Room 216
Santa Rosa Hotel
Ayacucho, Peru
September 28
After departing the restaurant, Sanjay walked Pebbles to the lobby of their hotel and wished her a good night. Too wired to go to sleep, he decided to go for a stroll around Plaza de Armas, a park-like square near the hotel. The stroll turned into several laps as he replayed the coffee conversation with Pebbles. While he walked, he pondered the dilemma Pebbles faced. In the midst of her own recovery from trauma, she was experiencing the first-person stress of someone else’s trauma. When he returned to his room, it was after midnight. Sanjay powered up his laptop and crystallized his thoughts in his journal before climbing into bed.
Given everything I have learned about Citali, I am convinced she suffers from PTSD, but I confess I am at a loss to figure out how to treat her. I cannot reach her directly. Pebbles, herself, has difficulty reaching her. While it might be possible to connect with Citali’s consciousness directly by hypnotizing Pebbles, essentially treating Citali as a separate personality within Pebbles, there is no guarantee I could summon Citali, and I am reluctant to try, for fear of stirring a hornet’s nest within Pebbles’ mind. It is a frustrating circumstance, for if I could engage Citali in a direct dialogue, I believe I could help her. But, for now, the best I can do is to suggest strategies to Pebbles and leave it to her consciousness to find a way to connect with Citali.
Room 302
Santa Rosa Hotel
Ayacucho, Peru
It was just after five thirty when Anlon gave up on trying to fall asleep. With too many thoughts cycling through his mind, he snuck out of bed, careful to avoid waking Pebbles. Aided by the dimmed glow of his cell phone screen, he dressed, loaded his laptop into his backpack and left the room. After descending one floor to the hotel lobby, he went in search of coffee.
To his dismay, the sign outside the hotel restaurant indicated it would not open for another two hours, so Anlon went to the reception desk to inquire whether there were any nearby coffee shops open at this hour. He learned there was a shop that opened at six on the other side of Plaza de Armas.
He originally expected to buy a to-go cup and return to the hotel lobby, but when he saw the small coffee shop had Wi-Fi, he occupied one of the three tables in the establishment and powered on his laptop. Sipping coffee while he waited for the operating system to load, Anlon contemplated the words that had rattled inside his mind all night long. Rashana’s message to Citali.
Take the river, lead her into the cave…
What river? What cave?
There was little to go on to find the answers. Pebbles’ cave-dream visions had all occurred at night and, as such, provided no landmarks to guide them. Further, while Pebbles’ vision of Citali departing Wari seemed to suggest Citali had visited the city before heading for the cave, Pebbles had seen nothing definitive in that vision, or any other vision, to confirm it.
The only information at their disposal was Pebbles’ description of Citali’s approach to the cave. She had ascended a series of switchbacks up a rocky slope until she reached the pinnacle. Then she had descended the back side of the slope to reach another switchback trail until she came to a spot where the trail diverged. One path led farther down the back side of the mountain, the other veered along the side of the mountain to reach a ledge over a chasm.
Pebbles had supplemented this description at dinner the previous evening by sharing her observation about the angle of the sight line between Pikimachay and the lights in the valley. This suggested Citali had hiked a steeper slope than the one leading to Pikimachay, or the village she had seen below the cave had been closer to the mountain, or possibly both.
But unless Pebbles discovered more information in new visions, finding the cave would require making some assumptions. The first one Anlon made was to trust Pebbles’ intuition — Citali visited the cave after leaving Wari. Next, he chose to assume the instructions delivered by Rashana still held true — that from Wari, Citali followed a river to find the cave. Third, Pebbles’ perception of the direction in which Citali traveled after leaving Wari was accurate — she headed toward Pikimachay Cave.
With his laptop now ready, Anlon opened the web browser and searched for a topographical map application. Finding one, he typed in Ayacucho to begin his search. Moving around the map, he found Wari and, to the northwest of the ruins, the Pikimachay Cave. Zooming out, he looked for northwest routes leading to rivers from Pikimachay.
One leapt out immediately. There was a river that ran along the backside of the mountain where Pikimachay was situated. Once it passed the mountain, the river curled north into the largest valley in the area. At the end of the valley, the river, called Rio Warpa, joined the much larger Mantaro River.
Toggling the map to show a satellite view of the valley, Anlon zoomed in on a plateau on the north side of the junction of the two rivers. The plateau had everything he would have expected to find. Easy access from the junction of the rivers, prominent visual landmarks that anyone approaching from the valley could spot, switchback trails up the sides of the arid-looking mountain ringing the plateau, ledges along sections of the mountaintop and three small towns at the base of the mountain.
A quick revisit of the topography map showed Anlon the elevation rise from plateau to peak was twice that of the area surrounding Pikimachay. He could also see several viable routes on the backside of the mountain that one could take to escape into the jungles east of the Andes, including riding the Mantaro or taking a shortcut and hiking down one of several nearby mountain passes. And the distance between Wari and the plateau was approximately thirty miles. Depending on the route Citali took and how hotly she was pursued, thirty miles was certainly a manageable distance for Citali to have trekked in a day or two.
But were there any caves? On the satellite image, Anlon had seen numerous dark spots that might be caves, but realized the vast majority were likely just shadows. Still, given the assumptions Anlon had staked, it looked to be a credible area to search for Citali’s cave.
Could his assumptions be wrong? Absolutely. Citali might have ducked into a cave on the way from Paracas to Wari. She might have turned in a different direction after leaving Wari. But in either case, Anlon could see no viable way of narrowing the search radius without new insights from Pebbles. It was folly to traipse through the Andes and peek through every cave they came across.
And that is really what had kept Anlon awake, he now admitted to himself — the fear that they had reached a dead-end. For without knowing where Citali headed after leaving Wari, cave or no, they could not go forward or backward with any confidence.
Nope, he thought. There are only two choices that make sense. Head for the plateau and hope the visual sparks a new vision or return to Wari and hope for the same.
Resolved to present the two options to Pebbles and the others when they awoke, Anlon revisited the map application for directions to the plateau. As luck would have it, there was a road that led from Ayacucho to the heart of the plateau, running right beside Rio Warpa for most of the trip. Anlon downed the last of his coffee, shut his laptop and headed back to the hotel, Rashana’s message echoing in his mind.
Take the river, lead her into the cave…
With the full group assembled in the hotel restaurant for breakfast, they discussed their plan for the day. Anlon led the conversation by sharing the findings of his early morning research and proposing a trip to the plateau.
Jennifer, however, proposed returning to Wari. Much like Anlon, she said she had been up most of the night contemplating their next steps. “We know Pebbles has already had one vision there. I think there’s a good chance she has another one if we go back. Especially because we only saw a small part of the ruins before we left for Pikimachay.”
“I agree,” Cesar said. “While the plateau is an intriguing possibility, we don’t know if Citali traveled there. On the other hand, we know she visited Wari. Before we venture too far from Ayacucho, we owe
it to ourselves to revisit Wari and provide Pebbles the time to fully explore the grounds.”
Mereau added his voice in support of the Wari option and then turned to Pebbles. “What is your view?”
“I dunno.” Pebbles shrugged and turned to Anlon. “You feel strongly about the plateau?”
“I do, but I can’t argue with the points raised. Going there is speculative, and it will be a full-day affair to drive there, hike up the mountain and search for caves.”
“Yeah,” she said. “That’s true. But at least it would feel like we’re making progress.”
“So, you favor the plateau, then?” Cesar asked.
“I don’t know what I favor.” She darted a look at Sanjay. “If you guys think we should go back to Wari today, I’ll go along with it. If you want to go the plateau, that works for me too. Just don’t expect any miracles at either place.”
Sanjay cleared his throat and said, “Perhaps we should split up. Two of us go with Pebbles to Wari. The other two go with Anlon to the plateau.”
Anlon frowned. “I’m not sure going to the plateau without Pebbles makes a whole lot of sense.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Sanjay said. “But it would allow Pebbles the space to explore the grounds without five of us hovering around, give her the chance to tour the ruins at her own pace, at her own rhythm, if you know what I mean.”
“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” Jennifer said. “I’ll go with you, Anlon. We can take a bunch of pictures to show to Pebbles when we get back. Who knows? Maybe we’ll stumble across something of interest.”
Pebbles and the others rallied around Sanjay’s suggestion and quickly divided into two teams — Sanjay and Cesar would accompany Pebbles to Wari, while Anlon would explore the plateau with Jennifer and Mereau. A short while later, both teams were on their way, the Wari team in a taxi, the plateau team in the van they had rented in Lima.
Wari Ruins
Ayacucho Valley, Peru
The museum was not yet open when the Wari team arrived at the ruins, so they chatted with the taxi driver while they waited, asking him about caves in the area. The driver, content to keep the fare running, told them of some lesser caves near Pikimachay and other, more well-known caves within a day’s drive. But when Pebbles asked him about the area Anlon had gone to investigate, the driver said he knew of no caves there. He seemed more interested, Pebbles thought, in telling them about other attractions near Ayacucho, no doubt motivated by a desire to garner more business.
He told them of Bosque de Piedras, a great stone forest with unusual formations. Some people, he said, claimed the stones were carved by an ancient race of master stonemasons, while others claimed the wind atop the mountain had been the instrument that shaped the stones. Pebbles wished Mereau had been there to hear the driver’s description. She was sure he would be interested in visiting the site.
Next, he regaled them with a tourist-guide-worthy description of Las Piscinas Naturales de Millpu, where one could see natural pools of turquoise water. He advised against swimming in them, however, as the water, he told them, was very cold.
As he switched gears to describe Catarata Batán, an impressive waterfall on the way to the Millpu pools, Pebbles tuned out. With her head resting against the taxi window, she stared at the clouds floating over the museum. She thought of Sanjay describing his recurring dream of Pearl Harbor, how the visions had first been stimulated by the view of clouds over Fiji.
Did you see this sky, Citali? Does it look familiar to you? Where did you go from here? If you won’t show me the way, show me the sky.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a truck pulling into the parking lot. She turned to look out the back window. It was a small shuttle bus painted with the logo of a local tour company. Shortly afterward, a group of tourists marched past the taxi on their way to the museum, their feet crunching the parking lot’s gravel as they walked. Pebbles noticed the taxi driver grumbled something in Spanish as he looked in the rearview mirror. She turned and looked again at the tour van and understood why. Along with the tour company’s logo, there were painted callouts highlighting other tours they offered, including Pikimachay and the three attractions the driver had just finished describing.
“Looks like it’s about to open,” Cesar said. “Should we go?”
“Yeah, let’s get a move on,” Pebbles said.
As Sanjay and Pebbles exited the taxi, Cesar held an extended conversation in Spanish with the driver as he paid the fare. Pebbles watched the driver smile broadly and vigorously shake Cesar’s hand. When Cesar joined them on the museum steps, she asked, “What was that all about?”
“I asked him to stay. Told him we had need of his services for the day...just in case we hear of a development from Anlon or discover something here.”
“Uh…then why is he leaving?” she asked.
“Lunch.”
“Lunch? It is ten a.m.,” said Sanjay. “Is lunch that early here?”
“It’s not for him, it’s for us. He insisted on going back into town to put together a picnic lunch for us. He said he’d be back by noon.”
“Aw, that’s kind of sweet,” Pebbles said.
Cesar laughed. “Wait until you see the bill. Now, come, let us roam the grounds at leisure.”
After waiting their turn at the admissions ticket office, they walked together to the junction where the paths to different sections of the ruins diverged. They each chose a different path. Before separating, Sanjay said to Pebbles, “Do not feel compelled to examine every nook and cranny. Relax. Enjoy the stroll. Find a comfortable place to sit here and there. Take in the scenery. Or close your eyes and listen to the sounds. Breathe in the aromas. Use all your senses, not just your eyes.”
“Sounds heavenly.” Jokingly, she asked, “What if I fall asleep?”
“Do not worry,” Sanjay said. “We will find you when lunch arrives.”
En route to junction of Rio Warpa and the Mantaro River
Ayacucho Valley, Peru
The early part of the drive was just as Anlon expected, a twisting but gradual descent from Ayacucho into the valley. Citali, if she had followed a similar path along the contours of the landscape, would have been able to escape Wari at a pretty aggressive clip. While there would not have been any paved roads for her to follow, the terrain was mostly made up of sparse scrubland. In many ways, the scenery reminded Anlon of the drive from his home on the north shore of Lake Tahoe down into the Washoe Valley where Carson City and Reno were located. She would have had good sight lines, and she would not have been impeded by rocky terrain.
When he shared these observations with his van-mates, Mereau had said, “True, but she would also have been easy to spot, easy to follow.”
“Good point, I hadn’t thought of it that way. Are you thinking she kept to the mountains?”
“No, based on what we know transpired afterward, I think haste was probably the most important consideration to her after leaving Wari. She may have become stealthier when she neared her destination, but early on, I think your instincts are right. She took the easiest, quickest path available.”
Once they passed the midpoint of the valley at a city called Huanta, their route turned toward Rio Warpa. Here was where they first stopped to take cell phone photographs of the river and the mountains ahead. At the junction with the Mantaro River, they pulled over and took several more pictures of the mountains that ringed behind the plateau.
As they began to climb out of the valley and drew closer to the plateau, switchbacks became visible. Not switchbacks for foot traffic, but dirt roads that zig-zagged up the mountains. Pulling over yet again in the town at the foot of the switchback that most interested Anlon, they photographed the steep slope.
He retrieved his laptop and showed Mereau and Jennifer a screenshot he had taken of the satellite image looking down on the switchback. “Look how it crests at the top and divides in two directions. One along the ride, and the other that begins a new switchback down th
e backside of the mountain. That’s where I think we should start.”
“Gosh, it really does look like it fits Pebbles’ description,” Jennifer said. “Town right below it, two trails at the top. There’s even a step-down to what looks like a ledge above a chasm right there.” Jennifer directed her eyes up at the mountain. “But holy crap, that road looks crazy dangerous.”
“It does look pretty scary,” said Anlon. “Even if we had four-wheel drive, it would still look scary, but in our van? No way.”
“Agreed. Let’s grab our backpacks and get moving. If we want any daylight for the walk back down, we need to start now. It’ll take four or five hours to hike to the top.”
As Jennifer turned toward the van, Anlon said, “Wait a sec. I’ve got a different idea.” He held up the laptop to show her the satellite image. When Jennifer returned to his side, he pointed to an area to the left of the switchback road on the map. “See how the main road we took from Ayacucho continues on up the mountain? It crests at this town, right there. Churcampa. I know it’s out of the way of the area we want to search by a good six miles, but it looks like we could walk along the ridgeline from Churcampa and avoid having to hike up a two-thousand-foot slope. See how the top of the mountain flattens out for a good stretch of the walk.”
Jennifer nodded. “That does look like a better alternative. Even though it’ll be a longer hike, mile-wise, it’ll go a lot faster and be a heckuva lot less strenuous than trying to go up the switchback.”
“Agreed. What do you say, Mereau? Sound like a good plan to you?”
Anlon turned to find Mereau looking away from them, his gaze focused on the narrow pass through which they had traveled to reach the plateau. He then spun around slowly, taking in the arena-like bowl formed by the mountains and said, “This is not a plateau. It is the bottom of a crater…how clever of them.”
CHAPTER 19: PECKING THROUGH THE RUINS
Priestess of Paracas Page 22