“I guess we all have our obstacles.” He turned his gaze ahead. “Get Daniel.”
I was a bit surprised, but called out to Daniel who was by my side within seconds once he saw Tizoc standing next to me.
“Come, both of you,” Tizoc said, extending Daniel a friendly smile. “You will want to be at the front of the group for this.”
He motioned for Daniel and me to follow him through the crowd of crewmen and natives. Daniel wore a suspicious expression as Tizoc maneuvered to the head of the pack. When we reached the front line, we came to stand next to Captain Finley.
“Well, boys, what do you think so far?” He squinted ahead to the ridge that came closer with every step we took.
“It’s warm,” I said, “and my feet hurt, but I love it.”
The captain let out a hearty laugh and clapped me on the back. How someone of my frame could withstand Captain Finley’s wide palmed slap I’ll never know. The man meant it as a gesture of affection, but he was so strong.
“Daniel,” he called. “Fetch my spyglass out of my bag.”
When he found it, Daniel bowed mockingly to his uncle as he presented it. Captain Finley took the spyglass and rapped him on the head.
“Ouch!” Daniel rubbed at the crown of his head.
“That’ll teach you.” Captain Finley smirked.
As the two of them interacted with one another, a thirst for family crested over me. Folding my arms across my chest, I conjured up a picture of Eric and Riley. Identical in so many ways and yet different in so many others. How had they changed during their time in Florida? Did they have long hair? Beards? Were they well?
Were they in love?
Like me.
“Oh, my!”
Captain Finley’s exclamation ripped me from my thoughts about my brothers. We had made it over the ridge. What sprawled out regally before me was unbelievable.
Chapter Twenty
Sunlight shimmered off water as I peered down from the hill. A vast lake stretched across the land below us and a great stepped pyramid rose in its center. Smaller buildings and streams of water spiderwebbed out in all directions. Lush greenery added splashes of color among the golden city built upon islands and marshlands within the lake. Curls of smoke spiraled up from some of the buildings, and movement swelled in the streets as log canoes dotted the waterways around the city.
“This is Ezenoch,” Tizoc announced. “My home.”
The faces of the tribesmen all beamed with pride along with Tizoc. Sheer awe and amazement washed across the faces of the rest of us.
“It’s beautiful.” I squatted onto my knees as if lowering myself would allow me to be closer to the city.
“Amazing.” Daniel’s eyes widened as he took in the details.
“Are those canals?” Captain Finley asked, impressed with the ingenious design of the city.
“Yes,” Tizoc replied. “They allow us to bring water from the lake into the temple center and to the farms farther inland.”
“Excellent,” the captain said, more to himself than to anyone else. He rummaged around in his sack and extracted a leather-bound book, a quill, and ink. “Charlie, are you an artist, boy?”
“Umm…” I could draw well, but did not have a special prowess for it.
“I want you to draw a quick map of what we’re seeing right now,” he said. Not taking his eyes off the view, he pressed the book, quill, and ink bottle into my hands. “We want to make sure we document what we see.”
I took the materials and sat on the grassy hilltop with my legs crossed in front of me. Tons of words, sketches, diagrams, and the like filled the small book. I found an empty page and fussed with the quill and ink long enough to dirty my hands.
Looking to the city every once in a while, I sketched what I saw. Captain Finley stood by my side, mumbling affirmations as I drew. Daniel came over to stand on the other side of me, and the shadow of Tizoc behind me fell across the page. He stepped to the side so the sun once again illuminated my work.
I drew without talking, getting more into the layout of the city. The stone buildings at the center were detailed with intricate designs. The smaller ones around the perimeter were nothing more than earthen huts. I focused on the center where a good deal of the city’s beauty rested. Two stone temples with enormous lit torches at their tops flanked the central pyramid.
Tizoc’s hand reached over my shoulder as he pointed a finger at the temples. “Those are dedicated to our most revered gods. Adanitupachi, the Sun God, and Isidro, the Rain God.”
At the sound of the gods’ names, every tribe member bowed their heads in homage. I wanted to stop drawing to show respect, but my hands worked under their own power, sweeping the quill across the page, capturing Tizoc’s marvelous city.
When I had finished, Daniel let out a whistle and nudged me in the shoulder with his knee. “Impressive, Charlie.”
“You have done my home justice.” Tizoc bent over to get a closer look at the drawing. He leaned near my face, and I breathed in his earthy scent, which made my head spiral. The picture in my lap wavered for a moment as if coming to life, and I tried to stay still as Tizoc examined my work. He knew the effect his proximity had on me for when he retreated, a wide grin stretched across his lips.
Captain Finley reached a hand down indicating he wanted me to turn over the book. I did so, and Daniel took the quill and ink, preparing to place them back into his uncle’s sack.
“Wait a minute, Daniel,” the captain said. “Give the quill back to Charlie.”
“Have I forgotten something, sir?” I rose to my feet.
“Yes. Something very important. Your name, son. You’ve got to sign your work. How will we know who to give credit to when this sketch is famous?”
I took the book back, and Daniel handed me the quill. The feather point hovered over the page as I waffled over what name I should write. Charlie Hamden? Charlotte Denham?
“Come on now, boy,” the captain said. “It’s just your name, and we’ve got a city to get to.”
I scrawled the letter C and a last name that was somewhat illegible. The captain took the book back without question and showed it to some of the other crewmen nearby. Amidst their mumbles of approval, Daniel nodded that I had done the sensible thing.
A single point of movement coming toward us garnered my attention. One of Tizoc’s men scurried up the hill as if it cost him no effort whatsoever. Racing over, the man bowed and talked rapidly in a foreign tongue. Tizoc responded to the man in his native language then turned to us Englishmen.
“My cousin has alerted my father of our arrival. He is an official in the emperor’s court. Several canoes wait at the edge of the lake to take us to the temple center. My father will act as liaison to the emperor. You all will be welcomed to Ezenoch.”
A cheer rose up from the men as Daniel and I gazed at each other for a long moment. We had traveled so far to see this new land, and now we were mere steps away from a beautiful city. Steps away from settling in and carrying out any orders Captain Finley may have for us.
Steps away from telling the captain who I really was.
****
As we began our descent down the hill toward Ezenoch, it grew more magnificent with each step we took. Log canoes lined the edge of the lake, each with a Sunal guide. Our group piled into the canoes, and we were ferried to the temple center of the city.
I leaned over the wooden edge of the simple canoe and studied the water below. It teemed with colorful fish unlike any I had ever seen back in Southampton. Had Eric and Riley seen fish like this in Florida?
“Tizoc?” I turned to my left where he sat next to me. “Is Florida near here?
“Florida? Why do you want to know about Florida?
“My brothers and father have been to Florida.”
“I see.” He tugged on my shirtsleeve—my brother’s shirtsleeve. “The land called Florida is not far from here. To the northeast.” He pointed an arm out in that general direction.
&n
bsp; I gazed to the northeast as if I could see Florida from here.
“Is that where you will go next?” Tizoc asked.
“I don’t know.” I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. I hadn’t thought that far ahead for most of this venture and things had gone better than expected. “Maybe.”
“Maybe you will love Ezenoch so much you will decide to stay here,” Tizoc whispered in my ear. His eyes were golden flames setting something deep inside me on fire.
“Maybe,” I repeated, not able to subdue the smile that played at my lips.
Tizoc returned the smile then focused his attention to the city ahead. I did the same, but now my mind was wandering to where I would go next. Daniel said he’d go wherever I wanted.
What if I did decide to stay in Ezenoch? Would Daniel be all right with that notion? I found the back of Daniel’s head among the crewmen in front of me. He was laughing with George Fairwell, his profile revealing a pleasant smile—a smile a girl could spend hours smiling back at. His laughter wafted back to me on a soft breeze as the canoe slid through the water toward the city. It was the sound that had drawn me to Daniel. His laughter had allowed me to see beneath his sour mood. I needed his laughter.
I needed him.
Sitting so far away from Daniel in the small canoe became painful. Though a comfortable warmth emanated from Tizoc beside me, I still couldn’t wait to steal another moment alone with Daniel once we were back on land. As if reading my thoughts, he glanced over his shoulder and winked a sky-blue eye at me. I looked around at the crewmen beside me, but they were all so focused on Ezenoch coming into view before us that they didn’t see the exchange.
Tizoc, however, did.
“You will go wherever he goes,” he said.
“No.” I grinned. “He will go wherever I go.”
“You have that kind of power over him?” he teased.
“Love is a power with someone, not over someone.”
“And you are sure it is love you feel for him?”
I shifted at the personal nature of the question.
“Yes,” I whispered. “I… I love Daniel.” I had never said it out loud. I liked the sound of it. It sounded real and true. I wanted to say it to Daniel.
“Good fortune shines upon him then,” Tizoc said. “Love is the greatest treasure a man can find.”
Before I could respond, he leaped out of the canoe without disturbing its balance. He and three of his kin waded in the knee-deep water as the canoes slid into slips along a thin, wooden dock.
Tizoc’s words bounced around in my mind as Daniel climbed out of the canoe. He stood next to Captain Finley who clamped a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel had considered me a treasure so far. I hoped it would stay that way.
“Come, come,” Tizoc said as I hauled myself out of the canoe and stepped on the swampy shore.
Tall grasses surrounded me as I stood next to Daniel. Tizoc’s city of islands stretched out in all directions before us. I had difficulty deciding where to look first.
“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Captain Finley said. “Truly magnificent.”
Several of the crewmen mumbled their agreement.
“I am honored that you find it so, Captain,” Tizoc said with a slight bow. “There is much more to see, but I must warn you again. If any indication that you mean us harm is detected, my warriors will do what they have been trained to do.”
“We understand,” Captain Finley said.
“Good. This way.” Tizoc took the lead.
Again, we were walking, but my legs were ready after their short reprieve in the canoe. The city pulled me forward, gave me energy. Muscles still ached, but my mind no longer focused on it. Instead, my thoughts revolved around Ezenoch.
The swampy ground soon turned into a dirt walkway, wide enough for many English carriages to pass at the same time. I did not see any carriages though. Instead men, dressed much like Tizoc, and women with long, jet-black hair wearing shirts with no sleeves and skirts in bright colors that wrapped around the waist walked on foot up and down the dirt streets. A few small children played in the streets as well.
They all stopped to stare at our crew as we passed. Each of them had coal-black eyes—not one set the same color as Tizoc’s. As he led us by, everyone bowed their heads to him as I had seen people in England do to the king. Tizoc was clearly in charge of his kin that had greeted us when we first arrived. They obviously thought him to be the legendary warrior he had told me about, but was he something more as well?
The buildings we passed on our way to the temple center were works of art with their soft earthen beige color and detailed stone sculptures. Some buildings were homes built around open courts. I peeked into other buildings at the brilliantly colored paintings on the walls, many of them involving animals of some kind. Women in one of the buildings dyed cloth. In another, beautiful pottery was being painted with red, white, and black patterned shapes.
Everything was so clean and crisp. The air about me, the ground beneath my boots, the voices spiraling around my ears. All of it was perfect. Everything I had seen so far was flawless and civilized.
Where were the savages my father had warned my brothers about? They didn’t live here. I felt safe and welcomed despite Tizoc’s warning about his warriors.
We arrived at the center of Ezenoch where a plaza paved with stone replaced the dirt streets. Tizoc pointed out several large structures and said they were government buildings. He showed us the palace of the Sunal ruler, Dimazuno. It rose two stories high and probably contained hundreds of rooms. I wanted to see inside, but Tizoc halted our party in front of a terraced pyramid crowned with two stone temples instead.
“These temples are our most holy places in the city,” he said.
“A ceremony is planned tonight, Tizoc,” one of the natives nearby said. “They were waiting for your return.”
“Coatl.” Tizoc flashed a warning glare to his kin and said something in his native language. His facial features contorted into an angry expression, and his eyes darkened as his lips formed a thin, hard line.
Coatl—I assumed that was the other native’s name—lowered his gaze in apology and backed away.
“My apologies,” Tizoc said, giving Coatl another narrowed glance. “Do not concern yourselves with our ceremony.”
“Do you practice sacrifice here?” Captain Finley stepped closer to the pyramid’s base and Tizoc.
“We do,” Tizoc replied, his entire body tense now. “I know it is not something Europeans understand or agree with, but my people believe our gods must be kept strong to prevent evil from destroying all we have.”
“Human sacrifice?” the captain ventured further.
Tizoc’s eyes flicked over to me before he said, “Yes.”
“And where do you get your volunteers?” Captain Finley cast a worried eye over his crew.
“Prisoners of war with neighboring people, mostly. Sometimes one of our own warriors will accept the duty. I assure you, Captain, that you and your men are quite safe.”
“If we don’t harm any of you,” Captain Finley said.
“If you don’t harm any of us,” Tizoc agreed.
Again, Tizoc looked at me with a plea in his eyes. I almost heard his voice in my head, asking me not to be afraid. I shifted closer to Daniel but gave Tizoc a slight nod. Some of the darkness in his golden eyes simmered away, but he still appeared uncomfortable about what had been revealed. In the midst of such beauty, a bloody stain seeped to the surface on what I was learning about this culture—about Tizoc. It finally hit me just how far away from home I’d traveled.
“Come.” Tizoc broke the awkward silence that had fallen among the group. “My father is waiting for us.”
He veered to the left of the massive stepped pyramid. Visions of what occurred at the top of the steps bounced around in my head along with the screams of tonight’s victim. I shook my head as we passed to one of the government buildings.
“You all right?” Daniel asked.
<
br /> “Yes. I don’t want to… you know… see anything…” I shifted my gaze back to the top of the pyramid and shuddered.
“Me neither,” Daniel agreed. “I’ve read about sacrifices in some of my uncle’s books. Getting trampled by horses would have been a better way to go and trust me that wasn’t all that pleasant.” He glanced to his empty sleeve before ushering me ahead of him, a protective hand lingering on my back. He leaned in close for a moment, and it only took that brief closeness to have me yearning for his kiss. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
As we entered the building, I refocused by examining the many sculptures and paintings that adorned the great hallway through which we walked. They appeared to chronicle Sunal history as most of them depicted scenes of the developing Ezenoch. In all of the pictures, the Sunal people were hard at work.
“Captain,” Tizoc said. “Your men should stay here. You can follow me.”
“Daniel and Charlie come with me,” the captain said.
Tizoc nodded, and the captain ordered the rest of the crew to wait for our return. Then we were led into a vast chamber with velvety walls of deep crimson.
“Wait here. I will get my father.” Tizoc disappeared behind a curtained threshold.
“Don’t worry about the sacrifice,” Captain Finley said now that the three of us were alone. “We have to respect their ways even if we don’t understand the need for them.” He poked both Daniel and me in the arms, a slight smile beneath his moustache. “Just look peaceable.”
“We’ll try, Uncle, but Charlie’s so used to looking blood-thirsty, I don’t know if we can fool them.”
“If I look blood-thirsty,” I defended, joining in on the teasing to get my mind off the sacrifice, “it’s only because I’ve learned it from you.” I pointed to Daniel, and the captain chuckled.
“I don’t know what you’re laughing at,” Daniel said, looking at his uncle. “From whom do you think I’ve learned to look blood-thirsty?”
“You’ve learned no such thing from me, boy.” Captain Finley shook a finger at his nephew. “I’ve taught you only honorable and respectful things. I’ve taught you how to be a gentleman.”
Sail With Me (A Discovery Series Book) Page 15
