Sebastian Silverstone and the Thea Sisters-The Secret City:
The sun was high in the sky and blazing brightly. It was hotter than a freshly grilled cheese sandwich! On Whale Island, it was hard to find more than a square inch of shade.
Seba and the Thea Sisters had been hanging out in Hawk Woods for hours. Violet, Paulina and Colette were perched on a rock, armed with a video camera and binoculars, Nicky and Pamela were sitting on the branch of an old oak tree while Seba was relaxing under the same tree with the best piece of shade he could find. Nicky had her camera ready, Pamela was holding a powerful microphone capable of capturing even the faintest chirp and Seba was writing down their findings on a notepad.
The object of their attention was a small hole on the face of Mount Landslide.
A couple of hawks had built a nest there. The six friends wanted to capture the moment when the eggs hatched. If they could get the scoop for the school blog, it'd be bigger than a sighting of the Lochness Monster! They'd be sure to get the best grade in their writing class. It wasn't easy to get close to a hawk's nest!
Violet signaled her friends with one paw. Something was moving in the nest.
The time had come at last!
Right at that moment...
RING!
Paulina's cellphone began ringing. She was so surprised that she nearly slipped off the edge of the cliff.
A shrill screech came from the hole in the rock.
The mother hawk had noticed them. And she was angrier than a cat with a bad case of fleas! Even Seba jumped up from the ground.
There went their scoop!
There was only one thing to do: Scamper off as fast as their paws could take them!
"Evasive maneuvers! Retreat!" Seba yelled as they ran.
However, Violet scurried back and dragged her away. "Does this seem like the right moment to be chattering?" she hissed. "If that falcon catches us, we're catnip!"
But she soon regretted the way she had spoke when she saw that her friend's big black eyes were filled with tears.
As soon as they got back to Mouseford Academy, Paulina headed straight to the headmaster's office. She was with Professor Octavius de Mousus for a full hour.
Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Violet and Seba waited for her outside the office door. They were worried about Paulina. As the minutes ticked by, they seemed to stretch longer and longer. Pamela, in particular, was growing impatient.
"What could be taking so long?" she cried. "I could've changed a flat tire while blindfolded in the time she's been in there!"
Nicky put a paw on her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure she'll be out in a minute, Pam."
Pam nodded. "I just hope everything's okay."
Seba turned to Violet. "Do you know what happened to her?"
She looked at him. "When she finished her phone call, there were tears coming out from her eyes."
At that moment, Paulina emerged from the office. Her friends immediately gathered around her.
"Paulina," Colette began "If you have a problem...if you need help..."
"We need to know what's wrong!" exclaimed Pamela. "You're turning us into a bunch of worryrats here!"
"We're more than friends! We're sisters!" Nicky burst out. Seba reminded that he was a brother. "Tell us what's going on."
"Of course she will!" said Violet. "There aren't any secrets among the Thea Sisters and there never will be!" She looked at Seba. "Especially you, Seba."
The human merely whistled.
Paulina was moved by her friends' concern "You're right," she said as she led them back to the dormitory. "I will tell you everything while I pack my bags!"
"You're leaving?!" her friends shouted in unison as they scurried after her. Even Seba was startled by this announcement.
"Yes. I need to get back to Peru as soon as possible!" explained Paulina. She opened the door to their room. "That phone call was from my sister, Maria. One of our dear friends is in more trouble than a mouse at the annual cat convention!"
"No need for explanations!" Nicky cut her off. "You'll tell us during the trip. You didn't think we'd let you go by yourself, did you?"
"You mean you'll come to Peru with me?" asked Paulina.
"We'll make sure there are no more tears of sadness." Seba answered, the others agreeing.
Paulina smiled and exclaimed, "You're the best friends a mouse could ask for! Thank you!"
Before she'd finished speaking, her friends had started packing their bags.
After taking a boat to Mouse Island, the mouselings and human boarded a plane to Peru. Once Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina, Violet and Seba had settled in for the flight, Paulina started to tell her story.
"Like I told you, I got a call from my sister, Maria," Paulina began. "It's Professor Sagefur. His son got lost, so he left by himself. But now he's in danger!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second," said Pamela. "Start from the beginning. I haven't understood a single squeak!"
"First, tell us who this professor is." suggested Violet.
Paulina pulled out a photo of her sister, Maria, when she was just a tiny mouseling. She was sitting on the lap of an older rodent wearing a Santa Mouse costume. "The mouse in the picture is Professor Sagefur."
"Who?! Santa Mouse?" asked Colette.
"Yes, the one dressed as Santa Mouse. This was a very sad Christmas for Maria and me. It was the first after out parents disappeared. Our aunt and uncle were taking care of us and they tried everything they could to cheer us up, but no one could get little Maria to crack a smile."
Paulina gave a small smile. "Then Professor Sagefur came along. He was an old friend of my mom and dad's. He dressed up in a Santa Mouse costume and he even got a carriage covered with little bells and drove us all over the city. As soon as she saw him in that costume, Maria started to smile!"
"What an incredible rodent!" commented Pamela. Seba nodded in agreement. This old rodent had his respect.
"Yes, he's really special. Maria is very close to him. When she called me, I just knew I had to get home and help her find him."
"So what happened to the professor?" asked Nicky.
"The professor and his son Gonzalo are famouse archaeologists," explained Paulina. "While Gonzalo was away on an expedition, he disappeared. For days and days, the professor waited but he didn't hear any news from his son. So finally, he left to go and look for him in the Andes, even though it's the rainy season! And now it's been days since Maria's heard from him. She's sick with worry."
"Don't worry, Paulina!" Violet said reassuringly. "We're here to help you. We'll find Professor Sagefur faster than you can say 'goat cheese Gorgonzola with pepper jack on top,' and we'll help him find Gonzalo too!"
"No more disappearing, that's for sure." Seba muttered as he turned to look out of the window.
After a long day and night of traveling, the Thea Sisters touched ground in the city of Cuzco.
"Wipe the sleep off your whiskers, mouselings and Seba!" exclaimed Colette. "Have you ever seen such a fabumouse sight?"
"Fabumouse is right!" agreed Violet, peering out of the plane window.
Before them was a graceful city nestled among mountain peaks. The red roofs of the houses glittered in the morning sunlight. After they scrambled off the plane, the mouselings and human found Maria and Paulina's aunt and uncle waiting for them.
"Big sister!" they heard Maria yell. The little mouseling was so excited, she was jumping up and down like a kangaroo. She threw her paws around Paulina, almost knocking her big sister down.
Paulina exclaimed, "By all that's cheesy and delicious, I can't even hold you up anymore! How much have you grown in these last few months?"
"Almost two inches!" answered Maria. Her eyes were gleaming with happiness. It was obvious that she had missed her sister. Paulina introduced her friends to Maria one by one. It was friendship at first sight between the little one, Seba and the Thea Sisters.
"Wow, I thought that humans were a myth!" Maria muttered in awe.
"From where I'm from, about a billion of humans actually exist." Seba told her. "You'll be able to see them in different hairstyles, bodies and clothes."
After they finished hugging and shaking paws, the group left the airport. Luckily, Uncle Pedro and Aunt Nidia had brought their pickup truck. All nine of the and their luggage (including the four huge pink suitcases Colette had brought!) fit easily.
After an hour's drive, they arrived at Uncle Pedro and Aunt Nidia's cozy mouse hole. Paulina immediately got out her laptop.
Before leaving Mouseford Academy, she had been exchanging e-mails with the Green Mice. They were an environmental organization with offices all over the world. The members of the group helped one another out by providing information and assistance. Thanks to the Peruvian members of the Green Mice, the mouselings and human had obtained detailed maps of the area Professor Sagefur was traveling through.
As Paulina checked on every detail of their expedition, Maria was curled up next to her. She wanted to keep her sister within paw's reach.
"Can I come with you?" she pleaded. "I'll be your assistant! I'll take notes faster than a puma and I'll carry more mozzarella snacks on my back than any llama in Peru!"
"It's too dangerous!" Aunt Nidia cried before Paulina could speak. "The Andes are filled with difficult climbs and poisonous creatures! They're no place for a little mouseling!" She ruffled Maria's fur lovingly.
Maria's disappointment was written all over her snout. Paulina put her paw around her sister, then pointed at her laptop. "Don't worry, Maria. I have a very important assignment for you."
Maria's eyes lit up as she looked up at her sister eagerly.
"With this computer, you can follow our path," explained Paulina. "You'll monitor our movements closely and contact us right away if we're headed in the wrong direction."
"Wait, are you saying this thing can see you all the way up there in the Andes?" Uncle Pedro asked in disbelief.
"Technology works in wonders." Seba mused.
Paulina smiled. "Maria won't see me in the fur and bone, but she will be able to see the satellite signal from my cellphone!" She turned back to her little sister. "This way, you'll never lose sight of our position, and you'll always know just where we are."
Uncle Pedro threw up his paws in exasperation. "Computers! Cellphones! Internet! E-mails! What do I know? I'm just an old-fashioned rodent!" He looked at Paulina. "I don't understand how it all works, but I trust you. If you tell me that this will help keep you safe, then I believe you."
Violet had another special job for Maria. "I can't bring Frilly with me," she began. Frilly was her pet cricket. "I hate to be separated from him, but I'm afraid he won't be able to stand the cold of the mountains. Would you be willing to take care of him for me?"
Maria's eyes lit up when she saw Frilly's tiny head pop out of his pumpkin home. "Of course I will, Violet! You can trust me! I'll be the best cricket-sitter in the world! You'll see!"
Two hours before sunrise the next morning, Seba and the Thea Sisters set out on their journey. The mouselings were sleepier than a hibernating badger. Paulina and Seba were the only ones who were completely awake. She sat next to her uncle, who was driving the van. He was taking them to the train bound for Machu Picchu.
Paulina was glad for the opportunity to ask him about Maria.
"Your sister is doing quite well!" her uncle assured her. "She misses you, that's only natural. But she is also very proud of you! She talks about Mouseford Academy as if she were there with you. She's always squeaking to her friends that one day she will go there and become a Thea Sister herself!"
"The little one seemed eager to go with us. I think she definitely has what it takes." Seba said.
Paulina was glad to hear Maria was doing so well. It was hard for her to be so far away from her beloved little sister.
"Still, she might feel really sad once she finds out that we left without goodbye." Seba muttered.
Paulina shook her head. "I left her a note before we left. Besides, this isn't goodbye."
He smiled. "You're right. It's a 'see you later'."
Meanwhile, outside the windows, the streets of Cuzco glowed in the light of the streetlamps.
"This place is so beautiful. It reminds me a little of home." Colette murmured, thinking wistfully of Paris.
When they reached the station, Paulina hugged her uncle. Seba had shook his paw.
"Take good care of her, Seba. She's the family we've got." Uncle Pedro requested.
"Of course." the human replied with an affirmative nod.
Then, Paulina and her friends scampered on board the train.
After nearly four hours, they arrived at Aguas Calientes. Paulina hurried to the car rental desk and rented an all-terrain vehicle.
Their next stop: Machu Picchu!
As Pam drove carefully along the twisting roads, Nicky, Colette and Violet kept calling out in amazement.
"Look, the mountains are covered in snow!"
"There's a llama!"
"And a herd of goats!"
Seba was sketching every detail of those sights. Paulina looked amazed and giggled at his drawing.
When they reached a certain height, they were struck squeakless. In front of them lay the ruins of Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. The city was perched below a rocky peak. The streets were laid out in a grid pattern that seemed to cling to the side of a grassy slope. The stone walls of its buildings looked ancient. It was an impressive sight.
"Thundering cat tails, it's amazing!" breathed Pamela.
"This reminds me of an outdoor labyrinth." Seba commented.
Paulina wished she could let her friends relax and enjoy the fantastic view of Machu Picchu. But she was desperate to carry out their mission: finding Professor Sagefur.
So the mouselings and human left the Urubamba River Valley for the vast Andean plateau, where many of the descendants of the Incas still live. Dark clouds covered the sun and a frigid wind swept through the area. The six friends followed a bare and uneven road without encountering another rodent.
"Are you sure anyone lives up here?" Nicky asked Paulina.
"If they do, they're probably smart enough to be inside, away from the cold," commented Violet. "I'm freezing my tail off!"
"I didn't think that South America could be this cold!" Seba shivered while wrapping his own arms. "The mainstream's a lie!"
"There! Down there!" Colette interrupted, pointing out her window. "Those are llamas, right?! There is even a shepherd!"
Paulina turned to look. Sure enough, there was a shepherd leading his flock. Finally, they'd found someone they could ask about Professor Sagefur!
The shepherd welcomed them with a friendly smile, which grew even wider when Paulina spoke to him in Quechua. He didn't have many opportunities to speak with anyone in that language, so he was happy to stop and chat.
"Yes, your friend the professor passed through here a few days ago. He was headed for the tampu, not to far away." He paused and looked up at the sky for a moment. "It would be wise for you to go there too. A storm is headed this way!"
The shepherd raised his eyes to the sky again, to point out the dark rain clouds. Then he suddenly turned pale and murmured, "K-Kuntur!"
Without saying goodbye, he herded his llamas together and led them away in a hurry.
"What was that about?" asked Pamela, surprised. "What does kuntur mean?"
"In Quechua, it means 'condor'," explained Paulina. She looked up at the sky, trying to figure out what had alarmed the shepherd. There was a condor circling above in between the dark cloud. "I don't understand why he scurried away like that. It's just a condor!"
Seba shook his head. "Condors are like 're carnivores. It was probably after the shepherd's flock."
Nicky blanched. She couldn't imagine her sheep being eaten by one of those critters!
"Well whatever the case, we should hurry up too so we can reach that shelter. It's definitely going to start raining any minute," cried Violet.
Before she could finish speaking, it started to pour!
It took Seba and the Thea Sisters an hour to get to the tampu. The rain came down so hard, they couldn't see their paws or hands when they held them up in front of their faces. Paulina drove at her slowest pace and she relied on the GPS to tell her which way to go. Twice, their car got stuck in holes filled with water. Three times they had to get out and push. Soon they were soaked!
"I am not getting out anymore!" Colette declared. She was a complete mess! "Let's stop and wait for the rain to end!"
Violet nodded in agreement. Her teeth were chattering from the cold.
Suddenly, they saw a small light twinkling in front of them.
"The tampu!" exclaimed Pamela.
Everyone rejoiced.
They all climbed out of the car and raced towards the shelter. As soon as they entered, they saw an older mouse bending over the fireplace. Paulina recognized him.
"Professor Sagefur!" she called out.
The professor was so surprised, that he almost tripped over his tail. Seeing Paulina there was the last thing he had expected!
"Well, tickle me with a cat-fur feather, it's Paulina! What are you doing here?!" he gasped.
"Professor, I'm here to help you look for Gonzalo!" she responded.
She flung her paws around him and the two of them hugged each other tight.
Paulina introduced the professor to all her friends, and they all settled down together.
"A human." Professor Sagefur mused. "I thought those were myths."
Seba shook his head and smiled. "My kind still lives."
Nicky lit the fire in the fireplace like a real camping expert. The mouselings and human took off their wet jackets and started drying off.
Paulina hurried back to the car to get a package from her luggage. It contained six hand-woven ponchos and six brightly colored wool caps. She pawed them out to her friends.
"These are a present from Aunt Nidia. They are handmade from alpaca wool, and they're warmer than a tabby-trim coat!" she told them.
When they put them on, Colette looked at Seba.
"What?" he asked.
"Even with those clothes on, you still manage to keep the goth look." Colette remarked.
He shrugged. "It's a gift."
A nice warm meal put a little color back in Violet's pale cheeks. Big bowls of soup with a lot of hot cheese were just what the six friends needed to warm up!
When they finished eating, they all gathered around the fireplace. It was time to review the situation.
"Tomorrow, I want to hire someone from the area to be my guide. But it's harder than finding a cheese slice in a haystack." the professor said, sighing.
"Why?" asked Pamela.
"The local mice are all terrified of the condor!" he responded.
"The kuntur again!" murmured Colette.
"That happened to us too, Professor!" explained Paulina. "We were asking a shepherd for information and he scurried away because he saw a condor!"
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," said Professor Sagefur. "Everyone in the countryside has been squeaking about a condor with a terrible cry that has been chasing mice! Now fear has spread throughout these mountains faster than fleas on a feline, and no one wants to climb the peaks."
"Strange. Is it local superstition?" Seba pondered.
"I've never heard of such superstition before," Paulina said before she gained a determined look on her snout. "We came all the way here to help you, professor. Together, we will find Gonzalo."
"And no tears will be shed." Seba assured.
Professor Sagefur smiled. "Thank you. I truly appreciate what you all are trying to do for me."
"Do you have any idea where Gonzalo was headed?" asked Violet.
The professor had a grave look on his snout. "Yes, I'm afraid so. He climbed Huayna Picchu! It is a very challenging summit. Gonzalo had trained well, but that mountain has gotten the best of better climbers."
Seba clutched his fist. This might be a challenge compared to the Tibetan mountains.
The next morning, the sun was shining brightly. It looked as if all the mud and puddles would dry up quickly. But the road was a mess. Driving would be too dangerous. Professor Sagefur, Seba and the Thea Sisters needed to proceed on paw. The professor decided to find a few llamas to carry the remaining food and equipment.
"Do we really need llamas?" asked Nicky. "We're as strong as pack rats! We can carry our own belongings."
The professor smiled. "I like your spirit, Nicky! But we're going to be climbing to a very high altitude, witha lot less oxygen than we're used to. It would be exhausting to scale those heights with even a very light backpack."
While the professor was haggling over the price of the llamas, the mouselings and human made friends with two young shepherds. They were looking after what looked like baby llamas.
"These are alpacas," Paulina explained to her friends. "Try petting them. They're really soft!"
"They are adorable! And their fur is softer than a calico cat's!" remarked Colette as she hugged an alpaca.
The shepherds laughed at Colette's amazement. Paulina decided to ask them about Gonzalo: Maybe one of them had seem him.
"Yes, I remember him," said the younger shepherd. "He is a cheerful and courageous rodent!"
"Courageous?" inquired Paulina. "What did he do to make you think he was courageous?"
The shepherd lowered his squeak and looked around fearfully. "Kuntur! The condor zoomed down from the sky and headed straight for us! Its wings covered the sun and its cries made all my animals run away."
"What did Gonzalo do?" asked Paulina."He didn't run. He is a very brave rodent!"
"Then what? What did he do next?"
The shepherd shrugged. "I don't know. I had to chase after my animals. But one thing is certain: If he escaped that condor, not only is he a courageous rodent, he's also very lucky!"
Seba looked up at the sky, just away from the sun. Maybe it was superstition.
The little group set out slowly, scampering in a single file. Professor Sagefur was right. Even the slightest big of effort was difficult for those who were not used to the altitude. Without the llamas, they wouldn't have been able to bring all the equipment and food they needed. As the path climbed higher, it became narrower and rockier.
"This is an old Incan road," explained the professor. "Look at the cobblestones. Do you see the spot where they're not covered up by plants and shrubs? They are all placed together using the same technique. The Incas were great people and wonderful builders."
"I can see that." Seba remarked as he observed his surroundings.
"What do you think Gonzalo is looking for up there on Huayna Picchu?" asked Paulina.
Professor Sagefur didn't answer right away. He stopped to check on the rest of the crew. Everyone was tired except for Pamela, Paulina and Seba.
"Some mice adapt more easily to the altitude than others." he told them.
Not so far away was a clearing that was big enough to set up camp. "Let's stop here," the professor proposed. "We can rest and drink some hot tea and I will tell you Gonzalo's story. Then we will set up the tents for nightfall."
When they had all settled in with their piping hot cups, the professor began to tell the story.
"Our tale begins a long time ago, in 1532, when the conquistadors arrived in Peru. They were under the command of Francisco Pizarro. The Spanish had never in their lives seen so many riches! They took Atahualpa, the emperor of the Incas, as their prisoner, and they forced the Incas to pay an enormouse ransom for him. So the Incas filled Atahualpa's entire cell with gold. Then they filled two more rooms with silver! All that was just a tiny portion of the immense treasure of the Incas. Most of it was hidden and never found again."
"And now Gonzalo is looking for the hidden treasure?" Paulina asked breathlessly.
The professor nodded. "The legend speaks of a secret city, built in order to save the treasure from greedy invaders."
"A sort of enormouse safe!" interrupted Nicky.
Professor Sagefur smiled. "Exactly! Mice have searched for this safe for centuries. Hiram Bingham, the explorer, thought he had found it when he discovered Machu Picchu, but there was no trace of the treasure. After many disappointments, he ended up believing that the Secret City was just a legend."
"But your son does not believe that is true?" asked Colette.
The professor shook his snout. "Ever since he was little, Gonzalo has dreamed of finding the Incas' treasure! He studied a lot and became an expert archaeologist. His greatest fear is that the secret city will be found by unscrupulous rodents. Some mice are capable of destroying important evidence of a great civilization if it means they can go home rich. But Gonzalo longs to discover the secret city not to become rich, but for the joy of knowledge. Because in the end, there is no wealth greater than knowledge! Remember this, mouselings and human: It is very important to discover the past if you want to understand the present."
Seba and the Thea Sisters nodded. They were impressed by the professor's devotion to knowledge.
Violet nudged Nicky. "Doesn't he remind you of Thea?" she whispered. That sounds like something she would squeak."
Nicky nodded with a smile.
Bright and early the next morning, the mouselings, human and Professor Sagefur set off together. Everyone had more energy than a pack of rats at the World Cheese Convention. Even Colette, Nicky and Violet were getting used to the altitude.
The path they were following twisted around the side of the mountain. After many bends and turns, the explorers found themselves on the other side with a vast gorge in front of them.
There was no more road. They'd reached the end of a high cliff! At the bottom of the gorge below was a rocky stream. There was only one way forward: on a narrow bridge made of rope!
"Looks like we've reached the end of the line." declared Nicky.
"Chewy cheese curds! I thought things like this only happened in the movies!" exclaimed Pamela.
"It's not as fragile as it looks," said Paulina. "I crossed one a few years ago and it was much easier than I expected."
The suspended bridge was made of agave fiber threaded together into many cables. At its bottom, there was a narrow platform of wooden planks designed to make crossing easier.
Paulina had already begun to step forward, but Professor Sagefur stopped her. "Wait, Paulina! I'll go first! I want to see if it is as strong as it seems."
The professor took a few quick steps. Soon he'd reached the center of the bridge.
Suddenly, he began jumping up and down.
Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Violet and Seba shot another looks of bewilderment.
"What is he doing? Has he shorted a circuit in is brain?" Pamela exclaimed, petrified.
Nicky was stunned. "Does he think he's a kangaroo?"
"I think the cheese has slipped off his cracker." murmured Colette.
"The wood might break if he keeps on doing that." Seba gasped.
"Stop, professor! Stop! It's dangerous!" begged Violet. Her fur had turned as white as mozzarella.
But the professor just laughed as he bounced up and down. "Don't worry, my little cheddar crisps! The bridge is solid. If a stout old mouse like me can use it as a trampoline, it should be safe for us, the llamas and all the and all out equipment."
Suddenly, the professor noticed Violet's pale snout. "Are you alright, Violet? Are you afraid of heights?"
Violet was speechless with fright. Her eyes were fixed on the bottom of thee ravine. All she could do was nod.
Professor Sagefur scampered back to the group and put a paw around Violet's shoulder. "Don't think about it! Help me make sure the packages on the llamas are balanced evenly. Meanwhile, your friends can go ahead!"
Paulina went first. She scampered forward very slowly but without hesitation, keeping her steps even. When she'd reached the other side, she turned around and shouted encouragement to her friends. "You see? It hardly rocks at all!"
Professor Sagefur laughed. "Good job, Paulina! Now come on, mouselings and human. Have courage! Let's hurry up. I'm as hungry as a mountain lion!"
Nicky and Colette were next. They looked a bit uncertain, but they went ahead.
Violet didn't feel ready yet. "Why don't you two stay here with her?" the professor suggested to Pamela and Seba. "I'll take the llamas to the other side and then come back to get you."
The llamas seemed perfectly at ease on the wobbly bridge. One got a little nervous when the professor tried to put a rope around its neck. Then it yanked itself free, spit in the professor's snout and crossed the bridge in a hurry.
"Leaping llamas' legs!" sputtered the professor, wiping his snout with one paw. "That was truly awful!"
Pamela burst out laughing, Seba chuckled and even Violet cracked a smile.
Slowly, Violet, Pam, Seba and Professor Sagefur stepped onto the bridge. From down below, they could hear the rumble of the angry river current. Violet's body began to shake in fear, but Seba offered a hand to her. Looking at it, she slowly took it as they made their way.
"As you walk, try to think about something else," the professor advised Violet. "Concentrate on something nice!"
Violet nodded nervously. She began humming a sweet song that her grandmother Lotus Flower had always sung when she'd tucked Violet in for the night. Despite herself, she smiled.
Holding tightly to that happy memory, Violet took one pawstep at a time. Thanks to Seba's added guidance, she'd reached the other end of the bridge before long!
"That was pretty awesome. Way to go." said Seba as he slowly let go of Violet's paw before he looked away so that no one could see his smile.
"Professor, come take a look!" Paulina called in a loud squeak. She'd been looking for a good place to rest and she'd come across the remains of another campsite.
"Someone stopped ere. Maybe it was Gonzalo!" exclaimed Pamela.
"It could be..." the professor examined the signs on the ground. "Yes! These pawprints look fresh."
Just then, a deafening shriek came out of nowhere!
Professor Sagefur, Seba and the Thea Sisters pressed themselves up against the side of the cliff and covered their ears. Terrified, the three llamas ran away. What was making that terrible sound?
"It's the kuntur!" yelled Pamela, pointing toward the sky.
Behind the dark clouds that were covering the sun was the shadow of a bird. An enormous bird!
"It's going to attack us!" cried Nicky.
"I'm too young to be condor chum!" exclaimed Seba.
"Seek shelter, quickly!" shouted the professor.
This time, the condor's cry was followed by a sinister hiss. But no one looked to see where it came from. They were running!
Everyone raced for shelter as fast as they could.
The mouselings, Seba and Professor Sagefur were so busy scurrying away, they accidentally split up. Violet, Pam and the professor turned right. After a few feet, they found shelter in a cave.
Nicky, Paulina, Colette and Seba ran the other way, to the left. But they weren't as lucky as their friends. They couldn't find anywhere to hide! And the cries of the condor were getting closer and closer.
At last, Nicky, Paulina, Colette and Seba saw some bushes and jumped in them. Before they realized what was happening, the ground crumbled underneath them!
"HEEEELLLPP!"
The four friends slid down the rockslide. All around them, iit was darker than the inside of a cat's mouth. THe rock underneath them was moist from the moss. There was nothing to grab.
"I feel like I'm on a waterslide! Without the water!" cried Nicky.
"How can you joke at a time like this?" cried Colette.
"We're going all out with a smile!" exclaimed Seba.
"Will...we...ever...hit...bottom?" Paulina wondered aloud as she bumped along thanks to the rocks.
Until suddenly...
THUMP!
Their long tumble was over at last.
For a few moments, there was only silence. Then one at a time, the four friends began to speak.
"Ooh, ooh, ooh!" moaned Colette.
"Is everyone alright?" asked Paulina.
"No, of course not! Nothing is alright!" shouted Colette, causing Seba to wince at the volume thanks to the echo. "We have fallen into the middle of a mud puddle, my tail is all bruised, I think I tore a hole in my pants, and here is the straw that broke the llama's back: I broke a pawnail!"
A bright light shining at her snout silenced Colette. Nicky had pulled out her pocket flashlight and was aiming it at her friend. "Oh, Colette. Don't be such a drama mouse. Come on, get up!"
"Besides, we've gone through stuff as bad as this." Seba reminded as he began to stand up.
Paulina scrambled up and brushed herself off. "Let's see if we can figure out where we've ended up." She helped Colette up while Nicky led the way.
The light from the flashlight was very dim, but little by little, their eyes got used to the dark. They advanced along a tunnel that was narrow but tall enough to stand up in. The walls were weirdly smooth. Even the ground seemed to be paved.
Despite the lack of light, Paulina, Nicky, Colette and Seba scampered along quicker than gerbils on a treadmill.
"It almost seems as if someone dug this tunnel out of the rock." observed Paulina.
"Maybe someone has been here." theorized Seba.
"You're right!" replied Nicky.
Just then, the flashlight's beam fell on a statue.
"Saint fromage, that is scary! What is it?" exclaimed Colette.
"It's an Incan sculpture," said Paulina. She stepped closer to get a better look.
"I wonder if it's some sort of guardian," mused Nicky.
"A guardian of what?" asked Paulina.
Nicky slowly aimed the flashlight along the wall. At first, it appeared blank, but then she spotted an opening.
"Of that door!" she gasped.
"Now this is interesting." Seba mused as they went through the door.
In the pitch black, Nicky's small flashlight was not very helpful. They caught a glimpse of a spacious room with walls covered with pictures. Cheese niblets! Had they end up in an Incan tomb?
Suddenly, a shadowy figure flung itself at them!
"SQUEEEEEAK!" cried Colette.
Something struck Nicky's arm. The flashlight fell from her paws and went out. They were in complete darkness!
"No way!" cried Nicky. "It's like we're the three blind mice all over again!"
"Four if you count me." Seba added.
"Don't worry, I've got him!" yelled Paulina.
Nicky and Colette tried to give her a paw, but they found themselves roughly shoved against the wall.
"Paws off the fur, you slimy sewer rat!" yelled Colette, punching the air. She hit Paulina by accident. Caught off guard, Paulina let go of her captive.
The shadowy figure seized the opportunity to run off. But suddenly, the figure was punched out by Seba.
"Gotcha!" Seba exclaimed.
Then all was quiet.
At last, a thin silver of light illuminated the scene. Nicky had found her flashlight.
"Show me your snout, you cowardly tomcat!" she shouted, pointing it at him. Finally, Colette, Nicky, Paulina and Seba had a good look at him.
"Why, it's Gonzalo!" cried Paulina.
They had found Professor Sagefur's son!
"Uh, my bad." Seba apologized sheepishly.
"P-Paulina?!" Gonzalo stuttered in surprise. For three seconds, the two of them stared at each other in silence, too shocked to speak. Then they threw their paws around each other.
Gonzalo was happy. "Paulina, it's been so long since we last saw each other! I almost didn't recognize you!"
Colette was the first one to break up the happy reunion. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think it would be better to continue this conversation back outside. In daylight."
"Yeah, might not wanna accidentally beat the living stuffing out of each other." Seba remarked.
"Ditto!" exclaimed Nicky. "Let's get out of here!"
Gonzalo gestured for the mouselings to follow him. Together, all four mice and one human made their way down the dark tunnel.
"The exit is this way," explained Gonzalo. "You came in through the...er...back door."
Seba facepalmed.
Gonzalo, Colette, Nicky, Paulina and Seba scampered along the long corridor, heading slightly uphill. After a few turns, they finally saw the light of day! They emerged right outside of the cave where Pamela, Violet and the professor had found shelter.
"Dad!" cried Gonzalo.
"Gonzalo!" exclaimed Professor Sagefur.
The professor and his son hugged each other tight. And so did Colette, Nicky, Pamela, Paulina and Violet! They were relieved to find one another safe and sound.
Seba left himself out. "Keep your sappiness away from me! I'm too all-knowing!"
The Thea Sisters looked at each other and gave each other devious smirks. In surprise, they all dragged him into a group hug.
"You know, even the 'All-Knowing' Seba needs warm hugs for comfort!" Pamela exclaimed.
"Resistance is futile!" Nicky added.
"Alright, alright! I get it!" Seba grumbled.
Paulina quicky introduced Gonzalo to her five friends. There had been so much excitement, Professor Sagefur suggested they make their campsite right where they were standing.
"It's time for some tea!" proposed Violet. She was eager to celebrate their reunion.
Unfortunately, the llamas had run away with all their food! And who could blame them? Everyone had been terrified by the condor's mysterious attack.
"There's nothing to do but go on a llama hunt." Paulina said with a sigh.
"Someone get the rope." Seba requested.
Luckily, Nicky and Pamela found the llamas in a field nearby, grazing peacefully. Twenty minutes later, the group had all their equipment and provisions. They settled into their new campsite.
"You must forgive me for my behavior back there," said Gonzalo, sipping his tea. "In the dark, I mistook you for my attackers."
"Yeah, sorry about the shiner there," Seba replied as he added medicine on Gonzalo's eye to heal the swelling. "I thought that you were also an attacker."
"What attackers?" asked his father, worried.
"Three nasty mice jumped me out of nowhere. I didn't realize it at the time, but they'd been following me!" explained Gonzalo. "They stole everything I had, even my notebooks! And to think that I came so close to the secret city!"
"That's terrible!" cried Nicky.
"They were a real pack of cheeseheads," stated Gonzalo. "I fought with all my might, and eventually I was able to escape. I ran off and hid in a cave."
"That must be the same cave we hid in!" said Professor Sagefur.
"It certainly looks like it," said Gonzalo. "That's where I discovered these old Incan remains. I found amazing objects and engravings!"
"But why did you stay here?" asked his father. "You've been missing for two weeks! I didn't hear a squeak out of you! I was so worried. Why didn't you turn around and ask for help?"
Gonzalo lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, dad! I didn't mean to worry you so much, but I really couldn't turn around! I needed to keep an eye on those rat burglars. I wanted to find out who they were so I could report them. I was terrified they'd enter the secret city. And I wanted to be sure that they didn't ruin or rob the amazing antiquities there!"
"So it was either fight or flight." Seba mused as he gently placed a bandage on the swollen eye.
Professor Sagefur was silent. He had a stern look on his snout. "You are a reckless son, Gonzalo!" His expression turned into a smile. "But you are a great archaeologist! I'm proud of you."
"Were you able to find out who your attackers were?" asked Paulina.
Gonzalo nodded. "They are Paco Manadunca's henchmice!"
"Paco Manadunca?! That sorry excuse for a rodent!" exclaimed Professor Sagefur. He had turned bright red with indignation. "He is also an archaeologist." he explained to the Thea Sisters.
Gonzalo nodded. "Professor Manadunca is an archaeologist who is very highly regarded by many. But my father and I have long suspected that he's sneaky and dishonest."
"Still, I never would have thought that he would be capable of something like this," Professor Sagefur said, shaking his snout.
"You wouldn't have been able to do anything, dad," said Gonzalo. "Manadunca is greedy, treacherous and dangerous. He's been spying on me ever since I found the quipu. He even pretended to be excited about my research!"
"Oh, yes. Excited to steal it!" Professor Sagefur's whiskers were shaking with rage.
"Easy professor," Seba said, patting him on the back gently. "You wouldn't wanna have a stroke, now do you?"
"Excuse me, but what is the kip...the chip...you know, what you said?" interjected Pamela, having trouble with pronouncing it.
"Quipu is the incan form of record keeping," explained Gonzalo.
"You found a quipu?" asked Paulina.
"Yes, I was lucky enough to find a quipu that reveals the location of the secret city. But somehow Mandunca got his greedy paws on my notes. He followed me up to steal my discovery!"
Pamela took out the raven's feather, which she'd been keeping in her pocket. "Gonzalo, is there a condor in your story? One that squawks like a loudspeaker, spits out motor oil and is covered in raven's feathers?"
"Aren't you a smartypaws, Pamela!" said Gonzalo, beaming at her.
"That is great, but um, would you be so kind as to explain it to us too?" asked Colette, who was having trouble keeping up with all the news.
"Yes, please do!" added Professor Sagefur. "What does Manadunca have to do with the condorr?"
"It's not a real condor! It's a motorized hang glider disguised as a condor," explained Gonzalo. "Manadunca and his henchmice have covered it in feathers. They're using it to scare the local mice!"
"But why? asked Colette.
"Once Manadunca discovered the location of the secret city, he wanted to keep curious mice away!" answered Gonzalo. "He was sure he'd be able to get in easily."
"So he created a new kind of superstition without arousing suspicion." Seba pondered.
"But if they are still using the fake condor to scare rodents away, that must mean that Manadunca hasn't found what he was looking for!" Violet squeaked slowly.
"Your friends are really brainy, Paulina!" exclaimed Gonzalo. "That's right: He wasn't able to find the city on his own! That's why Manadunca had his henchmice attack me and steal my notebooks. But my notes don't explain how to open the door of the sun, which is the only way to get into the secret city."
"It would probably be easier for him to destroy the door than to open it!" blurted Professor Sagefur.
At his words, everyone fell silent. It was as if the shadow of an enormous cat had fallen over them.
"Yes, a slimy sever rat like Manadunca would stop at nothing if it meant he could get his hands on the hidden Incan treasure," said Gonzalo.
"It sounds like you think he would even destroy the Secret City!" cried Paulina.
"Hearing as to what kind of rat Manadunca is, it's no surprise!" interjected Seba.
"I still do not quite understand," said Colette. "Where exactly is the Secret City?"
Gonzalo pointed up. "It's right there!"
Nicky leaped to her paws. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go stop him!"
Inspired by Nicky's words, the Thea Sistters, Seba, Gonzalo and the professor left the cave and scurried back along the path. Soon they'd arrived at the foot of a stairway. Above them stood the walls of the Secret City!
"What an extraordinary sight!" Seba exclaimed as he looked marveled.
"No one but us has seen this in almost five hundred years," breathed Paulina.
At the center of the walls, the Door of the Sun gleamed like a beacon. It had been closed for centuries, protecting the Incan treasures that lay within.
Manadunca's shrill squeak echoed down from above. The Sagefurs, the Thea Sisters and Sebastian Silverstone exchanged looks of dismay. They could just make out what he was saying, and it confirmed their worst fears.
Paco Manadunca had decided to knock down the Door of the Sun!
Manadunca had tried everything to open it. He'd even tried waiting for Gonzalo to get there, in hopes that his notes would contain the solution to the enigma. But no! The door refused to open.
"Enough! I'm sick of this rat race!" he shouted. "What do I care if I break a door down? There are treasures much more precious than this strip of gold in there!"
Manadunca and his three henchmice decided to set up three small piles of explosives at the bottom of the door.
There was no time to lose!
"We must stop them!" cried the professor.
"I think I have an idea." said Paulina.
"Let's hear it now." replied Seba.
The little group huddled together for some frantic chatter. Soon, a plan emerged: Gonzalo would get Manadunca's attention while the Thea Sisters, Seba and the professor, who would be hiding close by, would prepare a big surprise for them!
Professor Sagefur clasped Gonzalo's paw. "Are you ready, son?"
"I'm ready. I won't let you down, dad!" With that, Gonzalo scampered up the stairs.
"Wait, Paco!" he shouted, running up the last steps. "I won't let you destroy that door!"
Manadunca and his henchmice were so startled, they practically jumped out of their fur. But when they saw that Gonzalo was alone, they smirked at one another.
"And who's going to stop me?" sneered Manadunca. "You?!"
"I'll report you!" replied Gonzalo. "All of Peru will find out that you're nothing more than a lousy rat burglar!"
"Get him!" ordered Manadunca, and his henchmice sprang at Gonzalo.
But the younger Sagefur was one pawstep ahead of them. He raced to one side toward the rocks and made a flying leap into some bushes. Then he scurried away, crashing through the tangled vines and branches.
Unfortunately, the henchmice were gaining on him. They were about to nab him when they stumbled over trip rope! The three thugs collapsed in a heap.
Slowly, they began to rise up.
"Hey." a voice called from behind.
Before one of the henchmice turned around, Seba landed a powerful roundhouse kick to the side of the snout, making him fly along with the second thug. The third tried to punch him, but Seba caught it with an arm twist, before delivering three kicks. One to the knee, one to the hip and the knockout to the snout.
The thug fell to the floor. Before his partners could realize what was going on, the Thea Sisters jumped on them and all three goons were tied up like flies in a spiderweb!
"Did you really have to hit them so hard?" Paulina asked Seba.
"Let's just say that it's retribution for putting what the Sagefurs had been through." replied Seba. He had a point there.
As for Paco Manadunca, Professor Sagefur saw to him. He roped him with a lasso.
Manadunca was angrier than a lion on a leash!
He would even get angrier when Seba taunted him.
Now that Manadunca and his henchmice were out of commission, it was up to Gonzalo and his father to open the Door of the Sun! Seba and the Thea Sisters stared at the door in awe.
"I do not think I have ever seen anything so fabumouse." breathed Colette.
Along the two sides were two identical handles. Pamela reached toward one, but Professor Sagefur quickly stopped her.
"Nobody touch them! They could spring a booby trap." he warned them.
"This is quite a dilemma!" said Violet. "If we make the wrong choice, we could end up in real trouble!"
Paulina smiled thoughtfully. "The solution could be much simpler than we think. This situation reminds me of the fable of the evil king and the clever prisoner that my mother used to tell me when I was little! I loved that story. I never got tired of listening to it."
Everyone gathered around Paulina to listen to her tale.
Once upon a time, there was an evil king who took many prisoners. In his kingdom, it was tradition that one prisoner would be freed every year, during the Festival of the Sun. But the king had no use for that tradition, so he thought up a way to trick his subjects.
The king said to one prisoner, "I will put a ball of silver under another. If you can guess where the piece of gold is, I will free you. Otherwise you will stay in jail!"
The king was very tricky. He put a piece of silver under both of the vases. There was no gold piece at all!
The prisoner realized he was being tricked, but he couldn't accuse the king of cheating! He had to choose one of the vases.
"So?" said Nicky eagerly. "How was the prisoner able to save himself?"
"Chewy cheese dumplings, I think I've got it!" cried Violet. "He just chose one of the vases and said there was silver under it."
"Violet's right!" said Paulina. "The prisoner pointed to one of the two vases and said, 'There is a ball of silver under this one! So the piece of gold must be under the other one.' He lifted the vase and showed everyone the ball of silver. Then the king was forced to free him, because if he'd revealed that there was no ball of gold under the other vase, he would have exposed his trick!"
The professor laughed. "Very clever! The only way not to call the king a liar would be to choose one of the vases. Either of them! And we will do the same thing with these handles that are here to trick us. It doesn't matter which handle we pick. We can choose either!"
Professor Sagefur placed his right paw on one of the handles and turned it slowly. He heard something release.
CLACK!
At first, nothing happened. Then the ground started to tremble and the ancient gears begin to turn. Very slowly, the door creaked open!
"This is so exciting." whispered Pamela.
"I can compare this to the Promise Land." Seba muttered.
Gonzalo turned to Manadunca. "You are a liar and a thief, but you are still an archaeologist, and this is an extremely important moment for archaeology. It is only right that you come with us."
"Any funny tricks and you'll be having a plate of knuckle sandwiches." Seba threatened, causing the thief to gulp.
Gonzalo and Pamela made sure that Manadunca's henchmice were safely tied up. Then the little group crossed the threshold of the Door of the Sun!
The door opened into a semicircular room. From there, three corridors extended in different directions. A faint light shone down from small windows near the roof.
"But where is the real city?" asked Colette. "Where are all the streets and buildings?"
"It isn't a real city," explained Gonzalo. "No one has ever lived here. This place was used only to protect the treasure."
"They probably meant that the whole area is as big as a city." Seba guessed.
Gonzalo nodded. "You might be right about that, Seba."
"So I'm guessing the treasure won't be right at our pawtips, will it?" said Nicky.
"Whoever said that treasure seeking was easy?" Seba rhetorically asked.
"You know how to find it, don't you son?" the professor asked Gonzalo.
But the answer wasn't what his father was expecting. "No, dad. I don't have a clue!"
"How could that be, Gonzalo?!" Professor Sagefur cried in surprise. "You brought us all the way here for nothing?"
Gonzalo shrugged. "We'll have to put our best paw forward. The treasure is most likely hidden within the labyrinth. Back in ancient times, the Incas built elaborate mazes to hide their treasures. We'll have to try not to get lost and I have an idea to prevent that from happening!"
Gonzalo took a long rope from Manadunca's equipment. They would use it to mark the path they had already taken so they could find their way back.
He turned to face his friends. "Keep your eyes open! There could be traps!"
They set out through the door in the middle. Gonzalo quickly untied Manadunca. "Now that we're so close to the treasure, I know that you won't try to run away."
"If you do, knuckle sandwich time!" Seba cheerfully reminded, making Manadunca sweat bullets.
The little group soon found themselves at their first crossroads and Gonzalo decided which path to take. As they made their way through the maze, he unraveled the rope to mark the road they'd taken.
Professor Sagefur and Manadunca followed close behind him. Next came Seba and the five Thea Sisters. When a wall blocked their path, they were able to change direction without getting confused, thanks to the rope.
The labyrinth's corridors were tall and narrow, with small windows near the roof. The group stayed in the shadows. They could just barely make out the pictures that decorated the walls. The ground was covered with colored stones.
Thus far, they hadn't encounted any booby traps. It seemed like they weren't in any danger, until...
THUMP!
Manadunca tripped on a stone that was slightly higher than the others. With a mighty rumble, the ground began to open up. The stones at his paws crumbled, revealing an enormous abyss. Where there had been a ground before, now there was an endless pit.
"Watch the gap!" cried Nicky. She stopped a ledge inside the wall and threw herself at it. All the mouselings and Seba leaped after her. They were safe!
But Manadunca was not. "Help!" he shouted. He was hanging on to the edge of the abyss with one paw.
Gonzalo reached for him. "Grab my paw!"
With the professor's help, Gonzalo was able to pull him to safety. Now however, there was another problem. Seba and the mouselings were on the other side.
They were separated!
"Wait here!" Gonzalo shouted to Seba and the Thea Sisters. "We will continue with the help of the rope. We'll come back and get you as soon as we can!"
With that, the three archaeologists disappeared into the intricate labyrinth once more. But the mouselings and human soon spotted a flaw in Gonzalo's plan.
"Maybe the right direction is the one on our side!" said Pamela.
"None of us really know since the pit caused such a blunder." Seba reminded.
"If we keep going, we might even find another exit." added Nicky.
"I say let's keep going!" said Violet. "But how will we make sure we don't get lost?"
"Good point, Vi. We do not have rope." Colette observed sadly.
Paulina thought it over. Then she took out a small notebook and a pen from her pack.
"We'll use this!" she said. "At every crossroad, I'll write down whether we turned left or right. That way, if we need to turn back, we can avoid the roads that we were already on!"
As soon as they reached the first fork, Paulina wrote down a number and a letter: 1R.
"What does that mean?" asked Violet.
"First fork, right," responded Paulina. "1L would mean first fork, left. 2R for the second fork, right. And so on."
"Fabumouse!" Pamela exclaimed, squeezing Paulina's paw. "The simplest ideas are the ones that work best. You're a genius!"
"It would be much more easier if I brought spray cans." Seba muttered.
"You'd be defacing history." Nicky said, giving him a stern frown.
"Oh yeah."
The labyrinth was really complicated. Going forward was very difficult! Plus, they were afraid that another trap would open under their paws, as had happened to Manadunca.
Seba and the Thea Sisters proceeded in single file, stepping only on the rocks that Paulina, who was leading them, had stepped on.
"We are moving slower than a fat cat after a lunchtime feast!" complained Colette.
"Patience is the key to victory." Seba replied.
The labyrinth was testing their nerves and their patience, but the worst was still to come. Suddenly, they heard a strange sound.
"Uh-oh, what was that?" asked Violet, alarmed. The six friends looked around, but they didn't see anything unusual.
Then something hit them. And something else. And another. And still another!
An avalanche of clay balls were raining down on the explorers! They were coming from every direction.
"Oh, real nice! Those cavemice must be rolling in their graves right now!" Seba exclaimed, feeling the brunt of the clay balls.
Seba and the five Thea Sisters dashed out of the room as balls poured down on them.
They scurried out the only exit they spotted. Immediately, a door slid down from the ceiling, closing them in!
They found themselves locked in a tiny dark room without doors or windows.
"We're trapped!" cried Paulina.
"God damnit!" yelled Seba.
"I can't believe we're trapped!" sputtered Violet.
"There must be a way out of here! There has got to be!" cried Colette.
Pamela was despairing. "This is worse than the time I got my paw stuck in a glue trap." she said, sighing.
Seba raised an eyebrow at her. "How'd that happen?"
She turned to him, depressed. "Boxcar racing."
"Ah." Seba replied, before banging on the wall. "Someone! Let us out!"
"How are we going to get out of here?" asked Paulina. For the first time, she looked glum.
Nicky was so worried, she didn't speak a word. She just leaned against the wall, trying to figure out what to do next. As she did, she thought she felt the wall behind her move. Was it possible?
Nicky touched the wall again. It seemed just like the other, but when she touched it she realized it was different from the other walls in the labyrinth. It wasn't made of stone.
"Moldy brie, it's wood!" exclaimed Nicky. "I mean, it's a fake wall!"
The mouselings and human all gathered around to touch the wall.
"It's really made of wood!" said Pamela, tapping it with one paw. It sounded hollow.
"This must be a secret door. See how it's painted to look like the others? I'll bet it hides a secret passageway!" declared Paulina.
Colette pushed on the wall with all her might. It shook, but it didn't move. "But how do we get it open?"
Seba delivered a sole kick to the wall. "The wood is sturdy, so banging it down is definitely out of the question."
"I have an idea!" said Violet. She tried something a little different: using her paws to move the wall to one side. "Maybe it's a sliding door," she explained.
"Let's give it a shot." Seba said as he joined her.
Violet's intuition was right: The door slid sideways. In front of them was the most important hallway of all.
"This way to the treasure!" shouted Paulina. All five mouselings jumped up and down and hugged one another in jubilation.
"No time for celebration just yet." Seba reminded them. "We need to get to that treasure quickly."
No qualms there as they all scampered towards the treasure room.
As they ran, they could just make it out at the end of a short corridor.
Paulina was in the lead with Seba beside her with their four friends right behind her. As Seba and the Thea Sisters peeked into the treasure room, their eyes grew as round as wheels of Swiss cheese. It was an enormous room, held up by tall pillars. The walls were covered with colorful pictures. They ceiling was midnight blue and it looked like an enchanting starry sky.
The room was filled with gorgeous objects, all placed there with great care. They didn't know where to look first. In one corner were beautiful vases. In another was some strange equipment. Then another was full of fabrics and looms. The rest were closed jars.
There was a lot of dust and spiderwebs, of course, but most of the objects had resisted the damage of time. They seemed almost perfectly preserved. The room felt more like the centerpiece of an incredible museum than an enormous safe that was more than five hundred years old. It was like peering through a window from the present into the past.
Seba and the Thea Sisters scattered about the great room. They were fascinated by all the marvels it contained.
"Crusty kitty litter, what a strange treasure!" exclaimed Paulina.
"It's true!" admitted Pamela, looking around. "There are no treasure chests filled with gold and precious gems."
"Only vases, statues and fabumouse fabrics," said Colette, turning slowly around to get a better look at everything.
"And to think that all this is only around five hundred years old." Seba remarked.
Paulina, meanwhile, was gazing at the pictures on the walls. The colors were still bright and the images were clear, as if they'd been painted yesterday instead of centuries ago. The paintings depicted scenes from Incan daily life.
"Look at all the quipu!" exclaimed Violet, who had found a chest filled to the brim with knotted ropes, placed there with great care.
Violet, Paulina and Seba only needed to glance at it to know.
"This is the real treasure!" declared Violet.
"A priceless treasure!" agreed Paulina.
Seba nodded in agreement.
The other mouselings stared at them, not comprehending.
"The Incas preserved the history of their entire civilization," explained Seba. "All their knowledge is here!"
"They saved the expertise of their builders, who were able to life stone walls to the top of the Andes!" added Violet, pointing to a picture of workers building a temple.
"They saved the knowledge of their astronomers, who studied the stars without telescopes!" continued Paulina, gazing at the ceiling.
"They even saved their beauty secrets!" interjected Colette. "There are wonderful perfumes in these bottles! Even more fragrant than Mousy Sighs!"
Paulina was awestruck. "Isn't it amazing? Instead of hiding gold and silver, the Incas preserved all their knowledge in the Secret City!"
"Professor Sagefur was right! Knowledge is truly the greatest treasure!" said Pamela.
Nicky nodded.
Seba whistled in awe as he looked around. "It just goes to show that the Incas really were extraordinary."
Getting out of the labyrinth was much easier and quicker than getting in. The rainstorm of clay balls had ended and as it turned out, the gate that had closed behind them was made of rotting wood.
When Seba and the Thea Sisters scampered through the Door of the Sun, they found Professor Sagefur and Gonzalo waiting for them. The two archaeologists could hardly contain their excitement when they heard about the room the mouselings and human had discovered.
The great news of the found treasure was slightly marred by Manadunca's escape.
"I was so angry when I realized he was gone! I never should have let him come with us," Gonzalo admitted regretfully. "We'll never be able to find him again."
"I think I know a way we could catch him!" said Pamela, tossing her tail over her shoulder. She'd noticed a strange pile of branches near the Door of the Sun. She moved them out of the way.
"Putrid cheese puffs, it's the giant condor!" exclaimed Violet.
Hidden in the bushes was the fake condor that had caused such fear among the local mice. Once they saw it up close, it didn't look scary at all. It was just a simple motorized glider, covered in raven's feathers and with a fake condor's head.
Pamela didn't hesitate for a moment. She climbed into the pilot's seat.
Violet was alarmed. "What are you dong, Pam?" she screamed.
"Just taking her out for a little spin!" Pamela answered cheerfully.
"Haha! Hoist by his own petard! I like it!" Seba replied with a smirk as he sat in the backseat.
Pamela turned on the motor. A moment later, she and Seba were soaring through the air!
"Let's catch a slimeball!" Seba exclaimed.
Pam couldn't agree more as they flew away. Not long after, they found Manadunca on the bridge.
"Play that tune!" the human commanded gleefully.
Pam pressed the button and the screech had caught Manadunca off-guard. He was so frightened that he began thrashing around the bridge. Not long after, he had fallen over. Pamela steered the glider into a nosedive under the bridge just as Manadunca started to fall.
THUMP!
He landed right on top of the glider.
Seba, the Thea Sisters and the two Sagefurs turned Paco Mandunca and his three henchmice over to the Cuzco Police. Professor Sagefur and his son, Gonzalo, told the world the extraordinary news.
FOUND: THE SECRET CITY oF tHE INCAS!
The news made the front page on newspapers and websites around the world.
When the mouselings, Seba, Professor Sagefur and Gonzalo returned to Machu Picchu, they found Maria waiting for them. Maria and Paulina threw their paws around each other.
Maria was beside herself with happiness.
"I've been tracking you the whole time!" she cried. "And you never made a false move. Paulina, you're sharper than a block of New York cheddar!"
Paulina laughed and hugged her sister.
After she'd greeted Paulina, Maria wanted to kiss everyone. When she kissed Seba on the cheek, she was blushing up a storm. They chuckled at her flustered look. It looks like someone's got a crush on him!
When she got to Violet, she took a small pumpkin from her bag and said, "Frilly is doing well, but I think he misses you."
Violet took the pumpkin gratefully. "Thank you, Maria. I knew I could count on you!" Then she turned to her friends. "I think Maria deserves to be a Thea Sister, don't you?"
"Yes!"
"Alright!"
"Of course!"
"Hooray!"
The mouselings cheered while Seba applauded.
Maria was so happy! "Thank you! Thank you so much! I promise I won't let you down!"
Paulina put a paw around her little sister. "We know you won't, sis. You've earned this."
When they reached Cuzco, Seba and the Thea Sisters were received like heroes. A huge celebration was thrown in their honor. The Green Mice came, and so did half of Cuzco. In fact, Maria was the one to send out the cheeseVite!