CHAPTER 27

Mom and Dad charted a course from Pisco Bay to Cuzco, a city in southeastern Peru near a valley in the Andes Mountains.

“How’d you know we’re supposed to go to Cuzco next?” I asked Storm once the Platypus was airborne.

“Yeah,” said Chet Collier. “How’d you know?”

Collier was strapped in between me and Beck on the rear bench seat. The three of us were facing Storm and Tommy (who was trying to get his hair to curl in the middle of his forehead like Nathan Collier’s always does on TV). Mom and Dad were, of course, up in the cockpit, piloting us the 285 miles from Pisco to Cuzco.

“The indigenous people’s name for the city of Cuzco was Qusqu, derived from the phrase qusqu wanka or ‘rock of the owl.’”

“And the owl was sitting on a rock,” said Chet.

“Very good,” said Storm.

“Man, you know a lot of strange stuff, girl.”

“Thank you,” said Storm. “It’s my superpower. Cuzco was also the Incan capital from the thirteenth century until the sixteenth century, when it was conquered by the Spanish. It’s where Inkarri’s arms might be buried.”

“Wha-hut?” said Tommy.

Storm swiveled the screen of the computer around.

“Since this flight will take a few hours, I thought I would use the time productively and do more research on the Inkarri legend.”

“Way to go, Stephanie!” said Mom from the front.

“Whoa,” said Chet. “Your real name is Stephanie?”

“Yes,” said Storm, those dark clouds filling her eyes again. “Say it again, Chester, and who knows where I might bury your arms.”

“Riiiight. Gotcha. My bad.”

“Tell us what you learned!” said Beck, because she likes horror stories way better than I do.

“As we already know,” said Storm, “when the Spanish conquistadors tortured and executed the last Incan king, he vowed that he would one day rise up from his grave to avenge his death. To make sure that couldn’t happen, the Spaniards buried his body parts all over Peru. According to my new research, legends claim that his head is under the presidential palace in Lima—”

“Great,” said Mom. “That’s where the big rain-forest meeting is going to take place.”

“Stay out of the basement, dear,” joked Dad.

“His legs, some say,” Storm continued, “went to Ayacucho, the capital of the Huamanga Province. His arms were buried under the Square of Tears in Cuzco.”

“Let’s not go there,” said Tommy.

“Buried underground,” said Storm, using her spooky voice, “all of Inkarri’s body parts will grow back together, like the roots of a mighty tree, and when they do, he will rise up, take back his kingdom, and restore the harmony between Mother Earth and her children! Moo-hah-ha!”