Macy nodded, then looked back out of the window. The others did the same, scanning the ground below with eyes and binoculars as Valero brought the plane into its search pattern.
The first sector contained nothing but trees and marsh. As did the second, and the third. Eddie, however, spotted something in the fourth after they crossed back to the south side of the river. ‘Is that a road over there?’ he asked Valero, pointing.
The pilot looked through his side window. ‘
Eddie peered at it through binoculars. ‘Radar station, it looks like.’ Even at this distance he could make out a rectangular antenna. He also spotted various small buildings and an empty concrete helipad. No hangar to protect a chopper from the jungle elements, though, so airborne visitors probably didn’t stay long.
‘Hey, hey!’ Valero held up a hand, trying to block his view. ‘No spying, okay?’
Smiling at the Venezuelan’s paranoia, Nina turned her attention back to the jungle. South of the Orinoco was a mostly flat plain of nothing but rainforest for two hundred miles to the Brazilian border, and well beyond. If the Incas had come all the way here from their homeland in the Andes, they had picked as good a spot as any to hide their settlement. She knew from first-hand experience how hard it was to pick out even large structures beneath the jungle canopy.
The plane flew on. There was a moment of excitement when Osterhagen saw something that at first glance appeared man-made, but, when Valero circled, it was revealed as nothing more than a low ridge of granite breaking up through the soil. Another sector cleared, on to the next, the Cessna diligently avoiding the restricted airspace surrounding the base. The engine’s constant drone and vibration became increasingly wearisome as the flight stretched into its second hour, as did the sheer visual monotony of the greenery below. The only variation came from more rocky scarps pushing their way up into the jungle, but disappointment further blunted the thrill of potential discovery as each flypast revealed nothing but natural stone. Then—
‘Is that another road?’ Macy asked.
Nina glimpsed a thin brown line amongst the trees. ‘Not much of one. More like a track.’
Osterhagen checked a map. ‘There is nothing marked on here.’
Valero looked down at the narrow path. ‘A logging track,’ he said, disgusted. ‘This whole region is
‘Wait,’ said Nina, a thought occurring. ‘How far are we from the road between Valverde and that other town?’
Eddie checked the GPS unit, then applied the figures to Osterhagen’s map. ‘Two or three miles, maybe. What’re you thinking?’
‘Well, we know somebody discovered a trove of Inca artefacts. What if they were loggers? They went deep into the jungle to look for hardwood trees . . . but found something a lot more valuable.’
‘And then used the payphone in Valverde to talk to West after finding buyers,’ said Kit. ‘It’s possible.’
Nina tried to follow the track. It was only intermittently visible, the work of the loggers ironically having exposed their secret to view from the air, but now she knew it was there she could just about make out its course. ‘Fly along it,’ she told Valero. ‘If we don’t see anything, we can go back to the search pattern. But if these loggers really did find Paititi . . . ’
Valero changed course, reducing the Cessna’s speed as its occupants all stared intently at the jungle below. The track curved confusingly in places, the loggers apparently having gone out of their way to fell specific trees, but in general it headed westwards. Nina looked further ahead . . .
A distinct line ran through the trees. She almost dismissed it as another geological feature – until something else about it caught her attention. ‘There!’ she said, sitting up and pointing. ‘Do you see it?’
Osterhagen took a sharp breath, pressing his face against the window for a better look. ‘Yes. Yes, I do! Oscar, take us closer.’
Valero complied, turning the Cessna. From some angles the feature almost vanished into the jungle – but from others it stood out clearly, even through the all-covering vegetation. It was faint, like a shadow or a ghostly impression of an item long since removed, but it was definitely there. A shape, a few hundred metres long.
A zigzag. Too regular, too precise to be natural.
Macy turned excitedly to Osterhagen. ‘Inca defences, just like you said.’
The German couldn’t tear his eyes from the sight. ‘It must be, yes. It must be!’
Nina examined the surrounding landscape as the plane continued to circle. At one end of the mysterious line, the ground sloped steeply away to marshland, hints of a cliff visible through the tall trees. A cliff would provide a natural defence on one side; had a wall been built on others to protect a settlement?
There was only one way to know for sure. ‘We’ve got to get down there,’ she announced. ‘I think we’ve found Paititi!’
9
The Toyota Land Cruiser picked its way along the narrow track, mud squishing out from beneath its tyres. Another vehicle, a twin save for its colour, followed.
Eddie was driving, Nina beside him and Macy and Kit in the rear seats, the young woman yawning from the early start. Valero piloted Osterhagen’s group in the second 4?4, the two men having the most off-roading experience. Even so, it was slow going. The day before, Valero had flown back along the track to find where it joined the road, but this morning, even knowing the approximate location, it took some time to discover the trail; it had been concealed, bushes and a mouldering log covering the turnoff. And the track itself constantly twisted between the trees, bushes and low branches swatting the Toyotas as they crawled past.
Eddie checked the odometer. ‘Five miles since we left the road. Can’t be much further.’ He hauled the wheel over to avoid a large jutting bough, the vehicle lurching over the ruts carved by dragged logs.
