"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.

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 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.

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.