Authors: Bear Grylls
Gold of the Gods (15 page)
Silence fell once more. No one spoke.
Beck and the twins stood rooted to the spot.
High above them,
la rana
sat silhouetted
against the night sky. Then Beck heard a
sound like the slow
drip, drip, drop
of water
from a leaking tap. He looked down to
where the sound was coming from. A slow
trickle of blood was dripping onto the staircase
of a thousand steps.
Ramirez, the reptile, was dead.
CHAPTER TWENTYBeck was standing once more at the foot of
the great staircase. But this time the twins
were with him. Above them, stretching up
towards the archway high above, Kogis with
blazing firebrands lined the steps. The statues
of the jungle animals had been cleared
of vegetation and formed a guard of honour
beside them. Eerie shadows flickered in the
inky darkness as the jungle canopy closed in
above them.
Earlier that evening, after Ramirez's men
had either surrendered or fled into the
jungle, there had been a tearful and joyful
reunion with Uncle Al and the twins' father.
When they had all finally recovered, Mayor
Rafael found a high-frequency radio on
Ramirez's body and spoke to one of his staff
in the mayoral office in Cartagena. A rescue
party had been despatched.
'I think Mama Kojek is ready for us,' said
a voice in Beck's ear. Marco's face was lit up
in a broad smile.
'Time for the Younger Brother to make
amends,' said Christina on his other side.
They heard a loud screech. Beck turned
to see Ringo perched on Mayor Rafael's
shoulder behind them. Uncle Al stood to
one side, looking a little bemused.
'I'm sorry. I don't think you've been introduced,'
said Beck. 'Uncle Al, Ringo. Ringo,
Uncle Al.'
'Jolly nice to meet you, Ringo,' said
Uncle Al, grinning broadly and stretching
out his hand.
Ringo tilted his head, eyeing the stranger
suspiciously before gingerly stretching out a
claw and gripping one of Uncle Al's fingers.
'Uncle Al, Ringo. Ringo, Uncle Al,'
screeched Ringo loudly. Uncle Al raised his
panama hat, smiling.
'Well, at least he's remembered how to
talk again,' said Marco. 'All he's done is
screech ever since we arrived in the jungle.'
And now the small group began the long
climb towards the archway above. Beck led
the way, Gonzalo's amulet hanging proudly
on its gold chain around his neck. At each
step, as they climbed ever higher, the Kogis
on each side made a small bow of welcome.
When at last they reached the archway,
Mama Kojek rose to greet them. One by
one, they stepped forward and bowed to
him in turn.
When they had finished, Mama Kojek
began to speak, his white tunic shimmering
in the torchlight. A look of astonishment
crossed the faces of Uncle Al and the mayor
as the Mama's words echoed inside their
heads, his lips never moving. Beck gave the
twins a knowing wink.
'The Elder Brother greets the Younger
Brother at the doorway to our sacred city. I
speak to you for the first time in centuries
from our ancestral home. These are the
traditional words of greeting from the Kogi
people to all those who come to visit us in
our jungle dwelling. "Welcome to our
home. When will you be leaving?"'
Then Mayor Rafael stepped forward.
'Mama Kojek,' he replied in a strong, clear
voice. 'My ancestor came to this place many
centuries ago and took something that is
rightfully yours. Today we are proud to
return it to you.'
'The treasure which you bring and which
your ancestor stole from this place belongs
neither to the Elder Brother nor the
Younger Brother,' replied Mama Kojek. 'It
is the blood of Mother Earth, which we all
share, and to the Earth it shall return.'
He raised his right hand high above his
head, his palm facing forward in a sign of
peace. As he did so, a sound like the moaning
of the sea began to rise from the jungle
below. Then he turned and walked back
under the archway. Beck led the way
forward, following Mama Kojek onto the
terraces above. They were soon standing in
front of the familiar outline of
la rana,
the
Toad Stone.
And now at last Mama Kojek's lips were
moving as he began to chant in the Kogi
tongue. All the Kogis who had greeted them
on the steps below gathered around them in
a great circle, their torches lighting up the
night. The sound of the chanting seemed to
Beck as if it were coming from the bowels of
the earth.
He was standing behind Mama Kojek
now, with the twins on either side.
'Chrissy,' he whispered suddenly. 'Before we
do this, there's something I want to give
you.'
The twins looked at Beck with shocked
expressions on their faces, as if he had been
caught talking during a church service given
by the Pope in St Peter's in Rome.
Beck was fumbling for something in his
pocket and at last produced a dirty-looking
rag. 'I forgot to give you these back. Sorry I
didn't manage the fish supper!'
Christina took the damp piece of cotton
from Beck's hand and slowly opened it.
Inside, two gold question marks glinted in
the torchlight. Christina gave Beck a quick
hug just as Mama Kojek turned to address
them once more.
'Children of the Younger Brother. You
have come here with a gift for Mother
Earth. Your time is now.'
Beck and the twins stepped forward to
where a small alcove had been dug in the
earth beneath
la rana
. The chanting around
them rose to a crescendo. Beck took the
golden amulet from around his neck and,
with the twins on either side, stepped
forward and lowered it into the darkness
beneath.
Then he turned and gazed deep into
Mama Kojek's eyes.
'
Perdido no más
,' he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bear Grylls is a man who has always loved
adventure. A karate black belt, a climber and
an explorer, Bear was trained in survival whilst
serving with the British Special Forces (21 SAS).
After breaking his back in three places in a
parachuting accident, he fought his way to
recovery, and two years later entered the
Guinness
Book of Records
as the youngest Briton to climb
Mount Everest, aged only 23. He has since led
ground-breaking expeditions across the world, and
now hosts a worldwide TV series for Discovery
Channel and Channel 4 called 'Born Survivor'.
Craig Simpson
Two brothers. One war . . . Their freedom
Short bursts of frenzied machine-gun fire filled the
air and I saw the radio operator sump forward.
The radio crackled. I could hear a German voice.
A shiver went down my spine . . .
NORWAY, SEPTEMBER 1943:
Returning home from a hunting trip, brothers Marek and Olaf
witness the horror of their father's arrest by the Gestapo. When
their daring plan for revenge against the Nazis goes horribly wrong,
the brothers are forced to seek refuge in the vast and frozen
Norwegian wilderness.
Saved from an icy grave by Resistance freedom-fighters, fourteen-year-old
Marek is captivated by their courage and determination.
He is quick-thinking and a talented mechanic, and with youth on
his side the Germans probably won't suspect him – perfect for a
part in the ambitious sabotage attack planned by the group.
But can he keep his nerve, especially when the final assault throws
his friends and family into the path of the enemy?
The Final Warning
James Patterson
Join six extraordinary kids for their coolest ride yet . . .
In one of the world's most extreme environments – the freezing
South Pole – Max and the flock are in serious trouble. The
grotesque Uber-Director has put a price on their heads, and a
worldwide auction for the genetically modified kids is about
to begin. His mutant army is heading south to track down the
winged gang, and with no built-in function for mercy, the
soldiers aren't about to take pity on anyone.
Oblivious to the Uber-Director's evil plans, the flock is on a
special government mission to save the Earth. But in a brutal
environment like the South Pole, being able to fly isn't always
an option for escaping from your worst nightmares . . .
'Pace, action, mystery and cool . . . sharp and punchy
with plenty of jokes and shocks. It proves that
girls can be tough too'
– Sunday Times
James Patterson: No. 1 International Bestselling Thriller Writer
ISBN 978 0 385 61369 9
T
HE
R
UINS OF
G
ORLAN
John Flanagan
'The boy Will has the potential to be trained as a
Ranger. I will accept him as my apprentice.'
Will is small for his age, but fast and quick-witted. All his life
he has dreamed of becoming a great knight like the father he
never knew, so he is devastated when he is rejected by Castle
Redmont's Battleschool. Instead he is apprenticed to Halt,
the mysterious Ranger whose uncanny ability to move unseen
is thought to be the result of black magic.
Reluctantly, Will learns to use a Ranger's secret weapons:
a bow and arrow, a mottled cloak, and a stubborn little pony.
It may not be the sword and battlehorse he longs for, but
when Will and Halt set out on a desperate mission to prevent
the assassination of the King, Will finds that a Ranger's
weapons are not so useless after all . . .
'This book was so good I couldn't put it down'
– Robert, age 12
ISBN 978 0 440 86738 8