WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES Chapter Forty-one

 WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES

Chapter Forty-one

- It was Anhangá!

It was Torquato, talking to Juvêncio, explaining his theories. According to him, Juvêncio had seen Jurupari, which was Anhangá's mount, who was walking around the world to quench his thirst. And he would only return to the corner of the beyond when he was satiated. Well, that somehow matched what the teacher had told him... that, from time to time, mysterious deaths occurred in that region. But... what the hell would this "Anhangá" be? Okay, he was a devil, that wasn't exactly what Juvêncio was wondering about... since the... Jurupari... (that was a giant lizard...) was the mount and also the weapon to harvest the victim, what would this Anhangá look like? It was hematophagous, that was true... as the victims were all found bloodless... but what would this animal look like?

Well, Juvêncio decided that he would have to hit the trail again, not only to try to find the three missing girls but also to find out something about the lizard... Jurupari. Delegate Santana released his assistant to assist him in the search.

They had been walking for a good couple of hours... the sun was very high in the sky. They were approaching the foot of the mountain, where Juvêncio had lost track of both the girls and the beast... well, now would be a good time to find both... after all, Torquato was good at discovering clues, and Juvêncio wasn't far behind... .

Before dismounting from their mounts, Juvêncio once again checked the loads of his revolvers and rifle, and asked his partner to do the same. Both loaded their weapons with silver bullets. And they brought spare ammunition made from the same material.

Juvêncio noticed that the girls' animals were still in the same place. That meant they would be somewhere around there. The two companions took off the animals' harnesses, so they could feel comfortable. Soon the horses mingled with the others. Both Juvêncio and Torquato looked for a safe place to leave their things, stocked up on ammunition other than what was on their belt and started walking. They walked cautiously, scrutinizing every corner looking for any sign that indicated the passage of anyone... until finally, Torquato found the entrance to the cave through which the girls entered.

Juvêncio was surprised by the discovery, as he had passed very close by, without noticing it. In any case, he breathed a sigh of relief, as they found signs of the girls' passage inside. They improvised a torch and began to follow the trail, which led them deeper and deeper into the mountain. At first the place was very humid, but as they progressed everything became drier and warmer. Finally they arrived at a place that, if it were open air, would be a plateau. It was a place that had very close to natural lighting...

In this place, the signs of the girls' passage were very clear, and the two partners had no difficulty in continuing to follow the track.

When they began their descent, the problems appeared... their torches had been completely consumed... nothing was left of them... in addition, the place began to be dark... it was as if night was approaching. And, to make things better, in front of them were several tunnel entrances... and the ground, which until then clearly showed the girls' passage, became hard, leaving no mark on the ground that would allow them to identify which direction they took...

- It's Anhangá... or Saci... one of them is trying to make us get lost, Juvêncio...

- Calm down, Torquato... we'll find the right path...

- In what way? We no longer have any torches... and we don't even know which cave they entered...

- Don't worry... we'll find the right way...

Torquato looked at his partner suspiciously... but since he didn't have much to do, he thought it best to keep quiet. After all, thinking about the worst only makes the worst happen... Well, his stomach was starting to complain... that meant it was already very late, and they would have to eat something... thankfully he had something in his bag. a piece of dried meat... Juvêncio continued to study the ground with great attention. Anyway, he announced to his partner…

- They continued that way....

Torquato was not very excited about the possibility of entering that darkness. But he knew it was the only way. However, he argued...

- How about we eat something first?

- You know there's no way to roast meat...

- No problem... with how hungry I am I would even eat it raw...

They took advantage of the remaining light in the cave and ate their cold meal. Then they entered the tunnel identified by Juvêncio. After a few meters, it was completely pitch black. They began to walk close to the wall, with great caution, as they could not see anything in front of them....

- Are you sure they came this way, police officer?

- That's what the signs indicated.....

- But how can anyone walk in this darkness?

- They did it... we will too...

- That's if we don't fall off a cliff...

Juvêncio had also thought about this possibility, but he preferred not to worry about it until it actually happened....

After walking gropingly through the darkness, they finally glimpsed a sliver of light in the distance... less bad, Juvêncio thought... at least they would be able to see where they were walking... and he could check if they were really on the right path...

Finally, the light... and the soft floor bore the print of the three girls' boots. Yes, they had passed that way, without a shadow of a doubt... but where were they going? According to Juvêncio's calculations, they had already walked a distance equivalent to at least a complete lap around the city, but always in a straight line and downwards... how far would they get down?

Juvêncio noticed that there was vegetation around him, and the lighting of the place seemed the same as in the fields where they came... if he hadn't known that they were underground, he could have sworn that he was walking through the meadows he was used to. .. For a moment he felt a shiver, as if they were telling him to go back the way he came. He shook his head to drive away the bad thoughts and tried to remain silent. He knew that if he expressed the feeling he had, his partner would simply be terrified. And this wasn't the time for that...

Juvêncio looked sideways at Torquato and noticed that the caboclo was sweating cold. He was tense. The boy held tight to the patuá that his shaman had given him. Juvêncio said nothing. He knew it didn't take much for Torquato to panic... Juvêncio decided to break the silence...

- Do you have any idea where we are, Torquato?

- Yes, delegate... we are in the Anhangá domain...