Inside the hollow cross was a map—not to gold, but to a hidden anchorage on the south coast of Hispaniola. There, buried beneath a ceiba tree marked with a red "X," was the real prize: three chests. One held 15,000 pieces of eight. Another held ceremonial Aztec masks studded with turquoise. The third held the personal log of Sir Francis Drake—missing for over a century, priceless beyond measure.

Emilia turned. From the sundial’s position, the pelican’s remaining eye gazed east, toward the old Portuguese cemetery. She counted three graves in from the rusted gate. The third grave marker was a smooth, black stone—and even in the dry season, its surface beaded with moisture. "Sweats."

Emilia sailed to Santiago, traded her captain’s coat for a nun’s habit, and entered the Convent of Santa Clara. Esperanza was old now, her eyes milky with cataracts. When Emilia whispered the name, the old woman smiled and handed her a wooden cross.