by Michael Cole
But if they found the Golden Disk of the Sun and the treasure that had purportedly been hidden with it, everything would change. He could end up being a rich man, rich enough so he would no longer have to be concerned about working for a living. If he did strike it rich, would Catalina be willing to live with him in a villa close to the ocean, Rio de Janeiro, perhaps? He was tired of living off the wilderness and in that shack he and Chris called home. He loved the Amazon, but he couldn't picture himself guiding tourists for the rest of his life.
If he found the gold, maybe he could purchase several thousand acres of land and become a coffee grower. As a businessman, he would gain the respect of others like him. Rich landowners were considered to be an elite group, particularly in Brazil. Then he could propose to her. She could have the wealth she was accustomed to, managing the household while he would supervise the laborers in the coffee fields. He formed a mental image of himself running a plantation. This was ridiculous! No matter how lucrative the coffee business was, he wasn't cut out to lead a boring life on a coffee plantation. He was addicted to the rain forest much like a junkie is to heroin. He would never be happy unless he lived a stone's throw from the Amazon.
Eric finally drifted off into a restless sleep. He was reclining in a hammock when an image of his father appeared before him. Jonathan Shade told him he would soon discover a place, which was built by the Star Walkers. Eric strained to hear what his father had to say, but the image faded away.
* * *
Phillip woke up with a start. "Damn it!" He chastised himself for falling asleep. When he glanced at his watch, he knew he would have to act quickly. It would be dawn soon, and he needed the darkness of night to put his plan into motion. The last thing he wanted was for someone at this hour to catch him placing strychnos fruit in Eric's trench. He slid out of his tent and looked around. Chris had fallen asleep by the smoldering fire with Eric's rifle in his hands. So much for having an alert guard. He sneaked to the bush where he had hidden the strychnos, picked up some of it, and crawled ever so silently toward the ditch that surrounded Eric's tent.
Still breathing hard from the fear of being noticed, and taking the utmost care not to make any noise, Phillip quickly returned to his own tent and crawled inside his sleeping bag. He strained to hear any sounds that might indicate he had been discovered, but all was quiet except for the periodic screech of a howler monkey. What were the odds of a couple of scorpions entering Eric's sleeping bag, much less stinging him to death? Yesterday, he had been optimistic that his plan would succeed. Now he wasn't so sure.
* * *
Eric was sound asleep, dreaming that Catalina lay by his side. She was holding a feather in her hand, tickling his nose playfully. Just as he was about to flick it away, his eyes flew open. A sixth sense told him danger was nearby. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what. He was on the verge of reaching for his gun when he froze. A creature was crawling on his forehead. He didn't have to see it to know what it was.
A scorpion! Then he felt a tickling sensation on his neck. With a scorpion on his neck and another on his face, he mustered all his willpower to remain calm. He knew a frightened individual exuded a chemical that would induce a scorpion to strike. He must remain calm and perfectly still. He shut his eyes and willed himself into immobility. He even pretended to be a statue made of granite, his arms so heavy that moving them would be an impossibility.
Eric waited for what seemed like an eternity. Then, he felt one crawling on his ear. After counting to one thousand, he knew he couldn't take it much longer. He was about to spring out of his sleeping bag when a scorpion crawled searchingly over his lips and nose. He willed himself not to think of the imminent danger. Instead, he focused on Catalina. Closing his eyes once more, he worked at recreating her image. Ten minutes, twenty minutes, an eternity passed. With his muscles cramping, he knew he couldn't remain motionless much longer. But if he moved, the scorpions would sting. He was in a no-win situation. He had to act.
While still in a prone position, ever so slowly, he unzipped his sleeping bag as far as he could. It took an eternity, but he finally managed to get both of his legs clear of the bag. He jumped to his feet, brushing his hands over his face, ears, hair and neck.
The noise woke Chris. Within seconds he was at Eric's side. "What's the matter?"
"Scorpions," Eric said as he unbuttoned his shirt. "There were several. At least two, maybe more. Take a look and tell me if you see any."
Chris turned on his flashlight and methodically shined it over Eric's body. "I don't see any."
Eric was buttoning his shirt when Catalina rushed over. "I heard a commotion. Are you two all right?"
"It's okay, Catalina," Eric said. "I wasn't stung. Go back to sleep."
Catalina made no move to return to her tent. "What do you mean stung? Didn't Phillip place the strychnos in your trench?"
Eric grabbed a flashlight, and the three of them walked over to take a look. Chris said, "I don't have to see the strychnos to know it's there. The stuff smells to high heaven."
Eric glanced toward Phillip's tent. "One scorpion could've been on the ground when you pitched the tent. But two? Highly unlikely. That means someone had to have planted them. The only person who'd do such a thing is Phillip."
"No way," Chris said. "Phillip wouldn't have had the guts to handle something as deadly as a scorpion." Turning on his flashlight, Chris searched the ground. "They must have been hiding in the space where I pitched the tent. But then I cleared the ground myself, and I certainly didn't see any scorpions." Chris shrugged. "I suppose I could have overlooked the buggers."
Eric shook his head. "I doubt it." He glanced at his watch. "It'll be dawn soon. Since all of us are up except Phillip, maybe we should break camp. Does anyone object to an early start?"
"I'll roust Phillip out of bed," Chris volunteered.
Catalina said, "While you're doing that, I'll stoke the fire and fix us some coffee."
With a flashlight in hand, Eric took another look at his trench. When he saw a dead scorpion, he was satisfied that Phillip did in fact place strychnos in the ditch. He decided there wasn't much sense in dwelling on what had taken place. Accident or not, he knew he would never find out what had actually transpired.
* * *
Phillip found it difficult to hide his disappointment. Shade had been one lucky son-of-a-bitch. He had been listening intently to Eric, Chris, and Catalina. Fortunately, no one could prove he was the one responsible for the scorpions entering Eric's tent, but that didn't mean Eric didn't suspect him. He would have to watch his step from now on, which meant it was doubtful he would get another chance to eliminate Eric. Now, the only thing he could hope for was they would never find the Golden Disk of the Sun.
CHAPTER 32
Eric took the lead as they once more forged their way along the western slope of Muela Del Diablo. So far they had been able to follow Valverde's directions, but finding the tunnel might prove to be difficult. He glanced at the mountain's cone-shaped summit. From his vantage point, he could not only envision the crater, but he could also see the sheer cliff one would have to scale in order to reach it. To climb the last three to four hundred meters of the slope would be sheer suicide. That's one reason most mountain climbers shied away from Muela Del Diablo.
By that afternoon the rugged terrain of the eastern slope gave way to the more rounded contours of the western side of the mountain. The topographical contrast between the two slopes created an image of two distinctly different mountains. Eric stopped to survey the terrain, then pointed to a spot a hundred or so meters above them. "That's where I think we need to go."
Catalina loosened the straps of her backpack. Her shoulder muscles ached, her feet were blistered, and although they were only a little more than halfway up the mountain, she was cold. She turned toward Chris. "From what I gather, the Incas had most likely carted the gold to the mountain though a series of tunnels. Needless to say, that would have been easier than lugging it up t
his slope. It's hard to believe they felt the need to bring some of their treasure all the way from Peru to Brazil."
Eric overheard Catalina's comment. "I think it was because of the mirror. Atahualpa's queen must have known if those rapacious Spaniards ever got ahold of it, they would smelt it. Remember, according to the legend, it was her most prized possession."
"None of you probably care what I have to say," Phillip interrupted, "but I'm beginning to think Valverde must have been delusional. There is no mirror, and there is no gold."
"You are right, Phillip," Chris said. "No one really gives a damn what you have to say."
They hiked for another grueling three kilometers before they found what they were looking for. The seam Valverde mentioned was nothing more than a fissure. It butted up to the slope, a large crack in the earth that ran horizontally for several hundred meters. The entire area was completely covered with salvaje plants.
"Now what?" Catalina asked.
"Now we search for the tunnel," Eric said. "It has to be here someplace. Remember, Valverde said it would be camouflaged by the salvaje."
Phillip moaned. "You have got to be kidding! It will take us days if not weeks to find it."
On impulse, Catalina decided now would be as good a time as any to see if Phillip was the one who had stolen the derrotero. "It would have been easier to locate the Golden Disk of the Sun if we still had Valverde's parchment," she fibbed.
"Oh, you mean to tell me you lost the original derrotero?" Phillip feigned surprise.
She shot him a piercing look. "I didn't lose it. Someone stole it."
"Whether you lost it or it was stolen is really a mute point. We will never find the treasure without those instructions, and you know it. Why don't we just save ourselves a lot of time and call it quits?"
"Quit if you like," Catalina spat back. "But I'm not giving up!"
Eric paced off the fissure. "Okay, so this is what we'll do. The crevice is about two hundred meters long. Since it butts up to the slope, I say we use our machetes and remove the salvaje plants growing near the rise."
They cleared several dozen salvaje plants when Chris yelled, "Over here. I see a tunnel. This must be it!"
"All of you stay here," Eric said. "I'm going in as I want to make sure it's the right one."
Twenty tense minutes later he came out shaking his head. "It was a tunnel all right, but it wasn't the one Valverde described. I followed it for about a half a kilometer, but unfortunately, it came to a dead end."
They spent the rest of the day clearing more of the salvaje, finding two more tunnels. One was blocked while the other went deep into the ground. Eric approached the fourth tunnel. "This one better take us to the waterfall. We've cleared most of the salvaje, and I don't see any other tunnels."
* * *
Phillip's heart was pounding. When Eric entered the tunnel, he prayed it would lead Eric to yet another dead end. If this failed, he might stand a chance of luring Catalina back. He would provide her with additional funds so she could purchase more artifacts, artifacts he would donate to the Getty Museum. Since she wanted to assert her independence, he would have the curator at the Getty create a job for her so the museum would be paying her salary instead of him. She did have a doctorate degree in archeology, and was considered to be an expert on South American artifacts. It would be difficult for her to refuse. After all, this was her dream.
* * *
Eric didn't waste any time. Flashlight in hand, he cautiously approached the tunnel. He was careful not to make noise so as not to scare any bats. He knew they were in the tunnel somewhere because there were bat droppings everywhere. He figured the tunnel was man-made. No two stones were alike, yet they fit together perfectly. He touched the side of the tunnel. Not only did the stones feel moist, but a green-colored moss covered them-a tell-tale sign that water was nearby. He followed the passage deeper into the mountain. Just as he was beginning to feel he had entered the wrong tunnel, he heard the sound of running water. Suddenly, the tunnel took a sharp bend to the right. Daylight from the tunnel's opening streamed in, blinding him. The sound of pummeling water was deafening, the noise coming from a waterfall from somewhere above the tunnel. Sheets of water blocked most of the tunnel's entrance. He was afraid the force of the water might knock him off his feet, so he placed himself in a prone position, shut his eyes, and with his elbows crawled military-style on his belly out of the tunnel.
Soaked to the bone, he stood and surveyed the surroundings. That's when he spotted the waterfall. It was high above him, cascading from the mountain into a pool below. Using the irregular-shaped rocks for support, he lowered himself to the water's edge, removed his backpack and boots, took a deep breath, and dove in.
Upon surfacing, he swam to the far side of the pool away from the waterfall to a rock wall. After taking another deep breath, he disappeared into the frothy water. It seemed like an eternity before he resurfaced. "Found it!" he gasped, his mind spinning. About three meters below the water line was the very thing he had hoped to see. Valverde was right! There was a volcanic chimney down there. He crossed himself, and swam in. When he finally emerged from the U-shaped scavon, not only was he able to breathe, but he could also see. He waded out of the water and stepped into a grotto, the very one Valverde referred to. His heart began to beat faster. An eerie glow emanated from above. Eric soon realized he was standing beneath the land fracture they had come upon earlier. It illuminated a portion of the cavernous space. He shouted Catalina's name. By the sound of the resonance, the echo seemed to come from afar, which meant the grotto was quite large. He was tempted to explore more of it, but then he knew Chris and Catalina were waiting. Reluctantly, he swam back through the volcanic chimney into the pool and re-entered the tunnel.
* * *
Dripping wet, Eric finally emerged from the passageway. Catalina rushed toward him. "You were gone so long that I was beginning to worry."
He smiled. "I have good news. Very good news!"
"Don't tell me," Phillip responded sarcastically. "You found the Golden Disk of the Sun!"
"I wouldn't go so far as to say that. But this is definitely the tunnel Valverde referred to. I also entered the grotto. Wait till you see it. The place is nothing short of amazing. There is a waterfall on the other side of the tunnel," Eric continued. "Also the pool of water really does exist-as well as an underwater volcanic chimney, not to mention the grotto."
"What else did you see?" Chris asked.
"Only the large land fracture, but I saw it from a different perspective. I was looking up at it." He pointed to the fissure. "I'd say the grotto is several stories beneath us. I couldn't see much of it because the sun was already on the far side of the mountain. If we enter it around noon tomorrow, we should be able to see. I suggest we take our flashlights with us. You know, just in case."
Catalina, Chris, and Eric were planning how best to enter the grotto when Phillip walked over. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Catalina? Alone?"
Once they were out of earshot of the others, Phillip asked, "I thought you said someone had stolen the original derrotero. If that's the case, and since Eric's copy didn't have the complete instructions, how does he know the tunnel he entered is the right one?"
Catalina edged away from Phillip. "Eric is a lot smarter than you think. He managed to figure it out without the parchment you took from me."
Phillip looked indignantly at Catalina. "Why are you accusing me of stealing it? It could have been Eric or Chris, you know."
"It wasn't Eric or Chris," she hissed. "I was watching you out of the corner of my eye. You didn't look very happy when Eric told us he found the right tunnel. You don't want us to find the Golden Disk of the Sun. You were the one who took the derrotero out of my wallet while I was bathing in Rio Topo. You took it because the last thing you want is for us to discover the treasure. That's because you want me to be dependent on you!"
Catalina paused. When Phillip didn't say anything, she continued, "It took me a w
hile, but I finally realized what kind of person you really are. You're egotistical and selfish, and mean-spirited as well. You're a man with no scruples. You are in so much competition with him. I suspect you placed those scorpions in Eric's tent. You want me so badly-that you went as far as to concoct a plan to kill him!"
Catalina had worked herself up in such a frenzy that she was having trouble maintaining her composure. "I do have you to thank for one thing. If you hadn't agreed to take this trip, I probably would have never realized what kind of a person you really are. Here in the jungle and on this mountain was when your true character surfaced. Eric is not rich like you, but he's ten times the man you will ever be." With that last statement, Catalina turned on her heel and walked back to where Eric and Chris were standing.
* * *
Later, once Eric had changed into some dry clothes, Chris lit a fire and the four of them spread their sleeping bags close to the flames. They ate some soggy beef jerky Chris had stashed in his backpack, each with his own thoughts.
* * *
Phillip still didn't believe they would find the mirror; however, he was now a little more optimistic that Valverde's directions were genuine. The monetary value of whatever gold they might find had no appeal to him, but if there were ancient artifacts in the grotto?.?.?. he thought about the impact they would have on the art world. If the Incas hadn't smelted all of their relics, he might find some magnificent items, artifacts he could add to his collection. He would become the darling of all the talk show hosts. Museums would clamor for the right to display his priceless possessions.