The Serpent Road: A Science Fiction Novel

by Anthony James

  “Hello,” he said to them, raising himself up on one elbow. “I am Tohil. That there is Acab, Oquis. Over there is Quapar and Xquic.”

  “I am Tepeu,” said the first and tallest of the two.

  “I am Tzité,” said the second. He was more softly spoken than the first.

  “You are named after a bush?” said Acab.

  Tohil ignored the comment.

  Both were looking around the party and the goods and weapons that lay on the ground around them.

  “The Elders have told us we are to accompany you,” said Tepeu.

  “Right,” said Tohil, sitting up properly. He rubbed his eyes and worked his neck back and forth before looking at them again. He was a little abashed that they had slept so late and even somewhat surprised that they had managed to do so with all the noise already working throughout the village.

  Acab was sitting up, grumbling as usual after his witty little comment. He staggered to his feet and plodded off somewhere behind one of the nearby houses. Tohil watched him go and quickly decided that he needed to do the same.

  “Wait here,” he said. “We need a little while to get ourselves ready.”

  By the time he returned, the two young men were still standing in the same position, seemingly not having moved at all, propped with the base of their spears planted firmly on the ground. They watched impassively as Tohil started to scrape his things together. Acab had returned and was also clumsily collecting his belongings. Within a couple of minutes, they had all gathered up everything they needed and were standing there waiting for some indication from the two villagers which way they might be headed.

  “So, shall we go?” said Tohil finally.

  Without saying anything, the two boys turned, for Tohil could not think of them other than boys now, and started walking towards the other side of the village, in a north-westerly direction. Briefly glancing at his companions, then giving a slight shrug, Tohil hefted his provisions and started following on behind with the others joining him in short order. He had of course already told them about the Elders’ offer on his return, so the presence of the two boys had come as no surprise.

  Tohil quickened his pace to catch up with them and quickly drew abreast of them.

  “We should thank your Elders,” he told them. “At least take our leave.”

  “There is no need,” said the one called Tepeu.

  “How far do we need to go?” Tohil asked.

  “It is about half a day from here,” said Tepeu, the taller one, without breaking stride, his eyes firmly fixed on the way ahead. “It depends. We will need to enter the forest up there and it might take a bit longer. But maybe half a day to the old city.”

  “If there are no Skulls,” said the other one.

  “Wait, Skulls?” said Tohil, not liking the sound of that at all, whatever it might mean.

  “Yes,” said Tepeu. “They raid us from time to time, but mostly they keep to the forest.”

  Tohil liked that answer even less.

  “Usually we can stay away from them, avoid them,” said Tzité. “But that is with a couple of us hunting.” He looked back over his shoulder at the rest of the party following on behind. He turned back to the front and gave a shrug.

  “Tell me about these Skulls,” said Tohil.

  “You will know them if you see them,” said Tepeu. “If you do see them, it is probably best if you do not let them see you.”

  “That’s what we usually do,” said the other one. “Either that, or run.”

  “Or climb a tree,” said Tepeu.

  And that was the extent of what they offered. They returned their attention to the way ahead and lapsed into silence. Tohil would have expected questions in return, but both of them seemed uninterested in learning anything else about their new travelling companions.

  They strode on in silence for a while, the cultivated fields and edges of the village rapidly disappearing behind them, until they were in open grassland once more. Tohil studied the two boys as they walked. They seemed to be carrying extra provisions; they had knives and a few pouches full of other things that Tohil could only guess at. Perhaps the Elders intended to give them more than the gift of guides to the old city. The pair seemed fit, well-muscled and Tohil wondered why the village might let these two go. Surely, the pair might be attending to more pressing tasks.

  “Why did your Elders choose you?” he asked finally.

  “We are not important,” answered Tepeu. “We are young men. We have no ties. We are too young to defend the village properly. We help in the fields. We help the hunters, but the village can afford to lose us. We are easy to replace.”

  Tohil absorbed that.

  “But why would they need to replace you?” said Tohil. “Won’t you just be gone a day?”

  “Oh no,” said Tepeu. “Something might happen, but we will be gone much longer. We are here to show you the way.”

  “To the old city, yes.”

  “Oh no,” said Tepeu again. “We will show you further than that.”

  “No, wait...,” said Tohil. “That’s not what....”

  “Yes,” said Tepeu. “We are here to accompany you.”

  “But...,” Tohil swallowed the rest of his words. If that was what the village Elders had told them, then that is what they would do.

  He dropped back to join the others and conveyed the news in muted tones.

  Oquis merely laughed. Acab narrowed his eyes and then began watching the two youths with a slight smile on his face.

  “Huh,” said Quapar.

  Xquic looked thoughtful, clearly considering

  “Well?” said Tohil. He looked at them each for further response.

  “If that’s what the Elders told them...,” said Xquic.

  “That was my thought too. Perhaps they’ll get discouraged,” said Tohil.

  “Hmm. They don’t look like the type to get discouraged,” offered Oquis.

  “No. I think you are right,” said Tohil.

  Well, this was certainly something he hadn’t planned for. It could turn out to be something good after all. Seven was better than five if they encountered trouble, and even though the pair was young, they looked fit enough. He decided he would have to wait, see how things developed. He couldn’t help thinking that they did seem awfully young all the same.

  Open grassland started to be broken by more trees and bushes as the ground gradually rose. Off in the distance, at one point, they saw a jaguar chasing something through the long grasses, and then it was gone as was probably whatever had been its prey. The sun grew higher and higher in the sky and with each hour, the temperature rose. The light was bright, searing, washing out all colour, and pounding into their necks and shoulders. Tohil was forced to wipe his forehead more than once. Eventually, they reached the top of a rise, and their two guides stopped. Tohil drew up beside them and the others fell in behind, reaching for their gourds to drink.

  “There,” said Tepeu pointing. “That’s where the forest starts. We know some paths that will take us to the old city. The going is not very difficult but we will need to be alert. From time to time, we find that the Skulls like to visit the old city, though it is not where they perform their rituals. It is probably better to break here in case there is no other chance.”

  It was the most either of the two young men had offered.

  The smaller of the two, Tzité, looked around the group. “We could rest here, or we could go on,” he said.

  “Well, I know what I’m doing,” said Acab and dropped his gear. It seemed that the decision had been made.

  Acab gestured to the two boys with his chin and patted the ground beside him. They looked at each other, and then moved to sit next to him. Tohil was starting to wonder if they might be related to one another, have the same parents. He took up his own spot a little way off and motioned for the remaining three to join him. Tohil glanced across and saw that Acab had already pulled out some food and was munching away happily as he talked to the boys. W
hether he was talking to them, or at them was another question. He leaned in as he talked to them, keeping his voice low.

  “These two seem to know the area well,” Tohil said finally, “but what happens when we leave here. I don’t think they will know that much when we travel too far from their village. They seem very young to me.”

  Quapar shot a look over at the boys and blinked a couple of times.

  “They appear confident,” said Xquic. It quietly amused Tohil that that observation should come from her.

  “That’s true,” said Oquis. “We could use the numbers. What happens if we run into another raiding party?”

  “I was thinking the same myself,” said Tohil. “But what if we end up having to protect them as well? We are not really warriors.”

  Oquis shrugged.

  “Hah. Don’t tell Acab that we’re not warriors,” said Quapar.

  Tohil gave a brief snort of amusement, but then returned to the matter at hand. “What do you all think we should do?”

  “We should wait and see how it works out,” said Oquis. “We cannot tell for now.”

  “Oquis is right,” said Xquic. Quapar simply nodded in agreement.

  Tohil looked back over at the small group saying nothing and then dug into one of his pouches for some food and sat chewing thoughtfully, focussing his attention on the rising forest ahead. After a time, he packed away his food and stood.

  “We should get moving before the rains start,” he said. The sky was already beginning to cloud up.

  It took them about half an hour to reach the start of the trees. This was not thick forest like that which they had left the previous day. This was lighter, the trees further apart and not as large. Low scrub covered the ground. Already, as they neared, they could hear the sounds of animal and birdlife active through the branches. There would be plenty of game here.

  “This way,” said Tepeu, pausing for only a moment. “There’s a path through here.”

  Together, they followed his lead, moving in single file, Tohil alert for any unusual movement through the trees, but they seemed to be alone. Acab was walking at the front of the line, between the two boys. He had his blowgun in his hands and he was talking to them quietly, receiving the occasional nod or response. Now and then, he would point up into the treetops. He passed his blowgun to the smaller of the two boys, who proceeded to inspect it, and then point it up towards the canopy, one end held to his mouth, Acab nodding encouragement.

  The path wound back and forth, but ever upwards, and as the day wore on, they rose higher and higher. The further they travelled, the sparser the forest cover grew, until it was barely forest at all. A troop of monkeys swung through the foliage above them screeching and then pausing to observe the line of people passing below, chattering amongst themselves. A brightly coloured bird, long tail-feathers shining in a shaft of sunlight, swooped across their path. Tepeu tracked its flight with blowgun to his lips, and then it was gone. He handed the weapon back to Acab, saying something that Tohil couldn’t make out. Insects, flew, landed, and then buzzed off again, and still they trudged forward. There was a distinct upward slope to the ground now, taking them ever higher. A while longer, and the trees broke, revealing old stonework, a rising slope covered in grass and low shrubs and above the uppermost edge, the tops of pyramids poking above the skyline. At least, Tohil presumed that was what they must be.

  This time, however, it was different, just tall stone shapes, no roots or ancient twisted trees growing out of them. The more they climbed, even more of these tall stone structures came into view, then more abandoned stone buildings, here and there the roofs collapsed in on themselves. And then, finally, they were at the very top of the hill. What had clearly once been the hub of a thriving city stretched out before them, old, old buildings, and a large flat grassy field, dotted here and there with bushes and a couple of solitary trees. Of any sign of life, there was none.

  Tohil hadn’t expected to find this here. Well, to be honest, he had barely expected anything. He stood at the edge of the broad field with the rest of his companions, simply staring. He counted three temple structures, the steps all climbing to narrow flat tops that each had a small building on the top—altar rooms, he guessed. The largest pyramid had further stonework designs and patterns worked into another stone structure set atop the altar house, reaching further into the sky, making it taller still. Near the base of each temple were clusters of other stone buildings. On the opposite side to where they stood, he could see other buildings stretching off into the forest. He tried to picture how it would have looked when it was still a vibrant and populous centre, but he struggled with the sheer size of the place. Slowly, his mouth hanging slightly open as he looked in every direction, he stepped forward.

  The boys had stopped at the edge, leaning on their spears, and simply watching.

  “This is the old city,” said Tepeu unnecessarily. When he received no response, he gestured off to the north. “We have to go that way.”

  “Yes,” said Tohil absently, continuing to walk forward looking at the old buildings around him.

  “Sometimes the Skulls come here,” said Tzité. “We don’t come here too much.”

  “Yes,” said Tohil again, then he stopped and turned to face the others. “I would like to have a look before we get moving again.”

  “Me too,” said Quapar.

  “I will come with you,” said Xquic to Tohil.

  “And me with you, Quapar,” said Acab.

  “That’s all right,” said Oquis. “I’ll stay here with these two and look after our things.” He turned to the boys. “Maybe we can talk about something,” he said to them. “Perhaps you can tell me something about yourselves, about your village.”

  By the expressions on their faces, that blank impassive stare they wore, Tohil wished him luck.

  He and Xquic headed straight for the tallest temple, standing for a couple of moments at the base of the steep staircase, looking up, up, as the building grew narrower and narrower.

  “Are you looking for something?” asked Xquic.

  Every moment they spent together, Tohil found her more perceptive than he would have at first expected.

  “I don’t know. Probably. Maybe,” he said.

  They began to climb. There were many steps to the top, but Tohil had no mind to count them. When they finally reached the end, Tohil stepped on to the flat stone platform and spun around slowly, looking in every direction. The building reached far above the treetops and he had an uninterrupted view every way he looked. Down there were the grasslands, and he could make out the village from where they’d come. He stepped to the corner then and looked out over the trees in the direction they were supposed to travel. There in the distance, he could see the shine of a river glinting through a textured mat of thick vegetation and there, nearby, a white strip breaking up the variegated greens.

  “Xquic, there, see that?” He pointed. “That’s the river that Haracan told me about, the one on the map. I’m sure of it.”

  From here, too, the mountains had reappeared, the largest of them solid, conical, and dark, but looking like a triangular smudge with the distance. Seeing both of these things gave him a sense of satisfaction. They were definitely on the right path. He lingered on those things for a couple of moments and then dragged his gaze away and stepped around to the other side of the building.

  “You can see so far,” said Xquic and then shook herself and joined him near the temple’s other door.

  Above that doorway sat one more thing that gave Tohil a sense of rightness. Another of those strangely masked faces stared out across the landscape in the direction of where he presumed their destination lay. He frowned and turned around, looking at the edge of the platform, then realising that the entire structure was aligned with the way they were supposed to go. He hadn’t thought about it then, but the old temple in the forest was probably lined up in exactly the same way. Was there a sequence, a line of buildings along the entire length of th
eir path like a string of jade stones on a necklace? It could be. He turned back to the doorway and stepped inside, Xquic following close behind.

  Inside, the altar room was much the same as that they’d found deep in the forest. A central long stone slab lay supported by carved reliefs. Here though, there were large stone blocks set back from each corner, each bearing a broad and shallow stone bowl shape. He guessed that these would be for holding hearts and blood. Or perhaps fires where various aromatic plants and tree gum were burned. He turned his attention to the walls. Despite the years, the carved figures were relatively undamaged with little of the moss and lichen that had been evident in the forest temple. This high up, and with the drier atmosphere, that was to be expected. Here, however, every wall was covered in carvings, depictions of the gods and what looked to be heroes of legend carrying weapons. There, on one of the panels, a serpent coiled sinuously around the entire relief. He walked over to that wall and traced his fingers along the serpent’s length. This was the kind of snake figure he was used to seeing. Not like the peculiar Dark Serpent that had graced the wall in the last place.

  He moved to the next wall, and there, again, he found something that seemed to be out of place. This wall, amidst the rest of the carved figures, showed a serried rank of figures, all wearing round mask affairs, just like the face above the doorway outside. They stood one beside the other, the carved figures overlapping. Each of them held what looked like a blowgun, pointed forward in a straight line, but these blowguns were not held to their lips. Instead, they supported them on their shoulders and held them with both hands. Tohil leaned forward, looking more closely. They looked like blowguns. There was definitely something issuing from the ends of them, whether fire, or air or something else. It was hard to tell from a simple carving.

  “What is it you see?” said Xquic.

  Tohil stepped back. “Do these look like any gods or people you have ever seen?” he asked.

  Xquic also stared at the carved wall for a few moments. “No…but they look like the one outside,” she said. “Look at their heads. Is that not the same thing? I think it is.”