The Serpent Road

by Anthony James

  “Because one of them just changed colour.”

  “What!”

  Tohil turned to look at her, at the wall. She was right. His heart started racing once more. What did that mean? He glanced back down at the coffin, at the transparent cover, at the Seelee’s figure, but he couldn’t see any change. And then it happened. Slowly, slowly, its eyes opened. They were a milky blue. He had never seen eyes that colour before. He didn’t have time to wonder at that shade though, his heart was hammering and he knew he had to do something now. Right now. For the moment, the Seelee appeared not to have seen him, nor seen anything. It was staring up through the transparent cover.

  What could he do? He didn’t know.

  Xquic had noticed what he was seeing as well.

  “You need to do something,” she said and gripped his arm.

  The action shook him out of his stunned panic, his immobility. The answer had to lie at the calendar table somehow. He strode quickly out of the room and back up to the table’s edge. She was right. He had to do something and he had to do it now. He had to trust what was in him, what had been placed there, the knowledge that had been granted to him, piece by piece. Steeling himself and taking a deep breath, he reached out one hand and placed it firmly in the depression on the table. And then the words came to him. He didn’t quite know how he knew, but he knew.

  “Open,” he said. Once more the display blossomed into life.

  “Initiate sequence,” he said and then, “Tzacol.”

  The astronomer scrabbled with his papers. “Yes, yes,” he said.

  “Initiate calendar,” said Tohil. “Restart sequence.”

  “Period,” said the voice.

  “Give it these numbers,” said the astronomer. He reeled off a string of figures and Tohil repeated them in Seelee words.

  “Parameters accepted,” said the voice.

  “Initiate sequence,” said Tohil.

  There was a moment of silence. He risked a glance to the side. There was no apparent action from the rooms over there.

  Finally, after it seemed as if the silence would last forever, the voice came again. “Sequence initiated.”

  All around them, in each of the side chambers, something was happening. Different noises were coming from the rooms.

  “Xquic, go and look,” he said, not daring to remove his hand.

  “The boxes have changed,” she called. “They’ve gone back to that white. You can’t see through them anymore.”

  At least he could hope that it meant they were closing the boxes off, sealing them tight. Tohil held his breath. The last of the noises ceased, and then they were surrounded by echoing silence. Slowly, he let out a sigh.

  Gratefully, he spoke one last word.

  “Close,” he said.

  The lights winked out of existence above the table and finally, finally, he withdrew his hand. He stood there for several moments, listening. None of them made a sound. The noise of his own breathing seemed loud in his own ears.

  He stood there for a moment more and then turned to the astronomer. “What were those numbers,” he asked.

  “As far as my calculations put it, they will take us to the end of a new calendar cycle.”

  “And what does that mean?” said Xquic.

  “Twenty generations, thirty.”

  He turned to look at Acab, lying there at the bottom of the steps, sprawled in a pool of blood. His friend had made his sacrifice after all. Things could have gone so differently.

  “How do we know it worked?” Xquic asked.

  Tohil looked around the chamber, into the spaces beyond the arched doors. He stood there listening for a few moments, but there was no more noise.

  “I don’t know,” he said thoughtfully, looking through at the innumerable coffin shapes that lay beyond. “I think, in the end, we will know one way or another. If it didn’t, then I don’t think it’s going to matter for very long. Whatever happens will be out of our control. Then, it will be in the hands of the gods.”

  He stepped across and took her hands. “And thank you,” he said.

  She looked away, and then, suddenly she leaned up and kissed him. As she stepped back again, he kept hold of her hands, looking into her eyes. He did not have any words.

  “So, what do we do now?” she said.

  For a moment, he wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about, but then he realised that she meant the temple. Tohil looked across at the astronomer, who stood shuffling his notations, glancing at the table on and off, and muttering quietly to himself. Tzacol felt them looking at him and met their gaze.

  “I suppose we will know in time,” said the astronomer. “I, for one, would just like to get out of this place.”

  Tohil nodded. “Yes, we should leave. We should seal this place, close it off.”

  And then he had another thought. “But we saw so many rooms here. We know that I can open them now. They cannot all be full of these coffins. Those first two rooms we saw. What was in them? Think about what we could learn. What we need to learn.”

  Xquic shook his hand. “That might be for another day,” she said and released her grip. “What about the village? What about the battle? It might not be over yet.”

  Tohil glanced across at Acab again. “And if Acab is here….”

  “Tepeu,” said Xquic.

  “Yes,” said Tohil, but he didn’t have a good feeling about it at all.

  “And Acab?”

  Tohil pressed his lips into a thin line. “We leave him here with his gods,” he said and with those words, he bent down, retrieved his staff, and headed for one of the other staircases that would lead them out of this chamber and back to what might await them outside. Quietly, to himself, he was starting to consider what it might mean, what made a god. He knew he would have to be very careful about those thoughts.

  Then they rose up in the midst of the light, and instantly they were lifted into the sky. One was given the sun, the other, the moon. Then the arch of heaven and the face of the earth were lighted. And they dwelt in heaven.

  — Popol Vuh, Part II, Chapter 14

  THIRTY-TWO

  Cautiously, they retraced their steps, alert to any noises that might come down the corridors towards them. Tohil was afraid they would run into a group of enemy warriors at any moment, but they reached the end of the corridor with the small silver box without further incident. All along the way, Tohil was filled with a sense of anti-climax, that there should be more. He knew, deep within, that if there was going to be a proper struggle against the Seelee, it would not happen in his lifetime, nor for any lifetime soon, or at least he could hope for that. That was, if what they had just achieved had worked. All he had really managed was a holding action, a long pause that would give his people, all the people a chance to prepare. In the end, it could only be a chance. How could they ever hope to match the Seelee magic? Perhaps, generations from now, it would turn out to be all for nothing and the people would end up serving the Seelee’s ends once more.

  He opened the small silver box and they stepped inside. It took him a couple of attempts to work out that he needed to depress the top square and then the door slid shut again and the silver box jounced and then shuddered into life. As they reached the top and the door slid open, he could feel the anticipation, the tension of what might be revealed.

  The chamber was dark again, but there were figures, standing silhouetted against the light from the vast temple doors. He knew he had closed them. Acab must have left them open. He could tell the shapes were warriors. Xquic lifted her bow. Tohil glanced down at the staff in his hand and knew it would never be enough. There were at least a dozen figures there. They seemed not to have noticed the new arrivals. Resigned, he stepped forward. If this was the way it was to end, then so it would be. He had done what he had come here to do. As he took his first steps, the lighted ceiling stones flared into life, illuminating the wide empty space. Then came shout of dismay from the doorway. Warrior figures looked upward, attention fo
cussed on the source of the light. Tohil knew that reaction, knew what they must be feeling. And then, a moment later, he relaxed, recognising the people that stood there. Jaguars and Eagles were amongst them and one or two faces from the village, warriors that had fought to defend this place time and time again. Tohil put out a hand, forcing Xquic to lower her bow.

  “Friends,” he said.

  With that single word, Xquic also realised who stood there. At the same time, the warriors, no longer distracted by the light above had seen them too. They lowered their weapons and stood waiting. Tohil walked forward across the wide, open space towards them. A couple of the warriors were turned, facing the outside, still on guard.

  As they approached, the group of warriors parted allowing an old familiar figure to pass.

  “Haracan!” said Tohil.

  “Yes, Tohil,” said the old man. “I still live, thanks to the grace of the gods.”

  He stepped forward, gripped Tohil by the shoulders. “And look at you,” he said. “What have you become? A magician by your clothes.”

  Tohil smiled, despite himself. “I am no magician,” he said.

  “You may say that,” said Haracan, “but it seems you have performed some magic, that you are able to perform magic.” He waved his hand at the ceiling, at the doorway. “Is this not magic?”

  “Of a sort,” said Tohil. “But it’s not really magic.”

  “And who is this? It is Xquic, am I right?”

  Xquic lowered her head slightly, the traditional gesture of respect.

  “And this?” He had turned his attention to Tzacol.

  “I am Chief Astronomer to the Dwarf King.”

  “We are honoured,” said Haracan dipping his head in turn.

  Tzacol gave a short laugh. “There is no honour here,” he said. “Only duty.” He glanced at Tohil. “And those who are brave.”

  Haracan lifted his head and nodded slowly.

  “Tell us,” said Tohil. “You must have prevailed. How is it outside?”

  Haracan sighed. “We managed to push them back, drive them away. But not without cost. Without the warriors that you brought with you, all would have been lost. We have many fallen.” He looked curiously around the empty chamber. “But I see nothing here. Did you manage to do what needed to be done?”

  “For now, I think so,” said Tohil. “There is far more here within the temple, but to explain right now would take too long. We should get out of here, close this place again.”

  Xquic suddenly gripped his arm. “Tepeu!” she said and as soon as she had spoken his name, she pushed through the clustered warriors and dashed for the entrance. She was right. Tohil had forgotten about him and he felt ashamed at the realisation. He too pushed his way through.

  Tepeu lay where they had left him, Xquic crouched over his still form. A necklace of red ringed his neck, blood covering his throat and shoulder. Xquic stroked his forehead.

  “Oh, Tepeu,” she said. Slowly she stood, looking down at him. “He was a funny boy,” she said quietly, thoughtfully.

  Other bodies lay around the entrance, Bird People, other warriors, Jaguars alike. The battle had been fierce. Haracan and the Jaguars still stood in the doorway with the astronomer, watching them.

  “Come out of there,” said Tohil, and as they did, he moved across to the place beside the door, placed his hand upon it. With a great grinding, the door started to rise, bringing more looks of wonder from the assembled group. It slammed into place with a noise that shook through the very rocks at their feet, closing the inner temple away. Tohil stood looking at the vast doorway, considering. It would keep the interior safe, but they would need to be watchful. Who knew when another like himself might come to open it, to try and awaken the Seelee once more.

  Haracan was staring at the temple doors as well.

  “Magic,” he breathed quietly. Then he seemed to shake himself. “Come, we should go below,” he said and started leading the way.

  They passed down the steps and at last Tohil could see the devastation. Bodies were everywhere. Wounded lay, some propped up against the sides of houses, others simply where they had fallen, here and there people leaning over them, attending to their injuries. He could see, even from here, that some of them wouldn’t make it. They wound through the village, people looking up, staring at the procession, turning to look at each other, to pass comment in low voices. Tohil ignored them all.

  Once they reached the House of the Elders, Haracan drew them inside. A couple of the Jaguars took up position at the door, but the remaining warriors joined them inside. A couple of the other Elders were already inside. They looked up at the new arrivals, saying nothing, looks of distress upon their faces, seeking some word from Haracan as he entered.

  “It is done,” he told them, and they visibly relaxed. As they made note of Tohil, how he was attired, they were unable to contain their looks of surprise.

  One by one, the new arrivals found places to seat themselves.

  “What now?” said Tohil.

  “I will return to the Great City,” said the astronomer. “You can no longer stand here on your own. Not now, not with everything that has taken place. You cannot remain as a small village as you have. There will be more attacks, more attempts at the temple. You can be sure of that. The Dwarf King will send others. I think it will not be long before you become much more than a village here.”

  “That’s fine,” said Xquic. “But shouldn’t we be outside helping.”

  One of the Elders looked at her with a shocked expression, but Haracan nodded at her. “There are enough out there to take care of what needs to be done,” he said.

  She subsided, but reluctantly.

  “Are you sure the temple remains closed,” he asked Tohil.

  Tohil thought for a moment. “For now,” he said. “But we will have to keep watching. More might come.”

  “And how do you know this?” asked one of the other Elders.

  Tohil had no choice then. Briefly he explained what had happened beneath the Grand Palace, what the calendar table had done to him, the Seelee poison that had affected his mind and the dreams and knowledge that had grown inside him. Finally, he finished and said one last thing.

  “But I am but one.”

  The Elders looked at each other in silent consultation.

  “You may be just one,” said Haracan. “But you have the magic. We will need you in the times ahead.”

  Even though that though brought mixed feelings with it, Tohil knew that they were right. Xquic reached out and took his hand.

  “Hmm,” said Haracan, noting the gesture. “But it seems you will not be alone in that,” he said.

  oOo

  The rest of the day and well into the evening, the clean-up had continued, dealing with wounded, with the bodies, till there were few traces of the battle that had taken place apart from the patches of ground, where the blood had seeped into the earth leaving dark stains, unavoidable, bringing more memories of what had happened there. The Elders had assigned a new house to Tohil. No longer would he remain in the young men’s house. Xquic would be sharing his new place. This much at least pleased him.

  Tzacol had departed with a contingent of warriors the next morning, leaving a number of the Jaguars and Eagles behind. And meanwhile, the Elders counted the cost of the attack. The village had been hit hard, but looking at the count of the fallen, so had the enemy. They would both take some time to recover.

  After Tzacol’s departure Tohil and Xquic had wandered up the temple steps, away from the rest of the village. Right then, they just wanted to be alone, to talk, to think about what was to come.

  Standing there, Tohil looked out over the village at the place of his people, a people that now had time to grow and learn, to take the steps they would need to take as a race over time. He took Xquic’s hand in his own and looked at her. She returned his smile, full of warmth. He turned to look back down at the village, thinking. He thought about sacrifice and loss, about Acab, Quapar and
Oquis and what drove people to make certain choices. He thought about the things that filled his head, about the Seelee. Perhaps somewhere among the Bird People or the Skulls, or the other warrior tribes who made sacrifices to their gods, was someone else like him, someone like Acab as well, as it turned out. For now, they could simply guess, but he suspected that it was the case. He turned to look back at the temple. In the meantime, they would continue to guard what lay below. His people would truly have time to learn and eventually, perhaps, there would come a time when they knew enough to deal with the Seelee threat. In the meantime, their task would continue, and it would pass on to their children and their children’s children. Many years from now, there would come another like him, and he or she would have a task to do, but the task would be different. He turned back to Xquic then with that thought, and another smile came with it. The one who would come after them could certainly be a woman too.

  He turned back to the temple doors. He could open them now and close them. And what lay below was a trove of things that they could study and thereby progress. It might be many generations before they would have enough knowledge to use any of them, but that time would surely come, and perhaps, just perhaps, it would be sooner than he expected. They might have to battle along the way as well, but that was worth it to protect their future.

  Together, they turned, and as the sun shone down upon them in a clear blue sky, hand in hand, they walked down the temple hill and back into the village towards their house. Later, Tohil knew, they would need to visit the house of the Elders. Later still, he would need to craft a message to the Dwarf King. Somewhere, deep below the temple, perhaps there was something that would make that communication a little easier. Somehow, he suspected that possibility had to exist. Perhaps one day soon, they would find it.

  - The End -

  AFTERWORD

  The Popol Vuh is the major text containing the creation myths of the Mayan people. For many years, the only copies were those transcribed by a Franciscan monk in the 18th C. These texts were clearly influenced by the Catholic beliefs and have altered the underlying story. This version was translated into several languages and remained the sole source of these creation myths. Recently however, while investigating the water collection system at the city of El Mirador in northern Guatemala's Petén rain forest, a team of archaeologists led by Richard Hansen of Idaho State University uncovered a sculptural panel with one of the earliest depictions of the Maya creation story. This discovery was made in 2009. The sculpture dates to the same period as some of the earliest artwork to depict the Popol Vuh, the murals at San Bartolo and a stela at Nakbe, two other nearby cities and dates to about 200 B.C.