The princess makes a strained noise.
“Well, you explain our neighborhood goblins then,” he says. “Anyway, I was just giving you the only option I know of. The soldiers were already talking about not letting people leave for Intiraymi unless they had something important to offer. I’m sure they’re going to double down on that after yesterday.”
“I don’t understand,” the princess says, obviously frustrated with a low growl to her voice. “Give us something out of your family jewels, and I assure you you’ll be properly compensated in the future.”
“Oh, so you found yourself a noble girl, then?” Muna drawls.
“Don’t talk about her like that,” I snap.
“Well, then you tell her that for some people, family jewels are a foreign concept. As if I would have joined the army if we had that kind of wealth.”
The princess’s eyebrows furrow. She has a mix of confusion and suspicion at his statement.
He softens at her look. “My apologies,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. I don’t make fun of him for apologizing. The joke would be about him sucking up to royalty, but he’s not supposed to know that she’s royalty. I get it, though. The princess has an authority to her that’s hard to disrespect. “That was uncalled for. It’s just that I wouldn’t have mentioned the Muki if I knew about a safer option. You’re not the only onetrying to keep Rei alive, you know? There’s a club of us. We tend to hate each other, so you’ll fit right in.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask.
“It’s okay,” the princess shuts me up with a wave of her hand. “I overreacted. Sinchinrei can handle herself. It’s me that’ll need help with this… lliklla topic. We should start as soon as possible. It’ll be a one day trek to Cusco, so we’ll need to leave tomorrow morning to make it on time.”
A club?
I stay seated as they get up and walk to the main house together. They’ll go through there and out to the back forest where Tula has some clothes set out to dry.
Just like that, it’s me.
I don’t have to stop the feral grin from overtaking my face.
Mukis livein the Ukhu Pacha, deep in the caves of Mother Earth, our Pachamama, which means I have to trek out to the mountainside yet again.
It’s nice to go at my own speed this time. I’m much faster without any extra weight, and my range of motion is back to normal.
I feel strong. Actually, I feel fucking invincible.
I get to the mine entrance. It’s abandoned, whether from recent events or the Muki, I’m not sure. Some communities abandon the mines out of respect for the Muki, while others try to work alongside them. I don’t know where the Ollantaytambo community falls on that spectrum, so I’m lucky that there’s no one here.
Muna gave me an old, rusted mace. I spin it in my hands. It’s a welcome weight.
Inside is a labyrinth, and that evokes more excitement than fear in me. I used to play in these kinds of caves as a kid, getting lost and giving Suyai heart attacks. She’d freak if she knew what I was doing now. I can almost convince myself that it’s better that she’s relatively safe and hidden among the lower ranks where she can’t worry about what I’m doing. She might have been upgraded to the Panaka’s personal guard, but it had only been a few days. It’s unlikely the official change of rank went through before the attack.
That’s what I have to keep telling myself. She’ll laugh at my rationalizations later, when I tell her about this afterward.
I keep my hand connected to the wall and take careful steps. Before I know it, it’s pitch black, but that won’t be a problem. The Muki’s eyes will provide all the light I need.
That also means they’ll get the first move, and that’s exactly what happens. I’m thrown to the side and just barely avoid knocking my head on the wet walls. I feel the various textures of the muki before I see them. The tough vicuña poncho they prefer to wear rubs my skin raw. Their ice-cold skin and ragged nails dig deep into my flesh.
Then their eyes light up the cave.
A muki’s eyes are perpetually shining, as if fueled by the llama fat the miners use for their lanterns. They’re just as likely to use their eyes to help miners as they are to confuse them. But I’m no miner, so my luck is nonexistent.
I shove it away from me with the staff of my mace. It falls on its back. Its duck-like feet scramble for purchase, and when it stands, I get a full look with the light reflecting off the metal veins in the mine walls.
No neck. Half a meter tall. Pasty white with a matching white beard.
And the horns. Horns sharp and strong enough to break through the mountain walls.
Horns coming straight for me.
I grunt and shift the weight.
