Destiny of Coins by Aiden James

disappeared…giving way to a Bolivian mountainside that wasn’t anywhere near as green, and where a cool breeze fed by glacier snow chilled our skin.
    Shivering from both fear and the chillier climate, we followed Tampara along a stone path leading to a rock shelf. A small fleet of black Jeeps was parked beneath it. Several men of Spanish descent stood waiting near the edge of the shelf. Each one carried an automatic rifle, and they wore somber expressions…except for one who was pudgier and slightly shorter than the others. Also older, this one bore the telltale graying sideburns of middle age. The man smiled.
    “Rafael…how good of you to be here for us!” said Tampara, extending a hand to him. He took it and shook it warmly. The thought of Tampara looking like the Hulk compared to this much smaller man made me chuckle. “You remember Roderick, correct?”
    “Yes, I certainly do. It’s been a very long time, Roderick. So good to see you both, amigos!”
    The man named Rafael allowed his smile to widen as he regarded the rest of us. He absently exchanged handshakes with Tampara and Roderick, but never let his eyes leave me. I could tell he knew something about me…whether factual or instinctive at this point hardly mattered. I found it unsettling.
    “It has indeed been a long time, Rafael,” said Roderick. “My, how time flies…you were just a kid, wet behind the ears, when we last saw each other. Almost seventeen at the time.” He smiled warmly.
    “I still remember that summer clearly, as if it was only yesterday,” said Rafael, who blushed uncomfortably and then returned his attention to me.
    “Oh, and these are our friends who have journeyed with us to this magical place,” said Roderick, motioning to the rest of us. “This is Rafael Diegas, assistant to the Essenes’ Superior, Francisco de Luciano…. And, this is Cedric Tomlinson, my esteemed associate with the United States government. Along with Dr. Alistair Barrow, Amy Golden Eagle, and William Barrow, the man Tampara told you was coming.”
    “Judas,” said Rafael quietly. “Even before Tampara told us that you were bringing him here, we knew of his impending arrival.”
    “It’s nice to meet you,” I said, feeling even more uncomfortable under this diminutive man’s penetrating gaze.
    “Francisco is expecting you,” he said. “You all must be famished from your journey, no?”
    “We are,” said Alistair. My boy’s stomach had just rumbled loud enough for the rest of us to notice.
    I took the opportunity to survey the immediate area—my second scan in the past few minutes. No sign of Viktor Kaslow…but I could hear my blood coin’s call to me, stronger than before. It was definitely here, hidden somewhere inside the castle.
    “Follow me, please,” said Rafael, still looking at me knowingly. “After Francisco speaks with Judas and Roderick, we shall dine together this evening.”
    Rafael returned to the other four men, speaking to them in a form of Spanish I hadn’t heard used in more than two centuries. It contained Aymara and some other influence. The men chuckled and looked at me again. Rarely have I felt like I had a third eye in the middle of my forehead. Rafael and his compadres led us into a well-lit cave with intricate angelic carvings along both walls. When we emerged, the kids, me, and Cedric gasped once more. I think we all knew the castle was coming up soon. But to step out into the fading sunlight from a dark cave and find this soaring edifice waiting for us was truly an inspiring moment.
    An ancient cathedral-styled structure fashioned from enormous blocks of red granite. Fitted tightly together, the seams were almost undetectable. I now had something other than Kaslow’s planned exploits to talk about with our Essene hosts—especially after allowing my gaze to follow the castle’s incredible height—several hundred feet at least, and the upper spires could be even higher. Truly, an ornate fortress, and one