"Keep going." Riley wanted to put her hands over her ears. Her heart beat too fast-in time to the heartbeat of the earth. She felt the shiver beneath her feet, as if the ground itself was listening and trying to warn her, whatever that evil was, that it was about to escape.
"There was one man who had come with your ancestor from a strange land. He fought battle after battle but could not defeat this evil. In the end, Arabejila lured the evil into the volcano with the warrior, a tremendous sacrifice. She locked them there, but every so many years, to keep the volcano from erupting, which would allow him freedom ..."
"No one could live in a volcano for hundreds of years, Mom, and still be alive." Riley made it a firm statement. It was the truth ... wasn't it? The fear she tasted in her mouth said something altogether different.
"I know they're locked in there, at least that evil creature is still there. I've felt him, and right now, every single person here is feeling him. I'm late, and if he escapes, everyone he kills-and he will kill over and over-will be on me."
Riley scowled at her mother. "That's ridiculous. You had no choice but to stay with Dad. We've been delayed here over and over ..." She trailed off. If that evil entity was in some way influencing those traveling with them, was it so far off to think that he could be delaying them? "How could this thing still be alive after all this time? You're talking five hundred years more or less."
"He is. I feel him. You feel him. Evil lives and walks this earth, Riley, and it's your job-and mine-to help stop it. That's the legacy we were given and we have no choice. If the thing gets out into the world and kills, we've failed."
"What do we do when we get up the mountain, Mom?" Riley made up her mind. No matter what, Annabel was determined to go up that mountain and perform the ritual taught to her by her mother before her. There would be no stopping her, no matter how worn she looked, so Riley was getting her up that mountain and getting the job done as quickly as possible. Her mother wasn't living in a fantasy. She meant every word she said. Riley heard the ring of truth in her voice.
"You know what needs to be done," Annabel said. "I've taught you since you were a child. If we succeed, you have to come to this mountain when you're pregnant and have your daughter here. She must be a part of the earth. The gifts are strong in you, much stronger than they ever have been in me, or even my mother. I could feel the earth accept you as her child the moment I put you down into the cradle crevice." She wiped sweat from her face. "The sun will be down soon. That's the most dangerous time, Riley. He's quiet during the day, but at night, he can take command. Never underestimate him. From what I was told, he can appear beautiful and charming but he's wholly evil. If something happens to me ..."
"Mom," Riley protested. "Don't say that. Don't think it. I won't let anything happen to you. I won't."
Annabel held up her hand. "We can't pretend. There's every possibility. And then he'll go after you. We're a threat to him and he will do everything in his power to eliminate us."
Riley scrubbed her hand over her face, as if that could remove the clawing fear. The energy running beneath her feet thrummed of urgency. She had become so aware of the surrounding rain forest, of the vegetation she walked on, and now, the dirt itself, reaching out to her with veins of information, silently screaming to hurry-hurry.
Riley forced herself to nod. Her mother needed reassurance that she could handle whatever was thrown at them. "I think the two researchers, Gary and Jubal, know about the stories. I asked them what was happening last night and both used the word evil, as if it was spreading across the land and influencing all of us. They've been keeping a watch over us and I don't think I could have saved you last night without them. Ben Charger has been sticking close as well, helping to guard us. He seems to realize something beyond the normal is influencing everyone as well, but I haven't discussed anything with him."
Annabel shook her head. "You can't really trust anyone, Riley. This thing-this evil creature-is capable of turning anyone against us."
"We still need allies, Mom," Riley said. "Those men have helped us so far, and they're armed to the teeth. Both carry all kinds of weapons on them, some I've never seen before. They didn't seem to care, when they strapped them all on this morning, that the guides and porters could see them. In fact, they wanted them to see-I think to help protect us."
Annabel frowned and rubbed sweat from her forehead. She pushed back the damp curls corkscrewing around her face. "How would they get any weapons through customs? Through the airport? Don't you think it's strange they even have weapons on them? As if they already knew something would be wrong and they came prepared?"
Riley leaned in close to her mother. "I honestly don't care how they got them, or why they brought them. They saved your life last night and we need them. Something bad is going to happen soon. We both know that. We need these men and their weapons. In fact, I'm going to see if they'll lend me one." She infused determination into her voice, daring her mother to disagree with her. Clearly Annabel wasn't thinking straight, or she would see they couldn't do this task alone.
Annabel simply shrugged, wiping her face again, hanging her head, shoulders slumped. Riley bit down hard on her lip. Her mother was definitely giving up and she couldn't have that. She had to find a way to make her feel as if they were empowered-as if whatever this evil entity was they had a chance against him.
"Mom, if this Arabejila is our ancestor and she was able to lure this evil killing machine into a volcano and hold him there, and keep the volcano from erupting for years, and then my great-great-grandmother, all the way to you have done it, then together, we can do it, too." She infused confidence into her voice. "We aren't less than they are. We have the same blood. The forest reacts to you, and now to me. I feel the earth's heartbeat ..."
Annabel rocked gently and shook her head. "I don't. I can't anymore. Before, her heart beat with mine. My blood ran with the sap in the trees and underground rivers. She's lost to me. I could feel her fading after your father died."
Riley leaned close to her mother. "Stop it, Mom. I mean it. Pull yourself together. You're giving up because Dad is dead. I saw Grandma do the same thing. You can't leave me here in Peru, surrounded by danger. I need you to be strong. You're the one pulling away from the gifts you have, pulling away from me. I'm your daughter. Your only child. What do I do if you just give up?"