The Gift of Knowledge (The Gifts Book 2) (12 page)

     “Do you mean during times of grieving when you say shadow walking
,
Mari?” Emily was moved to compassion for Mari and Anke. They must have suffered terribly at the loss of their children.

     “Si, Senora. It is walking through the valley of the shadow of death when you are grieving.”

     “Yes, Mari, I know what it is to grieve. When I was a young girl I lost my father and had to go live with my aunt. And then I lost the only other father I knew, Mr. Perry. I’m so sorry for your loss.” Emily was almost crying for herself and Mari.

     Mari reached across the table and held Emily’s hand. “And I yours, Senora.”

     The two of them sat like that for a while, holding hands and comforting each other. When Emily asked about Anke and how the two of them came to be working on the expedition, Mari explained Anke and his brother Jorge grew up in the Amazon. They could trace their ancestors back to the native tribes who lived in the rainforest. Because the brothers were very familiar with the area, they’d been given a grant from the Brazilian government to be employed as professional guides to expeditions in the Amazon. As part of that grant, they’d both been trained as helicopter pilots. They were also given money to purchase and maintain the aircraft as long as they served the government by helping to ensure the safety of all people in the Amazon. About two years ago, the brothers were assigned to Ethan’s team. It became a family business as Jorge and Anke, along with Mari, worked to ensure the well-being and safety of everyone on the team.

    Emily thought since the two of them were sharing it may be a good time to ask about the red haired kings.

    “Mari, I must admit my curiosity is peaked. I was wondering when it would be a good time to ask about the legends of the red haired kings?”

    “Si, Senora. I knew you would be asking again. Tomorrow you must come into the forest with Anke and me. We are going to gather the Sapucaia. You come and help me, and I will tell you of the legends. Bein?”

     “Bein, Mari. Good, we will go in the morning then. Oh, what is the Sapucaia, anyway?” Emily was curious.

     “You will see,” Mari said as she went back to work on preparing the evening meal. Emily knew it would be pointless to press her further. Mari had shared all she was going to share for one afternoon.

Chapter Ten

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown

Genesis 6:4

    Emily couldn’t swallow a bite at breakfast the next morning. Excitement over what Mari could share about the giants made her giddy with anticipation. She wanted to get their trip into the forest started. Looking around camp, she spotted Ethan standing alone reviewing a map. She’d been putting off telling him about her plans for the day in fear he would veto the idea, but he had to know or he’d worry over her absence from camp. With a determined set to her jaw, Emily approached the doctor, prepared to argue if need be.

    “Ethan, I wanted to let you know that I’m going into the forest with Mari and Anke today.

     A frown formed on Ethan’s handsome face, and his head started shaking before Emily finished her sentence. “I don’t have time for that today.”

     “Who asked you to come? It’s not like I’ll be taking off on my own. Mari and Anke are excellent guides, after all that is why you hired them.”

     Ethan tapped his chin with the pencil in his and stared into the distance for a moment. Something about Emily incited a need to protect her, even when she didn’t need it. Thoughts of her crept into his mind at the most inconvenient of times. They were beginning to interfere with his concentration on the project. Perhaps working so closely together on the translations, and the worry over Lazar affected his ability to maintain a business relationship with the charming redhead. Maybe sending her off for the day with Mari would give him an opportunity to put some space between them. Having reached a decision, he expelled a heavy sigh. “Okay you’re right. If you have to do this you couldn’t be in better company. Those two have more experience in this rainforest than the rest of us put together. Just make sure you do everything they tell you to.”

     Emily smiled. “See you when we get back.” Wanting to make a quick exit before Ethan changed his mind she jogged off to meet Mari, raising a hand in the air as a gesture of farewell to Ethan.

     Slowing to a brisk walk, Emily reached the front of the mess tent where Mari and Anke waited. She barely greeted the couple before Anke handed her one of three light canvas bags filled with supplies necessary for the day. Emily slipped the bag’s strap over her shoulder and hurried to fall in step behind Anke who turned and started walking without saying a word. Mari came up beside Emily and chuckled. “Do not take my husband’s silence personally. His English is not so good. Fortunately, I talk enough for the both of us, and that makes him happy.”

     The humor in Mari’s voice brought a smile to Emily’s face. She’d discovered over several conversations with the woman that Mari had a gift for putting everyone around her at ease. Emily wished she could do that for Anke, but wondered if his discomfort was still because of her red hair. She tucked her long braid up under her khaki hat and pulled down the attached bug-net over her head, as Mari did the same. In her pocket, Emily carried some of the ever-present bug spray.

     Anke led the way into the forest with Emily behind him and Mari behind her. He kept them on a fairly clear path blazed recently by other camp members. Occasionally, Anke would pull out his long machete to hack the lush, green overgrowth out of the way. Emily carried the machete Ethan bought her in Rio, but Anke was so efficient she hardly needed to use it. Instead, she kept her eye out for spiders and snakes, as she sent a silent plea up to the Lord that she wouldn’t cross paths with either.

     After an hour of walking, Anke came to an abrupt halt in a dense part of the forest. He pointed up to the thick canopy of gloriously tall trees with dappled, but sparse, sunlight shining through. “Sapucaia.”  He said. 

     Emily looked to Mari to confirm that the
Sapucaia
were indeed the massive trees surrounding them.

    “Yes, Senora`, the trees are the reason we are here. We gather Sapucaia nuts from these trees. You would call them Brazil nuts.” Mari took Emily’s pack from her and began to pull out the contents.

     They all drank long pulls from canteens of water, then Mari and Anke spread a large blue plastic tarp out on the ground. Mari explained that they would gather the pods from the ground and place them on the tarp before cutting the pods open to get to the nuts.

     Anke brought two pods to Emily he picked up off the ground. The pods were woody brown and shaped like coconuts. He set a pod on the tarp and cut it open with his machete in one graceful, yet powerful, blow. Several large brown-shelled nuts scattered across the tarp, and Mari gathered them up after showing them to Emily. She put the nuts into another canvas bag she’d pulled from her own pack.

     Over the next few hours, Emily worked with Mari to gather the pods scattered along the ground under the trees. Mari was careful not to let Emily get very far away and warned her to watch for wondering spiders and snakes. Emily carefully examined each pod she came across before picking it up and taking it to the tarp for Anke to crack open.

     One seemingly innocent looking pod started shaking just as Emily reached for it, and a small, furry creature jumped out of the pod, hissed at her, and ran into the underbrush. Emily jumped and screamed, as Anke came running with his machete raised, ready to defend the two women. Mari burst into laughter.

     “Senora` Emily, it is only an agouti. The agouti rats eat the nuts inside the pods. They will run from you mostly and cause you no harm.” Emily was shaken and turned a little pale, so Anke decided they had gathered enough nuts for one day. He suggested they rest and eat before heading back to the camp.

     Mari and Emily sat on a large root under one of the trees, while they ate their lunch of dried beef and fruit, washing it down with water from their canteens. Emily wondered if now would be the time Mari would tell her the legend of the red-haired kings. To her surprise, Mari began to talk about the Sapucaia nuts.

     “We come to gather nuts here in the forest several times a year. Sometimes whole families come to gather. The nuts will only grow in the wild forest, you see, Senora`.” Emily nodded her head to let Mari know she was paying attention before the woman continued on.

     “The people who live in and around the Amazon understand very well the balance of the forest. If you take away or disturb any one thing here, you risk the destruction of the entire forest. See this big tree here that we sit on? This tree could not grow and make the nuts without these.” Mari reached behind Emily and plucked a delicate flower. Emily recognized the wild orchid by its heavy perfume.

     “Without this flower, the tree would not exist. The flower draws the male bees that mate with the females who pollenate the trees. Without the orchid the males would not come. The females would not have offspring and would die out. The trees won’t produce without pollination. Even the agouti rats play an important role. They bury the nuts that grow into trees. If even one of these things is disturbed in any way, the trees will cease to exist, and eventually the whole forest could die. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you?” Emily nodded.

     “I understand, Mari, the forest is sacred and must be protected. But, I must ask, what this has to do with the legends of the red-haired kings?”

     “This has everything to do with the legends. My people believe the forest exists to protect certain things, as it has for thousands of years. The rainforest exists to keep men out. Hidden in this forest are the secrets of the lost people. We believe that God, in his great wisdom, put the forest here, along with all the dangerous creatures in it, and the tropical weather to keep men out so that the secrets hidden here remain hidden. Men come, though; they burn and tear down the forest. These men have no respect for the balance and importance of the forest.” Mari paused and looked Emily in the eyes.

     “I think I’m beginning to understand what you’re telling me.” Emily tried to reassure her.

     “It is because my people believe in the legends that we choose not to live in the forest. There are some who remain in the forest, but like the forest, these people have remained hidden, until recent times. We only come when it is necessary. Like coming to gather the Brazil nuts or to work with a man like Senor` Ethan and keep him and his team from coming to harm in the forest.”

     Emily thought about these words, as Mari took a drink from her canteen. Emily felt that Mari was trying to tell her something. No, it was more like Mari was trying to warn her. It was difficult to shake the feeling that this was all tied to some kind of tribal superstition and folklore. But, what if Mari and her people were right and the Lord purposely placed the harsh, yet perfectly balanced rainforest around the Amazon as a means to keep men out of it? The idea was worthy of consideration.

    “Mari, do you know what Ethan is searching for? Do you know why he is here in the Amazon?” An idea began to form in Emily’s mind. She was suddenly very concerned for the entire team and could see a possible reason why the Lord sent her here. The danger to the team was more real than ever now. Her prayers for them were essential.

   “Yes, Senora`, we know why Senor` Ethan is here. He searches for the lost people. The red-haired, giant kings of the Amazon.”

    “You know, Mari, that you can trust me with your secrets? I’ve no desire to share secrets the Lord has purposefully hidden. My only concern is for the well-being of everyone on this team.”

    “Yes, I believe that. Because Anke and I also fear for the safety of Senor` Ethan and the others, we have agreed to share the legends with you in the hope that you can help convince them to leave this place before they come to harm. An evil presence stalks this mission. It is the evil ones we want to keep the secrets from in the end.” Emily nodded in agreement, as she settled into the great tree root to listen to Mari’s tale. Anke, ever silent, yet ever present, appeared to be standing guard over the two women.