The Mythical City

Chapter 4.1

Marcelo´s pulse quickened slightly as it did whenever he received an email from Teresa. He had to recognize that the thoughts on the girl produced him a pleasure unlike the excitement that he had felt with other girlfriends that he had in the past. His face was clearly exhibiting this state of calmness, so when his friend and buddy Leonardo Santa Croce happened to pass by his desk exclaimed.

“Well, it seems that the Mexican girl wrote!”

Marcelo suddenly reconnected with the reality with a jump.

“Stop teasing and lower your voice. I don't want to regret having confided my feelings to you. I don't want my private affairs in everybody´s mouth.”

“Calm down! I will be a tomb. I understand your enthusiasm; by the description you did it seems that you met Selma Hayek.”

“Do not fool around, Leo” said Marcelo amused “I didn't laugh when you went to Bogotá and met Sofia.

“And she is also rich! “ Continued Leonardo ignoring the response “when Mexicans are rich, they are seriously rich. Did you save yourself for the rest of your life?”

“Leo, cut it!” Ended Marcelo feigning anger and throwing him a block of memos by the head. Then, regaining the seriousness, reported.

“Starting from the first day of the coming month I will take three weeks of vacation that the company owes me; you are going to have to cover me in the project related to the contract with the Brazilian paper mill. If you agree tomorrow we can meet and I will explain what we are negotiating. Look that is the largest contract that I got in the year, I have to take care”.

Then Marcelo briefly told his friend about the preparations he was making for the tour. Leonardo ended saying:

“Do not forget that in those days I will be in Lima for the Callao project. Anything you need, call me at mobile. I'll give you the local number as soon as I have it.”

“I doubt that I will have signal in mine given the places we will be in, but thanks anyway.”

Teresa dragged her luggage through the airport long corridors, stopped momentarily in search of the gate from which her aircraft was departing. Once she located it she approached it immediately. Upon arrival she glimpsed McPherson with the Indonesian beauty sitting in the waiting room. They had already arranged accounts with the Professor, and both had bleached their respective partners, without accusations of any of the two parties. Therefore the American was not bothered for seeing her and answered her greeting normally; the girl accompanying him instead was obviously uncomfortable, which was a bonus for Teresa.

“She is so young” thought Teresa “Magnus should be charged with abuse.” Then, addressing the teacher she inquired:

“Someone else will leave from Mexico DF today?”

“I don't know, as you know the meeting point is Cuzco. We have already set next Wednesday at 11 am at the Nonvoter in the city centre. Where you will find with your... boyfriend?”

“I will be waiting for him in Cuzco. We are going to meet at another hotel, best suited to the Marcelo´s income.”

When she reached the agreed hotel Teresa was informed that Marcelo Ferrand had not arrived yet. The young woman went up to her room, took a shower and began to dry her hair before dressing, wrapped in a bath output. While she was trying to untangle the long black hair someone knocked her door. Throbbing who might be, she cursed by not have been quick to fix. By placing the safety chain to avoid unpleasant surprises, she partially opened the door.

“Marcelo! What a joy! But see how you find me!”

When she opened the door, the man entered the room, pushed her against a wall and squeezed her kissing her on the mouth and around the face.

“Wait... just let me close the door” “said Teresa between alarmed and delighted.

Marcelo toured her body with his eager hands, opened her gown and began to kiss her neck. Then he continued his journey downwards with the woman with her back to the wall. Teresa began to moan with pleasure while her body quaked. He raised her in his arms and threw her on the bed, with her gown wide open.

Sex was painful and liberating at the same time. Their bodies twisted to increase penetration, to achieve a common rhythm. Both reached o****m nearly in unison, after which they lay as they could into the narrow bed.

“Well, how have you been?” asked Marcelo.

“Well, I am glad that you have not lost speech. You came as a barrage in my room without saying good morning or permission” she responded with a fake anger.

“I have to say in my defense that I heard no protests when I did.”

“Well, I did not know what your purposes were, and did not want to prejudge” said she amused.

Marcelo realized he could not defeat the young woman´s wit, and resigned to leave the last word to her. So, once he restarted the breath, he returned to his previous activity.

“Oh, no, I feel tickles!”

“Well, I want to know all your reactions.”

McPherson coughed mostly to draw the attention of the participants. Twelve people who had gathered around him called themselves gradually to silence. The archaeologist was already accustomed to the Latin spontaneity and verve and smiled patiently.

Since some of the members were new, there were many submissions and comments; in particular, Teresa was introducing Lupita and Marcelo to each other. By her sudden loquacity she realized that her friend had been impacted by the man.

McPherson began to speak:

“According to the reconstruction that we have done at Yale, the Gran Paititi dates from around the year 1320 AD, i.e., before the golden age of the Tawantisuyu and of the Inca Empire. At that time the Inca dominion was only one among many others, located in the central part of Peru. All of them were weak and trembled before the State Chanca, great power of its time. The Inca or King Mayta Capac was succeeded by Tarco Huaman in an ephemeral reign. In fact, around the mentioned year Tarco was deposed by his cousin Capac Yupanqui, who ruled until about 1350. Capac murdered nine Tarco brothers to avoid future dynastic problems. The current version says that Tarco was not killed with his family, but was exiled in a small manor in the South. However, we have found firm evidence that Tarco actually survived the palace coup, but rather than accepting a golden exile, decided to elope surrounded by several thousands of followers, with whom he emigrated to the Andes Range region, in  a mountainous area of the eastern slope, part of the yunga or Peruvian nuboselva. Looking for exterminating its rival that could claim should they return to Cusco, Capac Yupanqui organized a military expedition that followed his enemy to the mountain haven. In a ruthless fight, Tarco defeated Capac's generals, but finding that his hiding place was known, made a second migration to the sss headwaters, on what is now the border between Peru and Brazil. We do not know in which of the two locations the mythical city of Paititi was founded, so if we do not find it in the second, i.e. in the sss basin, we will go to the site chosen in the sierra. In other words we will go through Tarco´s journey in reverse and you will possibly get to know from the inside two of the richer, more unspoiled and beautiful natural environments of the planet: the high jungle in the clouds and the sss rainforest respectively.

At this point McPherson made a break to regain air. Caught by his magnificent exhibition, all members of the team kept absolute silence. Teresa finally understood what had captivated her long ago. The man continued:

“The day after tomorrow we will travel in two planes heading to Iquitos, located in the heart of the Peruvian sss. After lunch we will ride four 4 X 4 trucks heading South, in the direction of the Matsés Natural Reserve. Before entering the protected area we´ll go east, and crossing a couple of rivers, go into Brazilian territory. At one point we will have to leave the vehicles to go into the dense forest. We estimate between three to five days of march, which will be the most complicated part of the entire expedition.

McPherson continued giving details of the trip, but without disclosing the exact location of the archaeological search, what he promised to do when they were already close to the place.

He finished his speech, very similar to a University dissertation, presenting a man who had remained quietly at his side. It was a slim, bitter looking man, with a thin mustache and dark complexion, with a noticeable scar on his face.

“Let me introduce Tomás Rangel Hernández, our head of logistics, who will explain the arrangements we have made for the necessary supplies for the next fifteen days.”

Rangel, with strong Venezuelan accent, began to list the equipment and gear that they would carry on the journey, and distributed responsibilities for its control. He made a series of recommendations in relation to the consumption of food and water, which involved a considerable hauling effort, since it was not certain that they could replenish them during the course of the expedition. Teresa, always very perceptive, noticed that the man had an elusive look and avoided looking others in the face when answering their questions.

After Rangel´s short exposure, Teresa, Lupita and Marcelo met aside.

“What an unpleasant guy this man Rangel!” exclaimed Lupita.

“He gave me the same impression” added Teresa “I do not think he is a reliable person.”

“Pure prejudice “replied Marcelo “how can you judge a person that all he has done is reading an arid logistics list?”

“Intuition is not pure prejudice. It is only a way different knowledge; different from rational discourse” warned Lupita “instinct is all that our ancestors had to guide them in a world full of wild beasts and mysterious natural phenomena. And when you find yourself with sinister characters in the middle of a dark alley, it is best that you follow your instincts and go running instead of heeding your politically correct ideology”.

“I have full confidence in my instincts “added Teresa.

As he remembered Teresa´s mysterious cognitions, of which he could attest, Marcelo opted for silence. In fact, he meditated, the silence was often the best response when Teresa gave an opinion.