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Nick and the others placed themselves where they could cover the landing zone Alonso had cleared on the ancient Plaza. Now all they had to do was wait for Alvarez to return.
They had been waiting for several hours.
"You think they'll come today?" Selena asked.
"I do," Nick said. "I don't know what Alvarez has set up, but he's got to be nervous. He needs to get everything out of here as fast as he can, before somebody figures out what he's doing."
"Even on the black market, those gold artifacts have to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars."
"He probably won't bother with trying to sell them as they are. If I were him, I'd melt it all down. That's what the Spaniards did. It's easier than dealing with collectors and fences who will try to rip him off."
"It would be terrible if those artifacts were destroyed," Selena said. "Those things are unique, priceless. They're a record of one of the world's great civilizations."
"I don't think Alvarez gives any thought to things like that," Nick said.
"He is barbarian," Valentina said.
"You got that right," Lamont said.
The faint beat of helicopter rotors sounded in the distance.
"He's coming," Ronnie said.
Nick clicked off the safety on his AK.
"Get ready."
They waited, concealed in the foliage on the side of the plaza. The sound of the helicopter got louder. It appeared over the ruined city and hovered. It was about to land, when a dozen painted warriors ran out of the jungle, yelling and brandishing their spears.
"Shit," Ronnie said.
"Brave bastards," Lamont said. "Stupid, though."
The chopper rose and swung in a half circle, bringing its guns to bear on the natives.
"We can't let this happen," Nick said.
He flipped the selector on his AK to full auto, stood, and opened fire. The bullets punched holes in the fuselage. Startled, the pilot banked away and climbed. He turned, looking for them.
"Shoot it down," Nick yelled.
They all began firing at once. Streams of bullets streaked toward the helicopter. The bullets starred the thick Plexiglas of the pilot's compartment, punched holes in the fuselage and the air intake over the engine.
Nick changed magazines, set the sights on the pilot's compartment, and pulled the trigger. He felt the rifle bucking against his shoulder. The protective glass shattered. A burst of red bloomed inside the canopy. The helicopter veered toward the pyramid, out of control. Black smoke erupted from the engine.
"There he goes," Ronnie said.
The crippled aircraft struck the pyramid and exploded in a bright bloom of orange flame. The sound rolled like thunder over the plaza. Chunks of stone and hot shrapnel bounced and clattered around them. A thick column of black smoke billowed up into the sky.
"Whoa," Lamont said.
The group of warriors who had burst out of the jungle were yelling and dancing and shaking their weapons in the air.
"Looks like we made their day," Ronnie said.
What was left of the helicopter burned on the side of the pyramid. The top of the pyramid was destroyed. The room with the altar concealing the hidden stairway was gone, blown into pieces by the explosion.
"That central shaft must be filled with rubble," Selena said. "Nobody's getting to the gold now."
"We'll check, but you're probably right," Nick said.
"Does this mean we can go home now?" Lamont asked.
"Probably. I'd better call Harker. She's not going to be happy about Alvarez."
"It's not like we had a choice," Selena said.
Nick moved to an open spot and entered the number. Elizabeth picked up.
"Nick, we just picked up a heat bloom where you are. What's going on?"
"Alvarez showed up in his chopper. He was about to hose down the natives. We shot it down."
"You shot down his helicopter?"
"It crashed into the top of the pyramid. Blew everything all to hell. Nobody's going to get to the gold now. I'm sorry about Alvarez, but there wasn't anything else we could do. I couldn't let him kill any more of these people."
"Alvarez wasn't on that helicopter."
"He wasn't?"
"No. He's in Lima, attending a planning session with his bosses. After we spoke yesterday, I made a few calls. Freddie has been keeping an eye on him."
"So we should be able to recover what he stole."
"Yes. You need to get back to Cuzco."
"We need extraction."
"I know, but we can't let anyone learn the location of the city. Once word gets out, the place will be overrun with treasure hunters."
"What do you want us to do?"
"You need to find another location where a helicopter can pick you up, not close to where you are now. Let's say, a day's journey away."
"I don't like it, but I suppose what you're saying makes sense."
"You know it does."
Nick thought.
"There's a high escarpment about a day from here, with a clear area up top, right before the trees start. It's not big. You could land a chopper there, but make sure the pilot knows what he's doing."
"Good," Elizabeth said. "Make your way there. I can track your phone when it's on. Once you're in position, call me."
"Copy that," Nick said.
"Be careful."
Elizabeth ended the call.
"What was all that about?" Ronnie asked.
"Alvarez wasn't on the helicopter. He's in Lima, at a DIRCOTE planning session. Harker wants us to grab him and find out what he did with the gold."
"What about going home?" Valentina asked.
"She'll get us out, but we have to move away from here. She doesn't want anyone to find out where we are now. There's a place near the spiders where a chopper can land. We'll go there."
Selena shuddered.
"Do we have to go through the spiders again?" Ronnie said.
"No. The spot I'm thinking of is on top of the escarpment."
"Best news I've had today," Lamont said.
"When do we leave?" Valentina said.
"Now. There's no point in sticking around."
"Before we leave, we should make sure the stairs to the gold are sealed off," Selena said.
"I'll do it," Nick said. "Get our gear together. Selena, do you think the old guy will help us out with supplies?"
"I don't know. He'll be happy to see us gone."
"We need food and water for a couple of days. Ask him nicely. Tell him we'll leave once we have it."
A large group of natives emerged from the jungle. They stopped and stared at the burning wreckage on the side of the pyramid. Llapa was among them.
"I'll ask him now," Selena said.
"We'll go with you," Ronnie said.
Nick headed for the pyramid and began to climb the steps. He had to pick his way around broken stones and debris left by the explosion. As he neared the top, he reached a point on the steps where he could go no further.
The top of the pyramid had been destroyed, reduced to chunks of stone rubble. There was no sign of the altar or the central shaft that had been concealed beneath it. All that was left was a deep depression filled with broken rock.
No one was going to get to the gold. Not unless they tore down the entire pyramid. A sudden wave of dizziness swept over him. He stood on the broken steps and swayed. He thought if he looked up, he would see only a crimson sky. He felt something pulling at him. He felt...thin. He blinked his eyes and descended the steps.
Back on the ground, Selena, Llapa, and the others were waiting for him.
"He'll give us what we need," Selena said.
"Tell him thank you."
The old shaman looked at Nick and said something.
"He says you are not finished," Selena said. "The thief still lives. You must punish him."
"How the hell does he know Alvarez wasn't on that bird?"
Selena shrugged. "I don't know. He just does."
Llapa lifted the black and white cross of stone he wore around his neck and pulled it over his head. He held it out to Nick. He began speaking.
"Oh, my," Selena said.
"What is he saying?"
"He says you must wear this to protect you. He says Supay wants you. If you forget to wear this, Supay will take you to his world. He says you must put it on, now."
"I don't know..."
"Damn it, Nick. Stop being a stubborn asshole. Take the cross. By now you must know he's not just an old man. I don't understand how he knows things, but he does. This isn't our world here. The rules aren't the same. Take the cross and put it on."
Nick took the cross from Llapa. Something made him do it with both hands. It was both warm and cold at the same time, worn smooth to the touch by generations of hands. He looped the thong holding it around his neck. As he did, it felt as though something settled around him, almost like a cloak. The uneasy feeling he'd had since he'd been on top of the pyramid went away.
It was an extraordinary feeling, as if he'd been surrounded by a protective shield of energy.
He looked at Llapa and nodded at him, once.
"Thank you," he said.
The old man grunted and spoke.
"He says you must leave now. He says they are leaving their village and never returning. He says they will take Inti's gold with them. He says no one will ever find it again."
"How are they going to move the gold when it's buried under tons of rock?" Nick said.
Llapa turned and walked away.
"Guess he's not gonna tell you," Ronnie said.