than Nadia, bumped his head and muttered âwhat the . . . !â For a few minutes they were enveloped in a cloud of bats, stirring panic in the heart of Borobá, who immediately dived under his mistressâs shirt.
It was time to call on the black jaguar. Alex concentrated, and in only seconds he could see about him as if he had antennae. He had practiced this skill for months, ever since he had learned in the Amazon that the jaguar, the king of the South American jungle, was his totemic animal. Alexander was slightly nearsighted, and even with glasses he did not see well in darkness, but he had learned to trust the instinct of the jaguar that he sometimes could invoke. Now he followed Nadia confidently, âseeing with his heart,â as he did more and more often.
Suddenly Alex stopped short, taking his friendâs arm; ahead, the passageway made a sharp turn. Farther on, he could see a faint glow, and they could hear the murmur of voices. Using extreme caution, Alex peered around the corner and could see that ten feet away the corridor opened up into a room like the one theyâd just come from.
Tex Armadillo, the man in black, and two other individuals dressed in the same kind of tunics were kneeling around an oil lamp that flickered faintly but produced enough light for the two young people to see. It was impossible to get any closer, as there was nothing to hide behind, andthey knew that if they were caught, they would be in trouble. The thought flashed through Jaguarâs mind that no one knew where they were. They could die in those cellars and no one would find their bodies for days, maybe weeks.
The men were speaking English, and Armadilloâs voice was clear, but the other three had a nearly incomprehensible accent. It was obvious, nevertheless, that they were talking about a business deal. They watched Armadillo hand over a sheaf of bills to the person who had the air of being the leader of the group. Then they heard a long discussion about what seemed to be a plan of action that included weapons, mountains, and maybe a temple or a palace, they couldnât be sure.
The leader unfolded a map on the dirt floor, smoothed it with the palm of his hand, and with the tip of his knife traced out a route for Tex Armadillo. The light of the oil lamp fell full on the manâs face. From where they were watching they couldnât see the map very well, but they could easily make out a brand on the manâs dark hand and note that the same design was repeated on the bone handle of the knife. It was a scorpion.
Alex calculated that they had seen enough, and should start back before the men ended their meeting. The only way out of the room was the corridor where Alex and Nadia were hiding. Again Nadia consulted Borobá, who from his mistressâs shoulder unhesitatingly pointed the way. Relieved, Alexander remembered what his father always advised him when they went mountain climbing together: Confront obstacles as they appear, donât waste energy fearing what you may meet in the future . He smiled, thinking that he shouldnât worry so much, since he wasnât always the one in charge. Nadia was a resourceful person, as she had demonstrated on many occasions. He should never forget that.
Fifteen minutes later they were back at street level, and soon heard the voices of tourists. They walked faster and blended into the crowd. They did not see Armadillo again.
⢠⢠â¢
âDo you know anything about scorpions, Kate?â Alexander asked his grandmother when they all met back at the hotel.
âSome of the kinds they have in India are very poisonous. You can die from their bites. I hope that wonât happen, because that would delay our trip, and I donât have time for funerals,â she replied, feigning indifference.
âI havenât been bitten yet.â
âThen why are you interested?â
âI wanted to know if the scorpion means
It was time to call on the black jaguar. Alex concentrated, and in only seconds he could see about him as if he had antennae. He had practiced this skill for months, ever since he had learned in the Amazon that the jaguar, the king of the South American jungle, was his totemic animal. Alexander was slightly nearsighted, and even with glasses he did not see well in darkness, but he had learned to trust the instinct of the jaguar that he sometimes could invoke. Now he followed Nadia confidently, âseeing with his heart,â as he did more and more often.
Suddenly Alex stopped short, taking his friendâs arm; ahead, the passageway made a sharp turn. Farther on, he could see a faint glow, and they could hear the murmur of voices. Using extreme caution, Alex peered around the corner and could see that ten feet away the corridor opened up into a room like the one theyâd just come from.
Tex Armadillo, the man in black, and two other individuals dressed in the same kind of tunics were kneeling around an oil lamp that flickered faintly but produced enough light for the two young people to see. It was impossible to get any closer, as there was nothing to hide behind, andthey knew that if they were caught, they would be in trouble. The thought flashed through Jaguarâs mind that no one knew where they were. They could die in those cellars and no one would find their bodies for days, maybe weeks.
The men were speaking English, and Armadilloâs voice was clear, but the other three had a nearly incomprehensible accent. It was obvious, nevertheless, that they were talking about a business deal. They watched Armadillo hand over a sheaf of bills to the person who had the air of being the leader of the group. Then they heard a long discussion about what seemed to be a plan of action that included weapons, mountains, and maybe a temple or a palace, they couldnât be sure.
The leader unfolded a map on the dirt floor, smoothed it with the palm of his hand, and with the tip of his knife traced out a route for Tex Armadillo. The light of the oil lamp fell full on the manâs face. From where they were watching they couldnât see the map very well, but they could easily make out a brand on the manâs dark hand and note that the same design was repeated on the bone handle of the knife. It was a scorpion.
Alex calculated that they had seen enough, and should start back before the men ended their meeting. The only way out of the room was the corridor where Alex and Nadia were hiding. Again Nadia consulted Borobá, who from his mistressâs shoulder unhesitatingly pointed the way. Relieved, Alexander remembered what his father always advised him when they went mountain climbing together: Confront obstacles as they appear, donât waste energy fearing what you may meet in the future . He smiled, thinking that he shouldnât worry so much, since he wasnât always the one in charge. Nadia was a resourceful person, as she had demonstrated on many occasions. He should never forget that.
Fifteen minutes later they were back at street level, and soon heard the voices of tourists. They walked faster and blended into the crowd. They did not see Armadillo again.
⢠⢠â¢
âDo you know anything about scorpions, Kate?â Alexander asked his grandmother when they all met back at the hotel.
âSome of the kinds they have in India are very poisonous. You can die from their bites. I hope that wonât happen, because that would delay our trip, and I donât have time for funerals,â she replied, feigning indifference.
âI havenât been bitten yet.â
âThen why are you interested?â
âI wanted to know if the scorpion means
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