The jaguar gives him a sideways glance and then digs its head into Laura’s chest, wanting her to stroke him some more.
Looking down at the jaguar, Laura recognizes the jaguar from his injured paw as the one she had freed. While obediently stroking the jaguar’s head, Laura asks, “Who are you?”
“We are the protectors of the treasure, oh savior,” the leader replies without looking up.
“Can you please help my friend?” Laura asks pleadingly while pointing to Victor. She has a burning desire to run to Victor, but is afraid of what the jaguar and warriors will do if she stands up.
“He is a friend of yours?”
“He is my husband.” Laura does not think of it as a lie, just saying something still to come, in her mind.
“Then we will do our best to save his life,” the leader responds while looking up, then turns his gaze behind him and gives orders in a native language Laura cannot understand. Suddenly, the warriors who are around Victor jump up and carefully lift him on their arms, forming a human stretcher. Ten warriors in total, five each side, slowly take Victor away into the bush. When they are gone from Laura’s sight, she speaks to the leader, while slowly standing up and noting everyone’s reaction.
“You called me savior, why did you say that?” The jaguar gets up with Laura and takes a place on her right side. Some of the warriors look up at the sound of Laura speaking and on seeing the jaguar’s actions they again with new angst bury their faces in the ground and chant to her.
The leader looks at Laura perplexed, “Why, you are the one from the prophecy, the one that will lift my people out of poverty, you control the jaguar, a sacred animal to us, you are her.” Laura is confused by his answer.
“What prophecy, what are you talking about?”
“I will show you, follow me,” the leader says while slowly standing up and motioning for her to follow him.
Laura really wants to be with Victor and does not move.
“Your husband is in the best medicine woman’s hands there is, you cannot help him at this moment. Follow me.”
Laura decides to follow the man and see what he is talking about and why he thinks she is part of some prophecy.
“I am Laura, what is your name?” Laura says as she makes to follow the man.
“I am known as the elder to my people, but to you, I am just Manco. I was named after the last great Inca king, Manco Inca, who buried the treasure, oh high one.”
“Where did you learn to speak English so well?”
“I was raised in Cusco and used to be a guide for tourists for 30 years. I learned English from the tourists I guided. When my father died, I took up his position as elder of the protectors of the treasure.”
“Can all your men speak English?”
“No, not all want to learn the new language, but I have taught most some basic English to help them earn extra money by guiding tourists.”
The warriors shift sideways to allow Manco and Laura to pass with the jaguar walking next to Laura. One of the warriors dares to look up just as they pass him and he finds himself suddenly staring directly into the jaguar’s eyes.
The jaguar growls and shows its teeth, frightening the man so much that he immediately looks down again with such speed that he bumps his head into the ground with a thud. Yellow liquid starts to spread under him as he wets himself.
The jaguar sniffs the man, brushing its whiskers against his face. On smelling the fear and urine, the jaguar turns away satisfied and wags its tail like a household kitten that just had a bowl of milk.
Just as Laura wonders where the path is that Manco used, he pulls some vines to the side, revealing a hidden path leading away from the clearing.
“What is this clearing used for Manco?”
“We use it to meditate and pray. We were on our way to come and pray when we heard the gunshot. It is destiny that had us coming at the right time to save you.”
“How so, Manco?”
“Normally we come later in the day, but today I had the feeling I must come early, destiny brought us together. Please follow me.”
Manco steps into the pathway and holds the vines to the side to keep the path open for Laura. She gives one last look at the clearing, then steps into the hidden path and follows Manco.
Chapter 13
Laura and the jaguar follow Manco for 20 minutes through the jungle, passing one ruined building after another until suddenly they come to a large building around 100 feet wide, made of granite stone with a single small entrance in the middle. There is a massive statue of a jaguar right by the entrance, and Laura recognizes the statue and building as those she had seen from the sky when flying over. The building stands ten feet high and although Laura cannot see the end of the building as it is obscured by the forest, she reckons it must be at least 300 feet long, judging from her memory of it when she flew over. On the outside is a flame torch on each side of the doorway.
However, Manco takes a flashlight from a small bag that hangs under his coat and switches it on. When Laura sees the light, he only comments, “Modern times,” then enters the building. Laura follows while the jaguar stands guard outside the door.
When Laura’s eyes have adjusted to the low light in the room, she sees that the size of the room is only ten feet by ten feet, with no door to the rest of the building from this room. The room itself is empty, however the walls are decorated with rows upon rows of paintings of Inca people.
“What is this room?” Laura asks while admiring a picture of a man in a litter being carried around by people.
“This is a records room, the pictures tell stories of events that have happened, and of those that are yet to happen.”
Laura is taken aback by his answer. “You are joking, right?”
Manco does not reply but points to the wall while illuminating the spot with his flashlight. Laura follows his gaze and then freezes. She opens her mouth to speak but cannot make a sound. Slowly, she closes her mouth and then walks closer to the wall. She shakes her head as if to wake herself from a dream then closes her eyes again, yet when she opens them again, the paintings are still there. Slowly she reaches out and touches them, tracing her fingers over the figures.
On the wall right in front of her are six pictures in sequence. The first one is a fireball coming down from the sky hitting the earth. The next one is of a woman sitting upon the ground with a man in front of her, and a jaguar is leaping through the air about to attack the man. The following painting shows the woman with the jaguar’s head in her lap and the warriors praying all around her, then another painting shows the warriors still praying but the woman standing and the jaguar next to her guarding her. The last painting shows the woman opening a door and what looks like treasure flowing through the doorway, with the warriors behind her, some jumping through the air, some waving their hands in the air, while others are bowing down to the woman.
Laura slowly turns to Manco and asks, “What does all this mean? I don’t understand.” Manco looks Laura up and down before answering, “You are the chosen one, you are the one to find the hidden treasure and lift my people from poverty, you are the jaguar lady.”
“What treasure?” Laura is not sure if she should believe Manco, and if the treasure she is seeking is the same as the one Manco is talking about. No, it cannot be, she and Victor are here by pure accident, not fate or some ancient prophecy.
Manco smiles as he replies, “The treasure that was hidden from the Spaniards when they invaded Peru, and the treasure that was taken from the Spanish ship that stranded on the coast, it is in the next room.” His answer takes Laura by surprise.
“In the next room? What room? If you know where it is, why don’t you get it yourself?” Laura is now unsure about Manco and starts to wonder how Victor is doing and where he is. She now doubts that they are healing him, expecting more to be spicing him for tonight’s feast, with her as dessert.
Manco’s answer brings her attention back to the room.
“We c
annot solve the puzzle of the door, and besides, it is written that the treasure is cursed and only the jaguar lady can safely find it.” Manco points to a section of the wall on the left from the opening that is decorated with a beautiful painting of a bare chested young Peru woman holding her arms out to the sides and up. The woman has her back to the room and is looking over her shoulder into the room. Looking closer Laura notices that where the woman’s heart should be, there is a one-inch size hole with a slit in the wall at either side of the hole.
“What is this hole for?” Manco shines his light over the hole and then from top to bottom over the painting. He shakes his head when he replies, “I do not know, but I think it has something to do with opening the door to the treasure chamber.”
Looking down Laura notices a few small paintings close to the bottom of the floor, between the woman’s legs. Due to years of rain, flooding and dust, the pictures are almost totally obscured by a layer of dirt and mud. “Do you have some water, Manco?”
Manco shouts to someone outside and not long after a warrior enters with an animal skin water canteen. Laura takes the water from the man and carefully starts to wash the mud from the wall. Slowly, a story is beginning to unfold from the pictures. Manco shines the light where Laura works and after a few minutes, all the mud is cleared from the paintings.
Repeatedly, Laura studies the three inch high sized paintings before looking up to Manco with fear on her face.
“There must be another way,” Manco says softly. Looking back again, Laura studies the paintings in detail. It shows a young woman standing against the wall with her back to the room that is full of people. Then it shows how the woman places her feet apart on the ground and presses against the wall. The next picture is the one that horrifies Laura, it shows a spear coming out of the wall and impaling the woman, while a door next to the woman opens and treasure flows through the doorway, while people bend down to the ground in thanks to the woman for her sacrifice.
“Manco, how will this treasure help your people?” Laura does not look up for she does not want him to see the tears in her eyes. She is thinking of Victor and how much she cares for him.
“Our people are starving. We have no roads to link the towns to allow the people to easily get their coffee harvest to the market. The government is bankrupt, and we do not have money to build schools or hospitals. Many people die because they cannot reach a hospital, or have no access to clean water. If the legend is true, then the treasure is worth billions.”
Laura wipes the tears from her eyes and slowly stands up. Looking directly at Manco she softly says, “My dad used to say that only when you accept death can you truly live your life, and that those that have the power to help others, have the duty to do so. This is my chance to make a difference in the world, for my life to have meaning.”
Manco can only stare at this young woman, showing so much courage. Laura steps forward and hugs Manco while saying, “Goodbye Manco,” then she gives him a kiss on the right cheek. Manco returns the hug but cannot speak.
Slowly, Laura moves to the wall with the painting of the woman. She is exactly the same size as Laura. Carefully Laura places her left foot on the ground following the painting and feels the tile under her foot give a little, then she places her right foot on the ground as shown in the painting, and again she feels the tile under her foot give a little and sink into the floor.
From behind the wall she can hear scraping and sounds as if something mechanical is moving. Pressing her body against the wall she spreads her arms out, following the painting. She feels a small bump under each of her hands on the wall where the hands of the lady in the painting are. This must be what she needs to press. Giving one last look at Manco, she turns her gaze forward and takes a deep breath.
With all her might she presses the small bumps on the wall under the palms of her hands and feels the bumps give and sink into the wall. Laura waits for the spear to pierce her heart. A thud sound against the wall from the other side gives Laura such a fright that she almost jumps back, yet she holds true, waiting for death.
Nothing happens, no spear. Laura waits for a few seconds more, then suddenly a cloud of dust shoots into the air and the wall starts to shudder. The sound of a heavy stone being moved over another stone can be heard. The dust blinds Laura and causes her eyes to water. She closes her eyes and again waits for death.
Suddenly she feels a hand being placed on her shoulder and Manco speaks behind her.
“Laura, you have found the door.” Opening her eyes slowly, she notices that a section of the wall next to her has swung open, revealing a passageway. Slowly Laura steps back in disbelief.
“I don’t understand, what happened?” Laura is relieved and excited at the same time, for not being dead and for finding the door.
Manco just shrugs his shoulders. Laura steps into the small passageway with Manco right behind her. As soon as they enter Laura notices mechanical arms and pulleys to the left of the door, behind the wall where she was standing waiting for the spear to end her life. Manco shines the light over the contraptions and draws his breath.
“You truly are the one!” Right in line with the hole is a spear ready to be fired, a large stone is over the spear and against the wall. The stone is attached to a pulley system and clearly the stone must have swung from the roof down and hit the wall. Now Laura knows what made the thud sound. They notice that the stone is linked to pressure plates in the floor which must be what Laura stood on. Laura’s weight is just perfect, for had she been heavier the stone would have been lifted just a fraction more, and the end of the spear would not have passed through the small hole in the stone, causing the stone to hit the spear and kill Laura.
The same would have happened if Laura had been just a bit lighter, as the stone would not have been lifted high enough for the end of the spear to fit into the hole as the stone slammed into the wall. An impressive system.
Looking closer, Laura notices a small lever resting on the spear and against the wall. The stone has a groove in, allowing the stone to sit flush against the wall while the lever fits into the stone. Tracing the lever they notice that the lever allows the door to be opened. Had the spear been fired, the lever would have dropped down and locked the door forever.
Laura and Manco notice that they are in a long passageway, with the left being blocked by the intricate mechanical door system and the right leading off away from the door. Nodding to each other, they start to make their way along the passage, Laura in front and Manco lighting the path. The passageway is built from perfectly cut granite stone blocks and is about three feet wide and six feet high. The walls are undecorated.
After 60 feet, the passage suddenly turns right and then starts to slope down. Laura and Manco continue down the passage, in the hope of finding the treasure appearing in front of them at any moment. The section drops fast and after about 50 feet they come to a left turn. Following the passageway, they turn left and continue on, now on a slightly less steep angle down. After what Laura reckons to be about 100 feet, the passage again turns left. As they round the corner Laura suddenly stops dead in her tracks, causing Manco to bump into her.
He shines the light past Laura and while looking over her shoulder comments angrily, “This cannot be!” Seven feet in front of them is a wall, a dead end. Laura and Manco start to inspect the walls around them for a sign of a hidden passage or door, but there is none. The walls are solid rock with no indication of any passage or irregular stonework.
Laura drops to the ground on her knees and starts to cry, facing Manco. After all she went through and the hopes of helping the poor, it is all for nothing.
Manco puts his hands on her shoulders to comfort her, suddenly something pushes him from behind, causing him to almost fall on top of Laura. Turning around and shining the light down the small passage he gasps in surprise. Right in front of him stands the jaguar. Laura and Manco are cornered by the jaguar with no weapons or means of escape.
The jaguar gives a g
rowl and pushes past Manco towards Laura, pressing him into the wall without any effort or concern. Before either can react, the jaguar puts its head on Laura’s right shoulder for a moment, and then stands on its hind legs with its front paws on the back wall of the passage. As Manco shines the light on the jaguar to see what it is doing, the jaguar puts its head against the roof right at the wall and pushes. Dust comes from the sides of the roof stone and there is the sound of stone moving on stone.
Laura and Manco gasp in surprise to see the roof stone move and inch forward, creating a gap between the last two roof stones. Suddenly a rat drops through the opening right on Laura’s head. With a scream Laura jumps up and throws the rat off her head, causing it to skid on the ground before it runs off along the passage. As soon as the rat hits the ground the jaguar is down on all four legs and pushes past Laura and Manco, bumping them into the walls, going after the rat down the passage.
Laura’s heart is pounding against her chest, both from the fright of the rat and from the excitement of finding a hidden passage, of new hope of finding the treasure. Working together they push the roof stone more forward until they cannot move it any more. There is now a 12 inch gap in the roof.
Manco lifts Laura up on his shoulders to allow Laura to put her head through the opening. Using the flashlight, Laura peers in all directions.
“What do you see?” Manco asks impatiently.
“It seems like a passage about 10 feet long, but there is a turn at the end.”
“I am too large to fit through, you will have to do it Laura”. Reluctantly Laura starts to pull herself into the passage. Lucky she is petite, as the passage is only 15 by 15 inches big. With a struggle, she manages to reach the turn and peers around the corner. Without warning, a rat jumps onto her head and runs down her back, under her shirt. Laura is so shocked that she cannot manage a scream. The rat is now trapped under her shirt and goes wild on her back, scratching her.
Laura 01 The Jaguar Prophecy Page 20
