After the explosion of the Solaris
. The only wish of the young Inca is then to return to her village, towards the south. Tao notes that they will have to go through the fortress of Pizarro and meet the Spanish army there. Esteban then suggests to speak with Apo, the old wise man of the village of Tohaka. Mendoza declares that Sancho, Pedro and himself will be on this trip: he wants to put Zia in confidence by traveling with her to make her talk.
Meanwhile, in Tumbes, Pizarro expresses his impatience and anger with Commander Gomez, to whom Zia has once again escaped. Convinced that the children are still alive, Governor Pizarro asks him again to find them.
With Apo, the children don't get any information on another possible route to the south, other than Tumbes.
The old man, however, mentions the name of Pasha, former Inca priest prisoner of Pizarro. This man could, according to Apo, lead them to South if they manage to find him. Esteban then thinks of the pipes under the fort through which they escaped. At the fort, the prisoners are busy rebuilding the powder magazine. Mendoza suggests hiding among them to enter the fort.
Despite their efforts of discretion, they are quickly identified by Gaspard and rush in an evacuation conduit.
Pizarro is quickly informed of this, and thinks of old Pasha in the sewers and goes after them. At the bend of an underground staircase, our friends face with a very old temple.
There they meet Pasha, asleep. Obeying to a prophecy, the old man guides all of them to an exit toward the south.
Unfortunately, they meet Pizarro with Gomez and Gaspard.
While fleeing, all follow a secret itinerary known only to Pasha. They succeed in sowing the Spanish troop and land in a room whose ceiling is supported by a huge ice pillar.
Pasha then claims that the god Cucharaca, guardian of the temple, will help them "with all his power".
On a wall, the three children move stone signs representing various stars.
Then everything happens very quickly:
a dazzling solar mechanism
melts the collapsing ice pillar
, and the fort and the temple crumble.
Sancho vainly tries to save the old priest who perishes, carried away by the benevolence of Cucharaca.
Finally, the wall of stones opens and gives way to a tunnel
in which our friends penetrate, but they are separated in the panic of the landslide.
Thanks to Pasha's sacrifice, all come out and take the southern path separately ...
