It's time to sail for Lima, capital of Peru. The Esperanza leaves Barcelona with the hurras of an enthusiastic crowd.
Abord, Esteban and Zia, still in the hold, meet each other.
They discover they wear the same medallion around the neck.
Zia's one is complete, while Mendoza is keeping half of Esteban's medallion, representing the sun.
We learn that Mendoza is the one who abducted Zia from her people to discover their treasures and their gold.
The sea is rough and Esteban is sick.
Gaspard, Captain of the Spanish guard, discovers the two kids.
He wants to throw them overboard
but Mendoza arrives
and challenges Gaspard.
Commander Gomez and Captain Perez
are also in the confidence and hope that Zia would lead them to the cities of gold. However Gaspard had not been taken into the confidence and must let the kids with Mendoza.
Gomez is depicted as someone clever although Gaspard is more impulsive.
The days are passing by and Esteban feels better and better. One evening, he overhears Gomez explaining his plans to Gaspard
: they need Zia to discover the cities of gold and they will get rid of Mendoza once they arrive to Lima. Esteban tells what he heard to Mendoza,
who doesn't fear anything at that time because he is the navigator, thus indispensable.
Esteban learns gradually to have sea-legs
while the Esperanza continues his journey to the South Atlantic, among the whales.
For the Spanish, life on board is punctuated by fencing fightings
while Mendoza teaches Esteban and Zia the art of navigation.
One day, clouds of golden butterflies
are a sign that they finally approach the New World.
They will soon face the terrible strait of Magellan and its huge pyramidal waves. Mendoza, seasoned navigator, takes the helm.
The sea is rough and the boat is rocked in every sense...
