Late on the night of Chicha's 14th birthday, there was a loud commotion in the village as a band of pirates entered. It was Eduardo Villanueva and his men, looking for a guide for their journey. Atoc woke and ran to his daughter's bedroom, only to find an empty bed. Curse the Gods to give me such an impetuous daughter! he muttered, half spoken prayers falling from his lips as he raced towards the scene in the village below.
Villanueva had his men round up the villagers, gathering them in the center of the little village. He looked over the villagers, his face a mask of malice. He was incredibly intimidating, and the villagers had not dealt with outsiders since the Spaniards had taken over Cuzco. They were generally left alone to do as they pleased so long as they followed the Spanish laws and pretended to be Christian.
"Tell me who can lead us through the mountains to the lost city of Paititi!" he demanded, looking each person in the eye. The villagers shifted nervously, looking from one to the other, until someone yelled,
"The Leader's daughter!" The
entire village began to murmur in agreement. They all knew it was true. She was the only one who ever left the village on a regular basis, and she was one of the few could read words or a map.
"Yes! The leader's daughter goes to out often, she must know all the ways in the jungle. She spends days out there."
"I've seen her guide other men through the jungle."
"She knows the way better than anyone."
Villanueva looked over the villagers, a small smile creeping over his lips. This was exactly what he wanted, and a female? Perhaps he wouldn't return this woman to the village. If she was a good guide, she may be of use to him.
"Where can I find this woman?" he demanded, unsheathing his sword to give them more incentive to speak.
"Up there," said one of the shepherds, pointing at their hilltop home, "But she is not a woman."
Villanueva smirked, shaking his head. Natives were always superstitious, prone to thinking intelligence was of a supernatural cause.
"If she is not a woman, then what is she?" he turned to his men, chuckling, "A witch?"
"No," the baker answered, "A child."
He let out a loud bark of a laugh, wiping his eyes. "A child knows the way that none of you do? How could this be?"
"Because I'm the only one who wants to leave the village," Chicha said, pushing her way through the crowd, "I can take you wherever you want to go." Villanueva looked down at the short girl, surprised. She was quite pretty, her face and body the beginnings of a woman's, but her stature short, as a child's would be.
"And you can lead us there?" he demanded, his tone mocking.
"For a price," she said, smirking.
"We let you and your village live," he chuckled, "Is that not payment enough?"
"No," she responded, her voice sure, "I want books and maps." The entire village stared at her in silence, not sure to make of what she demanded, including Villanueva.
He cracked up again, his voice booming through the valley. "Books and maps?" he asked, barely controlling his mirth, "I like this one. Fine, child. Have all the books and maps we find; they're yours. The treasure is ours." Chicha nodded in agreement; what use did she have for gold and silver? Books were more valuable to her than anything else. She leaned down, picking up the pack she had next to her, and looked over the gruff men.
"Well, come on then," she said, starting away from the village,"Don't you have treasure to find?"