“We have to go on a boat again. I don’t like boats.”
“Yes, but it will be different this time,” said Xquic.
“How will it be different?”
“Well, this time, we won’t be sitting in a pile of dried fish.”
“Hmph. It will still be on the water.” He bit into a piece of fruit and chewed grumpily.
They appeared to be studiously avoiding the subject of what had occurred below. After another period of silence, Xquic spoke again.
“The journey should be shorter this time. We won’t have to cross as much forest, or the mountains.”
“But we’ll still be on boats.”
Tohil dragged himself out of his self-absorbed fugue at that.
“What about boats?”
“They’re going to send us with two hundred warriors along the great river on boats,” said Tepeu, still less than impressed.
“Two hundred warriors?”
“Weren’t you listening at all?” said Xquic.
“Um….”
“Hah. Magician boy and he can’t listen.”
“I am not a magician!” Tohil stood, the annoyance rising within him.
“Really?” said Xquic. “We saw what happened down there.”
“I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want this.”
Xquic stood, took two short steps, and pushed him in the chest. He stepped back and ended sitting back down hard on the bed glaring up at her.
“I think it’s a little late for that,” she said, fists planted on her hips, staring down at him.
“But I’m not anything special,” he said weakly.
“Hah. Tell that to the Dwarf King,” said Tepeu.
“Listen, Tohil,” said Xquic. “You led us all the way here. You got us to the Grand Palace. Look around you. It’s time to stop thinking like a simple village boy. You were chosen for a reason.” She sighed, walked back to her seat, and sat once more, crossing her arms. “It’s time to start accepting what you are. Did you not hear what those magicians said? The gods are not done with you yet.”
“That’s for certain,” said Tepeu.
Tohil looked from one to the other. In a way, they were right. The gods clearly had not done with him. He felt a sense of resignation, rather than acceptance. He sat back and prepared to let them run through the plans again.
Later, they ate. Every time the other two tried to discuss what had happened below the palace, Tohil steered the conversation away. He was still not comfortable with it, still not comfortable with his role in all of it. Tepeu tried to cajole him into playing dice, but his heart just wasn’t in it and his attention kept drifting away. Finally, the other two grew tired of his detachment, made apologies, and drifted away to their own rooms.
He spent a long time staring out of the window after they had gone, and then lying back on the bed staring up at the ceiling. He just didn’t feel any different, but he remained conscious of what the Dwarf King had said, that the calendar table beneath the palace had bitten him like a serpent, and now its venom was coursing through his body, changing the blood within his system. He wondered if it would end up killing him, the same way a bite from certain snakes in the forest could. Strangely though, the thought didn’t worry him; it was just curiosity. He thought then about Haracan, if he had known what was going to happen, what had told him that Tohil was the one to send. Eventually, as the light began to fade, he drifted into sleep.
oOo
“Tohil,” a voice called to him. He opened his eyes. Again, someone called his name. Everything was white, shining light, before him, below him, above him. He stood on nothingness. He could not feel anything beneath his feet. He stretched out his arms, reaching, but his fingers touched nothing.
“Tohil,” came the voice again.
The whiteness became yellow, then orange, deepening to red till he was surrounded by blood, but blood without substance, without form. All through the red expanse, something pulsed. Though he could not see it, he could feel the rhythm, pounding, synchronised with the beat of his heart. It made no sound, but it beat like drums, and he could sense it through the blood that was not there.
He turned, seeking something, anything, to orient himself.
“Tohil,” came the voice again, but it was a voice without sound, without noise, echoing in his head.
He peered through the redness, seeking the source of the sound.
“Where are you?” he called. “Who are you?”
Gradually, far off, shapes began to resolve, to take form and shape, shadowy at first and then more defined. They were shaped like people, but they were mere silhouettes, deeper red within the pulsing red fog, for now it was like a thick mist, the shape barely seen, but there, indistinct.
“We are here,” said a voice. Then it was many voices. They spoke in unfamiliar words, echoing in his head, but he could understand them all the same. This was no language that he knew, but he understood the words.
“You know us,” said the voices in unison, and as the words appeared, the figures became clearer.
Yes, he knew them. They were like people, but they were not. Round masks covered their heads. Strange clothing covered their entire bodies. Their faces within the masks were difficult to make out. There was some shining transparent material covering those faces, reflecting the red light around them. In their hands, they carried things. Some were like blowguns, those long tubes, others he could not imagine what they were, though he saw them. In a line, they advanced, one step than another. They were Seelee. They saw him. They knew him. They spoke to him but they were speaking inside his head and they knew his name. They were creatures of magic and they held the power of his name. They stepped forward again and again, becoming clearer with every step. He tried to back away.
The redness was fading, becoming darker with flickering yellow lights like veins across its surface. He tried retreating, one step, another, but still they approached. Their line extended in both directions, too many to number. All along the line, they lifted their hands, reaching for him. The flickering blackness grew warmer, palpable heat, beating at him, pulsing like the beat of his heart. He tried to back away, his breath becoming shallower, burning in his throat, the sound of his heart louder in his ears.
“Tohil,” they said in unison. “Come with us. Come.”
“No,” he cried out. “I will not.”
“Tohil.”
“Tohil,” the voice came again.
“Tohil, wake up.”
A hand was shaking his shoulder. He struggled upright, sweat running down his face and throat, his breath coming in short gasps, his heart pounding.
“Tohil.” It was Xquic, crouching in the darkness beside his bed. “You were dreaming, calling out in your sleep.”
He struggled to awareness, the darkness pulling at him, trying to keep him there, back in that dream landscape. He bent over, breathing in short shallow gasps. She ran her hand over his back, stroking him. He closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing, struggling to chase the dream away.
“They knew my name,” he said haltingly.
“It’s all right,” she said, continuing to stroke his back. “I’m here.”
The next moment, she had climbed up on the bed beside him, eased him back down, one arm around his shoulders, the other hand stroking his forehead and his cheek, gently lying down next to him.
“Shhh,” she told him. “I’m here.”
Gently, he closed his eyes to the darkness, feeling her arms around him, her breath against his cheek, the scent of her body close to him. He didn’t think about it. It just felt natural. Before long, sleep had taken him once more.
Immediately the wooden figures were annihilated, destroyed, broken up, and killed. A flood was brought about by the Heart of Heaven; a great flood was formed which fell on the heads of the wooden creatures. Of tzité the flesh of man was made, but when woman was fashioned by the Creator and the Maker, her flesh was made of rushes.
— Popol Vuh, Part I, Cha
pter 3
TWENTY-FOUR
They woke like that next morning, Tohil lying on his side, Xquic curled around him, her arm across his chest. It took a moment or two for him to make sense of it, but when he did, he turned to face her. The movement must have brought her awake, because she half opened her eyes, so close to his own, and smiled. She lifted her one arm and stretched and then brought her hand down again to rest gently against his cheek.
“You slept, finally. Right through this time.”
He looked into her eyes, felt her there, her presence against him and didn’t know what to say, how to react. He hadn’t expected this, hadn’t entertained such a thought, but now, now that she was here, he felt a rightness to it as well. Gently he brushed a strand of hair away from her mouth. There was warmth there, and respect, and something else. Definitely, something else.
“Xquic,” he said softly. “You know we can’t….”
“No, no. Of course not. Not until this is all over.”
“Right. If it is.”
“It will be,” she said, lifting a hand to cover his own. “And when it is….”
“Right.”
He bit his lip and then turned away from her, sat up and got off the bed.
“I think we need to get ready,” he said.
She was up and off the bed in an instant, looking a lot brighter than he felt at the moment.
“See you soon, Tohil,” she said and then was gone, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
Despite having slept, the dream was still with him, the words, his name. He could understand dreaming of blood and the Seelee, but he spoke no other tongue. He didn’t understand how he could have understood those words, known without hesitation what they meant. He didn’t have long to dwell on the dream though because one of the servants arrived, ready to assist his preparations. He was tempted to send him away, but then he thought it might be better to have someone there to keep him occupied. He bathed and dressed, and suffered through allowing his face to be decorated. This time it was blue, but he gave strict instructions. He wanted to keep the pattern that he had applied back at the pool in the forest so long ago. It would serve as a reminder of what they’d been through, what they’d lost along the way. His thoughts turned to Quapar, to Acab and to Oquis. His friends, or so they had been. And then to Tzité. Though he had not known him long, not long enough to think of as a friend, they had shared things together, and he too was gone. How many more would there be? He felt a darkness in him then, overwhelming everything else, despite the servant who still fussed about him.
Finally, the serving man seemed satisfied and he stepped back to survey his work. He nodded and beckoned for Tohil to follow. The servant led him, not as he had expected back to the complex of rooms further inside the palace, but back towards the front, to the great audience chamber. The servant left him at the short passage leading into the vast hall.
The long, broad space was full, and Tohil had to spend a moment gathering himself before stepping into the audience chamber proper. The Dwarf King sat upon his throne, his magicians, and other functionaries around him on the dais. Down either side of the chamber stood warriors, so many warriors, all standing facing the opposite side of the room. There were Jaguars, decked out in their animal skin suits and masks, closest to the throne, facial decorations visible beneath their hooded headpieces, the snarls framing their faces with teeth. Next came the Eagles, broad pointed beaks extending from the front of the masks, feathers cascading backwards from their tops. Feathers of many hues were attached to their limbs. Their bodies were mostly unpainted. There were more Eagles than Jaguars. And then there were the more normal warriors, not wearing masks, but dark hair bound in a multitude of ways with feathers and bones and shells. Their limbs were black, red, blue, white, some of them made to look like serpents, others an array of different colours. These warriors made up the greatest number of all who stood there. He looked up and down the rows, too many of them to count. Then he realised, and he hadn’t noticed that Xquic and Tepeu were already there, standing in front of the stairs to the throne. Xquic was dressed very much as she had been the day before, but this time, there was a semi-circular hat, framing the top of her face with shorter, multi-hued feathers. The top of her face was marked out in reds and blues. She noticed him there and smiled. Tepeu was dressed like most of the normal warriors, which made sense. He hadn’t earned the status of Eagle or Jaguar. Amongst the warrior class, these were still the elite. Still scanning the assembled warriors, Tohil walked across the chamber to join his friends.
“Tohil, it is good that you join us,” said the Dwarf King from the throne. There was a crinkle at the edge of his eyes. “We are just about ready for you to depart.” He leaned to one side on the throne, resting his chin upon his fist.
“And tell me, did you dream?”
Tohil nodded slowly. In response, the Dwarf King nodded to himself as if satisfied.
“Now, you. What is your name?”
“I am Tepeu.”
“Yes. What weapon will you have Tepeu?”
“A spear,” he said.
“And I will have a bow,” said Xquic without hesitation.
That brought some looks of consternation from those assembled on the platform. There were a few moments of silence as they all stared at her.
“A bow,” she repeated.
Clearly, they were not used to the concept of a warrior maiden in the Great City. It was something they would have to get used to. It would be no different for those back home in the village. The Dwarf King turned and nodded. A servant who had been standing quietly out of sight, scurried away. Tohil turned to look at the assembled warriors. All were armed, macuahuitls, atlatls, bows, spears, javelins, darts. He turned back to the throne. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Dwarf King cut him off with a wave of his hand and motioned to one of the magicians standing nearby. The hooded man stepped forward, carrying a staff. A spray of green-black feathers lay tightly bound to the top. Down its entire length, a golden serpent spiralled. The little man stepped forward from the dais, walked down the steps and presented this to Tohil. He took it and the magician returned to the platform beside the throne. Tohil felt the staff in his grip, looked it up and down. It was an impressive thing, but he had no idea why he was holding it. He wasn’t very sure he was very comfortable with the serpent motif, either.
He looked back up at the throne. “I will need a weapon too,” he said.
“No, you will not be fighting,” was the response. “Fighting is for others now,” the Dwarf King continued. “There are others to fight for you now. You have a more important task to accomplish. All these here are to keep you safe. They will fight. You will not.”
“I understand,” said Tohil, “but I would be more comfortable having a bow as well. What if I become separated? I could hit them with this staff, I suppose, but I don’t think I’m any good with a staff. I know that I can hit something with my bow.”
One of the magicians scowled at him, but the Dwarf King gave a brief chuckle.
Tohil looked back at the staff and then at his shoulders, at the feathered and hooded cape. The warriors would always know where he was. There was no doubt about that now, but still…. He looked at Xquic, but she was keeping her thoughts to herself, looking down at the floor. Tepeu’s attention was focussed on the rear doorway, watching expectantly for the servant to return with his promised weapon.
“All right,” said the Dwarf King. “A bow it shall be.” He motioned to another servant.
A moment later, and the first servant emerged, carrying spear, bow and a quiver full of arrows. The spear he handed to Tepeu and the others to Xquic. Tepeu lifted the spear, hefted it, tilted it this way and that and then gave a satisfied nod. Tohil could see just by looking that it was a finely crafted weapon. Xquic gave no such inspection to her bow and arrows, simply shouldered them both. The Dwarf King looked at each of them in turn, and then, seemingly satisfied, he eased himself from the throne, descended the stair and
stood in front of Tohil. A moment later, the two magicians joined him. The Dwarf King reached out and took Tohil’s hand within his own.
“It is time, Tohil. This is a great undertaking. If you succeed, it will give our people time to learn, to do what they have to do, to be able to counter the threat of what lies within. In time, we will no longer be as corn in the fields.”
Tohil could find no words to respond.
“Remember,” said the Dwarf King. “You will find yourself dreaming more and more. Learn from them. There lies the path to unlock the key.” He paused for a moment, letting his words sink in.
The other servant appeared then, handed him a bow and arrows. Tohil shouldered both, but they didn’t feel right with the feathered cloak he wore. He would have to adjust them later. There was no time now, and he was hardly going to get undressed and dressed again in the present company.
“Come. The boats are ready.”
With those words, as one, the warriors all turned to face the entry doors to the palace. The Dwarf King and his magicians started walking forward, and each in turn, the astronomers, the functionaries filed from the platform and fell in behind. Tohil looked to both of his companions, then turned and also joined the small procession heading for the central doorway.
The Serpent Road: A Science Fiction Novel Page 23
