Evil Star

talking about — the Incas. It could have been made as long ago as a thousand years, when they were in command of the city. The stones were huge — each one must have weighed a ton. But at the same time, they were all irregular in shape, with seven or eight edges. Somehow they had all been locked together without cement.
    The first hotel Matt and Pedro came to refused to take them. It was a small, rough-looking place filled with stu-dents and backpackers, smoking and sipping beer in the open courtyard. Matt crouched in the street beside the door, once again disguising his height, while Pedro spoke to the receptionist — an elderly woman with suspicious eyes. He had money, but she wasn't having any of it. The money, she said, was certainly stolen. Why would two Peruvian beggar boys Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star want to stay in a tourist hotel unless it was to rob the other guests?
    The second hotel was the same. At the third, Matt went in and tried to book a room, speaking in English. The owner stared at him in something close to shock — and he could understand why. The language he was speaking sim-ply didn't fit in with his appearance and was drawing too much attention to himself. He had no need to remind himself that the police were looking for him. The fact that Captain Rodriguez had been at the hacienda proved that he was in the pay of Diego Salamanda — if any more proof were needed. Matt had no papers, no identity. If the police got their hands on him a second time, he would dis-appear for good. He backed away quickly from the receptionist, knowing he couldn't stay.
    By now it was late morning. Matt was thirsty, hungry, and exhausted. He could feel the lack of oxygen in the air. Every time he exerted himself, he had to stop for a moment to catch his breath.
    How high up were they? On the bus, it felt as if they had been climbing for hours.
    He looked at Pedro. "Do you want to eat?"
    Pedro nodded. "Estoy muerto de hambre."
    They chose the shabbiest, quietest restaurant they could find, but even so, the owner refused to serve them until they had paid. Once he had their money and knew they wouldn't run away, he took pity on them and served a huge meal of chicharrones — chunks of deep-fried pork ribs — and a jug of chicha, which tasted sweet and fruity and was some sort of ancient Inca beer.
    Matt and Pedro ate in silence. They had no choice. But even so Matt was beginning to feel closer to the other boy — as if the two of them had known each other all their lives and really had no need to talk. A Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star few other tourists came in, but they paid no attention to them, and Matt was able to relax and collect his thoughts.
    One of the travelers at the next table was reading a Spanish newspaper. He turned a page, and at that moment everything changed. Pedro nudged him and pointed. Matt turned and saw a photograph of himself—taken by Richard in the middle of York.
    Matt jolted upright in his chair when he saw the white skin, the neat hair, the smiling face. The picture belonged to another time, another world. He could hardly believe it was him.
    And then came the fear. Had the Peruvian police pub-lished the photograph to try to track him down? How had they gotten it? He didn't want to draw attention to himself, but he had to know what the newspaper said. He leaned forward. And there it was: a message from the Nexus.

    MATT FREEMAN
    CONTACT US FOR HELP. CALL US AT ANYTIME.

    There was a telephone number printed below.
    So someone had finally realized he was missing and had taken steps to find him! But could he trust it? Salamanda owned newspapers.
    Could he have placed the message there as a trap? Matt quickly read it again. They had called him Matt, not Matthew. That was something. Salamanda wouldn't have known that was the name he preferred. It wasn't much to go on, but Matt realized he had nothing to lose. He would call the number and see what happened next.
    He memorized it quickly before the traveler turned the page. The Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star table had a paper tablecloth and he wrote it down in tomato sauce, using a toothpick. As soon as they had finished eating, he tore out the number and hurried into the street.
    "We need to find a telephone," he told Pedro.
    "Si. . . un téléfono. "Pedro was the one who had seen the photograph. He knew what was going on.
    Just about every hotel and cafe in Cuzco had telephone and