Evil Star

Pedro. When I think about it, I've never had a real friend. Not for as long as I can remember."
    "I stole your watch!"
    "I'll get another. . . ."
    They both woke at the same moment. The helicopter had landed.
    Matt looked out the window while Pedro stretched and yawned.
    They had come to a halt in a field in the middle of nowhere. Three oil lamps had been laid out on the grass — Atoc would have been able to see them from the air and had used them to know where to land. But there were no other lights anywhere. Instead, the flames Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star illuminated a line of trees, the edge of what must have been thick jungle. A hand slapped against the helicopter window and Matt started. Atoc, however, had been expecting it.
    "Is all right. . . friends," he said.
    There were two more Indians waiting for them outside. One of them opened the door and helped the boys to climb down. They were both wearing ponchos and woven hats and kept their heads down as if unwilling to meet the boys' eyes. It was cold outside the helicopter, much colder than it had been in Cuzco. Matt wondered if they had climbed to an even greater altitude. He breathed in. Very little oxygen made its way to his lungs. He was obviously high up. But where? The second Indian hurried forward, holding out ponchos for Pedro and himself. They were beautifully woven, with gold thread forming intricate patterns against a dark green background. Matt slipped his head through the hole in the middle and let the rich material hang around him. He was surprised how effectively the poncho protected him from the chill.
    "We stay here tonight," Atoc said. "Travel tomorrow in the light."
    "Where are we?" Matt asked.
    "This place . . . Vilcabamba." The answer left him none the wiser.
    "We are in cloud forest," Atoc went on. "Tomor-row we must walk for many hours. Not possible to go in helicopter."
    "So where do we sleep?"
    "We make ready. ..."
    The Indians led them to the edge of the clearing, where three tents had been prepared. Atoc indicated that the two boys were to share.
    “You need sleep," he said. "Tomorrow is very hard."

    Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star He left them together. The tent was brand-new and there were two sleeping bags rolled out on foam mattresses inside. A battery-operated light hung from the main sup-port. Matt didn't bother undressing. He slipped out of the poncho and rolled it up, using it as a pillow. Then he slid into the sleeping bag. Pedro did the same.
    For a brief moment, he thought about Richard. He wondered if he was being carried even farther away from his friend. And what of Fabian? Was he somewhere in Cuzco, searching for them even now?
    There was so much he didn't understand, but he was too tired to think about it now. He was asleep before he knew it.
    This time there were no dreams.

    • • •
    He was woken up by the light trying to break through the fabric of the tent. Pedro was still asleep, his body curled up and his head facing the other way. Matt stretched him-self with difficulty inside his sleeping bag. The foam had done little to protect him from the hard ground, and his back and shoulders were stiff. He thought of staying where he was and trying to get back to sleep, but there was no chance of that. He was too uncomfortable — and, anyway, Pedro was snoring. Making as little noise as possible, Matt crawled out of the tent, dragging the poncho with him. Once he was outside, he stood up and put it on.
    It was still cold. Dawn had broken, but there was still no sign of the sun. Matt shivered in the morning air as he took stock of his surroundings. The night before, he had got the impression of jungle
    — thick undergrowth and mountains. But nothing could have Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star prepared him for the sights that were all around him now.
    He seemed to be on the edge of the world. The heli-copter landing pad had been carved into the side of a fantastically steep hillside.
    Looking up or looking down, all he could see was green — a spidery tangle of trees and bushes with vines and creepers knotted among them and continuing, it seemed, forever. Atoc had said they had a long walk ahead of them, but Matt couldn't even see where they'd begin. There was no way up. The foliage seemed impenetrable. And yet if they climbed down, they would surely fall into a brilliant green vortex. The area where they were sitting was flat. Everything else was vertical. It