Part 2 (1/2)

Zeb had been grateful for the time alone with Sister Chantal. She had no desire to go down those dark stairs into the fetid bowels of the ziggurat and she wanted to quiz the nun on the forsaken city. 'What will they find down there?' she asked.'Gold.''How do you know?''Because I do.''How? Have you been here before?' Zeb's frustration was growing. 'Why can't you ever just give a straight answer?''Because whatever I say won't change what you believe. What does it matter how I know anything? You now know that water from Father Orlando's garden once flowed here. You and Ross have seen the fountain, the carvings of the story and the plants from the Voynich. You have seen proof proof of the garden's existence, and once the others have found the gold we can leave them and go in search of it. That's all that matters.' of the garden's existence, and once the others have found the gold we can leave them and go in search of it. That's all that matters.''How close is it from here?''A few days' walk.''You're sure it's still there?'A look of fear crossed the nun's features. 'It must must be.' be.'Zeb was studying the carved image of the dried-up fountain. 'But what if-'She was silenced by a m.u.f.fled scream and a gunshot that issued from the darkened stairs. She stood up and pulled Sister Chantal to her feet. Another scream. Sister Chantal walked to the stairs and Zeb followed her. As she looked down into the gloom, a black shape leapt, snarling, at the nun, slas.h.i.+ng with its claws, throwing her to the floor. Then Ross appeared and fired a shot into the air. The huge cat darted for the doorway and disappeared outside.As Zeb rushed to Sister Chantal, Ross ran to the exit, raised the rifle and fired into the fading light.'You get it?' Zeb called.'It was too fast.' He ran back to help Zeb prop Sister Chantal against the wall. Blood flowed from a cut on her cheek and she had a large contusion on her forehead. Her right shoulder bore two shallow slashes where claws had torn her cotton s.h.i.+rt but, luckily, her shredded backpack had taken the brunt of the attack.'What the h.e.l.l was that?' said Zeb.'A melanistic jaguar.''A what?''A black-pigmented jaguar. A panther.'He sounded distracted and Zeb stared up at him. 'There's blood all over your face. You okay?''It's not mine,' Ross said, in a monotone. He was holding Sister Chantal's wrist. 'She's out cold and her pulse is weak.'Zeb helped him lay her on her back, then loosened her collar. 'We'd better get Nigel.'When she turned, a dazed Mendoza and an ashen-faced Hackett were walking up the stairs, carrying Juarez between them.This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. As Hackett tried to staunch Juarez's bleeding, he knew his friend was close to death, and that he was powerless to prevent it. As he opened Juarez's s.h.i.+rt to examine the wounds in his throat and chest, he thought of all the times over the last three years they had sat together on the Discovery Discovery, drinking Cusquena beer and talking about their dreams.Juarez had been born in a remote Amazonian village close to the Ecuadorian border but had always longed to see Europe and North America. Hackett had promised that when he returned to London, having found fame and fortune in the Amazon, he would take Juarez with him. Only last night, asleep in his hammock, Hackett had dreamt of lecturing to the Royal Geographical Society. As the great and good applauded, the beautiful Zeb Quinn who no longer mocked his idiosyncrasies but understood, admired and desired desired him stood at his side. him stood at his side.But now his friend would never leave the jungle to live his dreams and, although Hackett had discovered his lost city and its gold, his own dreams of glory seemed hollow too.Juarez gripped his arm and tried to speak. 'I'm not scared,' he rasped. 'I'm not a coward.''I know, my friend,' said Hackett.'No, you're not,' Mendoza concurred. 'You're the bravest man I ever met. You saved my life.'Juarez gripped Hackett's arm tighter, a smile playing on his lips. Finally his face relaxed. Hackett closed his eyelids and laid him on the floor. 'He's gone.''I'm sorry,' said Ross.'So am I,' said Hackett. Zeb was kneeling over Sister Chantal, tears in her eyes. As he watched, she put a hand to her mouth.'What do we do now?' asked Mendoza.Hackett sighed. 'I don't know.'Ross laid a hand on his shoulder. 'Nigel, there's nothing more you can do for Juarez. Why don't you attend to Sister Chantal while Osvaldo and I bury our friend? Then we'll build a fire.'Hackett nodded numbly. 'I want him buried deep,' he said fiercely. 'I don't want any animals getting to him.''We'll make sure of it, senor,' said Mendoza. 'I'll say a prayer, and we'll put a stone on top of the grave.'Hackett hesitated a little longer, then relinquished his friend to them and moved to examine Sister Chantal.'How is she?' said Zeb.Hackett checked Sister Chantal's cuts, contusion and breathing. 'She's concussed, but she appears to be breathing regularly. Her cuts are superficial and the b.u.mp on her head looks nastier than it is.' He reached for his medical bag. 'I'll check her blood pressure, then we'll make her comfortable and let her rest.''It'll be dark soon,' said Ross. 'I vote we spend the night on the flat top of this pyramid. We can build a fire there and it should be easier to keep away any more unwelcome visitors. If you guys can get Sister Chantal and our baggage to the top, Osvaldo and I'll look after Juarez.'

46

'You want some strong painkillers for your wrist?' asked Mendoza, popping a tablet into his mouth.'No, thanks,' said Ross, welcoming the pain as he helped Mendoza lower Juarez's body into the hole they had dug in the soft earth behind the pyramid. It distracted him from the gathering dusk and from what they were doing. In burying Juarez he felt as if he was burying a part of himself. He had come here to save Lauren but already his quest had cost four lives: those of the three bandits who had tried to hijack them and now Juarez. As he shovelled earth into the grave, he thought of the strange carvings at the base of the ziggurat and felt a little consoled.He was close now to either realizing his dream of saving Lauren, or confirming his worst fear that this trek into the jungle had been a waste of precious time and lives. Sister Chantal claimed that from here they could reach the garden and be back in a week, and had seemed confident of doing so without a guide without Juarez. Depending on how quickly they returned to civilization he could be back in the States in two or three weeks with whatever he found in the garden. His main concern now was the enigmatic Sister Chantal, the key to interpreting the final directions.Mendoza coughed. 'I still can't believe what Juarez did for me.'He was a brave and selfless man,' said Ross.'But I'd thought he was a coward.''We are what we do,' said Ross, almost to himself. 'His last act defined him.'Mendoza patted the earth with his hand. 'This man will go to heaven.''I won't argue with you on that one.'After filling in the hole, they dragged a slab from the plaza, placed it over the mound, and Mendoza a.s.sembled a small pile of stones to mark the grave. Then they called to the others. Hackett came down, then he and Mendoza said simple prayers, while Zeb watched over Sister Chantal.Later, they made a fire on the flat top of the ziggurat and prepared food. No one was hungry but they went through the motions, picking at their tinned beans and meat stew.'How's Sister Chantal?' Ross asked.'She's stirred a couple of times, but she's still out of it,' Hackett replied. 'Her blood pressure's okay, though. I think she just needs rest.'Zeb was sitting by the baggage, frantically rooting through Sister Chantal's shredded pack. 'You okay, Zeb?' Ross called to her.Zeb's eyes were bright and red-rimmed from crying. 'No,' she said quietly. 'I'm not.' She held up a pile of shredded, bloodstained paper, then Father Orlando's notebook, what was left of it. 'The backpack saved Sister Chantal's life but the notebook was in it. The jaguar tore it to pieces.'Ross felt sick. 'Show me.'The cruel irony was that the first pages were still legible and the last mismatched section had survived virtually untouched. It was only the middle of the book, the end pages of the first section the crucial final directions to the garden that had been obliterated. He took the torn pages from Zeb and knew immediately they couldn't be salvaged. He thought again of the strange plants carved at the base of the ziggurat and the story of the fountain. The metallic taste of disappointment flooded his mouth. The carved images had encouraged him earlier, but now they taunted him. Just when he was beginning to believe in Father Orlando's garden, just when he was getting close, it was to be denied him. 'The last directions are gone.''So?' said Hackett. 'We don't need them any more.''We do,' said Zeb. 'They were the most critical.''But this is it. This lost city is what we were looking for.' Hackett paused. 'Isn't it?''No,' said Ross. 'It's not.''What are you saying? Finding this place was a bonus? What's going on?'Ross looked at Sister Chantal in her sleeping-bag. 'I don't know if it was a fluke or not but this isn't where Father Orlando's directions lead,' he said. 'In fact, he made no mention of this place in any of his writings.''But this is one of the biggest archaeological discoveries in history,' Hackett expostulated. 'Not just in South America, but the entire world. How can it not be where his directions lead? What could possibly be more important than this?''Or more valuable?' demanded Mendoza.Zeb pulled some photocopied sheets out of her backpack and pa.s.sed them to Hackett, then summarized the story in the Voynich. 'We're looking for a garden where plants like this grow.''You came all this way, into the largest rainforest in the world, to find a garden garden?' said Hackett.'Yes.'Hackett studied the photocopies. 'These plants are like the ones on the carvings here.''Exactly,' said Ross. 'Which means we're probably close.'Hackett frowned, trying to understand. 'The garden must be pretty special.''That's what we're hoping,' said Zeb. 'Father Orlando called it the Garden of G.o.d.''How is it special?' asked Mendoza.Ross kept his eyes focused on Hackett. 'We're hoping it has healing properties, as in the Voynich story.''Healing properties?' Hackett snorted. Ross recognized his own initial scepticism in the doctor's face. Hackett stared into the fire. 'Let me guess, you think the plants are somehow linked to the water from the fountain here. You think the spring once came from this miraculous garden.''It fits,' said Ross. 'The spring could have been fed via an underground stream, which flowed from the garden and then got blocked. Perhaps the people were dependent on the water, or whatever was in it, and became sick when it dried up.'Hackett was shaking his head.'You think the garden is close to here?' said Mendoza, clearly intrigued.'Yes,' said Ross.'If it exists,' said Hackett, 'what do we do about this place and the gold? Which, by the way, does does exist.' exist.''The gold will wait for us,' said Mendoza. He gave a decisive nod. 'I'm coming with you, Ross.''You don't have to. It'll be dangerous. According to the story, all the surviving conquistadors died in the garden. Only Father Orlando survived to tell the tale.'Mendoza laughed. 'If it's safe enough for an old nun, a man with a broken wrist and a young woman, it's safe enough for me. I'm coming.''Hang on,' said Hackett. 'This is madness. We've already lost Juarez in finding this place. Why put anyone else at risk looking for some mythic Shangri-La?''None of you has to come with me,' said Ross. 'I'm sorry about Juarez, I really am, but finding this garden was the reason I came here.''And you, Zeb?' demanded Hackett. 'You're committed to finding it, too?''Yes.''Then I've no choice but to go too, I suppose,' said Hackett, and gave a weary sigh. 'The garden sounds like a load of guff, but we should stay together.' He looked at Zeb. 'If it's dangerous you'll need someone to take care of you.'For the first time that evening Zeb smiled. 'Someone like you, Nigel?'Hackett bristled. 'Someone exactly exactly like me someone careful and cautious. I'm not losing anyone else on this trip.' like me someone careful and cautious. I'm not losing anyone else on this trip.''This discussion is academic, anyway,' Ross said quietly. He held up Father Orlando's damaged notebook. 'The crucial section, containing the final directions to the garden, is unreadable.''Can't you remember any of them?' said Mendoza.'All I can remember is one of the last landmarks, something called La Sonrisa del Dios, the Smile of G.o.d. After that I think we find ourselves in a cave system. But I've no idea how to find La Sonrisa del Dios, whatever it is.' He turned to Zeb. 'How about you?''I remember it being a good three days' walk from La Barba Verde to La Sonrisa del Dios, with only the stars to guide us. But I've no idea which stars.''So, what are you saying?' said Hackett. 'We're stuffed?''Yes.' Ross was suddenly desperate to get away from the cursed city. 'That's exactly what I'm saying.'That night on the ancient ziggurat, sitting under the stars surrounded by the ruins of a civilization that had been dead for more than a thousand years, was the loneliest Ross could remember.While the others slept by the fire he kept watch, Juarez's rifle cradled in his lap. Despite his exhaustion, he knew he wouldn't sleep. It wasn't his aching wrist that kept him awake but the suffocating feeling of time crus.h.i.+ng him. He thought of Lauren in the States and of the life growing inside her womb. In a few weeks it would be six months, two-thirds of the way through the pregnancy. In another three months it would be due. These next weeks were critical, and yet they seemed insignificant against the centuries of history that surrounded him.Turning away from the crackling fire, he stared into the humid, enveloping dark, wis.h.i.+ng he could believe in some merciful higher power. Tomorrow he would leave this forsaken place, go home and accept whatever happened. His great quest was over.

47

Ross woke with a start. A pearlescent moon still hung in the sky, but, when he looked over the lost city to the horizon, a soft glow told him dawn was imminent. He couldn't remember falling asleep but he felt alert and fresh. He also felt compelled to act.He stood up, stepped round the sleeping Hackett and Mendoza, pa.s.sed Zeb's still form and knelt beside Sister Chantal. He shook her gently until she opened her eyes.'Wake up,' he murmured. 'We've got to go.''Where?' She touched the bruise on her head, dazed, disoriented and frightened.He kept his voice soft but firm. 'You get up now and take us to Father Orlando's garden, or we turn back and go home.'She reached out her hand. 'Where's the notebook?''It's ruined. There are no more directions. It's up to you now. You say you're the Keeper, that you've been to the garden before. Now's the time to prove it.''What about the others?''They'll be with us.''But they can't-''I don't care about secrecy any more. Your plan to use this place to distract them didn't work. Juarez is dead.'Her eyes widened. 'Juarez is dead?''The jaguar that attacked you killed him. We're in the middle of nowhere literally and there are two choices. We go on to the garden together or we go home. We're depending on you. Lauren's depending on you.''All the directions are destroyed?'He handed her the notebook. 'See for yourself.'She rubbed her head, thinking. 'The others can come only if they vow to tell no one of the garden and to take nothing from it.''They'll make that promise.''There might be one other way to find the garden, but I need a compa.s.s.''Here's mine.' He reached into his pocket. 'I doubt it'll work, though. There's some strange magnetic field here. The GPS is out and our watches have stopped.''Give it to me.'He glanced at it, then at the rising sun. Wherever the needle was pointing, it sure as h.e.l.l wasn't magnetic north. 'Like I said, it's not working.'She took it, sat up and smiled. 'Follow the needle.''What do you mean?''Follow the needle. It should lead us to the garden.'He took the compa.s.s from her. Normally when a compa.s.s wasn't working correctly the needle became erratic. This one wasn't. It pointed firmly in one direction. It wasn't north but it was steady. His pulse quickened. Was the interference coming not from the ore-riddled ridge they had pa.s.sed through but from the garden or the source? 'You sure this will lead us there?'She nodded, eyes sparkling.'Good.' Ross hardly dared to believe they were continuing the quest. 'In that case, I'll wake the others.'Within an hour they were ready to leave. They climbed the path out of the valley to the high shelf above, then turned in the direction of the compa.s.s needle. As they were about to re-enter dense jungle, Ross looked back. From this elevation, the valley again seemed lush but unremarkable, its secret concealed beneath the vegetation. He strained to glimpse the ziggurat to no avail.Then he caught a glint of light, the reflection of the sun on metal or gla.s.s, coming from the high shelf near the ridge. He wondered what it could be, then pushed it from his mind and followed the others into the jungle.Father General Leonardo Torino lowered his binoculars and squinted in the early-morning sunlight. For the first time since Iquitos he could see Ross Kelly and the others. It took all his self-control to prevent the relief showing on his face.'How did you know they would be here, Father General?' said Fleischer. 'We found their trail in the jungle but how did-''I told you, Feldwebel, we're on a sacred mission. The Lord is guiding us.' Torino fixed him with his most intense stare. 'Did you doubt me?' Fleischer and his men bowed their heads and crossed themselves. Torino raised his binoculars and focused on the spot where he'd seen Kelly. 'However, the Lord may need our help from here, Feldwebel. We must follow our quarry and not lose them in the jungle.''I understand, Father General.' He pointed to one of his men, a shorter, muscular man with thick eyebrows and a jagged scar on his right cheek. 'Weber, keep close, but make sure you aren't seen. Leave a trail for us to follow. If your pack's too heavy, share its weight with Petersen and Gerber.''It's fine, sir. I can move fast enough to track them.''Good.' Fleischer reached into his pack, pulled out a pair of basic two-way radios and handed one to Weber. They switched them on and both crackled into life, unaffected by whatever force had stopped their watches. 'Keep us informed.'As Torino and the others watched Weber hurry along the high shelf after Kelly's party, not one noticed the lost city in the valley below, slumbering beneath its blanket of green.

48

Juarez was in their thoughts as they hacked their way through the steaming jungle over the next two and a half days. They missed his alert presence and nimble ability to thread a path through the densest forest. Even the immaculate Hackett was dishevelled. They slept by night, suspended above the forest floor in hammocks, sheltered beneath tarpaulins to keep out the rain. By day, they moved at a slow but determined pace, oblivious of any trail they left.Ross lost count of the exotic creatures they encountered: golden-pelted monkeys, brilliantly coloured snakes, spiders the size of a man's hand. He was sure some must have been uncla.s.sified species. When he thought of the strange plants and animals he had seen since entering the Amazon, how commonplace the bizarre had become, Falcon's garden, with its exotic flora and fauna, seemed less and less inconceivable.On the third day another ridge blocked their path. It was concave and topped with tooth-white rocks. Immediately Ross knew it must be the one other landmark he remembered from the notebook, La Sonrisa del Dios, the Smile of G.o.d.It occurred to him then that the garden was protected by a number of concentric circles of high rock, like ripples when a stone is dropped into a pond. They had pa.s.sed through the first via the fierce waterfall of El Velo de la Luz and the second by La Barba Verde. As Ross gazed at La Sonrisa del Dios, adrenalin surged through him. Was this the final barrier protecting Father Orlando's mythical garden?As if reading his mind, Hackett asked, 'Are we almost there?''Yes,' Sister Chantal said. 'The cave system that leads to the garden cuts through the ridge beneath those white rocks.'Ross checked his GPS again, hoping to determine his exact location, but two words filled the screen: Signal Error.The sun was setting and, though Ross and Sister Chantal wanted to press on, the others decided to rest and tackle the caves in the morning. Ross feared his racing mind would keep him awake, but when he collapsed on to his hammock he fell instantly into a deep, dreamless sleep.Only Sister Chantal did not sleep that night. Clutching her crucifix she lay awake in the dark, listening to the sounds of the forest, waiting for dawn to break. Though she was consumed by fatigue, and her body ached, she couldn't relax. Not yet. She burnt with the need to reach the end of her long journey. She yearned to finish her ordeal, fulfil her promise and reap her elusive reward.

49

The next morning, Ross, Zeb, Hackett and Mendoza followed Sister Chantal to the cliff beneath the white rocks of La Sonrisa del Dios. She led them to a vertical fissure crowned with a natural arch and, one by one, they squeezed through the opening until they found themselves in La Catedral, the cathedral-like cave described in the Voynich. Shafts of sunlight illuminated the vast s.p.a.ce and Ross saw dozens of small openings hundreds of feet above their heads, which shone like stars among the stalact.i.tes on the soaring vault of the roof. The shafts of sunlight picked out glittering, gilded veins in the rock walls.'Gold,' said Mendoza, with greedy eyes.Ross studied a vein. 'It looks like gold but I'm afraid it's pyrites, fool's gold.''Whatever it is, this is the band of gold that Father Orlando and the conquistadors followed to the garden,' said Sister Chantal. 'We must follow it, too.'They had entered the vast cave on what amounted to a mezzanine level. Its ceiling, with the star-like apertures, rose above, and its floor was over an abrupt edge to their right, many feet below. A Boeing 747 could have parked in it with ease. h.e.l.l, a fleet of them could land and take off in it, Ross thought. The air was surprisingly hot, and tainted with a foul smell, which worsened as they went deeper. Ammonia made his eyes water and Hackett, sucking at his inhaler, was scrabbling in his medical bag for a surgical mask.Deeper into the cave, the ground sloped down and the pa.s.sage became narrower until they were walking in single file along a ledge. Now Ross could see the source of the overpowering stench. Over the abyss to his right there was a conical mountain of bat droppings. At least forty feet across and easily as tall, it rose from the floor below to its peak, a few feet from where they were standing. A rustling, clicking sound came from the mound and its dark surface was constantly moving. Every inch was beaded with writhing c.o.c.kroaches, feeding on the waste. Zeb covered her face. The sight was almost worse than the smell, and Ross put his hand over his mouth to stop himself retching. Above the surgical mask Hackett's eyes showed his disgust. For a man who hated anything remotely dirty or sucio sucio this was a nightmare. this was a nightmare.In the darker corners of the ceiling, Ross spotted thousands of bats hanging from the rock. He dreaded the possibility of their waking suddenly and overwhelming them as they fled the cave in their thousands. He pointed upwards to warn the others, who instinctively pushed themselves closer to the wall, putting as much distance as they could between them and the edge.The danger, however, came from below.Hackett saw the sandy-coloured snake first, wriggling along the ledge, trying to evade them, but Zeb almost stepped on it. It reared and struck her thick walking boot. As it prepared to strike again Hackett kicked it away, inadvertently towards Mendoza, who jumped out of its path and lost his footing. Trying to regain his balance, he fell on then rolled off the ledge. He scrabbled frantically for a handhold on the sharp rock but gained only a momentary grip before he dropped into the seething mound of filth. He sank fast. c.o.c.kroaches covered his boots and lower leg, then swarmed up his body.By the time Ross was on his knees and holding out his good hand, Mendoza was up to his neck in bat faeces. As his head sank below the c.o.c.kroaches, he stared up at Ross, lips sealed, eyes wide with terror. Ross hung further over the ledge but couldn't reach his flailing right hand. Then an arm circled his waist and a rope tightened over his s.h.i.+rt.'You're okay,' said Hackett. 'Zeb and I've got you.'Eyes watering, nostrils stinging, Ross edged over till his face was inches from the filth and grabbed Mendoza's hand just as it disappeared. Mendoza's other hand reached for him and the sudden weight almost yanked his face into the mire. 'Pull me up!' he shouted.His arm jerked so hard that Ross had to use his broken wrist to avoid dislocating his shoulder. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he felt the rope tighten round his waist and drag him up. Gradually, Mendoza emerged, and when his head cleared the surface he breathed out and gasped.As they dragged him on to the ledge, Sister Chantal sprayed him with insect repellent. Lying there, he writhed like a madman, knocking Hackett's gla.s.ses and medical bag into the filth. His panic only abated after Hackett patted down his clothes, scattering the remaining c.o.c.kroaches. As Mendoza recovered his composure and changed his clothes, Ross watched Hackett's medical bag and spectacles sinking beneath the seething c.o.c.kroaches. He also saw the snake, writhing in its death throes. After a few seconds the mound had consumed it.Zeb patted Hackett's shoulder. He was rubbing his hands as if to erase any trace of the c.o.c.kroaches he had brushed off Mendoza. 'Thanks for kicking the snake away from me.' She gestured to his usually clean, pressed trousers and grinned. 'You should regard this as aversion therapy.'Hackett smiled thinly. 'I've lost my gla.s.ses. I'm almost blind without them.''I can't believe a man like you doesn't have a spare set,' said Zeb.'I do,' Hackett said. He pointed at the mound. 'It was in my medical bag.'Mendoza stood up and helped Ross to his feet. 'That's the second time someone's saved my life. How's your wrist?'Like my hand's coming off, he thought. 'It's fine,' he said.They continued along the pyrites seams, descending until they reached another vast chamber, not as wide or as long as before but taller, illuminated by a single, distant opening above. A Manhattan skysc.r.a.per could have stood in that cavern and not protruded from the hole.'Look,' said Hackett.Ross's heart skipped a beat. A few yards from where they were standing, half concealed by stones, corroded but still recognizable, lay a metal helmet of the same peaked design used by the Spanish conquistadors, and a pewter goblet.'Surely they can't be from Falcon's quest,' said Zeb, as Hackett picked up the goblet, rubbed it clean and put it into his backpack.The heat was oppressive now and Ross could see a causeway of black pumice stepping-stones ahead, leading across a chasm through which a stream of molten lava flowed: the river of fire mentioned in the Voynich. Beyond, they would encounter an unwelcoming network of dank, dark, dripping caves.They were now at the threshold of the garden, and for the first time since he had embarked on his quest, Ross allowed himself to believe that Falcon and Sister Chantal had been telling the truth. He might indeed find something remarkable and miraculous here to help Lauren.'These are the last obstacles,' said Sister Chantal. 'Beyond the river of fire lie caves of burning rain and poisonous gas, but if we follow the veins of gold we will reach the garden.' She paused, glanced at Ross, then focused on the others. 'Remember your vows. Tell no one of this place and take nothing from it.' She looked at each in turn, only moving on when they nodded.Hackett didn't look happy. 'Mountains of bat s.h.i.+t, c.o.c.kroaches, rivers of fire, burning rain, poisonous gas. I hope this garden of yours is worth it. Good G.o.d, it's like one of those old adventure stories.'Ross put on his sungla.s.ses. 'There's only one way to find out.' He pointed to the causeway. 'I'm going to cross that. Then I'm going to hold my breath, cover my skin and eyes, and rush through those caves, following the pyrites to the other side. When you follow me, you mustn't breathe the air or let the liquid dripping off the ceiling touch your skin or eyes. It's basically concentrated sulphuric acid.' He put on his waterproof and pulled up the hood, leaving as little skin exposed as possible, then walked to the causeway. 'You guys ready?'Sister Chantal smiled.'You, Zeb?'Zeb nodded, eyes bright. 'Yep.'Mendoza stepped forward to join them but Hackett hung back.Ross's heart was beating fast. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so excited. He realized then that this was no longer just about saving Lauren and their child. His pa.s.sion for geology, stifled for so long by Big Oil, had reawakened. He called to Hackett, 'What are you waiting for? Want to discover what drove a priest to write the most mysterious ma.n.u.script in the world? Want to see a place even more amazing and magical than your precious Eldorado?' He began to walk across the causeway, heat wafting up to him from the lava. 'If you do, follow me.'

PART THREE.

The Garden of G.o.d