Both Jubal and Gary slowed their pace, obviously keeping an eye on Annabel. Riley took her pack. It was significant that Annabel made no protest when Riley shouldered her mother’s pack with her own. After half an hour, Ben Charger dropped back and took the pack. The three men took turns carrying it. Annabel never looked up. Her shoulders became slumped, weighed down, the closer they got to the base of the mountain. Her footsteps dragged, as if she waded through quicksand and every step was a terrible effort. Even her breathing became labored.
It was clear the guides were rushing the sun, trying to make the base of the mountain before nightfall, which suited Riley, but her mother wasn’t going to make it. She’d fallen silent, watching Jubal’s back to stay in line, but she swayed with weariness and her clothes and hair were damp with sweat. They had to stop and rest.
Fortunately, Weston complained bitterly. “Are we in some kind of race?” he demanded. His voice rose with every step.
“Miguel.” Jubal’s voice carried authority as he spoke to the guide in Miguel’s native language. “We have to stop and rest. Half an hour. No more and we’ll start out again. Let them rest and get a drink. They’ll move faster for you.”
Miguel glanced up at the sky, looking very apprehensive, but he nodded abruptly and found a tiny clearing with a few rocks for them to sit on. Riley nodded to Jubal in thanks as she took her mother’s pack from him and moved to the edge of the trees to give her mother some privacy. She was grateful more attention hadn’t been drawn to her.
“We can’t stop,” Annabel whispered the moment they were alone. “We have to hurry.”
“You need rest, Mom,” Riley protested. “Here, drink this.” She handed her water pack to her mother.
Annabel shook her head. “You’ll have to leave me if I can’t make it.”
“Mom.” Riley forced herself to be firm. Annabel looked so exhausted and pale she just wanted to wrap her in her arms and hold her protectively. “You have to tell me what’s going on. What are we facing up there on that mountain? I can’t be kept in the dark anymore.”
Annabel looked around for a place to sit, found a small boulder nestled between two trees and sank down onto it. Her hands trembled as she folded them carefully into her lap. “All those stories you were told as a little girl about the mountain and the Cloud Warriors, those weren’t scary stories, Riley. They were the truth. The history of our people.”
Riley swallowed hard. Those “stories” were the thing of nightmares. A terrible evil preying on the greatest warriors, tearing out their throats, drinking blood, demanding human sacrifices, children, young women, yet nothing appeased the demon. “Mom, the Incas conquered the Cloud People . . .”
“They were able to because,” Annabel interrupted, “their best warriors had already been killed. The people were living in fear.” Her eyes met Riley’s. “The Incas were strong, with fierce warriors as well. They took some of the Cloud women as wives. Including your ancestor, a woman named Arabejila. She was the one who handed down the truth—as well as her gifts—to her daughter. The evil continued for years and years, killing the warriors of the Incas just as it had those of the Cloud People. No one seemed able to defeat such a bloodthirsty demon.”
Riley wanted to scoff at such ridiculous lore. She’d heard the stories, but she’d also read history, as much as had been compiled about the Cloud People and the Incas. There were a few obscure references to human sacrifice and warriors dying, but very little, certainly not enough to support the story her mother was telling her . . . But, the feeling of evil was growing beneath her feet as they grew closer to the mountain. She felt the earth tremble every now and then, and with all the strange events, the attacks on her mother, how could she just dismiss what her mother was telling her?
“Keep going.” Riley wanted to put her hands over her ears. Her heart beat too fast—in time to the heartbeat of the earth. She felt the shiver beneath her feet, as if the ground itself was listening and trying to warn her, whatever that evil was, that it was about to escape.
“There was one man who had come with your ancestor from a strange land. He fought battle after battle but could not defeat this evil. In the end, Arabejila lured the evil into the volcano with the warrior, a tremendous sacrifice. She locked them there, but every so many years, to keep the volcano from erupting, which would allow him freedom . . .”
“No one could live in a volcano for hundreds of years, Mom, and still be alive.” Riley made it a firm statement. It was the truth . . . wasn’t it? The fear she tasted in her mouth said something altogether different.
“I know they’re locked in there, at least that evil creature is still there. I’ve felt him, and right now, every single person here is feeling him. I’m late, and if he escapes, everyone he kills—and he will kill over and over—will be on me.”
Riley scowled at her mother. “That’s ridiculous. You had no choice but to stay with Dad. We’ve been delayed here over and over . . .” She trailed off. If that evil entity was in some way influencing those traveling with them, was it so far off to think that he could be delaying them? “How could this thing still be alive after all this time? You’re talking five hundred years more or less.”
“He is. I feel him. You feel him. Evil lives and walks this earth, Riley, and it’s your job—and mine—to help stop it. That’s the legacy we were given and we have no choice. If the thing gets out into the world and kills, we’ve failed.”
“What do we do when we get up the mountain, Mom?” Riley made up her mind. No matter what, Annabel was determined to go up that mountain and perform the ritual taught to her by her mother before her. There would be no stopping her, no matter how worn she looked, so Riley was getting her up that mountain and getting the job done as quickly as possible. Her mother wasn’t living in a fantasy. She meant every word she said. Riley heard the ring of truth in her voice.
“You know what needs to be done,” Annabel said. “I’ve taught you since you were a child. If we succeed, you have to come to this mountain when you’re pregnant and have your daughter here. She must be a part of the earth. The gifts are strong in you, much stronger than they ever have been in me, or even my mother. I could feel the earth accept you as her child the moment I put you down into the cradle crevice.” She wiped sweat from her face. “The sun will be down soon. That’s the most dangerous time, Riley. He’s quiet during the day, but at night, he can take command. Never underestimate him. From what I was told, he can appear beautiful and charming but he’s wholly evil. If something happens to me . . .”
“Mom,” Riley protested. “Don’t say that. Don’t think it. I won’t let anything happen to you. I won’t.”
Annabel held up her hand. “We can’t pretend. There’s every possibility. And then he’ll go after you. We’re a threat to him and he will do everything in his power to eliminate us.”
Riley scrubbed her hand over her face, as if that could remove the clawing fear. The energy running beneath her feet thrummed of urgency. She had become so aware of the surrounding rain forest, of the vegetation she walked on, and now, the dirt itself, reaching out to her with veins of information, silently screaming to hurry—hurry.
Riley forced herself to nod. Her mother needed reassurance that she could handle whatever was thrown at them. “I think the two researchers, Gary and Jubal, know about the stories. I asked them what was happening last night and both used the word evil, as if it was spreading across the land and influencing all of us. They’ve been keeping a watch over us and I don’t think I could have saved you last night without them. Ben Charger has been sticking close as well, helping to guard us. He seems to realize something beyond the normal is influencing everyone as well, but I haven’t discussed anything with him.”
Annabel shook her head. “You can’t really trust anyone, Riley. This thing—this evil creature—is capable of turning anyone against us.�
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“We still need allies, Mom,” Riley said. “Those men have helped us so far, and they’re armed to the teeth. Both carry all kinds of weapons on them, some I’ve never seen before. They didn’t seem to care, when they strapped them all on this morning, that the guides and porters could see them. In fact, they wanted them to see—I think to help protect us.”
Annabel frowned and rubbed sweat from her forehead. She pushed back the damp curls corkscrewing around her face. “How would they get any weapons through customs? Through the airport? Don’t you think it’s strange they even have weapons on them? As if they already knew something would be wrong and they came prepared?”
Riley leaned in close to her mother. “I honestly don’t care how they got them, or why they brought them. They saved your life last night and we need them. Something bad is going to happen soon. We both know that. We need these men and their weapons. In fact, I’m going to see if they’ll lend me one.” She infused determination into her voice, daring her mother to disagree with her. Clearly Annabel wasn’t thinking straight, or she would see they couldn’t do this task alone.
Annabel simply shrugged, wiping her face again, hanging her head, shoulders slumped. Riley bit down hard on her lip. Her mother was definitely giving up and she couldn’t have that. She had to find a way to make her feel as if they were empowered—as if whatever this evil entity was they had a chance against him.
“Mom, if this Arabejila is our ancestor and she was able to lure this evil killing machine into a volcano and hold him there, and keep the volcano from erupting for years, and then my great-great-grandmother, all the way to you have done it, then together, we can do it, too.” She infused confidence into her voice. “We aren’t less than they are. We have the same blood. The forest reacts to you, and now to me. I feel the earth’s heartbeat . . .”
Annabel rocked gently and shook her head. “I don’t. I can’t anymore. Before, her heart beat with mine. My blood ran with the sap in the trees and underground rivers. She’s lost to me. I could feel her fading after your father died.”
Riley leaned close to her mother. “Stop it, Mom. I mean it. Pull yourself together. You’re giving up because Dad is dead. I saw Grandma do the same thing. You can’t leave me here in Peru, surrounded by danger. I need you to be strong. You’re the one pulling away from the gifts you have, pulling away from me. I’m your daughter. Your only child. What do I do if you just give up?”
She put her hand on her mother’s knee and softened her voice. “You taught me to be a fighter, to never give up. Now, whatever this is, no matter how bad, you say we have to succeed, that innocent lives depend on us. So let’s get the job done, no matter the cost to us. We do this thing all the way, and we succeed.”
Annabel looked up, her eyes meeting Riley’s. For a moment there was that spark of absolute determination Riley recognized in her mother. And then she blinked back tears. “I know I haven’t been myself, honey. It’s just that your father and I were so close. I can’t breathe right without him. We just fit together more like one person and without him, I’m having a hard time functioning.”
“Mom.” Riley leaned close. “Of course you feel that way. Dad’s only been gone a short time. You haven’t had time to come to terms with his death. Neither have I. We just lost him and we’re supposed to be home grieving, not out here in the rain forest, climbing a mountain surrounded by strangers and dealing with something profoundly evil.”
Annabel swallowed hard and shoved at the damp curls springing around her face. The humidity and heat had sent her hair into a frenzy of brown frizz and corkscrews all over her head.
Annabel reached out to touch Riley’s thick, long hair, straight as a bone, not a frizz in sight in spite of the humidity. She wore it in a long braid to keep it off her neck and away from her face. “You’re so beautiful, Riley, and so different. You belong here. Your soul is here whether you know it or not and the land is calling to you. I can feel it. I’m certain you can as well. Listen to what it says to you. Trust your instincts.”
Riley’s heart jumped. Her mother sounded like she was saying good-bye all over again. Her hands trembled as she smoothed Riley’s hair. She looked so fragile Riley’s heart ached. Clearly, Annabel wanted to help Riley, but in her defeated state she felt incapable. That small surge of determination faded far too fast.
Riley let her breath out slowly. “You need to drink more water, Mom,” she advised, giving up on trying to rally Annabel’s defenses. The best she could do was get her mother up the mountain and keep anyone from killing her. And that required a better weapon than the one she had.
Jubal was off to her left, not far from them. Gary was on their other side, a discreet distance away, and Ben had found a resting place in front of them, as if guarding them from the others. Riley couldn’t count on her mother, and she needed these men to help keep her mother safe. She needed to plan every step carefully and prepare for any emergencies. That meant her pack as well as her mother’s needed extra supplies.
She always carried rations and her own water filtration system. She’d been backpacking for years and knew how to survive, but she needed weapons. “Mom, rest here. I want you to eat this.” She held out a high protein bar to her mother. “You need to keep up your strength. I’m just going to go over there”—she indicated Jubal—“to talk to him for a minute.”
“You can’t trust them,” Annabel hissed, her eyebrows coming together. “You really can’t. Evil looks beautiful and good can look quite rough and terrible. You can’t know who is on our side.”
“Maybe not, Mom,” Riley said, forcing the protein bar into her mother’s hand. “But at the moment, I need a weapon and he’s got one. Eat this and just wait for me to come back. Don’t move.”
Suspicion slipped into Annabel’s eyes. Her hand closed around the protein bar gingerly, as if her own daughter might be trying to poison her.
Riley’s heart sank as her mother turned away from her, hunching her back and rounding her shoulders. She actually felt Annabel pulling away from her, distancing herself. The look in her eyes was both defeated and accusing.
Riley shook her head and squared her shoulders. Her mother was obviously ill, her grief overcoming her ability to function. Riley set her teeth and marched over to Jubal. She couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder often to make certain no one dared approach her mother while she was away.
“Riley,” Jubal greeted with a slight nod. His gaze was restless, moving over the camp, up into the trees and along the ground. “Is your mother all right?”
Riley shook her head. “She’s exhausted, but she wants to get up the mountain. Maybe if we make it to the site, she’ll feel better. That’s my hope.”
“How far up the mountain?” Jubal asked. “The tremors are getting worse. The mountain hasn’t blown in hundreds of years, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. I’m not certain we’re going to be entirely safe on that mountain. Gary’s trying to get us some data. He’s got to wait for the satellite, but we should be able to find out if there are any changes to the shape of the mountain. Photographs of all these volcanos are regularly taken from space.”
Riley sighed. It wasn’t as if the tremors hadn’t gone unnoticed. “One more thing to worry about. Do you really think the volcano will explode?”
Jubal frowned thoughtfully. “It feels like it to me. I’m not certain it’s such a great idea to go up, although the plants we’re looking for are supposed to be close to the ruins. If those plants are really there, we need them.”
“Look.” Riley made up her mind to lay her cards on the table if she had to. She didn’t have much of a hand, but she was going to get the job done and protect her mother no matter what. The determination grew in her that she had to go and stop whatever was inside that mountain from getting out. “I know you and Gary are armed to the teeth. You’re not exactly hiding the fact
from anyone.”
“I thought it might help deter anyone thinking they could use a machete to hack up members of our party,” Jubal pointed out.
She winced, feeling she deserved the slight reprimand. She shrugged it off. “I don’t like anyone prying into our business so the last thing I want to do is pry into yours . . .”
Jubal smiled at her, although there was no humor in his eyes. Maybe understanding. “But?” he encouraged.
“How did you get all those weapons and your equipment into this country? I’ve never even seen some of those weapons. You couldn’t possibly have gotten them onto a plane.”
“We have a few friends in this country with private planes and ships. They had everything we asked for waiting for us when we arrived. These plants are as important to them as they are to us. The plants have never grown anywhere but the Carpathian Mountains, and they’re extinct there. If these are truly the same ones, you have no idea what an important find it would be for us.”
She heard the underlying animation in his voice. He was telling her the truth—or at least part of it. There was an urgency about his need to go up the mountain and, God help her, she was grateful for it. She wouldn’t have to go alone.
“I need a gun.”
Jubal’s eyes met hers. She refused to look away. She needed that weapon and she wasn’t going to back down or be intimidated into backtracking. He was not going to get to look at her as a hysterical woman, because she wasn’t hysterical. She was absolutely serious.
Jubal’s eyebrow shot up. “Have you ever fired a gun?”
“Yes. I’m quite a good shot. My father’s best friend was a police officer, and he took me to the shooting range when I was ten and I’ve been shooting ever since.”
“Shooting a human being isn’t so easy, Riley. If you hesitate . . .”
“I would have tried to kill Raul with my knife last night,” she said, meaning it. “And I wouldn’t have hesitated, not with my mother’s life at stake. I won’t hesitate if I need to protect her,” she assured.
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