Page 96 of The Lost Guardian

In the final lingering threads of night, just before Inti made his presence known to the world again, Santiago and Ali watched as a star sparked to life in the distance, burning like a lighthouse calling them home.

“Holy shit,” Ali whispered, pointing southeast. “There it is!”

A tidal wave of pride surged in Santiago’s chest. Pride in Ali for having figured out the riddle and pride in himself for making it here, to see something his ancestors themselves had witnessed. The very same star, from their very mountains. Its flashing light was a tether, spanning the generations between his people and himself.

“I guess we know where we’re headed,” Santiago replied, his voice gruff with emotion.

Neither of them had slept that night, too exhilarated by their discovery to bother. Their tents and equipment were packed, but they lingered for a moment, enjoying the sunrise in content silence.

There was something in the air that morning. With only two days left before Inti Raymi, Santiago felt the culmination of their journey approaching.

It had to be. It had to.

Because if they didn’t make it to the lost tomb in time… It was the elephant he and Ali had yet to discuss. The thorn of tension that disrupted every stretch of relative peace.

“What do you think we’re looking for this time?” Ali asked him once they began their trek.

“I’m not sure,” Santiago replied honestly. “But I do think we’re headed the right way.”

“What makes you say that?” she asked.

“Because the Andes aren’t trying as hard to kill us today,” he answered, only partially joking. While the forest was still wild, overgrown, and untamed, it didn’t feel as violent. The terrain was slightly more reasonable, and they could keep a relatively straight path.

An hour later, blanketed by dense fog on a mountain summit, Santiago feared he had spoken too soon.

“This is ridiculous,” Ali muttered, her steps careful and deliberate.

“Just go slow,” Santiago told her.

“Actually, I thought I’d practice my sprints,” Ali quipped, but with no rancor.

“That’s one way to meet Atahualpa,” Santiago responded.

“Because I’d be dead?”

“Because you’d be dead.”

He heard her snort.

He shuffled on her heels, afraid that if he let her get too far ahead, he would lose her forever. Tentatively, he reached out and grabbed a strap on her bag. She didn’t complain.

“I’ve always wanted to see a ‘cloud forest,’” Santiago said, just to break the silence. “I think I’ve changed my mind.”

The mist made his skin crawl, like the fog in horror movies that obscured monsters and beasties until the last possible second. He used to be a fan of scary movies. Now, in the ominous haze, he regretted every one he’d ever watched.

“They’re fantastic for biodiversity.” He tried to remain optimistic. “A haven in the high altitude. We’re essentially walking through clouds.”

“Walking in the right direction through clouds?” Ali asked him.

“No idea,” Santiago admitted. “They were never this thick in the photos.” Was something otherworldly blocking their path?

Santiago suppressed a shudder. No, that was silly. The natural world was plenty stranger than fiction. This was just a regular cloud forest, nothing more.

“As long as we don’t lose the compa—”

A low rumbling broke through the fog.

Ali stopped in her tracks, Santiago colliding softly into her backpack. “Was that—” she whispered.