The Gateway
Revised Edition 2010
by
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Peru, 1920 The large, weathered hand tore through snarled vegetation, determined to grasp the rock’s edge. Thorns ripped his clothes as he climbed, making his way to the summit before the sun rose to its zenith. A man of rugged bearing, Joseph Bennett followed a singular path in his search for the truth; in this case, his lifelong quest to reveal the secret of the ancients…that hallowed, undiscovered sanctuary, certain of its place of honor and secrecy, in the direct path of the sun and high in the sky. The heavy mist and unforgiving cold stung his face, though moisture ran from every pore. Pulling a scarf from his hip pocket, he brushed dark hair from his forehead and wiped away the sweat, then tied the band around his head as discerning eyes surveyed the inhabitable terrain. Steadying himself, he continued the brutal climb upward into the fog, fighting the elements, enduring the physical pain. His calf muscles burned, his lungs wanted to burst with the lack of oxygen, yet focused on his task, he pressed forward, eyes seeking and clutching the nearest handhold. Below him, vertical terraces plunged into the bottomless gorge of the Urubamba canyon. Vertigo threatened. His feet kept a tenuous hold on the slippery stones that lay buried in centuries of mud and brush, as he clung to the sacred mountain. A fall now would be fatal. Summoning all of his strength, he reached the top, out of breath, but alive! Bending over, he pulled in several long gulps of the pure, thin air then stood up straight amidst the aged wonders. I must find it here… Pulling the journal from his satchel, he documented the climb. Then setting the pack where he could come back for it later, he began his search. When his team arrived later that morning at the overgrown ruins of Machu Picchu, the fog had lifted. An eerie stillness enveloped the timeless ridge, as though the spirits of the last Incas remained, safeguarding their city. After a whole day at the site, all they had found of their expedition leader was his old, leather knapsack. It lay on a boulder at the top of the massive, vertical cone-shaped peak that towered high above the Inca refuge. Joseph Bennett, however, was never seen again…
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About the Book
When a twentieth-century archeologist discovers a sacred altar at the abandoned, overgrown ruins of Machu Picchu in 1920, he vanishes from the site just as the solstice sun strikes the altar at a precise moment—activating an ageless gateway into another time. Joseph Bennett is never seen again. Seventy-two years later, Bennett’s disappearance sparks the interest of his great-grandson, Christopher Giordano. Equipped only with Joseph’s journal, Christopher travels to Machu Picchu, determined to solve the mystery that has plagued his family for three generations. In retracing his great-grandfather’s last steps, Christopher discovers the ancient altar and finds himself hurled back five hundred years to an Inca civilization on the brink of annihilation. Yet it is here that he meets Shama, an extraordinary Inca Priestess; together they discover a love so powerful that he is torn between his two worlds in two infinitely different centuries. As Christopher and Shama find themselves caught up in the rituals, power plays, and the disintegration of Inca society, Christopher must decide whether to stay in the sixteenth century or return to his family in present time. But is it even possible to return? His choice will determine whether he and Shama live or die.
About the Author
JoAnna Christine Daniels is the author of eight novels including Eye of the Solstice, the second book in her Inca series. She lived in Europe for five years, has traveled extensively, and speaks four languages. JoAnna currently lives in Southern California, but she enjoys spending time in the Colorado Rockies with her three sons.