Chapter 34
Marañón Canyon, Peru, 1953
“Ten cuidado!” Voices rang out from the path above, and Celina pressed herself against a thick, broad-leafed banana tree.
“Stai attento,” she called to Lauro, who hurriedly limped for cover. She frowned with concern. He’d sustained a nasty gash on his leg two days ago when he had slipped on a muddy path.
Birds squawked overhead in the dense stand of trees, while furry guineas scurried through the undergrowth. Guides yelped and clanged wooden sticks against tree trunks. The noise startled the pair of llamas carrying their tents and packs.
A moment later, a powerful mountain puma shot past them. Celina prayed it wouldn’t notice them in its headlong chase after the unfortunate creature.
A screech pierced the thin mountain air.
“Vizcacha,” Ernesto s
