by Lani Forbes
“My dear Prince Ahkin.” Atanzah enveloped him in color and sound and smell as she drew him into a bone-crushing embrace. “I wondered when you would be requiring my services. It was such a pleasure to arrange your sister’s match.”
“Thank you for coming, Atanzah,” he said, choking back a cough and taking a step back. As a child, he always avoided his mother’s friend for this very reason. Thankfully, she did not pinch his cheek or ruffle his hair in front of his advisors. “I am officially beginning the empress selection ritual so that—”
“—I can select the best wife and ensure the wedding ceremony is the most lavish the empire has seen this age.” She smiled widely as her eyes misted over, already lost in her visions and plans.
A nervous flutter tickled Ahkin’s stomach. This woman would embarrass him in front of the entire empire. “I have already sent word for the daughters of the noble families to come to the city. Can you see that the rooms are prepared for our arriving guests? I will also need your help in selecting some … tasks, I believe?” Atanzah nodded encouragingly. Ahkin continued. “Tasks to help us discern who will be most fit to serve as empress. I admit, I am unfamiliar with the process.”
“Of course, my lord. I remember your mother’s selection so clearly. It would be my pleasure.”
A sharp stab shot through Ahkin’s chest at the mention of his mother. She should be the one helping him select a wife, not Atanzah. The sudden anger and bitterness that swelled through him caught him by surprise, followed by a deep sense of shame. The gods would not appreciate his resistance to their demands. He dismissed the matchmaker with a heavy sigh to begin her likely ostentatious preparations, then turned back to the others.
“I believe that is all for now. Yaotl, please keep me updated on the status of the borders and our interactions with …”
“My lord, please wait,” Toani interrupted again. “I wish to discuss some troubling matters with you before we adjourn.”
Ahkin didn’t know what could possibly be more troubling than the pressure to live up to his father’s legacy, all while marrying a complete stranger and sentencing five others to die, providing descendants as soon as possible, protecting his people from the Miquitz Empire, and making sure the sun itself rose each morning. The image of his mother driving a dagger into her own heart kept flashing before his eyes. How could she have left him at such a crucial time? He needed her comfort now more than ever. He needed someone to believe in him.
“I have seen troubling signs in the stars. A comet with a tail as red as blood has appeared in the heavens, and the Great Star has faded.”
He had intended to speak to the high priest about the Great Star fading, but the events of the morning had pushed the thought from his mind. What were bleeding stars compared to the bleeding body of his mother?
A sense of foreboding warned him against asking Toani to elaborate, but he had to. What was one more burden to add to the enormous load he already carried at this point?
“What do such signs indicate?” He ran a hand through his short hair. The air in the room was heavy with anticipation.
“I am not entirely sure yet, but I fear the coming turmoil to be dangerous to the well-being of the Chicome people as a whole.”
“Another apocalypse?” Yaotl asked the question everyone else seemed too afraid to voice.
Ahkin swallowed hard, his mouth dry.
“Let us hope the signs do not point in that direction. I will continue my studies and inform you as soon as I can.” The old priest hesitated, fixing sad eyes upon Ahkin. “But I fear that Emperor Acatl’s sudden death is not a good omen.”
Were the gods angry at him for his lack of faith? Of all the burdens that could exist in the world, an apocalypse was not one Ahkin’s shoulders could bear.
Chapter
4
“See? This isn’t so bad. You’ve done every ritual so far without a single problem.” Mayana’s oldest brother, Chimalli, flicked the back of her hair playfully. He had already seen twenty-three cycles of the calendar, and like all her brothers, with the exception of Tenoch, who had only seen eight calendar cycles, he towered over her, especially with the crown of blue feathers sticking up from his messy dark hair.
Mayana set down the basket of corn flatbread she had just blessed. As the designated bloodletter for the festival that day, Mayana had led dances, signaled the start of the ball games, and blessed food at various smaller gatherings throughout the city with the prayers her father had taught her since she was a child. The feast for the royal family and gathered guests would be held later at their stone palace.
Mayana furrowed her brow at him. “I don’t mind these rituals, it’s the sacrifices I hate.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is.” Chimalli grabbed a flatbread out of the basket and shoved the entire thing into his mouth.
“That’s disgusting. You’ll never find a wife if you eat like that in front of her.”
Chimalli opened his mouth and showed her the wad on his tongue.
“You’re a beast.”
Chimalli chuckled and chewed a few more times before swallowing. “Seriously, Mayana. I know you want to make Father proud more than anything, and you know the best way to do that is to just do the sacrifice.”
Mayana grimaced and turned to walk away. “Of course I want to make him proud. But forgive me if I don’t enjoy butchering animals because some ancient ritual says it protects us from—”
Chimalli grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her back rather roughly.
“Chimalli!”
“Don’t ever let Father hear you say that. You have a tender heart, but you need to learn to silence it and do your duty to your people.”
Mayana yanked her arm back, her cheeks burning again. “I know. Believe me, Father’s already made his thoughts on the matter clear.”
“So why won’t you just do your duty without such a fight?”
Something hot and angry writhed in her gut. “I am doing my duty. I am leading the prayers, the dances …”
“And you will lead tonight’s sacrifice to appease the gods.”
“Why don’t you go jump off the temple, Chimalli?”
Her brother gave her a long warning glare before wiggling his eyebrows and disappearing after a group of giggling merchant daughters. She crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue at his retreating form.
The anticipation of the evening’s coming events soured her against any kind of frivolity. Her twin brothers, Achto and Aquin, each twenty cycles old, tried to get her to pole fly with them—a request she quickly rejected. Dressed as birds, with ropes tied around their feet, her brothers jumped from the top of the high pole and swung in circles around it, suspended by their ankles. Exactly fifty-four revolutions in honor of the calendar stone. She shook her head with a shudder, imagining the pounding in their skulls from being upside down for so long. All the gold in the capital would not be enough to make her join them. At fourteen cycles old, her other brother, Mati, should be busy playing with his friends or older brothers too. But Mayana guessed he was probably busy lurking around the temple reading and memorizing any codex sheet he could get his curious little hands on.
By the time the sun began to set and the shell horns signaled the return to the palace, she had followed the rituals exactly as the holy texts instructed. Her relief, however, was temporary. The real test of her conviction would take place before the feast.
“Mayana,” the lord of Atl greeted her when she took her seat on a cushion beside him. “How did today go?”
She could hear his hidden meaning: Did you follow the codex?
“I did my duty.” Mayana looked down at her knees.
“Your duties are not yet finished.” He dipped his chin and fixed her with a meaningful glare.
Her stomach churned. I have to do it, she told herself. It will be over soon.
Every member of the royal family, both immediate and extended, filled the central botanical garden of the palace. Mayana’s five brothers sat circled around her and her father, while her aunts, uncles, and cousins branched out in rings like those on the sacred calendar stone. The empty space beside her father drew her attention for the briefest moment and her throat tightened—Mayana didn’t want to think about her mother.
“Did you see the red comet in the sky?” a voice whispered close by. She turned to find the source of the comment, but with so many voices chattering, she couldn’t tell who had spoken. Goosebumps rose on her arms.
Royal guests from other city-states lounged on Atl’s finest cushions, sprinkled among the crowd like the drops of her blood on the sacrificial papers. Ceremonial feasts were as much a political event as they were religious—a chance to show her family’s power and prestige. A man from the city of Ocelotl lounged nearby, the skin of a jaguar draped across his expansive shoulders.
Her palms grew moist, so she wiped them on the fabric of her skirt.
Servants meandered through the loud, sweaty crowd carrying small bowls of pulque, a fermented drink made from the sap of a maguey plant. Those too young for the pulque received a drink made of cacao. The codex dictated exactly what and when the Chicome could eat and drink during the ceremonies. The rest of the food would not be brought out until … well, until she fulfilled the next ritual.
Her father stood, and the babbling voices around them quieted. He spread his arms wide, embracing the crowd. His many ornaments rattled into the sudden silence. Mayana could smell the roasted meat and corn cakes waiting just out of view and her mouth watered in anticipation.
“My family and honored guests.” He nodded to the man from Ocelotl and several others. Mayana took a sip of her cacao drink and tried to stop her hands from trembling. “We are safe from floods and drought for another three months.” The room exploded into excited yells and exclamations before the lord of Atl hushed them.
“Let us now honor the Mother Ometeotl and the sacrifice her divine children made with a sacrifice of our own to bless the food we are about to eat. The great city of Ocelotl has brought to us a beast in honor of the month of the bird.”
Mayana’s father gestured to the visitor with the jaguar pelt. The man rose gracefully to his feet before gouging his palm with an obsidian blade much larger than Mayana’s tiny knife. He waved his bleeding hand in a great arc, and a flock of birds erupted through an open window. This did not surprise Mayana in the slightest. Royal naguals from the city-state of Ocelotl used their divine blood to possess and control the spirits of animals.
Birds swirled around the courtyard like a black-and-yellow raincloud, singing their hauntingly beautiful melodies. Their music stirred something deep within her heart. Tears pricked behind her eyes, but she held them back, knowing they would accomplish nothing. The crowd clapped and squealed in delight. Her little brother jumped to his feet and batted at the birds with his hands, but one look from their father quelled his excitement. He quickly returned to his cushion, head bowed in respect.
Lord Atl slowly paced toward the burning pit sunk into the center of the courtyard and motioned for Mayana to follow. She rose—still shaking slightly—and tightly gripped the wooden handle of her obsidian dagger. Holding onto something solid gave her strength. Saying a silent prayer to the Mother goddess, Mayana begged to be spared from the ritual, from causing a scene and disappointing her father again.
With the flick of the royal nagual’s finger, a single black-and-yellow bird broke away from the flock, landing delicately on her wrist. Mayana cupped the tiny creature in her other hand. The bird stared up at her with a glassy black eye, tilting its head as though asking a question. Her stomach dropped. She couldn’t do this.
Mayana looked at her father, tears building despite her best effort, and silently pleaded for him to stop her.
“Mayana.” The lord of Atl barely moved his lips. “You must.”
“Father—” Her voice broke. “Please.”
“If you do not, you risk the safety and well-being of the entire Chicome Empire,” he growled through gritted teeth.
“I did everything else. I did it all perfectly, Father.”
“We are not doing this again. You will do your duty this time, or so help me Mayana …”
She sucked in a breath. She hated sacrificing animals even more than sacrificing her own blood. At least her hand would be healed … unlike the bird’s throat. Her empathy toward the small creature was overwhelming, especially when she thought of her dog Ona and what her father had done to him. But she couldn’t refuse. Her mother wasn’t here to save her anymore.
This was her duty, no matter how hard her heart screamed in protest. Her father would force her hands to do it, just like he had last time. Hot tears slid down her cheeks, but she slowly lifted the blade of her knife toward the bird’s neck. She hated this ritual. Hated it.
At that moment, a man burst through the woven tapestry covering the main entrance. Mayana dropped the hand with the blade to her side, exhaling the breath she was holding. The newcomer was dressed in a white cotton cloak that glittered with golden thread. The flaps of his loincloth hung to his knees and jingled with tiny bells. Upon his dark hair sat a headband of small yellow feathers, reminding Mayana of a cockatoo with yellow plumage.
Everyone in the room recognized the colors at once. This man was from Tollan, the golden capital born from the first darkness—the City of the Sun.
He gripped the stone frame of the doorway, leaning against it and panting hard. The crowd waited, the silence in the room thicker than corn cakes. A feeling like cold water rose in Mayana’s chest. She felt as though she was drowning.
Whatever news he held, it would not be good.
Chapter
5
The glittering golden visitor from Tollan took several gasping breaths and fixed his eyes upon Mayana’s father.
“The Lord of the Sun is dead.”
The silence that had filled the room shattered with a sudden buzzing like angry bees. Mayana looked to her father, unsure how to proceed. He stared at the man from Tollan, his mouth hanging open slightly. She took her chances and loosened her grip. The bird fluttered out of her hand and through the window it had come from, but the lord of Atl was too distracted to notice.
“Emperor Acatl is … dead?”
The man pushed himself off the doorframe and stood straight, meeting her father’s gaze with a sorrowful nod.
The lord of Atl fell to his knees and ripped the many necklaces from around his neck. The beads clattered onto the floor and rolled out of sight, scattering like ants on the jungle floor. The guests in the room continued to whisper as the lord of Atl bent forward and cradled his head in his hands.
“That is not the only reason I am here,” the newcomer said.
To Mayana’s surprise, her father lifted his head and looked, not at the golden, glittering man from Tollan, but at her. His face suggested he had seen a night spirit. His fear seeped into her like something contagious and her heart began to race. Why was he staring at her like that?
“The prince … he is to become emperor?” His voice sounded strained.
“Yes, Lord Atl. You know what that means.”
“I do.” He rose slowly to his feet. “Hona, I need you to finish the sacrifice and begin the meal. I wish to speak to my sons and daughter alone.”
Mayana’s uncle rushed forward to finish the ritual while the nagual summoned another bird. If her father was going to have her uncle perform the ceremony instead, something was seriously wrong. Mayana was grateful she would not have to witness the sacrifice, let alone perform the ritual herself, but that now seemed to be the least of her worries.
Her father strode purposefully from the room and her brothers followed, their eyebrows pulled together. Mayana jumped and ran after them, leaving the buzzi
ng of the crowd behind her.
The lord of Atl marched them through the palace, through curtain after curtain, until they reached the great stone room where his throne sat—a room reserved for politics. He stopped, facing her in the midst of the richly decorated chairs and benches overflowing with animal furs. The trickling fountains that dripped water from the ceiling into jade bowls along the back wall usually soothed her, but not tonight.
Why had he brought them there?
“Mayana,” her father said, the words coming out in a rush. “The codex stipulates that the prince cannot rule until he has an empress by his side. Do you know how the empress of Tollan is chosen?”
“N-n-no.” Mayana shivered despite the suffocating heat. She had never heard that part of the codex. She’d assumed it did not apply to life here in Atl. Chimalli covered his mouth with his hand, eyes wide with shock.
“The empress is chosen from one of the other city-states, a way to encourage unity and to keep the divine bloodline strong. Each city must send one noble daughter to the prince. The matchmaker helps the prince choose a wife,” her father explained.
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Tenoch said.
Mayana studied the expressions of her brothers and father. She was the only daughter. The lord of Atl would have to send her to the prince.
“Well, I’ll just go and do my best to not be chosen. It shouldn’t be hard.” She crossed her arms. It was a simple solution, so why did her father and oldest brother still look like someone had died?
“Mayana …” Her father’s eyes swam with uncharacteristic tears. “The princesses not chosen are sacrificed to Ometeotl … to bless the emperor’s marriage and reign.”
