CHAPTER 63

We crept down the hill as stealthily as possible.

I froze when my foot hit a loose rock that sent a shower of pebbles skittering down the slope.

A couple of the guys with guns, sitting on the ground not too far from where Storm snoozed on top of the altar, looked up from their tin dinner plates.

“Did you hear that?” said one.

“Probably just some giant insect,” said another. “Or a tree frog.”

“That sounded more like a rock than a tree frog,” said the first guy.

“Okay. Fine,” said the other one. “Then it’s a rock frog. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m starving here.”

The paramilitary types went back to chowing down on whatever slop Nathan Collier’s Treasure Extractors Inc. had provided for their evening meal. Whatever it was, it involved some serious slurping.

Nathan Collier, his son Chet, the high priest, and the guy called Supay were back at the rocks, studying a map. Six yards away, leaning up against the craggy back wall of borders, were all the security troops’ rifles, neatly leaning against one another like the poles of a tepee.

Very convenient.

We skulked closer to the altar. So close, we could hear Storm snoring. By the way, they were totally fake snores. Storm is the worst actress in our whole family.

Off to our right, we heard the ker-pow blatt-blatt-blatt of a four-stroke engine on a quad sputtering to life. Tommy must’ve goosed the throttle, too, because next we heard a peppy whine-a-chug-chug. A second ATV roared to life. Then a third. I figured Tommy must be dancing around kick-starting them all.

“Someone’s stealing our rides, man!” screamed one of the goons.

“Seize them!” shouted Collier.

“Bring them to me!” cried the high priest. “They will pay for their insolence!”

Just like we had hoped, Collier’s whole gang ran off to chase down the ATV thieves—forgetting their weapons in the process.

Beck and I ran to Storm as Dad ran to the stack of rifles. Once he had one in each hand, he dashed over to the ATVs to help Tommy.

Storm shot out her arms and legs, splaying them across the altar. But she didn’t jump off the high stone table.

“Get up!” I shouted at Storm. “It’s time to go!”

“No,” said Storm. “Not until they’re all gone!”