Huge wings unfurled, flaring out to catch the cold high mountain air, and big legs stretched forth with big, sharp talons as if to pluck one of them bodily from the ground. But instead it just landed, almost at the young shaman’s feet. The big wings folded and it waddled over to butt its spiky, spiny head against the boy’s hip.

He laughed and scratched its neck. “This is Draco. He is an apu of the Air. He will also help introduce us to your mountains, Julio Hyncho. They will wake.”

Julio was beyond shocked, almost unable to process all that had happened in such a short time. He looked at the couple, a helpless expression on his face, and shrugged.

The woman smiled and spoke. “These mountains know you, Julio Hyncho. Your family has lived among them for generations, has reached an understanding. So we only wish to bring your tradition with us when we visit them. Use your ceremony and make an offering of something of yours so that the apu will know. Perhaps we could make an offering of a few of your potatoes?”

“How will you get there? It is still far from here, several days’ climbing,” Julio Valez asked.

“Do not worry. We will visit them today and be back before the sun has set. We only ask your assistance in preparing the proper offering for your apu,” the girl said.

Julio could only nod, his thoughts so jumbled by the complete and sudden change of this day’s path. So it was just a short time later that he and his wife, Qispi, showed the young couple how to bundle food and coca leaves into a brightly colored cloth hand woven by Qispi. At the young man’s request, Julio included a few different samples of his various potatoes. When both offerings were carefully knotted into the proper shapes, the young man and woman thanked them both profusely. Then they led the way back to the rear of the Land Rover and produced sealed bags. “These are, I am told, rare types of potatoes. Perhaps you may add them to the three hundred you already steward.”

He saw now that inside the bags were seeds, potato seeds, three, no four more varieties that he had never heard of.

“It is not much of a gesture, but we want to thank you for taking your precious time and helping us. We’ll head up to the mountains now,” Declan said, shaking Julio’s hand.

“How?” Julio asked, almost afraid of the answer.