Priestess of Paracas

by K Patrick Donoghue

  “No! They must not know. No one must know he is alive.”

  “But some already know.”

  “Those that know must swear their silence or be silenced. Do you hear me? It is the only way.”

  “Yes, Keeper.”

  “The fathers will watch you to make sure you keep your word. They will strike you down and all whom you love if you betray me.”

  “Yes, Keeper.”

  “Now, go! Make ready the preparations. Send forth your messenger. Make sure he tells the evil bitch where to find me. The man in gold bowed and ran off. As she watched him go, she whispered, “She will not leave the jungle alive…and neither will I.”

  The villagers gathered around, bowing as Citali walked among them. She kept her eyes on the young girls. Some were too young, others too old.

  Will the bitch notice in the dark? No, she will thirst for revenge.

  Citali took the burly man by the hand and led him away from the villagers. “The one with the golden hair. Paint her with the emblems.”

  “I will do as you say, Keeper, but please do not ask me to take my own daughter’s life.”

  “If you cannot do it, I will find someone who can.”

  “Is there no other way? She is young. She is innocent.”

  Citali squeezed the man’s wrist. “How many generations of your people have enjoyed the blessings of life because of the sacrifice of the fathers?”

  The burly man bowed his head. “I am sorry, Keeper. I think of my daughter, of myself. Instead, I should think of our people. Of your people. Of those who have come before, and those that will come.”

  “It will be quick. She will not suffer.”

  “No, Keeper. I am her father. I will do it. We will die together.”

  Anlon tried to calm Pablo. “Look, she’s not going anywhere. We’ve got her. If she tries to run, we’re ready this time. She won’t cause problems. We just need to wait until she comes out of it. Then, everything will be good.”

  The tour guide was sweating profusely. He kept turning to look at the opposite side of the river, then back at Pebbles writhing on the ground. “She is upsetting them, I know it. We must go. We must go now.”

  One of Pablo’s men cried out. Anlon and Pablo turned in his direction. The man pointed across the river. There was a clearing fifty yards or so farther down the Citivireni. Anlon saw several men dashing away across the field.

  If they were natives, they were the most modern natives Anlon had ever seen. Dressed in oversized T-shirts and long shorts, the six barefoot men had rifles or machine guns slung by straps over their shoulders.

  “They go to tell the others,” Pablo said. “They will be back with more men. We must go.”

  “Sorry, Pablo. No can do. If you don’t want to stay, take the kayaks but leave us the rafts and the supplies. I’ll make sure you’re compensated for any loss.”

  “How can you compensate me if you die?”

  “No one will die,” Mereau said. “Some might be frightened, but no one will die.”

  Anlon saw a Sound Stone in Mereau’s hands. He raised it to his mouth. The bowl-shaped Tyl was pointed at the stand of trees directly across from them.

  “What are you going to do, Mereau?” Anlon asked.

  He turned and smiled. “Send a message. There are more men still in the bushes.”

  Before Anlon could stop him, Mereau hummed on the bottom of the bowl. The water in the river roiled. The ground on the far riverbank trembled. The trees shook. Mereau paused, inhaled and blasted a sharp, audible hum against the stone. Trees splintered, their foliage ripped apart as if fed into a wood chipper. The hum lasted for less than five seconds. When Mereau pulled the stone from his lips, what was left of the stand of trees looked like a pile of fallen matchsticks. Out of the corner of his eye, Anlon saw two men scurrying across the field, screaming and waving as they sprinted for cover in the jungle beyond the clearing.

  Anlon was afraid to look back at Pablo. He winced and turned to see the wiry man tugging on his bushy beard. Mouth open, he said something inaudible.

  Mereau’s voice, fierce and demanding, called out. “What did you say?”

  Pablo stepped backward and repeated the phrase.

  “How do you know these words?” Mereau stomped toward Pablo. “Speak or I shall blow you across the Ene!”

  Anlon chased after Mereau. “What’s going on? What’s the matter?”

  Pablo cowered and repeated the words. “May the stars light your way.”

  The exasperated Mereau turned to Anlon. “He utters a salutation of my people.”

  From behind, Anlon heard Pebbles’ voice. “Until we meet under the same sky.”

  Spinning around, Anlon saw Pebbles was no longer lying on the sand. Eyes clear, she had awoken from the vision and sat looking at Mereau. Anlon threw his hands up. “Would someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”

  “Though they say the words in English, they speak a Munuorian greeting. Well, more of a farewell,” Mereau said. He pointed to Pablo. “He says: may the stars light your way. Pebbles answers: until we meet under the same sky. It was spoken when setting off on a journey to wish a traveler a safe return.”

  Pebbles stood and said, “It’s not just that. It’s the exchange Citali had with the man who painted her body before she died. It was sweet, sort of like they were saying goodbye to each other. You know, kind of like, I’ll miss you, Keeper. I’ll miss you too, gold man.”

  “Keeper?” Pablo said. “You talk as if it were real. But it is just a fairy tale. Nothing more. Like Ali Baba.”

  “What is Ali Baba?” Mereau asked.

  “It is an ancient folk tale. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves,” Cesar said. “It’s about a man who opens a cave with treasure inside by speaking a password. It is a sordid tale, full of deceit and treachery. I can see why Pablo associates it with what we know of Citali’s travails.”

  “How many know the tale of the Keeper?” Mereau asked Pablo.

  “Every man, woman and child who has grown up in this valley.”

  “Tell it to us.”

  “You seem to know it already.”

  “In your own words. If you please.”

  Pablo shrugged. To Anlon, it seemed the man was going to blow off Mereau’s request, but instead he sat down on the frame of one of the river rafts and provided a robust description of the legend.

  There was a goddess with divine gifts. She used them to ward off evil spirits. The people loved her for it, for the gifts protected the people from harm, protected them from hunger. One day, an evil spirit grew jealous of the love the people showed the goddess and the spirit tried to take the divine gifts. The goddess escaped and hid the gifts, casting a spell over the hiding place. She returned to confront the spirit, but the spirit snuck up from behind and struck her down. The spirit was so pleased to bring despair to the people, she forgot about the divine gifts. When she realized her error, she went back but found the goddess dead.

  Before the goddess died, however, she confided in one of the people, telling him where the gifts were hidden and how to break the spell. She implored him to keep the secrets safe until a new goddess came to replace her. The man despaired.

  “How will I recognize the new goddess? How can I be sure she is not the evil spirit in disguise?”

  “The new one will bear the same emblems as I do.”

  “But, goddess,” the Keeper of Secrets replied, “the spirit has seen you. She knows the emblems you bear.”

  “Yes, but the spirit does not know the spell. The new one will. You need only speak the first words. If she completes the spell, take her along the river and lead her to the hiding place. She will retrieve that which was hidden, restore blessings upon the people and vanquish the evil spirit.”

  The man was heartened by the goddess’ answer and thanked her. The goddess replied, “Repeat the spell, Keeper, so that I know you hold them in your mind. Say the words, comfort my ears.”

  “Yes, goddess. I will sa
y to her: may the stars light your way. She will answer: until we meet under the same sky.”

  The goddess smiled and passed away.

  “The Keeper waited but the new one never came,” Pablo said. “The people still wait for her. It is said the evil spirit still lurks in the valley, searching for the hiding place of the divine gifts, waiting to intercept the coming of the new one.”

  “Holy Moly!” said Pebbles. “If that doesn’t give you the heebie jeebies, I don’t know what will.”

  Anlon gazed at Cesar. “Have you heard this folktale before?”

  “I have not. But that should not surprise you. There are thousands of oral traditions throughout the continent and many more lost to time.”

  “The men who hide in the jungle, they know the tale too?” Mereau asked.

  Pablo nodded. “The old people in the valley, they say the Keeper of Secrets is one of the tribe. They say the hiding place is known to them. They guard it.”

  “Excuse me?” said Jennifer. “The tribe guards the hiding place? How? It’s two hundred fifty kilometers from here.”

  “What?” Pablo laughed. He motioned his hands toward the tree line. “No. It is somewhere here in the jungle.”

  “I’m confused,” Jennifer said. She turned to Pebbles.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m confused too,” Pebbles said.

  “Perhaps there are two different Maerlifs,” said Sanjay. “If I recall the journal entry about Citali’s deathbed vision correctly, the man with Citali told her that they would keep safe what she had hidden. So, whatever Citali took from the mountaintop, she hid with the dwellers.”

  “That makes sense,” Pebbles said. “It would clear up something that’s been gnawing at me.”

  “What’s that?” asked Anlon.

  “Well, in the visions, sometimes Citali talks about what was given, and other times she talks about what was hidden. For a while I’d thought they were interchangeable ways of referring to the same stuff, but maybe not. Maybe the Tyls were what was given, but what was hidden was something else.” Anlon turned to Pablo. “I don’t understand something. If the hiding place is here, and the legend includes the spell, why hasn’t anyone—” Anlon paused briefly, then said, “Never mind. I answered my own question. The people in the valley know the spell but not the emblems.”

  “More cleverness.” Mereau chuckled and looked at Pebbles. “Remarkable. They have kept the promise. For eighteen hundred years, the jungle dwellers, their descendants, have waited for the one who speaks the words and bears the emblems.”

  “But, surely, the legend goes back further than that,” Cesar said. “Pablo said the goddess told the Keeper of Secrets to take the new one along the river, lead her to the hiding place. Muran knew this phrase when she sent Rashana to visit Citali, which means the goddess and spirit in the tradition are not Citali and Muran.”

  “Ah, there we disagree, my friend. I suspect Muran was indeed the evil spirit in the legend, even though there was another goddess who predated Citali.”

  Anlon nodded. “I think Mereau may be right, Cesar. It better explains Muran’s sudden shift in attitude toward the oracles in her manifesto. She probably had no idea Citali and her people were descendants of Munuorians that she had tussled with sometime in her past. But someone told her the legend and it opened an old wound.”

  “Excuse me, gentlemen. May I interrupt?” Sanjay said. “The historical implications are very fascinating, I am sure. But I wonder if further discussion might wait until after Pebbles tells us what she has seen in her latest vision? Especially given Pablo’s revelation about a hiding place here in the jungle.”

  Pebbles bowed. “Thank you, Sanjay. I had two visions, actually. Back to back. And you’re not going to believe what Citali did.”

  “Hold up, Pebbles,” Jennifer said. “Question — does either of the visions help us find where Citali hid what was given?”

  “Uh, no. They kind of clear up stuff we’ve already talked about.”

  “Then the visions can wait until later, too. Sun’s getting low in the sky. We need to get moving again and set up camp before it gets dark.”

  “One moment, please,” Mereau said. He turned to Pablo. “Can you and your men go upriver to set up camp for us and then come back with the river rafts to pick us up when all is ready?”

  “I don’t understand. You wish to stay here? Alone?”

  “Just until your men come back with the rafts. With your motors, I would think you could set up camp and return in less time than it would take us slowpokes to paddle upstream.”

  “It is not a good idea to split up. The tribesmen may come back.”

  Anlon watched Mereau break into a smile. “I’m counting on it. By the way, do you know their language? Can you communicate with them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. That will come in handy.”

  “What’s up your sleeve, Mereau?” asked Anlon.

  “I will tell you in a moment.” Mereau turned his attention back to Pablo. “Actually, I do need one man to stay behind and go back into town for some paint.”

  “Paint?” Pablo asked. “Why?”

  “The tribesmen expect to see emblems, do they not?”

  “Now hold on, Mereau,” Anlon said. “What’s the deal? What are you concocting?”

  “When we go up the river, I think we should send another message. The one who wears the emblems is coming for what was given. It is my hope the dwellers will show us the way.”

  CHAPTER 24: RETURN OF THE NEW ONES

  Cutivireni River

  Otishi National Park, Peru

  September 30

  Once the rafts disappeared from view and Alejandro left to procure paint, Pebbles raised her hand. “Uh…point of interest…I don’t know the symbols for the emblems.”

  She had felt the designs being painted on Citali’s body in her visions and she recalled glimpses of the symbols painted on the girl at the bonfire, but not full images. Pebbles told the others she assumed the emblems were some of the symbols etched into Citali’s necklace, but she did not know which symbols or where they were supposed to be painted on her body.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about a connection with the necklace,” Anlon said. “The emblems could be related to the Paracas Candelabra. We know from the napkin drawing that the children wore medallions with the symbol. You told us the cave had a mosaic of it outside the Maerlif. You added it to the oasis drawing while you were in a trance. It’s obviously an important symbol, even though we don’t understand why or what it symbolizes.”

  “I have to side with Pebbles,” said Jennifer. “You guys probably don’t remember, but in one of Pebbles’ journal entries she wrote that Citali believed she would need the necklace to convince the dwellers of her identity. She was concerned the emblems would not be enough to satisfy them. That suggests to me that the emblems are the symbols from the necklace. By having the original source of the designs with her, Citali thought the dwellers would be less likely to challenge the designs painted on her body.”

  “It is likely the emblems include both the symbols from the Candelabra as well as those from the necklace,” Mereau said.

  “Yeah, well, even if that’s true, I still don’t know which ones were chosen and where they go,” Pebbles said. “I know one was painted on Citali’s forehead, two on her cheeks, another two on her arms, one on her chest, a couple on her thighs. Kinda, sorta remember one being painted on Citali’s tummy when she was on her deathbed, but I might be wrong about that. Point is — there are twelve tiles on the necklace, right? Plus the Candelabra symbol. That makes a total of thirteen symbols. I just don’t think there were that many painted on her.”

  “Cesar, you took a bunch of pictures of the necklace, didn’t you?” Anlon asked.

  “I did.”

  “Let’s take a look at them and see if any stand out as good candidates.”

  While Cesar retrieved his cell phone, Pebbles watched Jennifer begin pacing along the riverbank. She
looked annoyed. Pebbles called out to her, “Hey, you’re gonna dig a new channel if you keep going back and forth. What gives?”

  Jennifer paused and turned toward Pebbles. “I don’t like this whole idea. It’s too risky.”

  “You mean, guessing about the emblems?”

  “Yeah. That, and the fact we’re pushing an interaction with the tribe before we know what happened in the rest of Citali’s visions.” Jennifer looked over at Sanjay. “I’m surprised you haven’t said anything. It’s gotta be bugging you too.”

  “I do have some concerns, but I can see Mereau’s aim. He hopes to stimulate more visions by going upriver as Citali did.”

  “See, that’s the part that troubles me,” said Jennifer. “What happens if we guess the wrong symbols, or Pebbles goes into a trance at the wrong time? Like right in the middle of saying her part of the password. If those dudes are armed and they don’t like what they see, it could get ugly quick.”

  “I will ensure it doesn’t get ugly,” Mereau said.

  “And how do you plan to do that? Another manhood demonstration with the stones?” Jennifer crossed her arms and began tapping her foot. Oh, boy, Pebbles thought. She’s about to blow.

  “If need be, yes.”

  Jennifer shook her head and mumbled something inaudible. Pebbles had seen her like this before. She was not one who liked going into a potentially dangerous situation without a well-thought-out plan and a backup. But Mereau’s idea was not like that. It was more of a ‘let’s throw shit against the wall and see what sticks’ kind of plan.

  “Is no one else but me bothered by the fact Pebbles hasn’t seen a single vision of this part of Citali’s timeline?” Jennifer said.

  “She’s seen flashes,” said Anlon.

  “Yeah, but come on, Anlon. There’s a crap ton of important stuff missing from the flashes. All we know from them is Citali was standing up in a boat, holding something heavy above her head. All Pebbles has seen is torchlights on both sides of the river and she said she heard chanting. That’s it.