conquistadors, gorging themselves on fresh human flesh.
Pointed silver helmets lay strewn everywhere, glinting in the firelight.
It was then that I saw Renco and Lena and three of the Incan warriors standing over by the portal, holding swords and muskets in their hands—the only survivors of the car nage, thanks largely to their fighting skills and the layer of monkey urine that covered them. They appeared to be searching for something. The idol no doubt.
'Renco!' I called. 'Lena!'
I regretted it as soon as I did it.
One of the rapas lying on the ground in front of me immediately looked up from his feasting, disturbed by my shout.
The massive beast rose to its feet, glared at me.
Another cat beyond it did the same.
Then another, and another.
The pack of giant cats formed a wide circle around me.
They held their heads low, their ears pinned back.
I saw Renco turn and see my predicament. But he was too far away to be of any help.
I wondered why my own layer of monkey urine was no
longer keeping the cats at bay. Perhaps it had been scraped away during my scuffle with the wily old conquistador inside the temple or maybe it had rubbed off when I had fallen to the ground after being shot by Hernando.
Whatever the case, I thought, this was it, this was the end.
The lead rapa tensed its whole body, prepared itself to pounce. And then—
—the first drop of water hit the top of my head with a loud smack. It was closely followed by a second drop and then a third, then a fourth.
And then, like a gift from God himself, the skies parted and the rain came tumbling down.
Oh, how it rained! It came down in sheets—thick drenching sheets—big fat drops of water hammering down on the rock tower with tremendous force, smacking down against my head, smacking down against the idol.
And at that moment, thank the Lord, the idol began to sing.
Its song becalmed the cats instantly.
They all just peered at the dripping idol in my hands, their heads cocked to one side in response to its melodious high-pitched hum.
Renco, Lena and the three warriors came over to where I stood, shielding their torches against the rain, skirting around the pack of entranced rapas.
I noticed that Renco held Bassario's fake idol in his hand.
'Thank you, Alberto,' said he, taking the singing idol from me. 'I think I shall take that now.'
Beside him, Lena smiled at me, her beautiful olive skin sparkling in the rainstorm. 'So, you defeated the big gold- eater to save our idol,' she said. 'Is there anything you cannot do, my brave little hero?'
As she said these words, she suddenly leaned forward and kissed me softly on the lips. My heart almost skipped a beat as her lips pressed themselves firmly against mine. My knees felt weak. I almost fell over, so delightful was the touch of her lips.
As Lena was kissing me so beautifully, however, a voice from somewhere behind me said: 'Come now, monk. I thought that wasn't allowed for men of your ilk.'
I turned to see Bassario standing on the stone steps behind me, his longbow slung over his shoulder, his face creased into a broad smile.
'We reserve the right to make exceptions,' said I.
Bassario laughed.
Renco turned to face him. 'Thank you for returning to help us, Bassario. Your arrows saved our lives. What made you return?'
Bassario shrugged. 'As I reached the waterfall at the end of the quenko, I saw the gold-eaters approaching from the other side of the river. Then I supposed that if by some miracle you survived all of this, people would sing songs about you. I decided that I wanted to be a part of those songs. To be remembered for something other than disgracing my family name, and at the same time, to restore that name to honour.'
'You succeeded on both counts,' said Renco. 'You truly did. Now, however, may I beg your indulgence one more time and ask of you one final favour.'
As he spoke, Renco—-holding a torch in one arm and both idols in the other—began to back away from the rest of us and headed through the rain toward the portal. On his way, he picked up the llama's bladder from where it had been dropped during the battle and allowed it to fill with the pouring rain.
The cats immediately began to follow him—-or rather, fol low the singing idol in his hands.
'Once I am inside the temple,” said Renco as he walked, 'I want you all to shut the boulder behind me.'
I looked from Renco to the three remaining Incan warriors beside me.
'What are you going to do?' said I.
