Little by little, the light grew stronger, and then, suddenly they were at the edge of the forest looking across gently sloping grasslands broken here and there with scattered trees and low bushes. As if heralding their emergence, the sun broke through the clouds, painting the still damp grasses with a golden sheen. Each of them stopped, simply standing there, and drinking in the vista laid out before them. The grasses stretched on and on, almost to waist height, here and there fresh pools of water gathered from the recent rains. Off to the left, atop a small hill stood a cluster of animals, maybe deer. Tohil watched them for a while, and then scanned the rest of what he could see. There was no sign of a river, no sign of any building, merely rolling plains that seemed to go on and on forever. Where there had been sun a few moments before, there was merely cloud. They could not even see the mountains from here. They must have descended further than he had thought. At that moment, the heavens decided to open again and huge fat drops tumbled down, spattering on their heads and shoulders. Tohil took a deep breath and lowered his head, and with a sigh turned back into the forest to seek shelter beneath one of the trees behind him. It would be evening soon and the rain would likely continue into the night.
“We have a choice,” said Tohil, huddling miserably yet again beneath the branches of a tree. “We can either continue on for a couple of hours more or we can stay here and wait out the rain. Either way, we are not going to find much shelter and the ground out there is already wet. You’ve seen that.”
Each of them looked from one to the other. Oquis shrugged and then wiped a large drop that had splattered on his forehead. Quapar sat against the base of a tree, his shoulders hunched looking as much like a sodden rat as anything else. Acab merely stared out into the grassland. It was Xquic who finally spoke.
“We will be wet here, we will be wet there. What does it matter? Let’s keep moving for a while. At least that way we might find something.”
“Do you see anything out there?” said Acab. “Anything at all?”
“That’s not the point,” retorted Xquic. “That’s a hill over there in the distance. Who knows what might be on the other side.”
“Of course,” he snapped back. “The Great City is just over there out of sight. The answer to all our problems. For all we know there’s a city of Bird People. We’d be really clever walking in to that.”
Tohil sighed again and interjected. “No matter what is out there, I think Xquic is right. There might be something over there and there might not. We won’t find out just sitting here. We need to go that way anyway. I say we keep moving.”
He looked over at the other two. Oquis merely shrugged again and Quapar said nothing, just looking down at the ground in front of him, studiously avoiding their eyes.
“All right,” said Tohil, getting to his feet and gathering his things.
“And how is it you get to decide?” said Acab petulantly, not moving at all.
“I am not deciding,” Tohil told him. “Xquic agrees with me, and what she said makes sense.”
“Of course, she does,” said Acab. “And when do I get a say?”
Tohil let out an exasperated breath. “Did I not just ask all of you? Acab? Did you hear anyone else objecting?”
As if to seal the conversation, Oquis stood and gathered his things too, waiting and looking expectant. Quapar looked over at Acab guiltily, then also got to his feet.
“Right. It’s decided,” said Tohil. “You can stay here if you want and catch up later, but we’re going.” He turned and headed out of the trees, not waiting to see what Acab did. There was a curse from behind him and then the sound of the last companion dragging his things together and following.
Travel through the grassy plain turned out to be much easier than picking their way through the obstacles littering the forest floor and they made reasonable progress. The rain still spattered down from above, but in smaller drops than they had had to deal with under the forest canopy. They hiked on in silence, scanning the fields around them for movement, for anything really that would stand out in the landscape, but the grass stretched on and on. Eventually, they reached the hill that Xquic had pointed out earlier, and upon reaching the top, found more grassland dotted with pools of standing water. Thankfully, as the light started to fade, so did the rain. The sounds of twilight grew about them. A few small bats flittered overhead in the darkening sky, chasing insects. An owl glided past them, high up, to one side. And still they strode on over the mushy ground.
They climbed another hill, lower this time and Tohil stopped.
“Over there,” he said. “Do you see it?”
Off in the distance there was a glimmer of light that could only be a fire. They were not alone in the grasslands after all. The light was still some way off, and from this distance, there was no way of telling what it was. It could be anything, a raiders’ camp, a village, something else. The only way to find out was to get closer.
Tohil thought for a moment. If it turned out to be a village, then how might they react to a group of armed and painted strangers turning up in the semi-dark? Of course, back in their own village, they’d be given shelter, food, and welcome, but their village was not like many others. The other thing that they did not know was what sort of people they might be at the place from whence the light came.
“I think most of us should wait here,” he said finally. “One of us should go ahead and take a look what it is. Quapar, you are the fastest and our bows are useless for now.”
Quapar looked none too happy, but he dropped everything he was carrying apart from his atlatl and darts and started trotting forward. Tohil dropped his own burden and hunkered down to wait. One by one, the others did the same, watching Quapar’s shape disappearing into the distance in the gathering gloom. The rain continued beating down upon them, plastering their hair and running in small trickles over their faces.
They did not have too long to wait, for in about half an hour, Quapar had returned. He trotted up to their position, a little out of breath.
“It’s a village,” he said as he approached. “It just looks like a normal village. There are crops, houses. I couldn’t see any temple or anything there. There’s a small stream running nearby and it has earth walls at the edges just like back home. It looked like there was another hill over the other side where the forest starts again.”
“Were you seen?” asked Oquis.
“No, nobody saw me,” he said, looking slightly insulted.
“Good,” said Tohil. “So, do we go there, or do we wait until morning?”
Oquis looked up at the sky, which was still covered in clouds appearing heavier in the gathering dark.
“I say we go,” he said looking over in the direction of the village.
“They might not welcome us,” said Tohil.
“And they might too,” said Acab. “I say we go too.”
Tohil looked at the other two and received two more nods of assent.
“Good,” he said, reaching for his weapons and other things he carried once again.
As they neared the village, walking slowly so as not to cause alarm to any who might spot them, they carried their weapons, not at the ready, but loosely, slung over their shoulders or backs. Quapar’s assessment had been right. It was nothing more than a simple village. There were the normal earthen defences around the perimeter, but mostly just houses and fields for the cultivation of maize. Tohil kept his eye out for anything that might pose an immediate threat. He had to remember there were five of them now and five may be more threatening than four. They could just as easily be a small raiding party.
It didn’t take long for them to be spotted. It was not as if they were trying to conceal their approach. Two men approached them, spears at the ready. Another one hung back, bow held to hand.
“Stop,” said one of the closest men. “What do you want here?” There was something strange, unfamiliar about his accent, the vowels stressed differently.
Tohil signalled to the others and th
ey all did as requested and stood where they were.
“We are simply travellers on a long journey,” said Tohil. “We came upon your village by accident.”
“Where did you come from?” said the other, closest man.
Tohil gestured behind them. “From there, through the forest and over the hills.”
The two front men leaned closer together, keeping their eyes on the party and spoke together in hushed tones. Tohil could see that these were not trained warriors. They were uncomfortable, holding their weapons awkwardly. They discussed between themselves again, shooting glances at Tohil, at each of his companions.
“What do you want here?” one of them finally asked.
“Perhaps some shelter, a little warmth from your fire.”
This prompted more discussion.
“Come with us. We will let the Elders decide,” said the first one.
He gestured them forward and stepped back as they passed, keeping his spear at the ready. The one further back held his bow, arrow nocked and ready, pointing at Oquis. Tohil thought that he would have probably done the same had their positions been reversed. Oquis was definitely the most threatening of their group. He looked like a warrior even if the rest of them didn’t.
Clearly, news of their arrival had already travelled back to the village. Groups of people, men, women, and children clustered watching their approach, some of the children wide-eyed, other expressions difficult to read. They seemed to number a mere few hundred. As they drew closer, the people stepped back away from them and a few more men joined those escorting them, bearing spears and other weapons. At least the rain had started to ease. More stepped from beneath shelters and out of doorways. A low mutter of voices stirred around them. This close in, the smell of food wafted through the cluster of houses and Tohil’s mouth began to water.
Their escort led them towards a central fire, shielded by a canopy made of wooden supports and woven leaves above it. By the time they reached it, three older men had appeared on the other side, two thin and one much larger with an impressive belly standing out before him standing in the centre. As they neared the edge of the fire, the fat elder held up a hand for them to stop. There was no doubt that these were the village Elders. They wore cloaks and headdresses, adorned with feathers. Their faces were painted with blue designs, and plugs of jade sat at their lips and ears. Jade necklaces hung around their necks, by far, the most impressive being that worn by the fat man in the middle of the three.
Slowly, he lowered his hand and then spoke. “Why are you here?” he said.
Tohil nodded, pausing a little and lowering his head as a mark of respect before he started speaking.
“My name is Tohil,” he said. “These are my companions. We have travelled several days from our village through the forest and over the hills on a task for the Elders of our people. We are travelling to the Great City.”
This last brought faint murmurs from the people clustered around them now.
“What would you do there?” said the Elder.
“We carry a message for the Dwarf King,” said Tohil simply.
The three across the fire glanced at each other and then back towards Tohil.
“And what brings you to our village, Tohil?” said the leader of the three.
“It is on our way,” said Tohil simply and shrugged.
Again, the three Elders conferred. It did not take them long and apparently, they had come to a decision.
“You are welcome to share our fire,” said their leader.
Each of his companions bowed their heads in acknowledgement.
“We are a small village,” continued the Elder. “We expect you will be eager to continue your journey as soon as possible in the morning.” His unspoken meaning was clear. “But in the meantime, Tohil, I would hear more about this message you carry. We cannot offer you beds, but you are welcome to rest here by the fire.” He looked up at the sky. “It appears that the rains have stopped for the night. You will be warm and dry and this will provide some shelter should it choose to rain again. We will offer you food as well.” He gestured off to the side, and there was some movement as a couple of the villagers withdrew to attend to his request.
“We thank you for the hospitality,” said Xquic.
The Elder frowned a little at hearing a woman’s voice, but then simply nodded and all three of them withdrew.
With a sense of relief, Tohil divested himself of his burdens and sat on the ground, cross-legged. His companions did the same. The ground was relatively dry beneath the canopy, the few trickles of water chased away by the fire’s heat. A couple of small boys moved closer to them, openly staring. The other villagers were starting to withdraw, returning to whatever evening activities they had been engaged in, saying nothing to the travellers, but shooting them glances as they passed. Before long, a couple of the villagers came up to them, bearing food, hot flat breads, a spicy stew and even chicha for them to drink. They thanked the villagers again and each of them tucked in greedily to their unexpected bounty. The flat thick corn beer merely helped the feeling of satiation that swept across them. When finally they had finished, they leaned back contentedly, staring into the fire. Tohil didn’t feel much like talking, merely sitting back, and enjoying. It was a long way from finding themselves propped in a makeshift camp in a dripping forest in the dark.
A while later, a man appeared, looking serious.
“Which is the one called Tohil?” he asked.
Tohil touched his fingers to his forehead.
“The Elders would speak with you,” said the man. “You should come with me.”
Looking around at his friends, and it was clear to him now that he counted Xquic amongst them too, he received nods of acceptance, except, of course from Acab who just looked pained at being left out of something again. He scrambled to his feet and told the villager to lead the way.
It was a mere few paces before they reached a small house, in no way special from the rest, a couple of mud-plastered walls, others made of woven wood and a thatched roof of daubed corn stalks. The villager left him at the doorway, and hesitantly he ducked inside.
“Tohil, come in. Sit. Join us,” said the senior Elder.
Again, bowing his head, Tohil moved to take a position, cross-legged on a woven mat in the room’s centre. The three Elders sat arrayed in seats, in the same order as they had appeared across the other side of the fire. They sat observing him for a moment or two, and then the one on the left spoke.
“You had trouble on your journey.” It was a statement, not a question.
Tohil looked down at his side where the steadily healing spear slash was still visible.
“Yes,” he said. “We came across a raiding party from the Bird People.”
The other thin one spoke then. “The Bird People. They do not trouble us here. But you were victorious.”
Tohil nodded. “We were lucky,” he said.
It was the fat one’s turn to speak. “So, what is this message that you carry? You say it is being sent from your Elders.”
Tohil paused, considering. He was not sure that he should divulge what Haracan had told him. But these were village Elders and ones that had shown them hospitality. He said the words carefully.
“The Elders have seen the temple open and the Dark Serpent ride the sky,” he told them.
There were a few moments of silence while the words sunk in. They did not look at each other, just sat there staring at him. Finally, the large one cleared his throat.
“I see,” he said simply. He looked meaningfully to his left and to his right. The thin Elder on the left nodded slowly, a grim expression on his face.
“The Seelee,” said the other.
At the sound of those words, Tohil knew, even here, here in this small village, there were tales of the Seelee. But how did they know?
“And how will you reach the Great City?” asked the chief Elder. He rubbed his thighs, his gaze looking up to the ceiling, waiting for Tohil’s respo
nse.
Tohil wasn’t quite sure how he should respond. He thought the answer was too obvious.
“With the help of my friends,” he thought for a moment as the Elder’s gaze lowered to fix on him. He dug out the map then and handed it forward. The three Elders leaned in closer to look at it, and then the chief Elder handed it back.
“That is good,” he said. “But you have strayed from the path. You will need to travel back up that way.” He indicated with his head in a direction that was at an angle to the path they were now on. “Up there in the forest is an old city. It is abandoned now. Has been abandoned for years. Up there you will find your true path again.”
The Elder worked his mouth for a little, and then breathed in heavily through his nose. He held the breath and then let it out slowly. He looked to his offsiders, each in turn.
“We will provide two of our young men to show you the way,” he said. “We have already discussed this and decided.”
“But….”
“You can go now,” said the fat one.
And so they set out happily, trying out their blowguns. But when they shot with them, they did not use the clay pellets in the tube of the blowgun; instead they felled the birds only with the puff of air when they shot them, which surprised Cabracán very much.
— Popol Vuh, Part I, Chapter 9
NINE
It seemed like the entire village was up and about early, screaming children running past where the group lay, chasing each other, men already off to tend to the fields. The Elders had left Tohil with more questions, but he had other things to think about now. He awoke to see two young men staring down at them, spears in hand, provisions strung across their backs and other items at their waists. He had little doubt that these were the two that the Elders had chosen to show them to the abandoned city. It seemed, however, that they were equipped for far more than a half-day or even a full day of travel. These two were younger than the rest of them, much younger than Oquis, and probably even younger than Xquic, though Tohil wasn’t really quite sure how old Xquic actually was.
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