The Serpent Road

by Anthony James

  Around midday, with the forest even closer, the lead Jaguars called a halt to the march, pausing to rest, have something more substantial to eat. Tzacol made his way back to their small group and called Tohil aside.

  “No,” Tohil told him. “We can talk here.”

  The astronomer looked at Tepeu and Xquic suspiciously before relenting with a sigh.

  “All right,” he said. “I have made some progress during the night, but I am unable to do anything properly while we are marching. We will have to wait until we set up camp for the night so that I can reference everything together. I need to match figures with charts, with positions of the stars. I need to make those connections and understand them. We need to get those alignments right.”

  Tohil could not help but notice the use of the word ‘we.’

  “I understand,” Tohil told him.

  The astronomer seemed satisfied and he turned and walked away. The fact that he had thought to report his progress was a step forward as well. Finally, things seemed to be changing.

  They busied themselves finding something to eat and then sat together in a circle. They wouldn’t have long before they were on the march again.

  “Well, anyway,” said Tohil. “That was good.”

  Xquic nodded in response.

  “Still don’t like him,” said Tepeu.

  And then Zipacná let the house fall on their heads and killed all of them. Not even one or two among the four hundred were saved; they were killed by Zipacná, son of Vucub-Caquix. In this way, the four hundred boys died, and it is said that they became the group of stars which because of them are called Motz, but it may not be true.

  — Popol Vuh, Part I, Chapter 7

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  Two more days they hacked and pushed their way through narrow forest paths, sometimes having to walk single file or push around thick trunks draped in trailing vines. Their passage was a clear intrusion within the forest, parrots squawking and taking flight, troops of monkeys trailing them through the treetops. The constant buzz of insects, those that stuck to damp skin and would drink all that they could, had them all irritable. He could hear disgruntled mutters from the warriors ahead and behind, noises of frustration as one or another of them slipped on damp rocked or tripped over exposed roots. Towards the end of that second afternoon, one of the lead Jaguars called for a stop. There was something familiar about the section of forest they had reached. The ground had been steadily climbing, but the cover was different, lighter.

  “Does this seem familiar,” he asked Xquic.

  “Yes,” she said. “I think we are getting close.”

  One of the lead Jaguars chose a number of other warriors to forge ahead and range out to the sides so they could scout what lay ahead. Meanwhile, the party would wait. Better to know what lay ahead of them so they would be prepared.

  Now that they were nearing their destination, their home, Tohil found himself with mixed feelings. They had almost come full circle and if he called up the map in his head and traced their path, it was like a circle. Everything was full of circles, their journey, the calendar stones, the round masks of the Seelee, the moon, the sun, all of it. He wondered if there was some strange design, some divine architecture that might cause that to be so. He prodded at the conflict that now lay within him. They had come so far, only to return to the place of their origin. Surely, what they had undergone had changed them, but despite the unknown that was surely to come, was that all there was? It was more than simple trepidation at the task that lay before them. He was a different person to the one who had left the village. He had changed. To simply revert to the life he had before, he didn’t think that was possible. And now, too, there was Xquic. He took a sidelong look in her direction. He had no idea how she would be perceived, how others would see the growing relationship between the two of them. They were coming back to their own village, true. They had both come from the same place. Both were very different people though. He could not see Xquic settling back into harvesting and cooking and making babies.

  Perhaps none of that was going to matter anyway. He could fail. They all could fail. The Seelee would awaken after all and stride across the world feeding on their victims. That too was possible. The more he thought about it, the more he feared that was the likely possibility.

  A short time later, the first of the scouts returned. There were clear signs that a group of people had moved through the forest ahead and quite recently. Of the party themselves, the scout had seen no sign. One more scout came back from the other direction not long after with a similar report. Another group had recently moved through the forest from a different direction. The lead Jaguar showed concern. After consultation, he announced that they should wait some more time before proceeding further. Tohil wasn’t comfortable with that. He could sense that something, he didn’t know what, was about to happen. He voiced his concerns, but the Jaguar would not be moved. Despite the deference the lead warrior showed him, when it came to the party’s security, there was no swaying him. Grudgingly, Tohil settled back, the sense of imminence still working within him. Tohil found himself a tree to prop himself up against and spent some time watching the interactions between the warriors. Once or twice, Xquic tried to engage him in conversation, but his answers were short, making it plain that he wanted to be left alone. She looked hurt, but he couldn’t worry about that right now. He felt too unsettled to be able to simply talk, and the thoughts running through his head were just too confused.

  Eventually, despite his unsettled state, he dozed and during his semi-conscious state, he dreamed, only it wasn’t really a dream. It felt different. This was more like some sort of instructive vision. There were Seelee there, but they were showing him things, equations, machines, describing their purpose and function. He could make little sense of what they told him. Different pieces of writing, different machines, different words, they drifted through his semi-conscious mind one after the other. When he struggled back to wakefulness, it was already dark. A fire was burning near the small clearing’s centre, and he could sense more than see dark shapes, propped up against trees or lying on the forest floor between them. A stir of movement further back through the trees gave him a start, but then he realised that it had to be one of the warriors standing watch. He guessed that there were more of them. He could feel someone watching him, and he peered through the dimness trying to spot who it was, thinking that it was Xquic. He was wrong. A little off to one side, a tall figure stood, crossed the open space and crouched down in front of him. As he neared, as if the height hadn’t given it away, Tzacol’s features appeared, flickering in the firelight.

  “Were you dreaming?” he asked. “From over there it looked like you were talking to someone, but your eyes were closed. I could not tell.”

  “I think they were dreams,” Tohil told him. “Yet at the same time they were different. It was like someone was trying to teach me something, but not a lot of it made sense. I feel as if I know things, more things, but I don’t know what they are.”

  Tzacol settled back on his haunches. “Hum. That’s not very useful.”

  “Well, I’m sorry,” said Tohil.

  The astronomer grimaced. “I didn’t mean….”

  “It doesn’t matter,” said Tohil. “I would prefer to be alone at the moment.”

  The astronomer nodded, and then after peering into Tohil’s face for a couple of seconds more, withdrew.

  What he’d told Tzacol was the truth. For some reason, he just needed to be alone. It was as if dealing with another person, engaging in conversation, all of it, was just simply too much work, as if his mind was already overloaded with whatever was happening inside. Thinking about that made him even more uneasy. What was happening inside him, and why. Of course, there were the things that the Dwarf King had alluded to, but that wasn’t enough to make him not only understand and also be comfortable with what was happening. He leaned his head back on the solid wood of the tree trunk, closing his eyes and forcing himself
to focus on the feeling of the hard wood against the back of his head, the smell of the forest around him, the faint noises of the night creatures inhabiting this place, the occasional crack and pop from the fire, anything to push away these thoughts and find some sort of sense of calm. Whatever he did then had an effect, for before long, he was once more drifting off into a half-dream state, the rest of the world simply fading away around him.

  Someone was shaking his shoulder. Tohil struggled to awareness, blinking his eyes and seeking to focus. It was still dark. Xquic crouched before him, one hand still on his shoulder.

  “Are you all right?” she asked. “Last night…” he words faded off.

  “Yes,” he told her. “What is it?”

  “The Jaguar said we needed to be moving before sunrise.”

  “Well, he could have told us earlier,” said Tohil with a frown. “It would be nice to know what was happening.” The irony of that statement struck him immediately.

  He pushed himself upright, looked for his cloak, but then realised that it was still draped around his shoulders. He felt around beside him and located the ornamented staff and his bow as well. He hunkered there for a few moments, squatting, leaning his wait on the staff in front of himself while he gathered his senses.

  “All right,” he said, and pushed himself to his feet.

  “Last night…” Xquic started again.

  “Yes, I know,” he told her. “Look, I still can’t talk about it. I’m not sure what it is, what’s happening. I need time.”

  She gave a slight frown. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” he said.

  Slowly, she withdrew her hand. She paused on his eyes for a moment more, then nodded and withdrew to locate her own things. All around, the warriors were dragging their things together and making ready to set out once more. Deep within Tohil’s belly, something churned. The word was passed around quietly that they were about to set out, but that they were to do so with the minimum of noise. With a party their size, some sound was inevitable, but still, as they pushed further into the forest, their passage was a lot quieter than they had been previously. By the time first light started to break through the trees and branches above, they had already covered some distance. Once more, the lead Jaguar drew them to a halt. He moved over to join Tohil.

  “We are almost there?” he asked.

  Tohil nodded. Not only could he feel it, he could see it in his head.

  “I am going to send some scouts forward,” the Jaguar told him. We don’t know what we are likely to meet once we reach the place, but we should be prepared.”

  Tohil blinked his understanding and the Jaguar withdrew, picking a few of the lesser warriors to range forward to reconnoitre. Watching the orders being given, the warriors loping off through the trees to follow them, he was struck by another thought. Was he just another one following orders? Haracan had sent him with his message to the Great City. The Dwarf King, in turn had sent him off to do who knew what. Whatever was inside him now was doing things to him as well, and who knew, it could be guiding his actions at this very moment. Perhaps he was a game piece for the Seelee themselves. The thought didn’t make him feel any more comfortable. As he stood there, staring after the scouts, he reached out to find Xquic’s hand.

  “Have you really seen the mountain of which you speak? Where is it? If I see it, I shall demolish it. Where did you see it?”

  — Popol Vuh, Part I, Chapter 9

  TWENTY-NINE

  It was a full half an hour before one of the warriors who had gone ahead appeared, out of breath. Along the path before them was the village, as expected, but they were already too late. The enemy warriors had reached it and it was already under attack. According to the scout, several groups were assaulting the earthen defences. It would not be long before they broke through entirely. On the way back, the pair had run into a small party of warriors and his companion had taken a javelin to the chest. He was lost. The enemy now knew that there was someone else here, someone who would be a threat. Where this put them showed on the lead Jaguar’s face. They had lost any hope of surprise. The only thing likely to work in their favour was that the enemy would have no idea of the size of the approaching forces. If the small raiding party were following the retreating scout, then they would be quickly dealt with. The other remaining alternative was that instead of following, the attacking party could have advanced to the village and warned the rest of the enemy forces. Tohil wondered briefly if they were Bird People or others as well. There was no way of knowing.

  “We will advance, quickly, quietly, weapons at the ready,” announced the lead Jaguar. “You there and you,” he indicated that he meant the astronomer and Tohil’s small group. “You will stay to the rear, with a guard of eight Jaguars.”

  Tohil and the others hung back while the rest of the warriors started to spread out through the trees, those with missile weapons first, followed by those more equipped for hand to hand. Eight Jaguars in all stayed back forming a loose circle around Tohil’s group, which now also included Tzacol.

  Xquic had her bow at the ready, Tepeu his spear, warily scanning the surrounding trees. Tohil wasn’t sure what to do, to keep grasping the heavy staff or to exchange it for his bow. He had no idea if he was going to need the staff, though he couldn’t see why he would. Step by step, the warriors advanced, keeping to cover wherever possible but never breaking their line. Their progress had slowed considerably. Noises started to drift to them through the forest from the conflict ahead. There was still no sign of enemy warriors, and yet they advanced. The trees became steadily thinner, and then, between the bodies of the warriors arrayed in front of them, Tohil began to catch glimpses of a familiar picture. He could see the temple resting atop the hill at the rear of the village, he could see the packed earthen walls, he could even make out the young men’s house from here. The village fighters appeared to be holding their own for the moment, making effective use of the rough earthworks fortifications to hold the attackers at bay. They were vulnerable to missile fire, the darts and atlatls already having felled a few, but the earthen defences made it hard for the enemy to rush them, and also gave a height advantage when it came to hand to hand. Everywhere there were shouts and cries. He scanned in vain to see if he might spot Haracan.

  Then, as Tohil could see even more, he felt a chill. The attacking forces were not only Bird People; there were Skulls, there were Jaguars, there were a couple of different people that he did not know, and they were all working together as one united group. That could not be. And yet it was. He didn’t have to wonder any more.

  There came a sudden shout from the hill. Their own group had been spotted. Several clumps of warriors turned to face the new threat. As one, their own missile troops took three paces forward in a line and released. A wave of arrows and darts flew through the air, then arced down among the attackers. Several fell. Again, the missile troops launched a volley, and more of the enemy fell, but they were too close now. The missile troops faded back, and were immediately replaced by a line of hand to hand fighters, the Eagles, and Jaguars wielding spears and macuahuitls. Some of the other warriors were armed with more simple clubs, and they waded forward into the fray, swinging left and right. At the edges of small clumps of fighting, other warriors darted in and out thrusting with their spears. The air was full of the sound of weapons striking flesh, men screaming, and now, the smell of blood. The Jaguars and Eagles were started to make inroads, pushing the enemy backwards step by step. And still the fighting continued, the enemy warriors battling fiercely.

  Back up at the earthen defences, the fighting continued, the enemy warriors trying to break through and past the village defenders.

  There was something different about this conflict, and Tohil struggled to work out what it was, and then, of a sudden, it came to him. The enemy were not trying to capture anyone. Nowhere could he see rope bearers, those troops who would dash from the periphery and bind and drag fallen enemies from the field. This was ou
t and out conflict, trying to reach the temple itself, for it was clear that the squat building was their objective. If Tohil’s force had not appeared when it did, they might already have reached it.

  Suddenly, Tohil had another thought. If the enemy were fighting to break through, they were trying to reach the temple. They too must have some way to get inside. He couldn’t allow that to happen. He had to get in there first and do what he needed, before they had a chance to let the Seelee awaken. These followers of the Seelee had to have their own key. He turned to his companions, to Tzacol.

  “We have to get to the temple. We have to get in there before them,” he said. The sense of urgency was growing in him.”

  “But how?” said the astronomer.

  Tohil looked back up at the temple, down at the fighting that still raged ahead of them. Their missile troops had advanced now, sweeping around to flank those fighting directly at the village. All were occupied. He looked up and down the line of trees, then back up the temple hill. For now, it seemed clear. He turned to the nearest Jaguar.

  “Bring us along the treeline and up to that side,” he said. “But let us do it slowly so as not to attract too much attention.”

  The Jaguar glanced at Tzacol, who nodded an affirmation. Tohil didn’t have time to be offended by the need.

  Keeping a wary eye on the fighting, they started to drift back into the trees and move in the direction that Tohil had indicated. As stealthily as possible, they moved along the treeline, now mostly out of sight, keeping to the trees where the edge of the forest afforded it. The Jaguars with them had their weapons at the ready, loping along in a slight crouch as they went, ready to turn and fight in an instant. They needed to keep as far away from the main battle line as possible to achieve what he had in mind. You could not see the main temple doors from the village below. He knew that much. He’d stood looking up at it enough times.