Chapter 22 Chapter Twenty Two

"Twin brothers, I'm so glad you're here." Anna Maya said softly, "I've been your wife for ten years. After ten years of cold and heat, and ten years of changing seasons. In the past ten years, every birthday One by one is the past. When I was a little girl, I was ordered by the one and only king, Atahualpa, to be with him forever, and turned me into Kamaken Keya. Today, I am a A woman of a certain age, older than the concubines and princesses of the only King Manco. But, staying by your side, the years seem to have left no trace on you or me." Anna Maya smiled softly.She crouched next to the gilded statue of her twin brother.The gilded figures of the twin brothers are placed in front of the Sun Temple in Vilkabamba, erected on columns built by Kadari.She performed actions repeated thousands of times, distributing the offerings in front of the twin brothers, including honey, fruit, fish caught from the river, and green corn.The coca leaves are then placed in pots lacquered with Amaru snakes in a very strict order, and arranged over glowing coals.

"Oh, my husband," she said to herself, leaning forward, "please accept all the offerings from Kamaken Keya's heart!" The dry and choking smoke from the burning of coca leaves curled up, slowly circled the golden statue, and finally disappeared in the gradually warm morning light. Since the end of the rainy season, this small city deep in the jungle has shone brightly with the first rays of the sun every morning.Every morning sun shines on the sacred stone, and behind the vibrant jungle, first appears the festival square, and then the walls surrounding the royal courtyard.With the displacement of the morning sun, looking at the past, there are intricate streets, lanes, stone steps and bridges.Day after day, Annamaya admired the perfection and harmony of this city, like the city that Kadari conjured up from the ground with magic.Regardless of the size or planning of the city, from temples, to royal residences, to civilian settlements, to warehouses, everything is so perfectly built in the jungle, and you can see the city of Vilkabamba in just a fifteen-minute walk Disappeared in the jungle like a mirage.

"Twin brother, I'm so glad you're here." Anna Maya said again, with endless tenderness in her tone, "Your presence makes me feel safe and hopeful, because through you, I feel that the only King Wan King Ya Kapac protects us, though the looting and looting of the war has spread to our neighborhood. Twin brother, for a long time I did not know how to love you, to listen to your words. I was too young. I was afraid of you. I Afraid of your silence, afraid of your golden appearance. I am afraid of my duties as your wife. I am afraid of your presence and message to me, afraid of the desire, jealousy, and wrath of the great king that will be aroused from me."

Ana Maya stopped talking to herself and fell into deep thought.A group of saintesses chosen by grace came in through the trapezoidal gate at the highest point of the temple wall, carrying high-grade vicuna wool fabrics dedicated to the sun father.Seeing Kama Kenkeya praying, the young girls bent over.They are solemn and respectful and only dare to look at the rocks on the ground. "Oh, my husband, because of you," Anna Maya continued, looking in the direction of the saint with a gentle but sly smile, "I was made, a naive and timid half-breed, Become the daunting woman she is today."

Her expression became serious at this moment, and she reached out and stroked the shoulder of the figure with the palm of her hand. "In fact, twin brother, what I fear most is that you will not let me love the one whom the only king has betrothed to me. I am afraid that you are jealous. I am afraid that you will do everything in your power to keep that person away, although We have been separated for so long, yet my body and mind still melt for that person, as the sun melts ice and snow. Yes, oh, twin brother, I am afraid you are jealous!" Annama carefully studied the twin's golden face with concern.As the morning light gradually rose, the eyes of the twin brothers were no longer so gloomy.She continued to look under the twin's powerful arched nose, and the finely molded lips seemed to smile instantly.At this time, Anna Maya quickly closed her eyes, almost out of breath, and let the words of confession slide across her lips:

"Oh, twin brother, how many times, when my mouth or my heart said his name, Ja Boye, his hands and lips seemed to rest on my skin. How I was afraid of you Anger! My dear husband, please forgive my ignorance. Now I know that I have nothing to fear. For three nights in a row I have felt the breath of a cougar on me, and one evening by the river Him. Since you came and existed, not a night has passed without my meeting a cougar in my dreams. Oh, twin brothers, in one dream after another, we are all together. We touch each other and love each other like any man or woman Love each other in the sunshine of Andy! I run my fingers over his beard, now he has beards all over his cheeks. I feel his face trembling in my palm. I see when he wants to hug me when, the light in his eyes, how powerfully he came to me, as in those nights in Cajamar, Cuzco, and Oyantaytambo! O dear twin, every night his heart touched My heart. In every dream I see him transformed into a cougar and I know he hasn't forgotten me, he hasn't. Every time I wake up in a dream, I feel comfort and confidence. Today I just understand the one and only King Wanya The words of King Kapak. Yes! The will and words of the great ancestors are thus fulfilled. And I, Kamakenkoya, will accompany you with the other ancestors, where you will rest in peace.”

Ana Maya was so deep in her prayers that she didn't move for a while.She kept her eyes tightly closed and curled up so that she could feel the silent words of the golden statue better. After a long time, she heard rapid breathing.There were sobs and sobs mixed with the cries.She got up suddenly, and found Manco's young wife prostrated a few steps away from her, with tears streaming down her face. "Juli Okoro!" "Kamakenkea, help me! I beg you, help me..." "Juli Okoro!" Annamaya still called her name, stood up and held her back, "What happened?"

"The commissar is coming tonight to convey the news that foreign soldiers have left Cuzco, are heading for the Sacred Valley, and are coming towards us..." Juli Okoro's gloomy eyes tried to meet Anna Maya's eyes, as if the latter's eyes could soothe all uneasiness.However, Anna Maya just frowned.Juli Okoro even cried loudly and said: "Anamaya, what I was afraid of has finally happened! Oh, it's terrible! May Andi bless us!" Anamaya asked her to look up, and ran her fingers over the tearful young face: "Juli Okoro, I don't understand why you panic! Manco led three thousand soldiers in Vico! He will repel foreigners, and this is not the first time he has defeated foreigners. Foreigners Not good at jungle warfare at all."

Juli Okoro was sobbing again and couldn't speak.Behind them, Annamaya guessed, were the saints watching them secretly.She embraced the trembling shoulders of the young queen and led her out of the temple. "Juli Okoro, don't cry." She whispered softly, "It's not good for the daughters of the sun to see you like this." Juli Okoro said sorry intermittently, and they had already walked to the side of the festival square.Ana Maya walked towards the stone steps leading outside Velca Bamba, with a large drop between each step.Terraces filled with crops line the banks of the river.

"You explain to me why you are so excited," she asked, asking Juli Okoro to sit on the low wall. "Manco tried to take back Cusco from foreigners for five consecutive nights. But he only got to Puma City. Because his brother Paul led thousands of soldiers, after defeating the loyal old general Tizoc , came back from the south..." "I know this!" Ana Maya interrupted her impatiently, "I have warned Manco that this expedition is in vain. He shouldn't have a direct conflict with Paul!" "It's not Paul who wants to hurt Manco the most," Juli Okoro said in a low voice, turning her head away, "it's my brother Guapa."

Anna Maya froze, while Juli Okoro continued to say in a low voice: "Guyappa has long wanted to gather soldiers from the north to join Paul's army. He doesn't care that Paul goes to foreigners like a woman who commits herself to marriage. For many years, as much as I loved Manco, he hated Manco Co. All he can think about is: Get rid of Manco. And I don't even know why." Anna Maya shuddered all over and closed her eyes.She reached out to find Juli Okoro's shoulder, her fingers gripping her tenderly. "I, I see." She gasped. Juli Okoro's words seemed to take her back in time, to revisit the wet, cool, bright day when Domen Bamba held the Walachi Valley Race: Manco, Paulo, and Guyappa.And at that time, she herself was trained by Vera Omar, but she had already been protected by Atahualpa.She thought of the thrilling match, of Manco's terror at the sight of the snake, of Paulo's sublime friendship for his brother, and of Guappa's violence and hatred.She thought of Manco and Guyappa around the fire, the two boys, their hearts consumed by the smell of rage and blood, and the deliriousness of the chicha, as they broke the silence of the night and had to fight to the death. , until Manco's uncle came forward to stop him. "He's learned his lesson and he should never forget it," he said.The ashamed and bitter Guapa replied at that time, "You will have retribution, Manco! You will be consumed with fire before you die! Your soul will never be free!" Thinking of this, it was replaced by Anna Maya with tears streaming down her face and shortness of breath.She knew the reason behind Guyapa's mortal feud with Manco.It is because of herself! She thought again: Guyappa had proposed to her in Huamachuco when the foreigners were closing in on Cajamar.Gujapa said to her: "Anamaya, my heart beats only for you! I miss you because I miss you." "Yes," she repeated, "I know what turned them against each other." "And I, Ana Maya, I want to stop them from killing each other. Manco is my favorite husband! I have never put other men in my heart. But Guapa is my brother and I love he." Anna Maya did not speak, not daring to meet Juli Okoro's flustered eyes. "Kamakenkeya, please help me." The young Juli Okoro begged. "How can I help you? How can I stop what has happened?" "Let me go to Manco. He needs me, and I want to be by his side when Guiappa takes on him. If necessary, I'll stand between the two of them." "No, Juli Okoro." Ana Maya said softly, "I can't let you do such a stupid thing. The reason why Manco and Gujapa have turned against each other has been going on for a long time, and the rift between them has been deep .If they really clashed, it’s not something you can stop.” "No, absolutely not! I absolutely cannot let them kill each other!" Juli Okoro roared, "If not, even if I don't have followers, I will go to Vico by myself. Kamakenkeya! I Shame on you for disregarding the only king..." "Juli Okoro!" But Ana Maya had no time to catch the young queen, and watched her cry out in pain as she ran towards the center of Vilcabamba.She could barely pick up the pace to chase her. "Oh, Andy," Juli Okoro's tears had persuaded Anna Maya, she thought, "Today begins with hope and happiness, but what will happen next will be as heavy as the sky is thick." Clouds cover the hills."