by Burt Candy
He took the shoulder bag off Matilda and handed her the cheese, bread and water. Matilda was so tired that the last thing she felt she needed was food but Zinzabad insisted. After they had eaten, Zinzabad found a suitable tree, collected some branches and ferns, and made a rough bed off the ground.
“This will be a bit uncomfortable,” he explained, “but it will give us some protection from wild animals. You try to get some sleep while I keep guard.”
“Thanks,” mumbled Matilda. “I can hardly keep my eyes open.”
She slept fitfully not only because she was less than comfortable but also because she could hear the night-sounds of the jungle animals as they roamed in search of prey. She could see Zinzabad sitting quietly beside her, keeping watch. Morning seemed a long time coming but soft rays of light finally pierced the canopy. She sat up, stretched and yawned. The short naps that she had managed during the night seemed to have refreshed her and she reached across to take Zinzabad's hand.
“Thank you, my friend,” she said softly. “I don't think I could have lasted much longer.”
“I understand,” replied the monkey. “You have been through a great deal. Now let's have breakfast then find out where we are and plan our path to the City of Diamonds.”
They ate some more bread and cheese in silence. As she washed the meal down with water, Matilda thought that she had never tasted better food. She realised how hungry she had been even though weariness had driven any thought of food out of her mind. When they had finished eating, she took the map out of her shoulder bag and handed it to Zinzabad. He spread it out on the makeshift bed.
“I'll just have to go up to the top and find some feature that will tell us where we are. Then we can plan our trip.”
He climbed up the trunk of the tree, used a vine to cross to a taller tree and swiftly moved to the top of the canopy. His agility was amazing. After a few minutes he returned to Matilda.
“There is a volcano puffing smoke about ten kilometres to the north,” he reported. “Can you see it on our map?”
Matilda had no trouble spotting the volcano. It was marked with a small icon labelled 'Catchua Volcano (Active)'.
“There it is!” she said as she pointed it out to Zinzabad.
“So we're about here,” said Zinzabad indicating a spot on the map. “There isn't much more jungle to go through before we get out onto a plain that will make travelling easier. From there, let me see . . . it's about forty kilometres to the city.”
“We can do it,” said Matilda excitedly and feeling a rush of courage. “Come on, let's get going.” The Zeus medallion was weaving its magic.
They climbed down from their resting place and began the long journey to safety.
Chapter 19
A Change of Plan
Ocelotl was furious. His warriors had followed the trail almost back to the Sapphire Waterfall and had found no sign of the escapee. Having been forced to camp during the night without any supplies they had resumed the search the following morning. They were exhausted and fearful when they returned empty-handed.
“Fools!” he shouted as his rag-tag warriors stood in the middle of the camp. “Outwitted by a small girl. I'm ashamed of you. This will mean a change in my plan to conquer the Chuquans. Get out of my sight and prepare yourselves for battle.”
The tired troops shuffled off towards their tents, grateful that their leader hadn't singled out anyone to blame. Ocelotl stormed into his tent where his four generals were waiting.
“This is a disaster,” he proclaimed loudly. “Why am I surrounded by incompetents? The escape of that girl has complicated everything. The next thing we know, Maximilian will arrive when the girl tells him what has happened and that will be the end of everything I've spent months planning. Well don't just sit there, say something.”
“How are you proposing to change your plan?” asked one of the generals timidly.
“I'm not proposing, I'm telling you,” yelled Ocelotl. “We attack the city tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” the generals gasped in unison.
“But what about the full moon?” offered one of the braver generals. “Surely we must wait until the favourable time of the gods.”
“Everything has changed with the escape of that girl,” said Ocelotl. “We can't afford to wait and we don't need the luck of the gods. The Chuquans are weak and we are strong. The warriors have already been instructed to prepare for war. We move to the City of Diamonds in the morning. At the end of this meeting one of you will send a pigeon to Itzli with the news.”
He moved to the table showing the battle plan and began discussing it with the generals who sensed bad luck in the air.
The gods of war should never be ignored.
Chapter 20
Return To The City Of Diamonds
When Matilda and Zinzabad emerged from the jungle they saw a vast plain laid out before them. They moved down a slope to the easier ground and, following the map, began the trek towards the City of Diamonds. It was late afternoon when they finally arrived at the gates to the city and had the watchman push the ramp out to them. A runner raced to the palace to announce their return so that Acalan, Ati and the twins were waiting for them on the steps. Itzli was nowhere to be seen.
Ati ran down the steps and lifted Matilda into the air. He was elated.
“We thought we'd lost you forever,” he shouted with tears in his eyes. “Where have you been? What happened? How did you get here? Why . . . ?”
“Whoa!” laughed Matilda. “I'll tell you everything in good time. Right now it's just wonderful to be back. Put me down you big ape.” She looked down at Zinzabad and said, “No offence my friend,” then laughed again.
They trudged up the steps to be greeted by Acalan.
“Welcome home,” he said with open arms. “Itzli told us that you had disappeared from the Sapphire Waterfall. You must let us know what happened. But first we must get food and drink for you. You look exhausted. Come.” He led them into the palace.
As they walked towards the Throne Room, Tayanna approached Acalan and whispered in his ear. Acalan nodded his head and Tayanna moved away from the group. She walked hurriedly down another hallway.
“Tayanna has developed a nasty headache,” Acalan explained, “and will join us later.”
The group walked through the throne room to the sitting room where fresh fruit and drinks had been laid out. While they ate, Matilda explained what had happened. She didn't mention the fact that Zinzabad had rescued her. She simply said that she had managed to free herself from her bonds and had found Zinzabad outside the camp. The monkey's true talents had to be kept a secret.
“That sounds terrible,” commented Acalan when Matilda had finished. “And it's a different story to the one Itzli told. I'll have him sent for immediately so we can sort this out.”
He went to the door, signalled a guard and gave him instructions to immediately bring Itzli to the sitting room, under guard if necessary.
“It's amazing that you survived,” said Ati. “But how will we stop Ocelotl? What happened to you shows just how ruthless he is. We'll be slaughtered.”
“Not necessarily,” said Matilda with a smile on her face. She decided to spring one of the surprises and lifted the Zeus medallion from under her shirt. ”I have an unpleasant shock for him.”
“What is that?” asked Erendira.
“Our secret weapon,” announced Matilda.
“How does it work?” Erendira was suddenly very curious.
“All in good time,” said Matilda teasingly. “At present it is enough to know that this medallion can work wonders and we are not powerless.”
“Can I have a closer look?” asked Erendira.
“I'm afraid not,” replied Matilda, putting the medallion back under her shirt. “It is far too valuable.”
At that moment a guard rushed into the room and bowed before Acalan.
“Master, your cousin isn't in his quarters. The guards are still searching the palace
but so far he hasn't been found anywhere.”
“He must be found,” Aclan demanded, his face turning red with rage. “Keep searching until you discover his whereabouts and drag him back here.”
The guard hurried out, passing Tayanna on the way.
“You're feeling better already?” asked Acalan.
“Yes,” she replied. “I went to the apothecary and they gave me a powder that seems to have worked wonderfully.”
“I'm pleased,” said Acalan. “While you were away Matilda has told us an extremely interesting story which doesn't put Itzli in a very good light. I've just sent for him.”
“Oh,” said Tayanna. “I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm happy that Matilda has returned safely.”
She sat down beside her sister.
Chapter 21
Tayanna Exposed?
The search for Itzli by the guards proved to be fruitless and it seemed that he had simply disappeared. Matilda excused herself and she and Zinzabad returned to their room.
“How did he know that we had come back safely and his lies would be revealed?” asked Matilda.
“Somebody informed him,” replied Zinzabad. “It seems that we have another enemy in the palace. Or perhaps it was one of the guards.”
“I don't think it could have been a guard,” stated Matilda. “I believe it was someone close to us when we arrived.”
“But everybody went with us to Acalan's sitting room,” stated Zinzabad.
Then it struck them. “Except for Tayanna!” they exclaimed in unison.
“She complained of a headache and went to the apothecary,” said Matilda.
“We can easily check that out,” offered Zinzabad. “Let's go there and ask.”
So, holding Zinzabad's hand, Matilda went out to the entrance hall and asked a guard for directions to the apothecary. They travelled down a hallway until they reached a door with a pestle and mortar sign above it.
When they entered the room they were surprised to see a well-equipped chemist's laboratory with a vast array of specimen bottles and sample jars on shelves along all sides. In the centre of the room there was a table with weighing scales, beakers and instruments. A young lady in a typical rainbow dress and diamond skull cap was busy grinding some ingredients in a mortar. She stopped work when Matilda and Zinzabad entered.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Matilda. “I believe you recently gave Tayanna something to ease her headache and she requires some more. She asked us to take it to her.”
“Oh, you must be mistaken,” replied the young lady. “I have been here all day and I have not been requested by anybody to prepare a headache powder. I can make some up for her now if you wish.”
“No, that won't be necessary,” stated Matilda. “As you said, we must have made a mistake. We obviously misunderstood Tayanna. We'll just go back and check with her. Thank you.”
When they were outside the room Matilda gave Zinzabad a high five.
“Well now we know who warned Itzli. The question is why?” she said with a worried frown. “I suppose we should tell Acalan about Tayanna immediately.”
“I don't think that would be wise,” advised Zinzabad. “We have no real proof that she warned Itzli. She will just deny it and that will only start an argument that takes attention away from the important question: Where is Itzli now?”
Chapter 22
Itzli's Hideaway
As soon as Tayanna had told him that Matilda and her monkey had arrived back safely, Itzli knew he was in serious trouble. Once the girl had told Acalan her side of the story it would become obvious that he had lied and, because he had lied, then he must have had something to do with Matilda's kidnapping, which meant that he had been in contact with Ocelotl. Oh, dear. He would have to vanish quickly – but where?
He realised that he couldn't simply walk out of the palace. He would be seen and captured before he got past the city gates. That left only one option; the secret room. He would hide there until night when he could escape under the shadow of darkness and reach the relative safety of Ocelotl's camp. Oh dear, again. How would The Jaguar react when he heard about the return of that pest of a girl? With a worried shake of his head he went over to the bookcase, opened the hidden room and settled down with the pigeons for the short wait until nightfall. As he sat there he heard guards enter his room then hurry out again when they found nothing. He smiled to himself.
Chapter 23
Questions, Questions
Why had Tayanna warned Itzli that they had returned safely?
Was Itzli a traitor?
If so, was Tayanna a partner in Itzli's treason?
Why was Erendira so curious about the Zeus medallion?
Was Erendira also involved in treason?
And where was Itzli now?
These were the questions buzzing around in Matilda's head as she and Zinzabad sat in their room just on nightfall.
“The secret room!” shouted Zinzabad.
“What?” asked Matilda, coming out of her daydream.
“The hidden room in Itzli's quarters,” said Zinzabad. “I'll bet that's where he's hiding. No wonder he couldn't be found.”
“Of course,” agreed Matilda. “It's the perfect place to hide. Let's go and take a look.”
They raced out of the room and hurried along the corridors to Itzli's room. The door wasn't locked so they went straight in. There was the hidden room - open. Zinzabad peeked inside.
“Homing Pigeons!” he exclaimed. “So that's how he contacted Ocelotl.”
“We've found our traitor,” said Matilda. “But where is he now?”
“Long gone, I'd say,” commented Zinzabad. “I think he waited until nightfall to escape and there's only one place he'd feel safe.”
“With Ocelotl,” stated Matilda.
“Yes,” said Zinzabad, “and he's out of our reach now. We'd better report this to Acalan.”
They found Acalan in the sitting room and Matilda told him what they had found. They didn't mention their suspicions of Tayanna and Erendira. They needed real proof before they could accuse either or both of the twins who were so trusted by Acalan.
“I can't believe it,” said Acalan sadly when they had finished. “Itzli a traitor? My own cousin a spy for Ocelotl? Why? I mean, I know he was headstrong but treason?”
“We can't catch him now,” stated Matilda. “We'll just have to wait and see what Ocelotl's next move is.”
Chapter 24
Ocelotl Is Unhappy - Again
After struggling through the jungle in darkness, Itzli finally arrived at Ocelotl's camp near midnight. He had escaped from the city by simply walking to the gate and asking the watchman to run out the ramp. Because of his position in the palace, no questions were asked. However, he hadn't realised how far it was to Ocelotl's camp and the dangers and difficulties of walking through the jungle at night. He had been terrified of the sounds he heard and was utterly exhausted when he reached his destination. He was relieved to see the hundreds of flaming torches that lit the camp at night.
When challenged by a guard he identified himself and was escorted to Ocelotl's tent. The Jaguar was busy preparing for the attack on the City of Diamonds in the morning.
“What are you doing here?” he shouted when Itzli entered the tent. “You're supposed to be back in the city so you can relay messages when we are ready to attack.”
“I'm so sorry, master,” cowered Itzli, almost kneeling, “but everything seems to have gone wrong and I had to escape or be imprisoned by Acalan.”
“How did they discover that you were working for me?” asked Ocelotl.
Itzli told him about the return of Matilda and her monkey and how Tayanna had informed him before he was arrested.
“You fool!” screamed Ocelotl. “Why didn't you bluff it out? It was just your word against the word of that pest of a girl. You knew the attack was beginning today. You would have been freed again by tomorrow evening. Why am I surrounded by idiots?
Acalan will realise that we know everything about the city's defences and will be able to prepare. Now it will take longer to achieve victory. Get out of my sight. We leave for the city in two hours. Be ready.”
Itzli bowed low and backed out of the tent. He was shaking all over as he left.
Chapter 25
The Game Begins
Hearing a knock on the door, Matilda awoke, stretched, yawned, threw aside the sheet and hopped out of bed. A servant had arrived with their breakfast tray. After thanking the servant, Matilda put the tray on a low table and went over to the lounge where Zinzabad was still sleeping.
“Come on sleepy head,” she laughed as she shook his shoulder. “Time to get up. Breakfast awaits you.”
Zinzabad rolled over and slipped off the lounge.
“Good morning,” he said politely. “And what are we going to do today?”
“Sit and wait,” replied Matilda. “We can't do anything until we know what Ocelotl is up to.”
They didn't have to wait long. There was a loud banging on the door. Matilda hurried across the room to open it. A guard stood there, looking flustered.
“P-p-lease, Miss,” he stammered from exhaustion, “ you must hurry to the front steps of the palace. Our master awaits you there. Oh, it is so terrible.”
“What is terrible?” asked a stunned Matilda.
“Ocelotl is here,” replied the guard. “Go to the steps of the palace and see for yourself.”
Matilda closed the door and quickly changed out of her pyjamas. Then she and Zinzabad raced towards the front of the palace.
Acalan and Ati were standing at the top of the steps, gazing across the city wall to the plain outside. Erendira and Tayanna stood beside them. When Matilda looked she saw Ocelotl's vast army moving into position in front of the city. She lifted Zinzabad onto her shoulder for a better view.
“Ocelotl has arrived,” observed Acalan gloomily. “He has chosen to defy the gods of war and that is the only thing we have going for us.”
“You're forgetting what I told you earlier,” said Matilda. “You have more going for you than you think.”