him. Nothing out of the ordinary presented itself. He climbed up, finding that this ledge was devoid of any features, only plain walls of intricately arranged blocks.
The top of the shaft was now visible above, the ceiling of a high cave picked out in the half-light coming through the waterfall. Whatever secrets the Incas had left behind were only a matter of feet above.
The thought made him more wary than ever.
He performed another round of checks for potential traps on the fourth ledge. This time, he noticed something different, and unsettling: a gap beneath the slab forming the step. It was only a matter of millimetres high, but compared to the precision of everything else it stood out like a gaping chasm. He took out his knife and probed the narrow opening. It was deeper than his blade could reach. ‘Nina?’
‘Yes?’
‘Go back outside. I think I’ve found the trigger.’
‘No, I’ll stay with you.’
‘No you won’t, ’cause if we’ve cocked this up, I’ll end up stuck on some spikes and you’ll get chucked on to those rocks outside! Go back on to the ledge – stand a few feet from the doorway be safe. Go on!’
Nina reluctantly headed down the tunnel. Eddie waited until he was sure she was clear, then turned his attention back to the next step. Could he wedge something into the gap? Maybe, but that seemed a little too obvious.
Besides, he had confidence in his wife. All the puzzle pieces fitted together – it was time to see the full picture.
He jumped up and grabbed the edge of the slab.
A faint creak, just the tiniest hint of give as his full weight hung from the stone . . .
And nothing.
He climbed up to stand on the ledge and a jolt of fear surged through him as the stone tipped very slightly beneath his feet. But again, nothing happened. Either the trap had broken down over time, or the jaguar heads really were in the correct position to stop it from going off. There definitely was a trap, though; beneath the slab was a fulcrum, the stone tilting on it like a seesaw. But it wasn’t the weight of someone climbing up that would set it off, rather when they stood on the ledge itself, thinking they were safe . . . only for water to explode down the shaft and slam them into the spikes.
‘Clever little buggers,’ Eddie muttered, turning his attention to the top of the shaft. As far as he could tell there were no more hidden threats.
He climbed up into the cave itself.
Nina had guessed from the absence of water surging down the tunnel that Eddie had successfully avoided the flood trap. But as minutes passed with no sign of him, she became increasingly worried. Unable to endure the uncertainty any more, she went back through the opening. ‘Eddie!’ she called. ‘Eddie, can you hear me?’
No reply. Concern rising with each step, she peered up the vertical shaft – and Eddie dropped down in front of her, making her shriek in surprise. ‘Ay up, love.’
‘Jesus, Eddie!’ She recovered her composure. ‘Are you okay? What took you so long?’
‘I’m fine – I was just having a look round.’
‘What’s up there?’
He shrugged. ‘Bits and bobs.’
‘What?’ Disappointment washed over her, as cold as the waterfall outside. Had the site already been looted – or worse, was it nothing but a decoy, an Inca trick? ‘There’s no city? Nothing valuable?’
‘I dunno, I’m not the archaeologist, am I? Come on, I’ll help you up so you can see for yourself. Watch out for the spikes.’
He hoisted her up so she could climb on to the first ledge, then followed. Before long they were at the top of the shaft. ‘I’ll go first and pull you up,’ said Eddie. He climbed into the cave, then reached down for her. ‘Ready?’
She nodded and took hold of his arms, then he hoisted her up the final section of wall. Nina stood, eyes adjusting to the grey light as she looked into the cave.
For a moment, she was dumbstruck. Then she finally managed to speak. ‘Oh, you son of a bitch.’
Eddie shrugged again, this time with a grin. ‘Yeah, I was lying. Just wanted to see your face.’
Filling the great cave was a lost Inca city. El Dorado. The legend was real.
32
An hour later, the other members of the expedition had made their way into the cave.
‘Watch out for that,’ said Eddie, pointing, as Olmedo climbed up the rope he had secured round