Codex

by Bill Craig

  Fighting intruders was what he had been born and raised to do. To die in battle was to die with honor among his people! G’hotu prepared to take another shot with his bow . . .

  “Do you hear that?” Mike Rogers asked, his head cocking so he could hear the distant sound better.

  “Machine gun fire,” Jake Fortune said. Because he had heard it as well. The Nazis were getting close to the valley. Just then a runner came to the doorway of the stone hut that they occupied. He spoke rapidly in the language of the valley to one of the guards. A heartbeat later, Chac was summoned to the doorway. “What’s going on,” Jake demanded to know.

  “The Nazis have been engaged by the Knights of the Jaguar. The king wants to ask you more about this group and their strange weapons,” Chac replied.

  “I bet he does. His men are getting cut to pieces, aren’t they?” Jake asked.

  “They are. They have never faced anything like modern weaponry. I have told the runner that you and your people might be able to help fight off the attackers,” Chac said.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jake Fortune was unprepared when Glory Newkirk arrived at their quarters, dressed in a finely gold threaded green huipil, a long shimmering dress-like garment favored by the Mayan women. Her lengthy red curls were bound up in a ponytail and held in place by a couple of solid gold and diamond combs encrusted with an array of other colorful jewels. She looked absolutely stunning! His jaw dropped open when he saw her.

  “Are you trying to catch flies?” Glory asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

  “What? Oh, no. I just didn’t expect all of this,” Jake replied waving his hand at her.

  “So, what is your plan?”

  “Chac thinks that King Tikal will ask us to help fight against the Nazis with their death-dealing sticks of lightning and thunder. It appears modern firearms have the Mayan people baffled.”

  “That could certainly help win their trust,” Glory nodded.

  “That’s something that we need to talk about,” Jake took her hand and led her away from the others.

  “What’s on your mind, Jake?” Glory asked, when they were away from the others.

  “I’m going to get you out of here alive, but I won’t help you steal from these people,” Jake told her.

  “What do you mean steal?”

  “The Eyes of Kukulkan. It was one thing if the city was deserted or dead, but it is something else for them still living here and worshiping here. The jewels don’t belong to you, they belong to them!”

  “I know that,” Glory said looking away.

  “So, what does that do to your mission?” Fortune asked her.

  “I don’t know,” she said, honestly.

  “Maybe pictures will work for you to take back?” he suggested. Just then they were interrupted.

  “Captain, Chac wants you at the door, pronto!” Mike Rogers called. Fortune looked into her eyes for a long moment and then he was gone, hurrying to where Rogers and the young Mayan were waiting.

  Glory stood there and watched him go, tears building in her eyes. Because, deep down, she knew that Fortune was right. These people, the statue and the jewels belonged to them. She had no right to them. But she had to do something to keep the Nazis from getting their hands on them. The big question was what?

  She slumped against the wall and slid down it to rest on her bottom. Her tears began to flow down her cheeks as she sobbed silently in the near darkness.

  “What’s up?” Jake Fortune asked, as he emerged into the sunlight.

  “The king wishes to speak to you,” Chac told him. Mike Rogers looked at them both expectantly.

  “Let’s go see King Tikal,” Jake nodded, following Chac and the messenger with Mike trailing along behind them. The sun broke through the red-tinged clouds that were hovering above their city. Flakes of ash continued to drift down from the sky. The denizens of the city acted as if this were nothing unusual, but Fortune could easily pick up on their sense of unease.

  He had a feeling that the earthquake might have been caused by unusual volcanic origins. The falling ash indicated that there had been an eruption of some sort. Fortune had been present to see a volcano erupt in Hawaii once, and it had looked a lot like this.

  The guards stepped aside to let them pass as the messenger led them into the palace. It didn’t take long to reach the regal throne room. King Tikal sat upon his golden throne, girded in a blue loincloth, for blue was a royal color among the Mayan people. His jewel encrusted golden crown resting upon a furrowed brow.

  “I have them, My King,” the messenger announced, drawing the king’s attention to the men that had entered the room.

  “Why are you really here?” King Tikal looked directly at Fortune when he spoke.

  “We came in order to keep the Eyes of Kukulkan out of the hands of those that follow us. We had thought to find a dead and abandoned city,” Jake said. Chac translated.

  “And now?” the king asked.

  “We still aim to keep the jewels from falling into the hands of those who follow. But we no longer desire to take them from your people, Your Highness,” Jake explained.

  “Then, will you help us fight these men and their strange magic?” King Tikal asked.

  “We will. I have men with me that are willing to fight,” Fortune said.

  “Will you teach my men how to fight these intruders?”

  “I will,” Jake replied.

  “Why do you shed tears?” Mona asked when she found Glory Newkirk. Mona was the King Tikal’s daughter.

  “I fear for my friends, and I fear for your people,” Glory replied. She had made a study of ancient languages and could speak the Mayan tongue fluently.

  “Why is that?” the Princess asked.

  “The men who come through the jungle, they are very evil men. They will kill everyone here to take the jewels known as the Eyes of Kukulkan,” Glory explained.

  “Your friend has agreed to fight against the intruders.”

  “I am glad to hear that. I came here to protect the Eyes of Kukulkan from the intruders, even if it meant taking them away. I know, now, that I cannot do that,” Glory said.

  “The Holy Temple of Kukulkan is sacred to our people,” Mona said.

  “I know,” Glory sobbed.

  “Perhaps, once the evil men are stopped, we can find something of equal or greater value for you to take back.”

  “Really, you can do that?

  “The King is my Father. I have some influence here,” Mona smiled.

  “Thank you,” Glory told the raven-haired beauty in the beautiful blue and gold fringed huipil. For the first time, she really looked at the young woman that had come to comfort her. Mona was nearly six feet tall in leather sandals that tied high on her legs. Many golden armbands that looked like snakes adorned her upper arms, and just as many golden bracelets adorned her wrists and ankles. She wore a necklace of magnificent large blue sapphires surrounded by diamonds. Though she wore no make-up, her face was a study in classic beauty, with wide almond eyes and a thin almost aquiline nose over cupid’s bow lips. The princess would stand out anywhere with her exotic royal beauty.

  “I have never seen hair like yours. At first, I thought your head was on fire,” Mona told her, as Glory wiped her eyes.

  “My hair is part of my heritage,” Glory explained. “Many of the people in my family have red hair.”

  “Do they all have such fabulous curls?”

  “Not all of them.”

  Jake Fortune had gathered all the surviving men from the expedition. Almost all of them had some fighting experience thanks to the Great War that had been fought a few years previously. Fortune quickly explained what needed to be done and then set the men with groups of Mayan warriors to start training them in the ways of modern warfare.

  Chac moved between groups to translate the instructions. It didn’t take long to discover that a few of the warriors could actually speak English in a more pidgin fashion. Apparently, a few explorers
had found their way to the valley over the years, and had taught some of the locals the language.

  That actually made things easier, as the men instructed the royal guard in guerilla tactics learned from the Apache and Comanche Indians of the desert Southwest. The two warrior groups, the Jaguar Knights and the Eagle Knights were still fighting a holding action against the foreign men along the pathway that led up to the lip of the valley where The Lost City was located.

  Jake noticed that King Tikal watched with interest from a palatial balcony overlooking the courtyard where he and his men were drilling the Royal Guard. It was good that the king was taking an interest. Because Jake was certain that eventually, others would come searching for the King’s city in the years to come.

  Some of them would be tomb robbers, others, adventurers or explorers. Some would be treasure hunters, hoping to find lost artifacts of the Mayan people.

  New York City.

  Peabody Griffin was sitting behind his desk when the two visitors were at last ushered into his office. Another man was there as well, sitting in a wheelchair beside the desk, a long cigarette holder protruding from his mouth. Round-rimmed glasses covered his eyes.

  “Mr. President,” Jacobs said, throwing up his right arm in a tight military salute.

  “Knock that stuff off, Jacobs,” President Franklin D. Roosevelt said with a smile.

  “Yes, Sir!” Jacobs snapped.

  “So, who is your friend?” Peabody Griffin asked.

  “This is Saleem. He is a ranking government official from Egypt,” Jacobs said by way of introduction.

  “Nice to meet you, Saleem. I’m Peabody Griffin, and as you may have guessed, my friend here is the President of the United States,” Griffin said.

  The pleasure of meeting you is all mine, most gracious, Sirs!” Saleem said with a bow.

  “What can we do for you, Saleem?” Griffin asked.

  “I came to ask for your help. As I am sure that you know, the Germans are sending archeology teams into the Egyptian deserts. They hunt for any religious artifacts that can be found. It seems that their leader is obsessed with the occult and artifacts of power according to history.

  “It appears that the Nazis may have discovered a tomb thought only to be an ancient rumor and are sending a team to try and recover a map to said tomb,” Saleem explained.

  “King Farouk would like them stopped, but at this point in time, for political reasons he cannot ask publicly for help. So, he sent me to ask, privately, for assistance through non-official channels,” Saleem finished.

  “I have just the people for the job, but at the moment, they are tied up in Central America,” Griffin said.

  “Do you know when they might return?” Saleem looked at the wealthy financier.

  “Hopefully, quite soon,” Griffin said.

  “At the moment, the United States has no stake in the movements of the European theatre. However, once that changes, I promise, I will lend whatever help I can,” President Roosevelt added.

  “That would be most appreciated,” Saleem said, as he bowed to the President.

  The Yucatán.

  Eric Klausen approached Wolfgang Schmidt. “Group leader, may I have a word?” he asked. Schmidt looked over at him. Klausen no longer looked as immaculate and imposing as he had a few days ago.

  “Certainly, Sturmbannführer. What may I do for you?” Schmidt asked.

  “How long do you think it will take to fight our way to the lip of the valley?”

  “I don’t know. These people that we fight, they strike from above and from the shadows. We never see them before an arrow pierces one of our men. I have men on watch, but they cannot see everyone in the dark. I have men out hunting, but we must wait for their returns to know what they have accomplished,” Schmidt explained.

  Glory followed Princess Mona to the Royal Palace. She had not been surprised to see Jake Fortune and the rest of the men active in the Royal Palace Courtyard, training soldiers to take the fight to the Nazis that had been on their trail since New York City.

  It was nearing sunset when scouts returned to the city. Their reports were not exactly a surprise. The Nazis with their superior weapons were advancing up the trail. Now, they had to be ready to turn and fight the Nazis, primitive weapons or not.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  The volcano higher up the mountain was grumbling angrily now. Flashes of bright orange lit the clouds above and ash continued to fall like snowflakes, coating everything in gray. Trying to see down the trail as the sunlight faded behind them was like looking into fog. “Do you think we can stop them, Captain?” Mike Rogers asked.

  “I hope so, Mike. Right now, I’m more worried about that volcano above us. If it blows, then this whole valley may fill with molten lava. If that happens, I don’t give us much of a chance,” Fortune sighed.

  “Do you think that is going to happen?”

  “I don’t know, yet. Reynolds, the geologist says it could happen. Chac has spoken to a number of people and they said that the volcano had been dormant until just a few days ago. They say the Fire God foretold our coming.”

  “Holy Cow! Do you believe that, Cap?”

  “I don’t know what to believe, Mike.”

  “If that thing blows, it could kill us all!”

  “If those Nazis get in here, they could kill us all, too,” Fortune pointed out. “At least them, we can do something about. The volcano, not so much.”

  “Good point,” Mike nodded.

  “I think they’ll come in at full dark. It’s what I’d do,” Jake Fortune said.

  “I agree. That’s why I had Chac have some of the Jaguar Knights set up some deadfall and trip-wire traps across the trail, and they have been harrying them all along their upward path, just like the Apache and Comanche used to do in the Southwest,” Mike said.

  “Good job, Mike. You’re finally learning,” Jake teased.

  “Well, I had a pretty good teacher. Why don’t you go get some rest? If you hear gunfire, come a runnin’,” Mike told him.

  “I can do that,” Fortune nodded. He started back towards the palace. The king had said that there would be food there for the troops when needed. Jake was hungry and wanted to eat.

  Jake was surprised to see that Glory was waiting on him along with the King’s Daughter, Princess Mona. The two of them were chatting like they were old friends when he entered the room.

  “Jake, what a surprise,” Glory smiled at him and he felt his knees go a little weak.

  “Glory. Yes, I thought I’d grab some food and get some rest until the fighting starts,” Jake told her.

  “That actually sounds like a good idea,” Glory nodded, giving Mona a quick glance. The princess flashed a beautiful smile at her. Promptly Glory joined him at the spot where he had squatted down to eat.

  “You seem far more cheerful than when we last spoke,” Jake told her. The food was really good. The corn on the cob was some of the best he had ever tasted, along with the potatoes and tomatoes.

  “The Princess Mona talked her father into letting me take back a couple of old books of Mayan history. They are called codices. This is an invaluable historical find! Most of the original Mayan codices were destroyed by the Conquistadors under orders of the Catholic Church. Very few even are known to exist in the modern world!” Glory was beaming.

  “That sounds pretty good. But what about the Eyes of Kukulkan?” he asked.

  “They belong to these people and to no one else,” Glory replied. Fortune looked at her.

  “That was what I was hoping you’d say. I have a feeling though, that it soon may be a moot point.”

  “That volcano above us. I don’t know if you noticed, but it is getting more active by the hour. I’ve noticed that the tremors are getting stronger.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “According to the geologist in our little group, it means that there is a good chance that the dang thing is going to erupt soon!”

  “Oh, my God!” Glory
raised a hand to her mouth.

  “Keep it down. I haven’t told anybody else because I didn’t want to start a panic. These people, our own party included, have enough to worry about with the Nazis that are pursuing us! They are the main threat we need to be worrying about right now.” Jake told her.

  “Oh, Jake, what are we going to do?” she asked.

  “We will do the best we can, Kid. It’s all we can do,” he replied affectionately.

  Wolfgang Schmidt ducked as an arrow lanced out of the ash-filled air. It was growing more obvious that there was an active volcano in the area, and the falling ash was giving cover to their enemies. He threw his rifle to his shoulder and fired three shots, then dropped and rolled to the left. There was a scream from somewhere ahead of them, and then several arrows cut the air where he had fired from.

  Schmidt smiled, glad to know he had killed at least one of the unseen warriors that had been harrying them from the concealment of the jungle. He pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin and then used the wooden handle to throw it as far up the trail as he could.

  Seconds later a deafening explosion lit the night, followed by several screams. Schmidt launched another grenade with the same results. He snatched up his rifle and led a charge up the hill! They had broken the defense of the valley!

  Mike Rogers and the others opened fire down the path as the Nazis charged. The Mayan warriors had been routed by the grenades! The ground under their feet rose and fell jarring their aim, but several Nazis fell as the Americans fired into their midst. In less than a heartbeat, the route of the defensive forces had been stopped. Mayan warriors slipped past them out of the jungle and took up defensive positions alongside the men with guns. Mike sent a runner for Captain Fortune!