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As theywater increased and reverberated within the confined space The air had cooled considerably and s They rushed forward, anxiously hoping each bend in the passage was the last And then the walls abruptly spread into the darkness and they rushed headlong into what seemed like a vast cathedral that revealed the mountain as incredibly hollow

Shannon screah the chae rock concert amplifiers She clutched the first body that was handy, in this case, Pitt's

Giordino, not one to scare easily, looked as if he'd seen a ghost

Rodgers stood petrified, his outstretched ar the Coleman lantern

"Oh, good God," he finally gasped, hypnotized by the ghostly apparition that rose in front of theht "What is it?"

Pitt's heart puh his syste figure that looked like a monstrosity out of a science fiction horror movie

The huge specter was a ghastly sight Standing straight, the apparition towered above the teeth, its eye sockets wide open Pitt judged the horror to be a good head taller than hih poised in the act of bashing out an intruder's brains, a bony hand held an ornate battle club with a notched edge The Coleure that looked as if it were encased in yellowish alass resin Then Pitt determined what it was

The last guardian of Huascar's treasure had been frozen for all timite

"How did he get like that?" Rodgers asked in awe

Pitt pointed to the roof of the cavern "Ground water dripping fro released carbon dioxide that splattered on the guardian and eventually covered hi of calcite crystals In tiift shop acrylic resin paperweight"

"But how in the world could he die and re out of her initial fright

Pitt ran his hand lightly over the crystallized mantle "We'll never know unless we chisel him out of his transparent to heposition with his arm raised, and then he took his life, probably by poison"

"These guys took their jobs seriously," muttered Giordino

As if drawn by some mysterious force, Shannon moved within a few centimeters of the hideous wonder and stared up into the distorted face beneath the crystals "The height, the blond hair He was Chachapoya, one of the Cloud People"

"He's a long way from home," said Pitt He held up his wrist and checked the tio before the Cole"