“Figures.”
They left the retaining wall, walked down the elevated walkway, and into the ravine. It was easy to retrace his steps of the night before. He didn’t need to be an Apache brave in order to follow his broken trail.
They came to the mound where he had rested. “I can’t believe you got this far,” Maria said. “The brush is so thick that you’d need a machete.”
“Fear is a great motivator.”
The cave was only a short distance from the mound. In the dark it had seemed like miles. It was larger than he’d realized. In the middle of the floor was the residue left from the fire.
“This is it,” Zack said standing over the blackened spot.
“Now what?” Maria asked.
Now what indeed? Had he really expected the Mayan chimán to be here waiting for him?
“I don’t know,” Zack said, kicking at the ashes.
Three tunnels branched off from the main cavern. He had no idea which one he’d been in the night before.
Dust drifted down from the ceiling and he glanced up at the long, narrow fractures running across the top of the cave. Pebbles began to fall. He reached for Maria. “We need to get out of here!”
“What about these tunnels?” Maria asked. “Maybe we should check them out.”
There was a low rumbling. Maria turned and looked up. He dived at her, shoving her back into the tunnel and covering her with his body as boulders, rocks, and dirt rained down from the ceiling. He closed his eyes to the dust-filled air.
“What happened?” Maria asked, her voice muffled by his body.
“The ceiling gave way,” Zack answered. He could feel her struggling underneath him. He moved off her and sat up. They were in complete darkness. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know. Yeah, I’m fine. I guess,” she answered. “How about you?”
“I’m okay.” He patted the area around him, found his backpack, reached inside for his flashlight and turned it on. The mouth of the tunnel was packed tight. He swung the beam around. The light faded into darkness at the other end.
He turned to Maria, held out his hand and pulled her to her feet.
“I hate being dirty,” she said, brushing the dust from her arms and legs.
“That’s the least of your problems,” Zack said. “I don’t think we can dig our way out.”
“What are we going to do? How are we going to get out of here?”
He pointed to the passageway. “This way? Maybe there’s another opening at the end.” He looked around. “Where’s your backpack?”
“I dropped it - out there.”
“Then we only have the one flashlight.”
“Yeah,” she said. “Guess so.”
He smiled weakly. “Don’t worry. We’ll be all right. We’re under the protection of Itzamna. Remember?”
“Maybe you are,” she frowned. “I’m not so sure about me.”
He wiped the dirt from her cheeks, then put his fingers under her chin, tilted her face up and looked in her eyes. “You’re beautiful when you’re covered in dirt. You know that?”
She stared at him in surprise. “What?”
“You heard me,” he grinned. He turned and illuminated the walls of the tunnel. For the first time he noticed the Mayan artwork. “Did you see these?”
Maria forced her eyes from Zack’s face. “Well,” she said. “The Maya did live here in Tikal. I’m not surprised to see their drawings.”
The passageway was wide enough to allow them to walk side-by-side and high enough that Zack didn’t have to hunch over. It stayed fairly straight with no twists or turns while it gradually sloped deeper into the earth. Everything beyond the beam of the flashlight was shrouded in darkness. As they descended the air became cooler and cleaner. The paintings on the walls became gorier and more grotesque showing drawings of hideous monsters and tortured men.
“Demons,” Maria whispered. “Remember, I told you that caves are entrances to the underworld? Could this be what Chujal meant by the Path of Awe?”
The pictures made Zack’s blood run cold. “They’re not what I consider awesome. Gross would be a better word.”
The tunnel began to curve gently to their left. Here, there were no more drawings. Instead, bones and skulls littered the floor and were piled along the walls.
“Which way do you think we’re going?” Maria asked. “East?”
“I can’t tell. But, if that’s right then where are we going to come out? Providing we do get out of here.”
“Somewhere around the hotel area. But, I don’t know of any caves around there. I guess there’s a lot about this area that I still don’t know. That reminds me. What about the whistling cave? How’d you find it?”
“It’s a room in one of the palaces of the Central Acropolis. You were right about Michael. He was a thief. Somehow he found the book and hid it in a wall. Then he put a brick in the airway so that whenever the wind blew it made a noise. I just found it by accident.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“How did you get the map about the codex? I know you didn’t just find it on the streets of Guatemala City,” she said.
“It’s a long story.”
“I think we have plenty of time.”
“When we were in Guatemala City I left the hotel to go to this little market down the street. On the way, I saw two men arguing in an alley. When I came back one of the men was on the ground. He’d been stabbed. Before he died he gave me the drawing that I showed you. That’s how I got it.”
“And, you never told anyone or notified the police? Why?”
“I didn’t want to be here in Guatemala. I was afraid I’d have to hang around for a trial.”
“That’s selfish.”
“Maybe so, but I didn’t know what was going on. Believe me, if I had it to do over again I’d tell the authorities. I didn’t know the murderer would end up here in Tikal. It wasn’t until I heard you guys talking about Michael that I realized that what you thought were a bunch of stories were really true.”
“Then I helped you decipher the drawing.”
“There’s something else I want you to know. That night when Sam came to my room and said she had something to show me, I thought she was talking about the codex. I thought she knew where it was hidden. Anyway, that’s why I went. And, that’s the only reason I went with her. But, it was all a trick. A set up.”
“I know.”
“You do?”
“Kyle confronted them and they told him everything. You didn’t know? He was really angry and not just with you. But, once you realized that she didn’t have the codex, why didn’t you just come back?”
“Guess I was just being dumb,” Zack answered.
“So everything has happened just by chance?”
“I guess. If I hadn’t gone to the market, none of this would have happened and we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
“Maybe. But, it all might have happened anyway, just with different circumstances.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Zack thought about the piece of coral he’d been accused of stealing. “And, in case you’re wondering, I didn’t steal that piece of coral, either. Someone set me up there, too.”
“Like who?”
Zack shrugged. “Like Bruce. That’s about his speed.”
He shined the flashlight beam into the darkness of the seemingly never-ending tunnel. The bones were thicker now, covering the floor from wall to wall. Zack shuddered at sounds he and Maria made as they walked on the dismembered skeletons.
“I don’t like this,” he said. “It’s too spooky.”
“I’ve seen bones before,” Maria answered. “Let’s go a little farther and then take a break. I need to rest for a minute.”
Me, too, Zack thought. The backpack with the book was getting heavier by the second, but he didn’t want to rest on top of a pile of human remains.
Suddenly, Maria stopped. She pushed the bones away and cleared a sp
ace for them to sit and lean against the wall. “How long do you think we’ve been down here?”
Zack glanced at the luminous dial on his wrist. “It’s almost suppertime.”
“No wonder I’m hungry. Think anyone will miss us?”
“Well, I know Kyle was supposed to keep tabs on me.” Zack said. He took the water bottle out of his backpack, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her. “But, he wasn’t too happy about it, so he’s probably not up on the job. Think we should head back?”
“And, then what?”
“I could dig us out with my fingernails.”
She laughed. “I don’t think so. We should follow this to the end.”
“Fine with me,” Zack said. “But, give me a few more minutes.”
She snuggled next to him and laid her head against his chest. She smelled of dirt instead of soap and shampoo. He knew he smelled the same. He wrapped his arms around her, leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.
“Zack?”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t know why, but I’m glad I met you.”
“Hmm.”
“Are you?”
“What?”
“Glad you met me?”
“There’s no one I’d rather be trapped in a tunnel with,” he mumbled as he dozed off. And, that was the truth of it.
Chapter Twenty-two
Something was different. Maria had been cuddled next to Zack; her head resting on his chest when a muscle spasm jerked her awake. She moved his arm, took off her shoe and gently massaged her toes and instep. Her stomach rumbled loudly. She was really hungry now.
Zack snored softly, his left hand resting on the floor, his fingers slightly curled over his palm. The flashlight lay beside him, the light pointing in the direction they were going. She glanced at his watch. They’d been resting for over an hour.
So, what was different? Except for the narrow beam of light shimmering on the floor, they were in complete darkness. It was deathly quiet and the cool air held no scent. She was retying her shoelace when it came to her. She would have realized it before if she hadn’t been so tired and hungry. The wall they were resting against was smooth. She reached over Zack and picked up the flashlight. The sides of the tunnel had been rough stone. Now the walls and the ceiling, as well as the floor, were composed of cut stone blocks fitted together so tightly that a piece of paper couldn’t slip between them.
They were in a hallway.
She shook Zack gently. “Wake up,” she said, getting to her feet. “Wake up.” He stirred and opened his eyes. “Look, we’re in a building. Maybe a temple.”
“Then there should be an opening?”
“Could be.”
“Let’s hope so,” he said. He stood up, stretched, repositioned his hat, and looped the strap of his backpack over his shoulder.
“C’mon,” she urged.
They continued down the corridor, their gait faster now, as they looked expectantly for a doorway. When none appeared, they dejectedly slowed to a walk.
“Want some more water?” Zack asked.
Maria shook her head. “No.”
Her disappointment grew with each step she took. She felt like crying and that made her angry. How like a girl.
“I’m sorry I got you into this mess,” Zack said. “It seems like everything I do is wrong. Even if what I’m doing is for the right reasons.”
“It’s not your fault that the ceiling caved in.”
“No, but it is my fault that you’re stuck here with me. If I’d just left you alone you’d be safe now.”
“Coming with you was my decision,” she said. “Right or wrong.”
He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “We’re going to be all right.”
She wanted to believe him. She kept telling herself that no one would build a corridor that led to nowhere. But, she knew too much about the Maya. They built structures on top of other structures and sometimes the buildings were haphazard and illogical.
“Don’t you have anything to eat in your backpack?” she asked. “Not even a candy bar or bag of chips?”
“Sorry,” he answered. Then he picked up the pace. “Something’s down there. I think we’ve reached the end of the tunnel.”
Up until now, the flashlight’s beam had faded away into darkness. But, now there was a reflection.
They broke into a run – and reached the end of the hallway.
“It just stops!” Maria protested. Her eyes began to moisten. She fought back the tears by digging her nails in the palms of her hands. “It can’t just stop!”
There was no opening, no doorway. Two torches were attached to the side of wall, and that was all. Zack ran the flashlight beam over the stone blocks.
“Wait a minute,” Maria said. “There are carvings on these stones. Glyphs.” She ran her hand over one of them. “I can read these. They’re the names of the demons of Xibalba.”
“Oh, great,” Zack muttered.
“Do you have anything to use to light one of the torches?” Maria asked.
Zack unzipped a side pocket of his backpack and pulled out a book of matches. He handed them to Maria, along with his flashlight, before reaching up and slipping a torch out of its bracket. Maria struck a match, held it to the resin-coated tip and it immediately flared into life, giving off an oily black smoke. The demon glyphs flickered in the firelight.
“Now what?” Zack asked.
Maria ran her hands over the glyphs and her heart sank. Now what indeed?
“There’s nothing,” she said.
“Then, why the torches?” Zack asked. Hope was reborn as Zack knelt down in front of the wall. “What’s this? This glyph isn’t like the others.”
He was right. “It’s a symbol for Ol,” she said with excitement. “Ol is a portal into the other world!”
Zack stood up and stepped on the stone. They were rewarded with a grinding sound as a wall in front of them slid away, releasing stale and fetid air.
Cautiously she peered around Zack and into the dark, narrow corridor. It extended way beyond the light given off by the fiery torch.
“Are we sure we want to do this?” Zack asked.
“Maybe it ends up in the temple,” Maria suggested.
“I guess it has to go somewhere,” Zack said.
Shoulder to shoulder, they crept into the new hallway. Then, Zack took the lead, holding the torch high. The sides of the corridor were smooth and without decoration of any kind. Far in the distance something white glistened. The further they went the larger the object seemed.
Suddenly, Zack stopped.
“What is it?” Maria whispered.
“A cobweb,” he answered. “A big one.”
The giant web enveloped the whole of the corridor, from wall to wall and ceiling to floor.
“I’d hate to see the sucker that made this,” Zack said. He stepped up to the giant web and held the torch next to it. It didn’t burn, just melted away. “Come on,” he said. “I don’t see anything.”
They continued down the corridor in silence and on edge, watching, waiting - expecting something to appear out of nothing. Only long, black streaks of moisture seeped from the walls.
Then, in the distance, they could see an open doorway. They neared the threshold and realized that beyond the door was a chamber of enormous size.
Several feet from the doorway glyphs once more appeared on the floor. Maria grabbed Zack’s sleeve. “Stop.”
“What is it?”
She looked down at the carved stones at their feet. “Look at the floor. There are glyphs, just like back in the main tunnel.” She knelt down and studied the carvings. “It’s the same glyph repeating itself over and over.”
“Another pressure point?” Zack suggested. “Maybe another door?”
“The door’s already open.”
“Look up,” Zack said. “Look up at the ceiling in front of us.”
Hundreds of small holes, containing spear tips, covered the ceiling.
“Wait here,” Zack said. “And then get ready to run like hell.”
She stood up. Zack stomped on the stone and stepped back to Maria’s side. The short spears rained down from the ceiling, their pointed, star-like tips covered with a pale coating. The door to the chamber began sliding shut.
Zack grabbed her arm, pulling her after him. “Let’s go!”
She could feel the wooden shafts and pointed spear-tips underneath the thick soles of her boots. They’d barely crossed the threshold when the door shut behind them.
“Are you all right?” Maria’s voice echoed throughout the chamber. “Check for cuts and scratches. Those spears have poisonous tips.”
Zack looked himself over. “I’m okay. How about you?”
Maria nodded. “I’m okay.”
Stone columns separated the immense corbel-vaulted chamber into three areas, the middle area being the largest. Cobwebs stretched from ceiling to floor and from the columns to the items in the room. A fine layer of dirt covered the stone floor, disturbed only by the tracks and trails that insects had made over the centuries. There was no doorway leading out of the chamber – except for the one sealed shut behind them.
Still, it was hard not to be excited.
A skeleton lay on a plastered funerary bench in the center of the room, draped in a brightly colored robe. On both sides of the skull were large circular jade earrings, where once they’d been attached to the earlobes. Jade rings adorned the bony fingers and around the neck was an intricately carved jade necklace. Surrounding the slab were death shields, short spears, pottery bowls, knives, and small figurines with large blank eyes carved out of bone, jade, coral, and lapis lazuli.
In clusters around the chamber were groups of polychrome bowls of various styles and sizes, more death shields, short spears, flint knives, pottery, and incense burners painted in tints of red, blue and yellow. And lots of jewelry; necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and rings carved out of jade or oyster shells and in the likenesses of brutal gods, fierce animals, and Death Skulls.
More skeletons lay about on the floor, some of them sharing an everlasting embrace. On the wall opposite the sealed door was a wooden rack, each shelf lined with skulls.
Ninth Lord of the Night Page 19
