‘Stay here, explore the cave, be careful with the climb.’ Tonal stood by the lean-too. ‘I will get something to eat.’ She left them alone.
Alex and Dulce explored the small camp and the caves. With the years, the climb to the caves had become less steep, worn away by wind, rain and Tonal’s paws, but still it amounted to quite an effort for the siblings. The main cave was clean and cool, almost twenty metres to the back, and set to the right of the entrance cave. They found some old back-packs, a variety of ancient clothes—all very practical and most made for men—some with rips that Alex seemed to recognise. There were also some containers, many woven from leaves and filled with other products of the jungle.
They found cured animal hides—mostly Capybaras—but occasionally a larger animal like a Tapir or deer. The cave and the lean-too were devoid of any furniture, decoration or other items other than the lanterns that they had seen earlier.
After about thirty minutes Tonal returned with a dead capybara. She immediately began to skin and dress the animal while Alex started a fire with wood from the pile behind the lean-too. By the time she had prepared the carcass, the fire was hot enough to cook it. They pierced the body with a long thick stick and placed it in the two X-shaped holders on either side of the stone framed fire area. Dulce had found fruit in the storage in the cave and brought this to the fire. They all sat down and waited in silence for the meat to cook.
‘Have you lived here all the time?’ Dulce finally spoke to the strange woman. ‘I mean, it’s been more than twenty years.’ The woman made her nervous. She couldn’t say why, but there was something very strange about her, and not only the fact that she lived in the jungle on her own and seemed to have eternal youth. When she turned to answer her, Dulce probed her eyes, trying to see what it was—to get a clue as to what her parents and Alex had spoken about all these years. Every time Dulce had walked in on the conversations about this woman they’d changed the subject. When her father Julio was on his deathbed—mortally wounded by the assassin—he had called both her and Alex into the bedroom. He made them promise that they would find her and speak to her. Try to convince Tonal that she should come home.
‘Most of the time’ the mystical woman answered. There was a smile in her eyes, she was still quite taken by Dulce, so curious and vibrant. ‘I found this cave complex straight away but decided to go further after I found that there was a village close by. I wanted peace and quiet. I stayed in an old hut about two miles south for a few months, but there was a reason that it had been abandoned—red fire ants. They arrived one day and went through all my stores in less than ten minutes. After that, I decided that the cave would be a better place to stay permanently. It was empty and dry. So, I came back.’
‘Where did you get the supplies and stuff from. The village?’ there were so many questions.
She smiled ‘I had some visitors occasionally. They left their things here and I recycled them.’ She caught Alex’s eye and he smiled back knowingly.
‘The mercenaries?’ he asked. She nodded.
‘The mercenaries and others. It seems that the General had an extended family. Otherwise it has been nice and quiet. I enjoy the peace.’ The last comment was a challenge to Alex. She was happy here, or at least content, and not planning on moving in the near future.
The food was ready, and they ate. The herbs that she had scattered over the coals had scented the meat. The animal had been quite young, and its flesh was tender. They complemented the protein with the fruit and coal baked sweet potato-like roots Dulce had found in the cave.
Stars lit up the dark sky. The sounds of the jungle were of nocturnal creatures. Bats circled the edges of the cave and the lean-too, preying on the insects that were drawn by the light of the fire.
The three people were quiet. Conversation had drawn to a halt during the meal.
‘You have seen where you can sleep.’ Their host pointed to the cave, Alex nodded. He wanted to talk more, but she cut him short. ‘Tomorrow we will talk, and you can tell me why you are really here.’ The last comment was accompanied with a sly smile. The look on Alex’s face amused her. He had forgotten how obvious his body language was, and how good she was at reading it.
Brother and sister retired to the cave. Tonal had vanished. Dulce’s curiosity was killing her. From the comfortable layer of dry grass that she lay on, she quizzed her brother. ‘Where has she gone to?’
It was pitch black in the cave, and she couldn’t see the amused look on Alex’s face. But she certainly could hear the laughter in his voice. ‘Dulce, Dulce, you are so nosy. She has gone into the jungle and will be back again tomorrow.’
Ignoring the banter Dulce continued ‘But isn’t it dangerous? There are predators out there, she could be attacked by something. Hurt maybe. There are jaguars here.’
Alex laughed out loud. ‘Don’t worry’ he managed to say ‘nothing will happen. She is the biggest predator in this jungle.’ he knew that this would confuse his sister even more, and he so loved riling her. ‘Go to sleep, sis. Tomorrow we must speak to her.’ He turned over in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. Dulce grumbled a bit more, but lacking any reaction from her big brother, she gave in and settled down to sleep.
CHAPTER FORTY
The first light flowed into the opening of the cave. Alex had been awake for a while, watching the jungle awaken. Dulce opened her eyes and saw him sitting at the edge of the ledge, just outside the cave. The woman was sitting next to him. They were talking softly. Crawling out of the sleeping bag Dulce crept towards the cave opening. Straining to hear the conversation.
‘Good morning Dulce.’ Tonal startled her. How could she have heard her, she hadn’t made a sound. Alex had not heard her, he turned around smiling.
‘Hi Sis, slept well?’
‘Yeah’ she conceded ‘Not bad’ she sat down between the two, determined to be included in the conversation. But nature called. She frantically needed to relieve herself.
‘In the jungle’ the woman said to her. Fuming she nodded and made her way to the jungle edge.
Alex called after her ‘Watch out for poisonous plants’ he laughed ‘and snakes.’
She returned four minutes later. Alex was cleaning the cooled meat off the carcass of the Capybara. Tonal had gathered fresh fruit. Dulce was surprised that she was hungry again—breakfast was welcome. They ate in silence. Washing the food down with water from the stream nearby. It was cold but clear and fresh.
‘So, Alex’ Tonal broke the silence ‘why are you here?’ she was to the point, almost rude.
‘We want you to come back with us’ Alex was just as blunt. ‘We need your help.’ She waited patiently for him to explain. ‘The revolution is going well. We have the support of ninety-five percent of the people. But the remaining five percent are the ones with the money—the ones in power. We need to break that power. We have tried to talk to them, come to an understanding, but to no avail.’
‘They sent us the negotiators head in a bag.’ Dulce added.
Alex continued. ‘There is no room anymore to talk or to reason with these people. But they still have the money and the soldiers. They have the power. They raid the villages, killing all, even women and children, leaving them staked for the animals as warnings to anyone who supports us. They are waging a war of terror. Young women and girls are kidnapped and taken to the walled compounds. There, we hear their screams as they are passed from soldier to soldier. A few days later what is left of them is dumped back in the villages. No one is safe. Their tactics are slowly working. People are becoming too scared to help us as they used to. Some even join the landowners in an attempt to protect their families. Young children are pressed into military service. They are brainwashed and sent back to kill their families.’ He paused. The images too frightening to contemplate. Alex had seen the devastation wreaked by a twelve-year-old from the village near their compound after he had massacred his family. He’d hacked his parents and young sisters to pieces with a machete. They had to
kill the boy when he attacked the villagers who rushed to the screams of their neighbours.
‘The landowners are federated. They work together, and their goal is to break the resistance. We need to get them out of the picture to be able to start the final attack on the government. But that’s difficult. The villa’s they live in are heavily armed compounds. Almost castles. Mercenaries and their own armies protect them. We can’t get to them. Our main target is General Ortiz.’
‘He isn’t really a General’ Dulce and Alex alternated the narrative. ‘That is what he calls himself. He is a pure sadist. Taking his tactics from history as he calls it—staking people and leaving them to die agonising deaths. Then bordering the roads with these tortures. The road to his mansion is framed with more than fifty bodies—dead and dying—the sound of their agony can be heard miles away. The smell of decaying flesh is sickening.’
‘He is unreachable for us. But much of his power lies in his allies. We plan to take them out one by one and then—when he is most vulnerable—we will kill him.’
‘How will you get to them?’ she asked. Already knowing the answer.
‘That is where we need you’ Alex answered. ‘you and your special talents.’ No one spoke.
‘It’s not my fight’ she finally said. ‘I live here, far away from everything. That’s a choice I made long ago.’ Disappointment clouded Dulce’s face. She was about to say something, but Alex restrained her with his hand on her arm.
‘I know that you value your peace. But the war is coming down here as well. There will be no peace for you or anyone else if we let them continue the reign of terror. They will stop at nothing. Twenty-two miles from here they raided a village’ he continued.
‘I saw the smoke’ she answered.
‘It is only a question of time before they get here. You can fight them then, or you can help us to save as many people as we can, and then get back to your life if this is what you want.’ Looking her right in the eye. ‘You kid yourself if you keep thinking that you are alone in the world. That you don’t care for anyone else. If that were the case you wouldn’t have saved Julio, or Marianna for that matter. She told us about the things you do to help them when danger presents itself. How you killed the rogue Jaguar and the mercenaries that threatened them.’
‘They came for me, killing them was in my own interest.’
Unable to keep from voicing her opinion, Dulce entered the conversation. ‘How can you be so selfish?’ she exclaimed, unbelief clear in her voice. ‘There are other people at stake here, not just your precious peace and quiet. Try to think of what my father lived for. Didn’t you learn anything from him? Didn’t he mean anything to you? Does his murder leave you unfeeling?’
Her eyes pierced into Dulce’s as Tonal shot back. ‘You have no idea what my peaceful life is like and what it costs me. Your father was my mentor. He helped me resign myself to what I am, to what I can be. He helped me find my peace, and I will protect it without boundaries.’
‘Then come back with us and protect it once and for all. Help us return this country to what it once was—a peaceful and good place for everyone to live in. Without the pain or the torture and death. Come back to avenge Julio.’ Alex tried. ‘Please, at least think about it. You don’t have to decide now. You can find the way to our compound if you want, I’m sure.’ Pushing would not help here. ‘Please remember Julio, remember what he lived for, how he helped. How and why he died.’
Silence settled on the threesome once again. Dulce was livid. They had travelled all this way for nothing. Alex had constantly rattled on about this special woman. And now they were here she refused to help in any way. She was about to say something when Alex stood up.
‘Please Tonal, think about it. Please, come to us. We need you.’
Picking up his pack he slung it over his shoulder. ‘Thank you for your hospitality, and for the memories. It was good to see you again.’ Turning he addressed his sister. ‘Come on Dulce, it’s time to go back.’
She didn’t try to stop them. Just watched as they left the small clearing, Alex turned to wave to her. She acknowledged his wave. He smiled, confidant that he would see her again.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
Taking my clothes off, I did what I always do when frustrated or angry—I changed.
The big cat bounded off into the jungle, looking for release from the tensions the discussion and my refusal had brought.
Night came and went before I returned to the clearing.
Changing back, I gathered some of my few possessions and took the trail that Alex and Dulce had walked the previous day. Despite my initial intentions, Julio’s memory had forced me to review my decision. I would see what I could do to help.
The memories of Julio had opened my heart again to the man who had been so instrumental in my acceptance of what I had become. His patience and complete trust in me and the inherent good he somehow saw inside me, was what had brought me back from the brink of insanity. He had set the foundation for the life I had now. When I hadn’t seen any way out, any way to live with myself, he had shown me how. Somehow, he had helped me accept that whatever it was, it was irreversible and that it wasn’t my fault. He helped me believe in myself again.
My nightmares always ended with Julio offering his hand to me, helping me out of the abyss. He had been my anchor.
If truth be told I had always known that it wasn’t eternal—this paradise. It was just a question of time before the conflict would reach even these outposts. The attack on the village had brought it all close to my door.
And now it was here.
I could of course just move further south, deeper into the Amazon.
But even there, the question was when they would come, not if. Alex’s words had strengthened my resolve not to be pushed away. The villagers, the country, had been good to me, it was time to return the favour.
Tracking the two siblings was easy; their tracks clear and visible in the forest. Alex and Dulce had stayed the night with the villagers, so they had not really made good time. They had told me that they were traveling on foot and that the journey had taken two days. The compound would therefore probably be more to the south of where I had last seen it more than twenty years ago. Not having to rest as much as the siblings, I caught up with them after their second night’s sleep. I stayed under cover of the jungle as I followed them on the last day of their trek. We passed a clearing that resembled where I’d changed so many years ago, they veered off to the left and followed the bed of a river. The side of the valley rose steeply on the right and was bordered by dense jungle on the left.
I noticed sentries hidden in the trees. I circumvented them and stayed behind the two revolutionaries without too much effort.
After about two hours they reached the compound and walked up to the waiting council.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Tonal observed the reunion from the cover of the jungle. She had climbed a tree and had a reasonable view of the clearing where the compound was situated. There were no permanent buildings, only tents of all sizes. She estimated that there would be about fifty to sixty inhabitants in the compound. There were no vehicles anywhere in sight, transportation was probably on foot or horseback. A dog barked at the far end of the compound. It may have caught her scent, but the revolutionaries didn’t take much notice. They quieted the dog and welcomed Alex and Dulce back. Tonal recognised Jesus. Still the same big and burly man, though his hair had turned an even grey. Now he sported a beard and walked a little stooped, but he was still unmistakably the man in charge—he must be in his sixties at least by now. She vaguely recognised some other faces but couldn’t really put names to them. It had been a long time.
The group was obviously disappointed that they had returned empty-handed and after some back patting and shrugging they retired to one of the tents. Tonal decided to stay in the tree for a while and observe the compound. Occasionally the dog barked but was silenced by its owners, there was no apparent danger and the inha
bitants were too sure of their sentries to imagine that anyone could have breached the defences and entered the compound. They were too complacent. Well her appearance would probably stir things up.
The sun was starting to set when she finally left the tree and strode into the compound. Sure enough, panic broke out.
A woman screamed, men came running from all sides, brandishing weapons. She calmly continued walking, her small pack slung over her shoulder. Her bare feet on the soft sand, and a slight smile on her lips. The council came running out of the tent they had been in all afternoon. Alex was one of the first. When he saw her, his face lit up.
‘You came after all.’
‘No promises, but we can talk and see.’
‘No promises’ he agreed.
‘Hello Jesus, you are well?’ turning to the older man. The surprise finally showed on his weathered face. He recovered quickly as was his practice.
‘Yes, thank you Tonal, and you have not changed a bit.’ He smiled at her. ‘Still like the dramatic entrances I see.’ Turning to the guards ‘It’s ok, she’s a friend.’ Then on a more accusatory tone, ‘We will talk later about how she could breach our defences without any of you noticing.’
Mumbling amongst themselves the guards returned to their posts. It was a mystery to them how she had been able to pass by them undetected. Now they would have to answer to Jesus.
‘In all fairness Jesus’ Alex came to their defence. ‘She moves without sound, she could go anywhere undetected.’
‘Be that as it may, they must remain vigil, complacency costs lives.’ Turning he re-entered the tent holding the flap open for the rest. ‘Come, we have much to discuss.’
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