Secrets of the Anasazi
Page 27
Maya’s lips parted, and her shoulders fell back.
Roy pounded a fist on the door frame. “He left Fearless running around the outside of the stables, and I put him away. I don’t know where he went. Irresponsible, if you ask me.”
Maya’s eyebrows drew together. “That isn’t like him. Are you sure he got back ok?”
“He’s probably sleeping in one of the vacant rooms since we haven’t been getting along.” He looked back into his room.
Maya nodded. It made sense. He could be staying in any room, and she couldn’t knock on every guest door at this hour to find out which one. She would have to talk to him when she got back with Chantal and Lance from wherever the directions on the pottery took them.
She flung her arms around her brother, not knowing how long she would be gone. “Goodnight.” She pecked his cheek.
He looked stunned. “Um… Goodnight?” He patted her back.
She pulled away. He closed the door and she headed to the dining hall. She found the kitchen was open and pulled open the pantry. She found some breakfast bars and snatched as many as she could. She met her cousins in the lobby. Lance carried a small bag.
“Here, let me put these bars in your bag,” Maya said.
The three headed towards the stables in the light of the full moon. Maya couldn’t believe they were finally setting off to find the cure for her mother. She had waited an entire summer and everything was riding on this night. She closed her eyes. Earth Mother, please be with us on our journey.
A light breeze brushed past them, as if in answer to her prayer.
She thought of Ahote. She didn’t know what kind of help he needed but her stomach flipped from the anticipation. There was no telling what to expect on their journey.
There was one burning question weighing her down.
“Do you think it’s odd that Dr. Parker and James left without saying goodbye to your mom?” Maya asked as they traipsed through the sand.
Chantal shook her head. "He packed up and left just like all my mother’s other boyfriends. He couldn't find what he was looking for and now their romance is over."
"True," Lance agreed.
"So,” Maya prodded, “you think him leaving at the same time Ahote went missing is-"
"Sheer coincidence," Chantal said. "He may still be looking for the Seven Cities of Gold, but he's harmless."
"Yeah," Lance agreed. "He's always been nice, and James has been my only friend all summer."
"Still," Maya said, "you have to admit it looks suspicious."
"Paranoid much?" Chantal chuckled.
She shook her head. “I forgot to mention, I know Paris didn’t break into your room. She didn’t have the dream catcher.”
Chantal jerked her head up to make eye contact with her.
“Yes, I snooped.” Maya lowered her head.
Chantal shrugged. “It could have been any guest at the hotel, honestly.”
"You're probably right. I'm just over thinking it," Maya said as they made it to the stable doors.
⭐⭐⭐
Saturday, 2:23 p.m.
Earlier that afternoon, Warren made his way down the Anasazi dirt slide and into
the canyon. He looked west and could see two people far down the way, but they were so tiny it was hard to make out who they were.
Warren started to jog in their direction. He could see the people take notice of him as they stopped walking. They were carrying something long between the two of them and they placed whatever it was behind a boulder. Then they turned around to face him, standing in front of the rock.
As Warren approached, he recognized James and Dr. Parker. He slowed his pace, trying to catch his breath. "Have you seen my dad?"
"Warren, so nice to see you," Dr. Parker said, his white teeth glistening as he smiled.
James was quiet and didn't make eye contact.
"No, haven't seen him," Dr. Parker replied. His smile faded as Warren edged closer to them. "He mentioned something about leaving for some tribal celebration."
Warren furrowed his brow. "How did you know about that?"
"Roslyn told me about it." He put his hands on his hips.
"He was due to leave, but he would have left a note, or at least mentioned it this morning when I saw him. His horse was found wandering about, and he wouldn't be able to get to the tribal celebration on foot."
"Right,” he said, dryly. His frown lowered. “Well, we haven't seen him. Good luck.” He tipped his hat to Warren. “James and I will tell him you were looking for him if we run into him." He flashed a wolfish grin at him.
Warren was now a few feet away. "Actually, I plan on walking further up the river to check for him."
Dr. Parker stepped in front, blocking Warren's path. "I don't think he is up there, or we would have seen him."
"I'm just covering all of my bases, sir," Warren said, trying to look over his shoulder.
Dr. Parker moved his face in front of Warren’s. "Right. I think your time could be better served by calling the reservation he's visiting and seeing if he has made it there. Maybe he took the car."
Warren shook his head. "He's on foot. I saw the car parked behind the hotel as I searched for him this afternoon." Warren tried to walk around but Dr. Parker again but he stepped in front of him, once again blocking his path.
"James and I are doing research before we have to go back home. Please respect our privacy."
James took a few strides, kicking at rocks and looking at his feet, ignoring their conversation as if he didn't hear them.
Warren nodded, getting suspicious. He pressed his lips together and folded his arms. "Did your research include some excavation?" Dr. Parker didn’t respond. Warren felt his adrenaline rise as he forced his way past him, pushing him aside. He caught a glimpse of what they were hiding behind the rock and a sudden coldness hit him to his core. His father lay unconscious on a stretcher.
Dr. Parker wrapped his arms around Warren from behind. Warren elbowed him in the stomach. Dr. Parker gasped, holding his gut. He quickly jabbed Warren in the arm with one of the darts. Warren turned to face him. He raised his eyebrows and gaped at Dr. Parker in shock and reached for his painful tricep. It felt like fire spreading from the puncture up through his arm and into his body. Then he lost control of his muscles and keeled over into the sand, face first.
"Stupid kid," Dr. Parker said. "Why did he have to come looking?" He took a water bottle from Warren's satchel while looking down at him. "James, help me throw him into the river."
"What? He'll drown!" James argued, raising his voice.
"Exactly. We don't need any witnesses."
James folded his arms and shook his head. "No. I won't do it."
"You're the best nephew anyone could ever have. We're on the same side. If you won't do it, I will.”
“This isn’t right.” He hoped his uncle would agree with him. He has tunnel vision. He’s on the brink of discovery and he’s not thinking straight. He needs someone to hold him accountable. “I’m not doing it, and neither are you.”
Dr. Parker snickered, looking down at his nephew. “Don’t defy me, James.” He said his name like it was a dirty word. “You don't want to wind up like them...” he gave a nod to Warren and Ahote, “do you?" He narrowed his eyes.
30. One Wavering Path Becomes Two
Sunday, 12:01 a.m.
Chantal played three notes on the flute and the horses took their cue, trotting up the path to the Valley of Hoodoos on command. The three of them held the burning torches that puffed with smoke; the light sliced through the darkness.
Gray clouds churned in and out of the warm summer sky and over the strawberry moon as they trotted under the sandstone arch to the rocky valley of towering hoodoos. The walls of the canyons cast dark shadows that rolled in the moving light of the torches. The horses rode steadily until they approached the Anasazi dirt slide. Fearless turned his head away from the opening as if it offended him. Maya petted him. “It’s ok, boy.”
"This is my first time," he protested. "Have Maya go first. She can show me how it's done."
Chantal looked to Maya and jerked her head toward the entrance.
Maya's blood turned cold, despite the warm air. Fearless held his head high as Maya maneuvered him by the reins to face the entrance. He kicked his knees high in front of himself then came to a halt.
The three notes sounded and Fearless backed up. His front legs were stretched in front and his head bowed as if to get a head start. Maya steadied herself in anticipation. Three more notes and he took off at a gallop toward the dirt slide. They crossed the entrance into the hollowed, rocky wall. They approached the point in the passage where it curved north and Maya closed her eyes. Her weight shifted as they rounded the left corner. Her stomach somersaulted at the motion in the saddle. She could see the pictographs whizzing by in the light of the torch fire, each preserved with an essence of mystique.
Fearless neared the end of the path and Maya tightened the reins. She felt faint as Fearless hightailed it under the bush, lowering his head and Maya ducked.
She wrapped her arm around his neck and planted her face in his hair, holding the torch away from their bodies as Fearless tore under the bush.
They were now out of the passage and Fearless slowed to a trot. She steered him back around to face the exit as she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Good boy," she said, giving him a pat. She felt her love growing for him, and guilt as she put him through the mess of traveling down the dirt slide once again.
They watched and waited for Lance.
The steady clop-clop-clop of Hototo's hooves grew louder as they neared the exit, and then he galloped out of the exit—alone. Dust swirled out from behind him and suddenly the bush above the exit was on fire.
Maya’s heart jumped into her throat. She dismounted and bolted to the opening. “Lance!”
She peeked around the exit. Lance lay on his back just under the flaming bush. His blonde hair pooled in the sand with a red hue from the firelight. Sparks zipped overhead. His mouth hung open, his eyes bulged, and his forehead was bloodied from the overhead bush. His torch lay beside him, the flame flickering upwards. He had hit his head on the branch and caught the bush on fire when he was knocked off the saddle. The heat over them was intense.
"Get up!" Maya shouted, pulling his arm around her neck. They ducked under the blazing inferno and scrambled to the other side.
The galloping hooves of Chantal's horse echoed as Ancient Orange charged at full speed. Ancient Orange whinnied as Chantal called, "Whoa!" The sound of hooves sliding to a stop was like sandpaper rubbing together. The lower part of the bush was now gone and the higher branches continued to burn away as the flames licked upward. Chantal walked her horse out of the exit, ducking as sparks and ashes drifted into the river, then simmered out.
The three of them watched as the bushes disintegrated into a cloud of smoke. Maya felt the nagging of her spirit as she saw the destruction. She looked to her cousins and took note of their crestfallen demeanors. She held her throat looking up to the top of the canyon as the fire burned each bush that had once camouflaged the dirt slide. As the bushes turned to ash all that was left were the embers along the rock where the roots of the bushes grew into the layers of rock. Nothing but black soot remained.
"See?" Chantal said with a thickened voice as she turned to Maya. "Do you see? This is exactly what I was afraid would happen if we brought him along." She walked towards her brother and delicately brushed hair away from his brow to get a look at his scratches.
"You could have mentioned there was a bush there before sending me down," Lance moaned, pushing her hand away. "Stop treating me like a baby."
She shook her head, looking at the ruins of the secret passage that would now draw attention. She looked like she might cry as she balled a fist. "Ahote will be livid. For hundreds of years, this has been disguised, and now look at this eyesore. No one can walk by without batting an eye at it."
Lance sucked in his lip, looking away.
"We don't have time to worry about it now," Maya said. "Can you just drop it? We need to work together."
Chantal let out a breath and looked out over the riverbed with vacant eyes. Maya followed her gaze, feeling as if someone were watching them. She listened for a moment but could only hear the gurgling of the water. Maya twitched as a shiver ran up her spine, then turned to her cousin, giving her a nudge. Chantal met eyes with her.
“Let’s get going,” Maya said.
They continued trotting north alongside the gushing waters of the Colorado River.
Fearless's white mane tangled into knots as the winds gusted from behind.
Maya’s hair was in a neat ponytail, but Chantal's hair was uncontrollable. She grasped at flyaway strands trying to hold them with one hand.
Something pinched at Maya’s leg. She slapped at it only to realize a horsefly had bitten her.
The dirt path they had been riding on got thinner and thinner until it disappeared into the river. The horses waded into the water. For miles and miles, the horses meandered through the river. The water rose from their toes, up to their knees as the three of them looked for the spot where two wavering paths become one. The sky grew darker, swarming with bats that were returning to their cave. Maya felt her senses heighten as she took in a breath, closing her eyes. She felt as though she was seeing in her mind the intersection of the rivers where they connected into a Y up ahead, as if she were seeing with an infrared light, only it wasn’t. Her connection with nature called to her spirit in a way she had never felt before.
The wind spoke to her inner being like the breathy voice of the Earth Mother. It was like being home. She had a strange sense of belonging. She opened her eyes.
Their torches simmered out. Chantal tossed hers into the river. Maya and Lance did the same as the rag inside them had burned up and they hadn’t thought ahead about bringing replacements.
"We’re close," Maya said, trying to sound positive, even though she was beginning to second guess herself. How would she decode a message that was hundreds of years old? What if the path they were looking for didn’t exist anymore? It could have caved in or been weathered away.
Fearless stopped as they came across the river that intersected with the Colorado River. It was too deep for the horses to cross, and the water was now up to their waists’. The horses were submerged up to their necks.
Clouds skirted away, uncovering the moon that brightened the canyon.
"Look," Chantal said, sucking in a breath. "This is where the Colorado River branches off into the Little Colorado River.”
“I've never been this far," Lance said.
Maya’s lips parted as a revelation came to her. "The river is a wavering path… It becomes two… as it meets the smaller river."
Smiles slowly spread over her cousin’s faces as they seemed to reach the same conclusion.
"Look over there." Lance pointed at the steep canyon wall across from them.
An engraved figure of Kokopelli had been etched into the basaltic slate; he was playing a flute and had a pack on his back and feathers transcending from his head. It was the only picture in sight, about five feet in length.
Maya felt a twinge of inspiration flow through her veins, as if there were an association between her and the artist that had carved it hundreds of years before.