108
JUAN FRANCISCO BLANCO
little warriors from the outside not being devoured by Mah Col’s
flames, but they began to float upward. Soon they towered over
the heads of the three men, suspended in midair.
“Now, I want the truth! Where are my sister and Tital?”
Jonathan commanded in a stern voice.
The two severely frightened henchmen answered at once,
“Please! We do not know! Ki Mab ordered us to help him lure
you up here for sacrifice to Mah Col!” One tribesman got out
before Ki Mab could shove him over the edge into the volcano.
“No! I was going to throw the gold into Mah Col, and if that
was not enough I was going to throw my son into her mouth!” Ki
Mab screeched, pointing to Kuó.
“No father, I don’t want to die!” Kuó cried, as he pulled away
from the remaining warrior. “Leave me alone!”
“Throw my son into Mah Col!” Ki Mab ordered the warrior,
“Do it now!” The warrior grabbed young Kuó, but it was like
grabbing a wounded Borza. He pushed poor Kuó over the edge,
but Kuó grabbed the warrior’s arm, and both of them fell down
into Mal Col. Jonathan reached out with his finger, and pointed it
at the falling Kuó. Jonathan’s finger twitched, the invisible superpower came out of it, stopping Kuó’s fall. Kuó soon realized the
intense heat was not increasing, but the smoke kept him from
seeing that not only Jonathan, but Viviana also was concentrating
on keeping him alive and well. As he floated back upward, he
could only think of how his own father had ordered his death. He
was always a faithful son, and had obeyed his father all his life.
The betrayal on this mountain was almost more than he could
bear. At last, while his father looked over the edge, he rose up to
be eye-to-eye with his terrified father.”