“It is done,” he said to nothing in particular at the spot he knew she’d be listening.

“Good,” her disembodied voice replied— the voice of the jungle itself, it almost seemed. “They will not disturb our order any longer, then. You are due a reward.”

“Yes,” he nodded, “I am. Once the business is definitely concluded, that is. I sense there will be more to do before we can truly say this is over.”

“Meticulous as always,” the voice crooned. “Return to them when the time is right, make sure they suspect nothing, and then… we shall have a surprise for them.”

He smiled. “They will come to understand the true fury of the jungle.”