Pyramid of the Dead: A Zombie Novel Read Online Free Page B

D efender of Cuzco, he saw it as a chance to learn more about his enemy .
    “What you would call a missionary came to our lands about ten years ago. He was from your country but had travelled up from the lands far to the south. ” Minco refused to make eye contact as he spoke , his gaze stuck on the flickering flames . “ By the time we found him in the jungle , his comp anions had already perished and he too was near death. We cared for him , cured his injuries and in return , he taught some of us your language.”
    “Who i s thi s man,” Pizarro asked , both puzzled and angry by the news that one of his countrymen had managed to get to the City of Cuzco before him . “ May I meet him when we get to the capital ?”
    “ His name was Alfonso de Camorra,” Minco replied in a soft voice , “b ut I’m afraid y ou ’re a little too late. H e died almost two years ago.” Without another word, the Incan rose up and left the fireside .
    Pizarro watched him leave; suspecting that Minco had left before he was ask ed what had caused this man’s death .
    *****
    The ir journey seemed to be a seemingly never ending struggle but just a few night s later , when they kept on marching , even well after the sun had set, Pizarro lost what little patience he had left with this lack of information and moved forward to question the lead Incan.
    “My men need to take some rest,” he told the stoic man . “Minco, please, we have got to stop now before they start to collapse .”
    “No , Spaniard ,” Minco replied wit hout breaking his stride . “ We ’ll keep on going until daybreak . We ’ re very close now. W e’ll reach the city of Cuzco by first light.”
    Pizarro almost broke into a little smile. The gold that he had craved for years was close and the end of their quest was near .
    Minco was true to his word. A s the sun rose again , t he capital came into view just as they reached the top of a grassy hill. The Spaniards looked down in to the sweeping valley before them in total , awed silence as the warm sun light kissed the tops of the buildings and the sheer beauty of the place stunned the eye .
    A magnificent , huge golden pyramid towered over the back of the huge city , which was walled on three sides by high, sheer cliffs . Tall i ron gates protected the front of the city along with a high stonewall that ran from cliff to cliff . Pizarro was n o t interested in the slightest with the fine architecture or the expertly carved statues that surrounded the larger buildings . A ll he could see , even from t his far distance was the gold and an avaricious smile spread across his face . I t looked more than splendid to him . Gold s hields the size of his ship’s sails hung high from a central building that clearly dwarfed all th e others . He could barely imagine the t ons of gold and silver that must have been used to build this city.
    This is what I’ve been working for , he thought, t his is what tha t damn ed trek through the jungle has been for. I can almost feel the gold in my hands.
    It was t hen that his eyes caught s omething that wi ped the smile r ight off his face. B elow , a huge army ha d been amassed directly in front of the city. There looked to be more than five thousand men station ed down there. Their proper formation showed they were warriors- real soldiers - not simple villagers like those he had faced back at the port of Puna. It was plain to see that it would be a slaughter if he and his men tried to fight their way through that .
    Minco silently appeared next to him. “ It’s time ,” he said. “ Only ten of you may enter the city wall s . You will also have to l eave all of your weapons outside . ” Minco pointed down to the heavy gates that guarded the city walls . “Your fire sticks and your swords will have to stay out here . No one is allowed to carry weapons in side the city, apart from the P rotectors and the High Priests.”
    A b risk shake of his head showed Pizarro ’s displeasure.