"I'm trying! Can't you see that?" Esteban screamed back.
"Ohhh..." Zia moaned with fear.
The plummeting golden condor did not heed Esteban's frantic attempts to keep it under control. Instead, it angled down even sharper. Esteban pulled back on the golden snake-headed lever with all of his might...
Suddenly, the condor slowed down and began to nose upward. It flew up and around in a complete vertical loop, then set down softly in a rocky clearing, surrounded by jagged peaks. The landing gear stretched down, and the condor stopped moving. Esteban, Zia, and Tao remained frightened and motionless for a few seconds.
Tao scratched the back of his head. "I wonder what that was all about," he said.
"Where are we?" asked Zia.
Esteban looked around. Sharp grey rocks were everywhere, and the few trees he could see from the cockpit window wore no leaves.
"It must be very cold outside," Esteban said, "Plus, it's going to be nighttime soon, so it'll be even colder."
Tao sighed. "Looks like another night in the condor," he said, "I wonder why it landed here."
"Oh, look!" Zia exclaimed. Tao and Esteban followed Zia's line of sight.
Perched less than 20 meters away was a giant brown bird - an immense condor. It brooded over what looked like a pile of sticks and twigs. It ducked its head down to the pile several times, then stared back at the children in the golden condor.
"Oh, it's a mother condor!" Zia declared, "That must be her nest."
From under the folds of Tao's bright-yellow robes, a little green parrot peeked out. He let out a SQUWAK and violently buried himself deeper in the fabric. The bird screamed,
"Danger! Danger! Head for the hills! Beware! Danger! SQUWAK!"
Tao doubled over. "Kulkapetal, stop that! You're tickling me! Stop! That condor won't hurt you!"
Esteban and Zia laughed. The old mother condor stopped looking at the children and went back to feeding her young.
The accomodations inside of the condor - thought cramped - were warm and comfortable. Each of them had enough room to stretch out and fall asleep. Tao and Kulkapetal sat in a corner, eating berries. Zia and Esteban split a loaf of bread that the grateful Mayas had prepared especially for them. Esteban looked at Tao.
"Tao, how many more days will the Maya rations last us?"
"Oh, I'd say at least three or four, if we're careful. After that, we're going to have to find our own food or happen upon another generous village."
Zia asked, "Why do you think the condor stopped here? Could another city of gold be nearby?"
Tao replied, "No, I don't think so. We've scarcely traveled very far from the last city. I think that the condor will lead us to the next one, but there might be something somehow connected to it in this area. Maybe it's something we have to do."
Zia asked, "But how will we know what it is that we have to do?"
Tao responded, "I don't know, but we've never had trouble figuing things out in the past. For right now, let's just rest."
Esteban had seperated himself from his companions. He was deep in thought.
"Esteban," Zia said, "Is there somthing wrong?"
Esteban was startled slightly "Huh? Oh no, Zia. Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about the high priest from the city of gold..."
"That great man," Tao interrupted, "He saved us all."
"Yes," Esteban continued, "I wish that I could have spoken to him more... about my father. I hope that we can find him somewhere along our journey."
"I'm sure we will," Zia said, "The priest told us that he was alive and traveling the world in search of the other cities."
Esteban said, "I suppose... but there was something about the high priest..."
"Danger! Danger! Beware! Head for the hills! RAWK!" squwaked Kulkapetal.
The children shot up from where they sat. They peered into the darkness. Silence.
"I don't see anything," Esteban said.
"Oh!" Zia gasped, full of terror.
Esteban and Tao gasped shortly after. They all saw. At the edge of the rocky clearing, over the sharp bordering rocks, a large group of figures emerged, crawling slowly toward the golden condor. The figures were obscure, but the children could see enough of them by moonlight. They carried spears, had bald heads, and pointy ears. The children were horrified.
"A legion of Olmecs..." Tao whispered.
************************************************************************************
"Show yourself! This is your last warning."
Mendoza stood firm, his sword held out at arm's length. Sancho and Pedro huddled close to each other, each holding a long stick.
The distinctive voice from the dark forest shot back, "There is no need to resort to violence... I couldn't fight you now if I tried."
The speaker emerged from the bushes. His coat was tan and grey, tattered and worn. He was tall, official-looking with grey hair and small beard.
"Gomez..." Mendoza began.
Pedro and Sancho looked at each other in disbelief. "Captain Gomez?" Pedro asked.
"Yes, it is I... oh!" Gomez stumbled and fell forward. Mendoza caught him and sat him down on the ground. Mendoza stood above him.
"So, you escaped from the city of gold..." Mendoza said.
"Yes. The city collapsed around me and I must have blacked out... I found myself on a nearby shore and when I looked up, all I could see was the ruins of the island that stood in the middle of the lake of the city of gold. It had been destroyed."
"What of Gaspard?" Mendoza asked, " Where has he gone off to?"
"I do not know," Gomez answered slowly, "I believe he is dead."
Sancho and Pedro lowered their heads.
Pedro said, "You've really got to hand it to Gaspard... he was a scoundrel, but he stayed loyal to Captain Gomez right up until the end."
"Y-y-y-yeah. Sc-uh-sc-uh-scoundrel," Sancho replied.
Gomez said, "Gaspard was certainly a loyal man, and I will miss him greatly."
Mendoza asked, "What do you want from us, Gomez?"
"I am tired of searching for gold, Mendoza. I see that you have all been lucky, and I salute your success. I have been left, at the end, with nothing. I wish to return to Barcelona with you, if you will have me."
"You want us to trust you?" Pedro asked, "You tried to kill us! Lots of times!"
"Y-y-y-uh-yeah!" Sancho agreed, "You d-d-d-don't like us."
"Indeed," Mendoza declared, "Why should we trust you now? What's in it for you, Gomez?"
Gomez sighed. "Mendoza, my only chance of seeing Spain again is with you. It's either that or wander the wilderness until I am dead. I would much rather join forces with you, since I am now alone. You can make it back to Spain faster with me helping you."
"He'd be an extra mouth to feed, don't forget that, Mendoza!": Pedro said.
Mendoza faced Sancho and Pedro. "I think that it's in our best interests to let him help us. An extra mouth to feed will not inconvenience us that greatly. Just keep an eye on him and let me know if he does anything supicious. We can't afford to lose any more time."
Mendoza turned back to Gomez. "Very well, Captain. We will take you aboard. Just do as I command until we make it back to Spain, and no tricks."
Gomez bowed his head gratefully. "Thank you, Mendoza. And well spoken. Your father would be proud."
Immediately, Mendoza pulled Gomez up by his collar. Pedro and Sancho looked on, frightened. Gomez squirmed but then hung still. Mendoza stared deeply into Gomez's eyes. "Never mention my father to me again," he said.