The Mysterious Cities of Gold

Esteban is called to the bedside of Brother Rodriguez where the old monk wishes to reveal all he knows of Esteban's history.

While in the hold of the ship, Esteban and Zia become friends.

The Esperanza draws closer to the Strait of Magellan.

As a tornado bears down on the Esperanza, Mendoza hands the wheel to Perez and searches for Esteban and Zia, who are still prisoners in the hold.

To their great relief, Esteban, Zia, Mendoza, Pedro and Sancho have landed on an island in the Galápagos; it seems uninhabited - they only find giant animals, one of which they manage to catch; Pedro and Sancho refuse to eat such food; they set off to find fare more worthy of their appetites, only to pass out when they come across a monstrous creature; Zia, after hearing the description of what they saw, concludes that it is a divine savior, Vilakochiya, a winged serpent.

Tao shares with his friends that he is the descendant of the people of Mu, a civilization whose empire was destroyed.