Page 21

Miri stepped through the doorway between the trees. Once through, her eyes widened, her jaw dropped, and she froze, staring at the most magnificent thing she’d ever seen.

A ten-foot-tall, countless-feet-long wall made of rough-cut bluish stone blocks that sparkled under the moonlight in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. A wall that would have likely crumbled long ago if not held together by the roots and vines growing up and over it. And positioned before them, an entry made of two dilapidated wooden doors barely hanging on to their hinges.

The Cidade da Lua .

“Holy shit,” Rafa said, coming up beside her.

“Told you so.” She looked over at him and smirked. She’d done it. She’d found the Moon City.

Dr. Miriam Jacobs. Nobody extraordinaire.

“Should we go inside?”

She nodded and took his hand. They walked tentatively toward the wall and pushed through the gate. Beyond the entrance, structures made from the same glistening blue stone lined the city. Some sort of luminescent gemstone, no doubt. Lapis lazuli, perhaps? Or hackmanite? Miri was no minerology expert, but whatever it was, it was exquisite.

The rainforest had not been gentle on the city, however. Although it appeared untouched by humans for centuries, the buildings suffered from weather erosion and an invasion of plants. Smaller structures, likely the homes of the villagers, made of materials like wattle and daub, had all but crumbled near the city’s entrance. The larger structures toward the center of the almost-square-mile area constructed out of the luminescent stone seemed to have fared better, although a full-scale excavation would almost certainly involve reconstruction. Reconstruction that would inevitably involve assumptions, guessing, and interpretations.

It was larger than she had imagined, although much of the space in the middle remained an open thoroughfare toward a temple at the center of the city. A ball court, perhaps? Or a place for celebrations? It was hard to tell given the condition of the many buildings dotting the vicinity, but based on Miri’s research experience, an area this size could have likely housed a few hundred people in its heyday, providing everything its residents needed and more. An amphitheater. Terraces for gardens. The structures shared foundational characteristics reminiscent of those from other ancient civilizations, such as the Inca.

But this city was distinctly not Inca. The Inca hadn’t made it as far as Brazil.

The city wasn’t as grand or opulent as those found in other ancient civilizations. There was no giant temple like the one found in Tikal breaking through the tree canopy. Nor was it a city like Machu Picchu, ascending high above the clouds. Perhaps that was the reason the city had gone undetected for so many years. But its simplicity was breathtakingly beautiful.

Rafa and Miri took their time as they explored each of the buildings on their way toward the temple. They were careful not to disturb anything. Rafa took photos, capturing the lives of the people in the city exactly as they had left it. The buildings hadn’t been destroyed through an invasion but rather—as evidenced by the caches of withered food, clothing set out to dry, and half-woven baskets and other trinkets inside the homes—abandoned. There were no bodies. No human remains. As if the people of the Moon City had departed in haste, leaving behind all their belongings and reminders of home, like a cast of the day they’d fled.

“It’s a little eerie, isn’t it?” Rafa asked.

Miri nodded. “These people. What must have happened that they left in such a hurry?”

“I’m a little worried about what we might find.”

Or who might find us .

They headed toward the temple, no taller than a two-story building, climbing the stairs worn away by the rain. She ran her hand along one of the steps, feeling the grain of the stone beneath her fingertips. The mineral deposits in the stone had an enchanting glint in the moonlight. This was what people were talking about when they said the city was only visible in the moonlight. It wasn’t some special coating. Truth had been overtaken by legend. It wasn’t that the city was invisible during the day, but there was something magical about finding it in the night, something magnificent about the way the moon hit the stone. Casting a sparkle throughout the dark sky.

They entered the temple. The roof had partially collapsed in one corner of the room, providing light for the rest of it. A table sat in the center, likely used for religious ceremonies. Intricately woven baskets on the floor held beautiful textiles. She wanted to pick them up to examine their artistry. But they shouldn’t be disturbed. Not without proper equipment to document and preserve everything properly. So for now they only looked as Rafa took his photos. He snapped a photo of her.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Capturing the moment when the brilliant Dr. Miriam Jacobs found the Cidade Perdida da Lua.” He snapped another photo.

“Do I look like a boss?”

He smiled from behind the camera and clicked again.

“A badass boss. Come here,” he said, setting the camera down on the table.

“Can you believe it?” she said, looking toward the ceiling and spinning in a circle.

“Yes,” he said without hesitation, causing her to shoot a glance back at him. “You never gave up. Even when everything, and everyone—myself included—got in your way. You earned this, Pringles. I’m sorry I had any doubt, even for a second.” He pulled her into her his arms and brought his hand to the back of her neck.

“You doubted me?”

“Well, not you so much as the existence of this place. If this didn’t seem like such a holy room, I would totally take you on this table right here.”

She pulled his face toward her. She could kiss him forever. Their tongues tussled together. Their hands worked their way around each other’s bodies. Their lips broke free from each other.

“I can’t wait to write this story about you,” he said.

“I can’t wait to spend my life with you.” She kissed him one more time. Then pulled away and reached for the satellite phone in her bag. “We should probably let Anissa know where we are so she can send the authorities before Vautour gets here.”

“It’s a bit late for that.”

Miri and Rafa jumped, snapping their heads toward the doorway of the temple. There stood Vautour and his henchmen. Though Miri couldn’t help but notice the look on Hunter’s face, a mixture of shock and nervousness.

Vautour stepped into the room, clapping slowly. “Congratulations, you found it. And all you needed to do was to steal the lidar.”

“I didn’t need those goddamn images. I figured it out all on my own,” Miri said proudly.

But Vautour looked at her and narrowed his eyes. “Cute,” he said.

“How the hell did you get here so fast?” Miri asked.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” he responded.

Miri looked around, then back at Vautour. Was he for real? “Yes. That’s why I asked.”

“Spunky,” Vautour said, ignoring her question and walking around the altar toward Miri. “But did you really think those were the only copies?”

Ugh. She frowned. Of course he would have had a backup. How could she have been so naive?

“Though I have to hand it to you,” he continued, “you’ve surprised me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, folding her arms.

“Well, given your rather paltry résumé, I wouldn’t have taken you as being bold enough to sneak into my camp and take the photos right from my tent.”

“Don’t act like you know anything about me. You’re not as smart as you think you are.”

“Oh,” Vautour said, making an amused face, “but you think you know me?”

“I know you’re a shitty father,” Miri spat back.

Vautour glanced at Rafa and then glared at her. “Is that what he told you? My gaté son ?”

“Fuck you, Dad,” Rafa said.

But Vautour narrowed his eyes at Rafa. “After everything I’ve done for you?” his dad asked.

“You did those things for yourself,” Rafa spat back.

“I also know you’re a crook,” Miri interrupted. “We already alerted the Brazilian authorities that you’re here.”

“You broke our deal,” Vautour said, glaring at her. Miri could practically see the veins pulsing in his neck.

“We’re not going to let you steal from this place. These artifacts,” she said, turning and waving her hands around the room, “they don’t belong to you.”

“Nor to you.”

“I’m not here to take anything. I only wanted to study this place. Learn about the people who lived here so maybe we can find out what happened to them and protect their legacy,” she explained. “I want to save it from people like you.”

Vautour sighed as if he was bored.

“Dad, don’t do this,” Rafa pleaded. “If you ever loved my mother…if you ever loved me …please, just go.”

Vautour stared at Rafa, his face softening as if recalling memories deep inside him, before turning away and throwing up his hand.

“Find somewhere to put them,” he commanded of his team.

The room broke out in commotion as Vautour’s men ran at them. Rafa struggled to get away, but Hunter punched him right in the gut. Rafa hunched over, crying out in pain as Miri tried to flee, but there was no helping it. The guide who’d been on the boat with Hunter and Kevin, Sérgio, grabbed her by the arm and led her into a different area of the temple. Two men carried Rafa close behind. They took them to a room covered in stone, with just a sliver of a window in the wall opposite the door.

But as Sérgio placed her in the room, he whispered in her ear, “Open your eyes, senhora. Look for the moon.”

She looked at Sérgio and tried to see his face, but it was too late. He was already gone, and seconds later the other men were tossing Rafa into the room as well, closing the door behind them. Rafa landed on the stone floor like a pile of bricks, moaning as he held his stomach. She rushed over to him and examined him for bruises and scrapes.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He groaned. “I’m beginning to think being around you is dangerous for my health, Pringles,” he said while eking out a smile.

She smiled back at him and kissed him on the cheek before helping him assess his injuries.

“We really got ourselves into it, didn’t we? Do you think we’re going to die in here?” he said, raising his head and scanning the room.

“Not if I can help it.”

She stood up and surveyed the area, feeling her way along the wall. Pressing against the doorway where they entered.

“I don’t think that one’s going to budge.”

“I know, but Sérgio said something to me,” she said, scouring the room for a sign.

“What do you mean, he said something to you?”

“He told me to open my eyes. To look for the moon.”

“What the heck is that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know, but I’m wondering if maybe…maybe he’s a protector.”

Rafa eyed her curiously. “Do you think?”

“He is a guide for Vautour’s men,” she said with a shrug. “Who knows how they found him? What if he’s trying to help us?”

She walked the perimeter of the space, running her hand along the cool stone blocks, feeling for something—anything—that would give them a clue, when something glinted in her eye.

There. Something looked different on the wall across from the window, where the light hit. She followed the light with her eyes. A shimmer in the stone. There it was. A small moon shape.

“What is it?” Rafa asked.

“Look. A moon,” she said, pointing toward the spot. Just like the rock outside, it glimmered in the moonlight. This was what Sérgio wanted her to see.

She traced her finger along the crescent shape and pushed, but nothing happened. As she felt along the curvature, however, she felt a notch in the wall. She put her hand inside, finding a lever. She pulled it with all her strength and it clicked, opening a passageway through the wall.

“Jackpot!”

Rafa hopped up and joined her. Stairs led through to a tunnel with a soft glow coming from the bottom. It could be a way out. Or it could lead to more trouble.

They slowly crept down the stairs in single file. As they neared the bottom and heard voices, they stopped.

“It’s my dad,” Rafael whispered.

Miri nodded. She whispered back, “Let’s go slow.”

They hugged the wall and continued down the stairs, inching closer and closer toward the voices. A soft radiance lit the steps, the glow of fire. At the bottom there was a short hallway that led to an open doorway. Their only option.

They crept toward the opening and peered into a room the size of an Olympic swimming pool with a twenty-foot ceiling, lit by torches along the large stone block walls. And in the center of the room sat a trove full of gems and gold. The blaze from the fire reflected on the cache, illuminating the room with an almost blinding light. No wonder people had been searching for this place. There had to have been hundreds of thousands of dollars’, possibly millions’, worth of treasure in this room in today’s dollars.

“Pack up as much as you can,” Vautour commanded from the center of the room, directing his men to load duffels full of valuables. “And remember the deal. You fill my bags first. Whatever’s left, you can take.”

The men laughed and cackled as they jammed their packs with riches. Holding up various pieces to the light. Cramming their bags with everything they could. Talking about what they were going to do with their money once they got home. There was so much that it wasn’t possible they’d be able to take everything. But still, to see them taking things, stealing things…They weren’t taking it for research. They weren’t taking it to preserve the memory of the city. Greed compelled them. They were pillaging the Moon City for their own gain.

Rafa tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to a doorway at the far end of the room. There was no way they’d be able to get over there without being seen. Miri shook her head.

“I’m invisible, but I’m not that invisible,” she whispered.

“No, silly. I’m going to create a distraction and you run that way. Toward the exit.”

“No, you’ll never get away.”

“I’m not asking,” he said with a warm smile. “You’ve saved me. Now let me save you. And like you said. He probably won’t kill me. On the count of three. One…two…three!”

Without hesitation, Rafa ran into the room, startling Vautour and his crew. The men dropped their bags and came running after him.

“Get him,” Vautour screamed. The commotion was intense. Sounds of priceless artifacts crashing to the ground echoed as they scrambled through the room. That was her chance. They were distracted. Miri ran to the other end of the room, toward the opening.

“There she is!” someone screamed.

She didn’t bother turning around to see who it was. She just kept running, running until she couldn’t run anymore. The temple’s passageways were winding and narrow. Its was like a maze, and she couldn’t find her way out, but she just kept going. Her heart thumped so strongly she thought it was going to explode from her chest. Scared not only for herself but for what was happening down below with Rafa. She hoped he was safe. But it would all be for nothing if she didn’t get out of there.

Finally, there was daylight. The sun was coming up. And there was an opening to outside. She ran through the exit and down the stairs of the temple. She ran so fast, she missed a step and tumbled down the final ten steps, hitting the ground with a thud. Her whole body ached. Slowly, she pulled herself back up, but when she tried to stand, she collapsed, and she screamed out in pain.

“Fuck!” she yelled, holding her ankle. She may not have been that kind of doctor, but she knew a sprain when she felt it. But sprained or not, she needed to keep going. Using every ounce of strength she could muster, she carefully stood, holding her leg, and limped toward the city gate.

“Stop!”

Miri froze at the sound of Vautour’s voice. She slowly turned and looked up at the top of the temple. Vautour’s commanding presence loomed over the city like an emperor preparing to address his subjects. He stood at the edge of the top step, staring down at her, knowing she had no way out. Under normal circumstances, Miri might have had a chance. He was still a good fifty feet and two flights of stairs away. But these circumstances were anything but normal.

Still, Miri couldn’t help but glance over her shoulder to estimate how long it would take her to reach the city walls.

Right then, Rafa appeared beside Vautour, struggling, with his arms held behind his back by Sérgio. Blood trickled down his cheek, and his shirt was torn and twisted. Rafa tried to hold his head high, pulling his mouth in a tight line. But his fear was palpable.

“Do you really think you’re going to survive out there on that foot?” Vautour called down to her.

“We made it this far, didn’t we? Let him go, and I’ll gladly take our chances again,” she yelled back, nodding her head toward Rafa.

“Why do you care so much about him?” he asked.

“Why don’t you?” she replied.

“He’s my son. Of course I care about him.”

“Really? Then how could you leave him for dead out alone in the rainforest yesterday?”

“Alone? He ran,” Vautour said, his voice confused.

“Is that what he told you?” Miri asked, pointing at Hunter standing off to the side.

Vautour turned toward Hunter. “What is she talking about?” he asked.

Hunter looked back and forth. Then, with a swift movement, he pulled a gun from the back of his waistband underneath his shirt, pointing it at Rafa and causing everyone else to take a step back.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Vautour growled at him.

“Take another step and I’ll shoot him,” Hunter said, brandishing the gun.

Rafa shirked to the side to shield himself, still in Sérgio’s grasp.

“Pull that trigger and you won’t make it out of this jungle alive!” Vautour shouted.

“I think I’m done letting you call the shots,” Hunter said. “Now I’m the one in charge.”

“That is incorrect, senhor.” Sérgio let go of Rafa, took a step toward Hunter, and put a knife to his neck. “Put the safety on and toss the gun down to the bottom of the stairs,” he commanded.

He motioned at Hunter with the knife. Hunter grimaced as he did as he was told, clicking the safety on the pistol, and then threw it all the way to the ground, not far from Miri’s feet.

“Now go over there,” Sérgio said to Hunter, gesturing toward Vautour.

“Fuck off, old man,” Hunter spat back.

Right then, another man came from beyond the temple, pointing a knife at Vautour. Moments later, three more emerged.

“What is this?” Vautour asked.

“We’re os protetores da lua,” Sérgio said of himself and the other four men who’d appeared.

Miri smiled. So it was true. All of it. The Moon City, the protectors.

And Vautour was finally going to get what was coming to him.

“What are you going to do, kill us?” Vautour asked.

“No, senhor. We’re not murderers. I know the lies that you’ve spread. I know who you are. You were the one who took our Andressa.” Sérgio then looked at Rafa. “Your mother.”

Rafa squeezed his eyes tightly, holding back his tears.

“She trusted you, and you took her from us,” Sérgio said, rounding Vautour so he faced him head-on. “We’re going to take you to her family so you can pay for what you have done to her.”

Vautour laughed. “You think I killed her? She died in a car accident,” he said.

Sérgio shook his head. “She loved you. Turns out you’re like every other cacador de tesouro who’s scoured the Amazon for the cidade. And as for the rest of your crew? We’ll be taking them to the authorities.”

Suddenly, Vautour lifted his arms, struggling, grabbing for Sérgio’s knife and knocking it out of his hands. There was an all-out flurry, everyone running, scrambling, wrestling with each other. Hunter lunged at Rafa, but Rafa managed to sidestep him at the last second, sending Hunter tumbling down the steps. He collapsed at the bottom of the stairs close to Miri and looked up at her. Then at the discarded pistol ten feet away.

They both dove toward the gun, but he got it first. However, as he struggled with the safety, she stood and swung her fist, landing it squarely on his nose. He screamed out, dropping the gun, and she quickly grabbed it and pointed it back at him.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said.

She glanced around at Rafa barreling down the stairs toward her, taking her eye off Hunter for only a second. When she turned back, however, Hunter was gone.

She lowered the gun and handed it to Rafa. “I couldn’t shoot him even if I wanted to.”

Eventually, the ruckus up top settled. Os protetores had all of Vautour’s men tied up. But Vautour had somehow managed to escape.

“Find him. Don’t let him get away,” Sérgio said, as two of his men went off looking for Vautour and Hunter.

Rafa pulled Miri into his arms.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded into his chest. “Yes, but I sprained my ankle.”

He took her face in his hands and stared at her. “I love you,” he said. “And to be clear, I’m not just saying that in the heat of the moment.”

She knew. Because she felt it as well. “I love you, too.”

They sat on the temple steps as the protectors continued to look for Vautour and Hunter. But after an hour, they came back empty-handed. His father would likely get away again. Lucky bastard.

The protectors eventually led Vautour’s men out of the city in handcuffs tied to a rope. Thankfully, nobody had gotten seriously hurt in the scuffle. Sérgio approached Miri and Rafa on the bottom step. He looked down at them and smiled.

“Why did you help us?” Miri asked.

“You’re not here for treasures. Not to take them, at least,” Sérgio said.

“But why did you let us make it this far? All of us, I mean,” she asked.

Sérgio sighed. “To be honest, senhora, we didn’t think you’d make it. Two of you? Alone? We underestimated you. But them?” he said, motioning toward Vautour’s crew. “Well, the Moon City won’t stay hidden forever. These new technologies and photos? We needed to see if they would lead people to this place. And now that we know, we must find other ways to protect the city.”

“How?” she asked.

“I don’t know yet, senhora.”

“Well, if I can, I’d like to help,” Miri said. “I think I’m going to find myself with a lot of free time soon, so if there is anything I can do, please tell me.”

Sérgio smiled and nodded, then he looked at Rafa. “You are not like your father.”

“Did you know my mother?” Rafa asked.

“Yes, Andressa Silva. Her family still lives in Manaus. You look just like her.”

Miri nudged Rafa in the side. “See. I told you she was beautiful.”

He took her hand and squeezed it.

“What now?” she asked.

“Well, I can’t let you go. Not knowing what you know.”

“Are you taking us to jail?”

“Oh no, senhora. That’s not what I mean. But I can’t let you take this.” He held up Rafa’s camera.

Miri’s heart sank. She understood what the protectors were trying to do. But taking the camera meant no evidence that they had found the Cidade da Lua. It meant everything she had accomplished would be forgotten.

It meant she’d still failed.

Her shoulders slumped. But as if Rafa understood what was going through her mind, he turned her shoulders toward him.

“Miri,” he said. “You did it. You did it when nobody else thought you could. Who cares if no one else knows the truth, so long as you do? Besides, I know the truth. And you are fucking incredible.”

He was right. So what if nobody believed her? She had something even better. Better than her name on a placard in a museum. Better than fame, fortune, and glory.

She had Rafa. And her integrity.

And she was a fucking badass.