Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Five

"Where are we going?" Anna Maya asked. She had asked Vera Omar the same question a few times since they had left Shimak Toho, a city full of lights, into the night.The latter didn't answer, and locked himself in an almost confrontational silence.They had only two servants and two guards with them, but at Annamaya's insistence the dwarf volunteered to follow, saying that he would bear all the baggage, and go to war, and do anything they asked him to do.Whispering, Vera Omar finally agreed. Soon, the lights of the emperor's granary were left behind by them.Although they quickly set foot on the narrow mountain road mixed in the dense grassland, now they and the river valley can still be connected by the turbulent stream that sounds like it will never end.

The running water reminded her of the blood on the ground, and she kept seeing images of old Cora Topak, the tips of his gray hair beaded with sweat, his eyes rolled and hollow and wrinkled. Hands clutched hers tightly.She pursed her lips to keep the tears from flowing. Even in the dark night, she could still feel that they were passing through layers of mist, in which many shadows of the night were hidden.Examples are animal sounds: squirrel and roe deer.When she recognized them, she was relieved a lot.As long as there is a little noise in the grass, she stretches her ears: maybe it is a weasel, it is like a scout of the guard, ready to come to arrest them, and then try to kill them like they did with the old crown princes. them.

The slope suddenly became very steep. Walking in the loose soil, she tried to step on the corners of the stones to maintain her balance.Instinctively, she knew they were approaching a mountain pass.The prairie became more and more visible, and at last they came to a large clearing.Vera Omar led them off the road, hiding behind a small clump of tukacho trees, and walked towards a house of rubble whose bricks and tiles had long since peeled off.The thatched roof is full of holes.There is a low wall randomly erected with stones around the house. A stream of water bypasses the front and back of the house, then slides over two stones and flows into a meandering ditch.For the first time in a long time, Annamaya felt a little peace in this world away from the hustle and bustle.

After the worship, the wise man spoke for the first time since their departure: "Everyone take a break." "I want you to tell me now, where are we going?" "It doesn't matter where you go, young girl! Let me lead the way, everything is up to me to decide, maybe I'm wrong." One of the servants wanted to start a fire, but the wise man motioned him to stop.Although the night was cold, the darkness became their protective color. Walking into the only bedroom where straw mats had already been laid, Anna Maya was so tired that her neck was stiff, as hard as a rock.She lay on the bed and wrapped herself in a blanket.

"Princess?" She opened her sleepy eyes.The dwarf moved his straw mat closer to hers, then reached out to take her hand, she didn't refuse, and then fell into a deep sleep. The sky was clear and the sun was already high in the sky.After a while, the sun will climb to the right of the top of the mountain, and the shadow of the mountain covering the valley will disappear.Ana Maya's eyes were fixed on the billowing snowflakes flying in all directions on the top of the mountain with the strong wind. The golden sunlight followed her slowly down the slope, and now the rising sun was shining on her ankles.She closed her eyes, enjoying the warm touch.

"After a day of death, there comes a day of beauty." Anna Maya did not turn her head.She knew Vera Omar was standing right behind him. "If we're not going there," she said, pointing to the top of the hill, "maybe you'd like to tell me the name of that place?" "You know things we don't, but it's not enough..." "What's the meaning?" "It's nothing, little girl, it's nothing... You already know a lot! This mountain is called Sarkantai." Ana Maya turned to face the wise man.Her eyes were shining, almost crazy.

"Let's go now," he said with a sigh. "It's time to go." For three days they crossed several icy passes and the Sarkantai Mountains.Each night, they huddled together in a hut that was as rough as the one they had lived in on the first day.With the movement of the sun, the appearance of dark clouds, and the flickering changes of the sun, the glacier also changes its appearance.They nearly circled the glacier, and when she looked back, it looked like an almost gray lake of white, streaked with blue and dark fissures. The wise man was right: this place is not a place for people to live in.

The view of the last pass opened up, and the bottomless canyon sank to the blue horizon of the forest.On the way downhill, the shrubs gradually replaced the shallow grass, and Ana Maya felt as if the world had completely changed. They took a wider causeway instead.The road winds along the cliffs, flanked by a carefully constructed stone wall barrier.The bricks on the ground are also paved as flat as possible, so that people can walk on them without any scruples.The sky is bright and dark, sometimes a passage is suddenly cut out between the rocks, and the sound of the spring is clearly discernible, and sometimes a green tunnel suddenly appears under a large bamboo forest.

They quickened their pace along the way.At dusk, exhaustion overwhelmed them all. The night was still deep when the wise man patted her on the shoulder to wake her up.With a wave of his hand, she followed him out. The mountain road is steep.The round top of the mountain was crushed into a platform, leaving only one boulder on top. "To enter the place we are going to, we must seek the consent of the mountain god Apu." Vera Omar murmured. Ana Maya was silent: she didn't want to know, and looked impatient.The stars were dimmed, the dawn was looming, and the vast mountains rose from the night, looking majestic, majestic, and terrible.The distance between people and mountains seems to be getting farther.

"Mount Salkantai is one of the most majestic mountain gods here, and no one dares to approach its alpacas. The few rash people who visit here always mention seeing a lady in red on the mountain, and then they It's crazy and unconscious. But if you respect it, little girl, it'll protect you." Anna Maya still didn't speak, she was overwhelmed by the magnificent scenery in front of her.At this time, the top of the mountain suddenly caught fire, and the hot flames burned more and more vigorously under the support of the strong wind.Minutes later, the entire glacier caught fire in an orange-red swirl.

"Look, Vera Omar, Andi has defeated the Sarkantai mountain god Apu." Slowly, some plumes of smoke rose from the forest, descended along the hillside, and finally tangled into a large cloud and stayed at the foot of the mountain. Vera Omar squatted in front of a large rock.He placed six small clay pots on the ground, filled them with water, and then spread a square towel.Ana Maya reluctantly watched the ancient ritual: fear mixed with joy in her impatience. The wise man brought the pouch containing coca leaves to his mouth, then concentrated, closed his eyes, and blew gently into the pouch.While murmuring, he took out three of the most complete and greenest coca leaves from the pouch and carefully placed them on one end of the kerchief; after that, he took out the other three leaves and put them on the other end of the kerchief.He then took his time to place several alpaca figurines, bundles of colored woolen thread, and some white, purple, and black corn kernels in the center of the kerchief. Unknowingly, the clouds began to rise, one by one, blocking the icicles on the front glacier.Apu turned golden brown.All the rays of light are sometimes gentle and sometimes intense, forming a halo. The wise man beckoned with his eyes that Anamaya was to sit opposite the great rock: from where she sat, the great rock perfectly re-emerged the appearance of Mount Salkanta. Particles and powders that had been floating on the surface of the small clay pot gradually dissolve into the colored foam: the fermentation is complete.God Apu accepted their worship. So Vera Omar picked up the small clay pots one by one.Every time, when the wise man put the little clay pot on her head and chanted scriptures, she only understood her own name and the name of the mountain.After that, the wise man poured the clear water from the clay pot on the rock as usual. "It's your turn." Anna Maya put away the four corners of the kerchief, carefully so as not to mess up the orientation of the offerings above.After packing it into a small package, she blew three breaths on it and nervously lifted it to the top of the mountain. Vera Omar resumed the ritual, before placing her hands on Annamaya's hair.She could clearly feel the warmth of his hands.At first, he just muttered to himself. "Apu-Sarkantai, Apu-Apu-Sarkantai, Apu-Sarkantai, Apu..." Then the silent prayer turned into a chant, and finally it was loud as thunder.The wise man's voice echoed to the surrounding cliffs, and it sounded like all the mountains were shouting for the arrival of Apu.Tens of thousands of heat radiation hit his body directly. The echo of the last sentence disappeared after reaching the valley.In the silence, the cold light from Mount Sarkantai disappeared behind the looming clouds. Anna Maya knew that she was in the mountains, and her heart was peaceful. The dwarf was waiting for them at the edge of the cliff.He silently watched the minions along with the guards at the temple of Apu, who strapped bags of luggage to the llamas.At the bottom of the last mountain range, there is a section of huge stone steps that go straight into the grassland surrounded by the sea of ​​clouds.Except for a few mountaintops around which are still clearly visible, the entire grassland is closed to see the sun. "We stand on the roof of the world," said the dwarf, his eyes bright. Vera Omar denied Anna Maya a chance to speak back: "Let's go! Time is running out." Then, after grabbing a handful of fava beans from a blanket that a servant gave him, he started down the hill. The stones on the road were slippery and wet.Soon, a small group of people walked into the thick fog.The forest is full of ferns and colorful flowers, and the air gets hotter and more humid the further you go.The bark is covered with a thick layer of moss, and the water column flows down along the rocks covered with vines. Clusters of bamboo shoots emerge from under the rocks, and countless plants grow on the ground. Anna Maya hadn't seen the forest since her mother's death.She turned on her sense of smell and desperately smelled this smell that she thought she would never smell again in this life and had long been forgotten by her. She also recognized the red, pink and yellow that were hiding on the large leaves full of water droplets, on the wet ground Insects, flies, and all the little life that is about to move in the large flower crowns.She felt as if her whole body was trapped in the battle, and the idea of ​​fleeing began to wake up. As horrifying as Cora Topak's death left her, it appears to be a thing of the past. She looked at the dwarf, who hopped from stone to stone like a butterfly.Like her, he came from the forest; like her, his life was mysterious to those who came from the plateaus and valleys. Sometimes the grasslands are so lush that it feels like walking down a naturally occurring dark tunnel in broad daylight.Sweat trickled down the necks of the servants.One of them sang alone--singing in a very low voice, a plaintive song that touched everyone's heart. The long walk is finally over.The bricks on the ground were still slippery and covered with a layer of colorful moss.The road is sometimes narrow, allowing only one person to pass.With each step, Anna Maya must take a deep breath to avoid slipping.As long as she is not careful, she may fall into the canyon. Finally, they walked under the clouds again, but in front of them was a bottomless cliff.They walked slowly down a steep, almost vertical rock wall overgrown with weeds that jutted out into the air. The dwarf was at the head of the line.He stopped dancing, and walked carefully, breath-holding, his feet stiff with fear.Suddenly, he yelled. The team then stopped. Anna Maya took a look at the scene in front of her. The road is blocked.The smooth stone wall underfoot fell into a bottomless abyss. Calmly and swiftly as a deer, the wise man approached the dwarf and forced him to back off.The dwarf groaned and muttered that he must not move or he would fall to his death.In the end he retreated to Anna Maya. "I saw myself dying on this dreadful mountain, princess, while the mad wise man looked on!" Through a clump of tree ferns, Ana Maya saw the shadow of a building.Two soldiers walked slowly towards her. After Vera Omar said his name and position, he turned to face the accompanying team and shouted: "Except for her!" The dwarf yelled, which was both funny and touching: "Princess, don't leave me alone!" Anna Maya endured the pain in her heart and smiled. "If you don't want to force me to push you off the cliff, just obediently follow the servants and guards back to Shimak Toho." Vera Omar said with the last bit of patience, "Only Kamaken Keya can continue Go ahead. Go!" The two soldiers took out about ten branches as thick as arms, and threw them towards the cliff. The dwarf gave Ana Maya a disappointed look, but stopped defying the order.She patted him on the shoulder tenderly.He walked back first with the servants and guards. Her heart was beating violently.Now it was just her and Vera Omar. After crossing the bridge, the road was much wider, and the grassland continued to rise slightly, and then turned into flat land again. This time, there was a mountain in front of it.On the left side of Anna Maya, there is a staircase leading directly to the top of the mountain. The stones on the staircase are large and thick.She raised her head and saw two thick stone pillars at the top of the slope, like a gate leading to the blue sky.Although she was very scared, she still looked forward to such a new stimulus. "It's here, isn't it?" "You always know beforehand, know beforehand..." "Answer me, wise man." "We are about to enter the realm of God, where only a few people are allowed to enter." Ana Maya stood still, looking at the sky. "In addition to swearing never to pass through this door with a stranger, you must never say the name I am about to say." "The secret belongs to me, and I belong to the secret." "This place is called a monk." Ana Maya stepped into a field of light.