Leaves and twigs scraped across his skin as he broke through the vegetation. Once through, he opened his eyes to a giant, flat stone slab in the shape of a round table.
His body swung over the stone and he let go of the vine, landing on the table with finesse and precision just like he and Miri had practiced.
Once his feet were firmly planted, he took in his surroundings, looking up at the wall of stone protecting the slab from the elements and visibility. Water seeped from the wall, with bromeliads and orchids growing in the cracks.
He hopped off the stone, then turned back to it, running his hand along the top. The surface was partially covered in moss, but in the places where it was bare, an almost luminescent rock glistened, shimmering in the light peaking through the thick tree canopy above.
“Whoa,” Rafa said, gazing at the space and looking up toward the sky.
“ ‘Whoa’ is right,” Miri said, sidling up beside him.
He glanced down at her, but she was already staring at him. Beaming. Adorably proud of herself. She took his hand in hers, wrapping her other hand around his arm, then she looked at the stone slab, admiring her find.
Now Rafa was the one staring, unable to stop smiling. The heat of her body pressed against his, creating a fiery infernobetween them. But it was her smile, from her contentment, that filled every inch of him with warmth.
He missed her touch. Missed being near her. Sure, they were together, hiking with the others through the rainforest day in and day out, and he watched her from behind his camera lens, but it was the first time in more than two weeks they’d been alone since that night in her cabin before Anissa interrupted. The first time he could take in her lily of the valley scent, even underneath the sweat and ever-present twigs in her hair.
She hugged his arm, then glanced up at him again.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi,” she responded, her eyes sweet and her mouth curled into an almost impossibly cute smile.
“Hi,” he repeated involuntarily.
How did she do it? How did she manage to turn Rafa, a man who was, by all accounts, known for being good with words, into a bumbling doofus?
“What do you think?” she asked.
What do I think?He was thinking about how much time they had before the others made it through the ravine. Wondered whether any would take the shortcut on the vines. They likely only had minutes. Maybe seconds. It took everything for Rafa not to spin her into his arms and kiss her. What harm could a little kiss cause, after all?
“Beautiful,” he said.
“I know! And I fucking found it!” Miri said, releasing his arm and bringing him back to reality. Theexactplace where harm awaited.
Miri screamed with excitement, her scream quickly becoming laughter. She turned around, inspecting the stone. It was more of a boulder with a flat top. Even with the moss, dirt, andgrime caking its surface, it really was quite beautiful. Even if it wasn’t what Rafa had been referring to.
“What is this place?” Rafa asked as he circled around the stone, examining each angle. With slow, steady movements, he brought his camera to his eye, snapping photos of the stone and its surroundings.
“I…I think it might be the mesa de pedra,” she said. “This is it. This is the first landmark on the way to the Moon City.”
He scanned the stone. Whatever gemstone it was made of was magnificent, but in the end, it was only a rock. A large rock, yes, but just a rock. The placement of it was what was most spectacular, though, tucked back in this hidden botanical trove.
“And what exactly is that?” he asked. “The mesa de pedra.”
“It literally means ‘stone table,’ but many think this is the spot where the people of the Moon City would come and trade with other people in the Amazon. It was the farthest location from the city that they would regularly travel, and the closest they would allow others to come to the Moon City,” she explained.
“But isn’t that Portuguese? Mesa de pedra?”
“Well, yes. The people who lived in the Cidade da Lua likely spoke some other language. Perhaps some form of a Tupian or Arawak language. Their word for this place would have likely been lost over the centuries, though. So the landmarks are known by more common Portuguese terms.”
“What do you mean,landmarks?” Rafa lowered his camera and shot a confused glance at Miri.
Her eyes widened a bit, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Oh, I mean, there are probably other markers on the way toward the Moon City, don’t you think?” she said. But she was holding something back.
She quickly looked away, clearly trying to avoid eye contact. What wasn’t she telling him?
He couldn’t let her off that easy. Rafa was taking a step forward and opened his mouth to ask follow-up questions, when the wall of vines rustled behind them, stealing their attention. Dammit.
