded him. "I married you just yesterday, in case you have forgotten. No matter how much of a fuss he tries to make, Walter can do nothing now."

"I haven't forgotten," he said, leaning closer to brush a kiss against her cheek. "Did he write anything of interest?" he asked, as curious about her father's journal as she was, though it was really none of his business.

She sighed softly, nestling against his side. "Nothing truly of interest so far," she admitted. But the journal was very thick, and she had read only a few pages. "It may take a while, unless I skip to the end, of course."

"When did he start writing it?" he asked, curious as to how old the journal was and how far back it went. Did it only record the man's thoughts and experiences in the Amazon or was there more than that' Was it personal or professional"

"The first entries are dated three years ago," she told him thoughtfully. "Before he embarked on his last journey. He missed my mother so much, but he couldn't bring himself to come home. He thought he'd become a monster during the war."

Jay frowned, understanding the man's sentiment more than he cared to admit. "The war changed him; changed us," Jay corrected, including himself in that statement. "It was all so ....senseless," he said with a heavy sigh.

Eleanor frowned back at him, worry sparking in her gaze as her hand gently squeezed his arm. "You are not alone, love," she murmured to him. "I know I can never truly understand, but I will always be here when you need me, and even when you don't."

He blinked out of his thoughts of the past and turned to her with a soft smile on his face. "I know, and I will always be here for you, as well," he assured her. Wasn't that what being married was all about' At least, to those who weren't stuck in pre-arranged marriages.

She smiled back at him, glad to see him return to her so quickly. Then her smile faded as she glanced down at the journal once again. "He did not miss me," she told him quietly. "He barely even acknowledges that he had a daughter at all."

Jay mirrored her frown, his heart aching for her again. "Perhaps he was protecting you," he suggested. Though he'd never met her father, that didn't seem too hard to believe.

"What reason would he have for doing that in his personal journal?" she asked her husband sadly. "I always knew he would rather have had a son. I did not realize how deep his disappointment went."

"Perhaps he says more later on," Jay said, hoping he was right, though he could relate in a way, as his father had never been the same after his wife - James and Eliza's mother - had died.

"Perhaps." She closed the journal. "I do not have to read it all in one night. It will be several weeks before we are back in Georgetown, after all, and longer before we reach England."

"Actually," Jay started, a small frown on his face, worried she might not like what he was about to tell her. "Alex and I were discussing backtracking to Manaus and then taking a ship from Brazil. There's no real reason we need to return to Georgetown, after all."

She blinked in surprise, tilting her head as she held his gaze curiously. "That ....is not a dreadful idea," she mused thoughtfully. "Obviously my trunk can be sent for at a later date, and I can send Walter a telegram from the ship." She looked mischievous for a moment. "The prospect of returning to England far in advance of him is very enticing."

"Mmhm," Jay murmured, with a hint of a smirk on his face. "By the time he gets to England, it will be too late for him to do anything about your father's estate," he said, knowing Alex would make sure of that. There wasn't much Walter would be able to do anyway, but this way they might be able to avoid a nasty confrontation.

"Indeed." Eleanor bit her lip thoughtfully. "I could also inform my other uncle of our discovery and my intention to sell him the estate. He would be ready to sign the papers when we arrive in Portsmouth."

"That's a good idea, too," Jay said. "You should probably talk to Alex about all this," he said further. Though he was her husband, Alex was her lawyer, and her father's estate was his responsibility.

"I will," she agreed rather cheerfully. The thought of not actually having to confront Walter at all was a very enticing one. "The journey back to Manaus from Boa Vista will be easier, won't it?"

"It should be, yes. There's no need to trek through the jungle. We can stay on the road and maybe even rent a cart or a wagon," he told her. Yes, the way back to Manaus would be much easier than the way they had come.

"Goodness, that sounds almost luxurious," she teased, resting her chin on his shoulder to blow a soft kiss into his ear. "Shall we go and see if our dinner has been rescued from the flames?"

"Not really, but better than walking through the jungle," he said, smiling again and even laughing a little at her teasing. "Hopefully, it's edible." Which was more than he could say for the fish he'd tried to cook for her when they'd camped out near the stream.

To be fair, she had distracted him somewhat when he had been cooking. Alex and Collins had no such excuse. With a soft smile, Eleanor tucked the journal back into the satchel and slid her fingers between Jay's. "Come along then, husband."

He wanted to tell her that no matter what that journal said, no matter whether her father had wanted her or not, he loved her and would always love her, but dinner awaited. Instead, he only turned her face toward his and touched his lips to hers, a soft smile on his face. "I love you, Mrs. Marshall. Never forget that."

"With you at my side, I am sure I never will," she whispered in answer, teasing her fingers against his cheek for a moment before drawing back. "I'm hungry. Time to feed your wife, Captain Marshall."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, his smile widening, as he pulled her up off the log to go check on dinner. In a few days, they'd arrive in Boa Vista, where they'd make their marriage legal, and no one would be able to say or do anything about it - not even cousin Walter.

They'd come into the rainforest to confirm a death, and would come out of it with a future, together, that neither could have anticipated. No matter how much the truth might hurt, it was worth it, Eleanor was certain, to know that she was loved.