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The rock face had been impossible to climb. The steep incline had remained secure because the path that had once existed left any approaching visible AND open to attack.. was now no longer there.. gone; erosion.
The only option was via that Plateau. You, could land a helicopter but that meant a trip back to Cusco.
An overhead tour copter where if the pilot was bribed could allow them to descend using a brace and harness..
Descending was not a problem. Not entirely convinced as to how or what was the best option BUT?!
Down was definitely a lot easier than that climb would have been UP...
Some hours later, they were now dropped, with all of the extra gear onto the almost flat and noticeably sizeable area. Ames had persuaded the pilot with a moderate bribe.. a huge one or one of some considerable amount had been dismissed due to Ames and her persuasive abilities including promises of a night to remember once they got back?
For now.. looking around, the sight, that was now becoming clearer, was eye opening.
Structures? The skeleton outline was huge.. Whatever had existed before had left behind two huge sacrificial altars.
One to the moon one to the sun.. They had not changed in appearance..
True the blood was gone.. any of the gore of the sacrificial rites washed away; gone. Any coming upon them in later centuries would not have known of their true horror. The slaughter of thousands mostly enemies.
Bones smashed.. hearts ripped out,.
Beneath the Sun .. altar stone was the subterranean cavern.. leading to the area where the diamond had been hidden. Symp knew where the Diamond was. ? NO ! Holli was the one telling them where they had to go.
She knew the area even though it had changed to some extent dramatically, well visibly..
They, had to wait, until the next day, when the sun was at its highest.. focus the light onto a spot a short distance from the altar stone. Setting up the prism that Holli now produced to place it in position they watched.
The intensity of the stream of colours had them waiting until at last it centred on one area..
An area that contained silicates of a crystal embedded in the surface. A large solid lump.. no going anywhere soon and certainly had not in over millions of years. To the side of that lump the ground had sunk to reveal an opening.
An outline of a rock door way.
NOT dissimilar to the ones found elsewhere. Ground had shifted probably due to some volcanic activity..
Some neaby rock formations from forced up strata the layers clearly visible. Unusual for this area, most mountain style rock formations were NOT strata ..
GOLD (Draxetnium) Platinum and Radon with some URANIUM deposits. That was noted and had not escaped consideration. A meter allowed them to determine as to how much radioactivity was present and whether it was going to be problematic.
Luckily the levels, were low enough to eliminate that as a concern. Spiders and other insects.. were however not to be dismissed lightly.. NOT that they had a fear of them per sae.. Creepy crawlies were to to be expected but that did not take away them shaking at the thought of coming across any of them.
A vibration device that was proven to work, Symp had brought with her.. Guaranteed to upset the creepy crawlies and send them scurrying away from it.. IT made an almost neglible to the human ear.. resonance.
Most unpleasant to any bugs and that included tree frogs.. other similar nasties..
Python and other snakes.. appeared to not like the device, whatever it did to them it was believed the resonance was equally unpleasant to them. The sight of a python swallowing one had proven amusing..
IT had ejected it and slid away at some speed..
The sight of it slithering away, had been a relief on those present. IT was huge.. easily capable of swallowing one of them WHOLE after wrapping itself around them, squeezing compressing, eliminating any resistance..
Dinner is served might spring to mind..
The golden poison frog
The most poisonous animal is not a snake or a spider. It's a beautiful little frog! Most frogs produce skin toxins, but the poison dart frogs from Central and South America are the most potent of all. The golden poison frog (Phyllobates terribilis), contains enough poison to kill 20,000 mice or 10 people.
Amazonian tree frog venom?
Kambo is a poison used as a traditional medicine in purging or cleansing rituals, primarily in South America. It is a waxy substance collected by scraping the skin of an Amazonian tree frog, Phyllomedusa bicolor.
Entering the cave entrance.. an open area that led to a hole.. a HOLE.. That blackness with no shadows, no defined depth to it.. In her hand a small device now flickered illuminating the area..
It hovered.. before Symp threw it well OK, dropped it into the hole..
On the Shelde (tablet). they looked at the screen.. “Whoa that is amazing.. the clarity and ..”
Holli’s voice tailed off the outline of a ledge.. quite a wide one and luckily not that far down into the hole..
“That is where the Diamond is to be found.. Originally it would have been nearer the surface.
The overgrowth and some stones.. almost gravel in nature.. had been deposited. over time from how that area, had been exposed to the dust from a nearby volcanic eruption. Chemical testing had revealed the usual deposits from such dispersal ...
At least the fine dust had gone.. a slight dampness.. a bonding process that had formed new more solidified layers. You could scrape them to reveal more solid rock.. Rock that now had spikes hammered into them..
The eerie echo, resonating in the hole..
A short time later.. suitably dressed and ready to descend Aims followed Symp.. leaving Holli to monitor their descent. The ledge reached they stepped into the small cave area.. There in a corner covered in material..
The outline of that huge and HUGE it was; diamond.
The eye of the sun.. In her hands Symp looked at Aims.. The sheer weight of it was also of some concern.
Bulky, would not fit into the pack they had brought with them. Eventually they worked out a way to wrap it and tie it off so that it could be pulled up separately from their harnesses and all of the attachments for the trip back up..
Holli now aware of what was occurring, shifting items to await the ‘package’. Too absorbed in that she had not noticed the appearance behind her of ? A cold chill across her back.. as she turned..
below, they heard a shriek..
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