City of the Beasts (35 page)

"You wanted someone to fan you with a banana leaf and Karakawe wanted to go on the expedition. No one was the loser, Professor." The guide smiled, and added that Karakawe had been investigating Mauro Carías for many months and had a thick file regarding the man's dark dealings, especially the way he was exploiting the lands of the Indians. Surely he suspected the relationship between Mauro Carías and Dr. Omayra Torres, and that was why he had decided to follow where she led.

"Karakawe was my friend, but he was a quiet man and never said more than what was absolutely necessary. He never told me he suspected Omayra," said Santos. "I imagine he was looking for the clue that would explain the mass deaths of the Indians, and that was why he stole one of the vials of vaccine and gave it to me to keep in a safe place."

"With this, we should be able to prove their sinister history in spreading epidemics," said Kate, holding the small bottle against the light.

"I have something for you, too, Kate," and Timothy smiled as he showed her the rolls of film in his hand.

"What's this?" she asked, intrigued.

"These, old girl, are images of Ariosto murdering Karakawe at point-blank range, of Mauro Carías destroying the vials, and of the Indians being shot. Thanks to the good offices of Professor Leblanc, who distracted the captain for half an hour, I found the time and opportunity to switch rolls before those chappies destroyed them. I gave Ariosto the film from the first part of the trip and saved these," Timothy Bruce reported.

Kate had a reaction unusual for her. She threw her arms around Santos and Bruce in turn, and gave both a kiss on the cheek.

"Blessings on you, lads!" she exclaimed, overjoyed.

"If this contains the virus, as we believe, Mauro Carías and that woman are guilty of genocide and will have to pay for it," murmured Padre Valdomero, holding the small vial in his fingertips, his arm extended as if he feared the poison would jump out in his face.

It was he who suggested that they establish a foundation for the purpose of protecting the Eye of the World, and especially the People of the Mist. With Kate's eloquent pen and the international prestige of Ludovic Leblanc, he was sure they would succeed, he explained enthusiastically. They would need financial backing, it was true, but among them they would succeed: they would go to churches, political parties, international organizations, governments… They would knock on every door until they found the necessary funds. They had to save the tribes, the missionary insisted, and the others were in agreement with him.

"You, Professor, will be the president of the foundation," Kate offered.

"
Moi
?" asked Leblanc, genuinely surprised and enchanted.

"Who better than you? When Ludovic Leblanc speaks, the world listens…" said Kate, imitating the anthropologist's pompous tone, and they all burst out laughing—except for Leblanc, naturally.

Alexander and Nadia were sitting on the dock of Santa María de la Lluvia, where some weeks before they had held their first conversation and begun their friendship. As on that occasion, night had fallen, with its croaking frogs and screeching howler monkeys, but this time there was no moon. The sky was dark and dotted with stars. Alexander had never seen a sky like that; he had never imagined there were so many thousands of stars. The young people felt as if they had lived a lot of life since they met; they both had grown and changed in those few weeks. They sat without talking, staring at the sky, brooding over the fact that soon they would go their separate ways, until Nadia remembered the little basket she was bringing to her friend, the same basket Walimai had given her as they left. Alex took it with reverence and opened the top; inside shone the three eggs from the sacred mountain.

"Keep them, Jaguar. They are very valuable; they are the largest diamonds in the world," Nadia whispered to him.

"These are diamonds?" Alex asked, frightened, afraid to touch them.

"Yes. They belong to the People of the Mist. According to what I saw in my vision, these eggs can save the Indians and the rain forest where they have always lived."

"Why are you giving them to me?"

"Because you were named chief to negotiate with the
nahab
. The diamonds will help you do that," she explained.

"Oh, Nadia! I'm just a fifteen-year-old. I don't have any power in the world; I can't negotiate with anybody, even less be responsible for this fortune."

"When you get to your country, give them to your grandmother. She will know what to do with them. She seems to be a very powerful woman, and she will help the Indians," the girl assured him.

"They look like glass. How do you know they're diamonds?" he asked.

"I showed them to my father. He knew immediately. But no one else must learn about them until you are in a safe place, or they'll be stolen. You understand, Jaguar?"

"I understand. Has Professor Leblanc seen them?"

"No, only you, my papa, and me. If the professor knew, he would go running to tell the whole world," she declared.

"Your papa is a very honest man. Anyone else would have kept the diamonds."

"Would you?"

"No!"

"Well, neither would my papa. He didn't want to touch them. He said they carry bad luck, that people kill for those stones."

"And how am I going to get them through U.S. Customs?" asked Alex, hefting the weight of the magnificent stones.

"In your pocket. If anyone sees them, they'll think they're Amazon tourist souvenirs. No one would suspect that diamonds of this size exist, certainly not in the pocket of a kid with half his head shaved." Nadia laughed and ran her hand over the bald crown of Alex's head.

For a long time they were silent, looking at the water below their feet, and the shadowy vegetation around them, sad because in a very few hours they would have to say good-bye. They felt that nothing as extraordinary as the adventure they had shared could ever again happen in their lives. Nothing could compare to the Beasts, the city of gold, Alexander's voyage to the depths of the Earth and Nadia's climb to the nest of the marvelous eggs.

"My grandmother has been assigned to write another article for
International Geographic
. She has to go to the Kingdom of the Golden Dragon," Alex commented.

"That sounds as interesting as the Eye of the World. Where is it?" she asked.

"In the mountains of the Himalayas. I would like to go with her, but…"

Alex realized that another trip would be nearly impossible. He had to get back into his normal life. He had been gone for several weeks. It was time to go back to class or he would lose the school year. He also wanted to see his family and hug his dog, Poncho. He especially wanted to deliver the water of health and Walimai's herbs to his mother. He was sure that with them, in addition to the chemotherapy, she would get better. Having to leave Nadia, however, really hurt. He wished that dawn would never come, that he could stay forever with his friend, beneath the stars. No one in the world knew him so well; no one was as close to his heart as this honey-colored girl whom he had met, as if by magic, at the ends of the Earth. What would she be like in the future? Would she grow up wise and wild in the jungle, thousands of miles from him?

"Will I see you again?" Alex sighed.

"Of course!" she said, hugging Borobá with feigned happiness, so that Alex wouldn't see her tears.

"We'll write, won't we?"

"Let's say the mail around here isn't the very best…"

"It doesn't matter. Even if letters take a long time, I'm going to write to you. For me, the greatest thing that happened on this trip was meeting you. I will never, ever forget you; you will always be my best friend," Alexander promised, his voice quivering.

"And you will be my best friend, too—as long as we see each other with our hearts," Nadia replied.

"Until we meet again, Eagle…"

"Until then, Jaguar…"

Fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold has the chance to take the trip of a lifetime. Parting from his farnily and ill mother, Alexander joins his fearless grandmother, a magazine reporter for
International Geographic
, on an expedition to the dangerous, remote world of the Amazon. Their mission, along with the others on their team—including a celebrated anthropologist, a local guide and his young daughter Nadia, and a doctor—is to document the legendary Yeti of the Amazon known as the Beast.

Under the dense canopy of the jungle, Alexander is amazed to discover much more than he could have imagined about the hidden worlds of the rain forest. Drawing on the strength of the jaguar, the totemic animal Alexander finds within himself, and the eagle, Nadia's spirit guide, both young people are led by the invisible People of the Mist on a thrilling and unforgettable journey to the ultimate discovery…

In a stunning novel of high adventure, internationally celebrated novelist Isabel Allende leads readers through the intricacies of two personal quests, and on an epic voyage—teeming with magical realism—into the wonder-filled heart of the Amazon.

ISABEL ALLENDE was born in Peru and raised in Chile. She is the acclaimed author of many popular novels, including THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS, EVA LUNA, THE INFINITE PLAN, PAULA, DAUGHTER OF FORTUNE, and its sequel, PORTRAIT IN SEPIA. CITY OF THE BEASTS is her first novel for young readers.

Available from HarperAudio,
and in HarperLargePrint and
Rayo Spanish-language editions.

Jacket illustration © 2002 by Cliff Nielsen
Jacket design by Hilary Zarycky
Jacket © 2002 by HarperCollins Publishers

"A gifted storyteller."
—Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Allende is a unique and staggering storyteller."
—
Boston Globe

"Complex, intriguing, ambitious… It's Allende's remarkable flair for character that makes it all come alive."
—
Kirkus Reviews

US $19.99/$29.99 CAN
ISBN 0-06-050918-X
51999
9 780060 509187