“Then get on with it,” said Sky Knife. “The day begins.”
7 Chicchan 17 Cumku. Sky Knife could feel it in his bones. Three days until Lamat, the first of the unlucky days of Uayeb.
Only, if Dark Lightning had his way, Sky Knife wouldn’t see the unlucky days this year or ever again.
Dark Lightning prodded Sky Knife with his foot. “I have been debating just what method to use on you. You’ve caused me a great deal of trouble and cost me a trusted friend in Leather Apron.”
Sky Knife tested his bonds, but the leather had been tied securely.
“I think perhaps you can suffer through a peculiar custom of ours,” said Dark Lightning. “Normally, the sacrifice is killed first before skin is taken, but I don’t feel that generous with you right now.”
Sky Knife trembled. He had attended enough sacrifices to know the terrible fear of the knife the sacrifices suffered. He knew if he ever had to go under the knife, he would be very afraid. But what Dark Lightning proposed was infinitely worse. The p’a chi, if done properly, freed the soul from the body within moments. Dark Lightning had something very different in mind.
“Bring me a knife, will you?” called Dark Lightning.
Another ballplayer, his hair fashioned like Dark Lightning’s, jogged over and handed Dark Lightning a thin prismatic blade.
Dark Lightning knelt by Sky Knife’s head and passed the blade in front of his eyes slowly. “Isn’t it beautiful?” he asked.
Sky Knife had to agree, even through his fear. The six-inch blade was wafer thin and barely a finger’s width wide. It was unhafted—one end had been fashioned into a murderous point while the other had been made blunt. Dark Lightning held the blunt end of the darkly green knife. The green obsidian was local to Teotihuacan. Sky Knife had seen pieces of it before, but nothing as fine as this.
“It’s very delicate,” said Dark Lightning, “but your blood will strengthen it. The knife is always eager to drink blood.”
Dark Lightning pressed the knife against Sky Knife’s cheek. The stone was cold, but warmed quickly in contact with his skin.
“Normally, we start the flaying on the back side,” said Dark Lightning. “But I’m not having you untied just to follow custom.”
Dark Lightning moved the knife to Sky Knife’s shoulder and made a shallow slice across his chest. The stinging of the wound competed with a fierce tickle as the blood leaked out drop by drop and sat, quivering, on his collarbones.
Dark Lightning made a slice down Sky Knife’s side, then across past his stomach to his groin. Then he made another cut across Sky Knife’s hips. There wasn’t as much pain as Sky Knife expected. The blade cut cleanly and Dark Lightning did not cut deep. So far, Sky Knife felt a sharp stinging sensation, nothing more. He had suffered far worse during his daily devotions.
Dark Lightning continued by making a cut down each of Sky Knife’s legs to his toes.
Dark Lightning eased the end of the blade under the skin of Sky Knife’s foot and pried up a small section. Tears ran down Sky Knife’s face at the sudden intense pain and he jerked his foot in response. Red-hot fury ran up his leg and squirmed around Sky Knife’s heart. He gasped.
“Ah, got you there,” said Dark Lightning. “Let’s try that again.”
“My Lord!” shouted someone.
Dark Lightning looked up. “I don’t want to be interrupted,” he said.
A warrior jogged into Sky Knife’s view. “We were expecting a patrol to return from the extreme northeast quadrant, but they never did. A second patrol was ambushed. The lone survivor has just returned. It seems Grasping Fire is stronger in that area than we thought.”
Dark Lightning growled, “And is Grasping Fire there? And my sister?”
“I don’t know, Lord,” said the warrior. “We have been unable to determine the location of any of the royal family.”
Sky Knife’s heart soared. Perhaps Mirror was the only traitor near the king’s family. If so, they had lost their easy access to the family. His hope warred with his own fear. Dark Lightning had hardly gotten started—Sky Knife had felt only a brief kiss of true pain. It would get much worse before the end. Sky Knife trembled and tugged at his bonds.
“That is impossible,” said Dark Lightning. “What does our contact have to say?”
“She has sent no word,” said the warrior. “She is due to send again before noon.”
“Fine,” said Dark Lightning. “Inform me when she does. And send another patrol into the northeast. We must know what Grasping Fire is doing.”
“Yes, Lord.” The warrior left.
Dark Lightning rubbed his face with a hand, looking weary.
“Lord!” Mirror approached.
“What is it?” snapped Dark Lightning. “I just got the report. I don’t need it twice.”
“Of course. But it’s the twin. He won’t eat. And he doesn’t look very well.”
“Then keep an eye on him and let me know if he gets sick or dies,” said Dark Lightning. “Now, can I have some time alone here, eh?”
“Of course, Lord.” Mirror bowed and left.
Dark Lightning noted the renewed spark in Sky Knife’s eyes. “Don’t get your hopes up,” he said. “Grasping Fire’s forces will fall to us. He is a poor judge of character or situation.”
“And you are better,” said Sky Knife.
Dark Lightning stabbed Sky Knife’s thigh with the blade. Sky Knife jerked and screamed. Dark Lightning worked the blade deeper and deeper. Sky Knife screamed again, the waves of agony washing over him from his leg, blinding him to anything else.
Dark Lightning withdrew the knife. “Don’t be sarcastic with me, priest,” he said. “I’m a king.”
Sky Knife bit his lip and concentrated on evening out his breathing, letting the pain slide by him without touching his soul, as he did during his auto-sacrifice sessions in his daily devotions. It was harder this time. He’d never had this much pain before. But slowly, he fought the pain back. Sky Knife relaxed his muscles one by one.
“Very good,” said Dark Lightning. He moved the knife to Sky Knife’s chest and slowly carved a spiral into Sky Knife’s flesh. The obsidian blade grated against his ribs. Sky Knife fought the urge to scream as more burning pain seared his heart and mind.
When he had finished the design, Dark Lightning looked at it closely. “You know,” he said. “If I pull up the very inside of this spiral, I ought to be able to rip up all of this skin right after it. I could probably peel your entire body the same way.”
Dark Lightning pushed the blade under the skin at the center of Sky Knife’s chest.
“Damn,” said Dark Lightning. With his free hand, he wiped blood off of Sky Knife’s chest. Sky Knife realized what must have happened: the wounds in his chest had bled so that they obscured Dark Lightning’s design.
“Lord.” It was Mirror again. Sky Knife breathed in relief at the interruption.
Dark Lightning stood and turned angrily to face Mirror. “Did I not say to leave me alone with him? Didn’t I, eh?”
“Yes, you did,” said Mirror. “But we can’t spare any more time. We’re getting reports in now from all over the city. Grasping Fire’s forces hold much of it, but we’re pushing them back in many places. You’re needed in the planning session.”
Dark Lightning sighed. “Very well.” He turned back to Sky Knife. “But we’re not through, priest. Remember that.”
Dark Lightning placed the blade next to Sky Knife’s head. “Just to remind you,” said Dark Lightning. “I’ll be back.”
Mirror left and Dark Lightning followed. Sky Knife breathed deeply and let his tears flow.
23
By the time the sun had reached its midmorning position in the fourth heaven, Sky Knife’s stinging pains had matured into throbbing torment. He tried to ignore it, but the sun doubled his agony, baking his skin and piercing his eyes. Sky Knife kept his eyes closed, but it didn’t help much.
Only an occasional small breeze entered the pit to reli
eve Sky Knife’s suffering for a moment with a gentle caress. Then it would be gone and he would be alone with the sun again.
Or, not quite alone. Black flies came to sample his blood. Their feet tickled him where they landed, but their bites stung.
Sky Knife turned his head away from his newest buzzing visitor. But this buzzing was different.
Sky Knife opened his eyes a crack. In front of his face hovered one of the friendly stingless colecab. The bee waited a moment as if to be sure Sky Knife saw it, then it flew off.
Hope touched Sky Knife. The colecab did not live near Teotihuacan—it was too cold for them. This one must have come a great distance. That it should travel so far and just happen to visit Sky Knife was too much for him to believe. It had been sent as a message. Itzamna had not abandoned him.
Sky Knife began to sing a song of Itzamna. He didn’t know what all the words meant—they were in an ancient language not even the priests of Tikal understood anymore. But that didn’t matter. It was sufficient that it was a gesture of praise and thanksgiving.
Sky Knife’s tongue didn’t want to cooperate; it was dry and swollen in his mouth. His lips cracked as he moved them and his voice was no more than a croak. But that didn’t matter either. Itzamna would hear him.
Slowly, his tongue loosened and Sky Knife found his voice. He continued the chant to Itzamna. When he finished, he started it again.
“What’s he doing?” asked someone. It sounded like Mirror.
“I don’t know,” said Dark Lightning. He hopped down into the pit and kicked Sky Knife. Sky Knife grunted but continued his song.
“Pray all you want, priest,” said Dark Lightning. “Or go mad—whichever suits you. When the sun has touched the highest point in the sky, we’re going to bring you out of the pit and kill you where my sister can see. We’ll show her we’re serious.”
Sky Knife paid no attention. Dark Lightning might well be able to kill him. But Sky Knife belonged to Itzamna. He would die at whatever time Itzamna willed. If it was today, then he would die today.
And if not, then nothing Dark Lightning could do would change Itzamna’s mind.
Sky Knife finished the chant a second time and launched into a third. Dark Lightning and Mirror left.
Sky Knife sang the chant four times to honor not only Itzamna but the four directions of the sky for which he was named. When he finished, he relaxed. The sun still burned his eyes and the flies crawled over him, but the pain was easier to bear now.
A shadow passed in front of his face. Sky Knife opened his eyes and suppressed a yelp of surprise. A face was right in front of him. A familiar face.
“Shhh,” said Rabbit. “I’ve come to take you away from here.”
“But how…” Sky Knife’s voice was so low, he wasn’t even sure Rabbit could hear him.
“How did I find you?” asked Rabbit. Sky Knife nodded once. Rabbit grinned. “I told you before, I have a lot of clients, and men talk to women like me. Sometimes, they even say something important.”
Sky Knife closed his eyes again as Rabbit moved away. She sawed at the bonds holding a wrist.
“So when Rat came back without you, shouting that something had to be done, I decided to do it,” continued Rabbit. “I approached one of Dark Lightning’s people and offered him my services—for free, you understand, because I was grateful they were ridding the city of a royal family plagued by evil and bad luck. And afterwards, he took me to his commander, who took me to his commander. And eventually, I ended up here.”
“If they find you…”
Rabbit finished Sky Knife’s right wrist. Gratefully, he folded his arm and let the wrist rest on his shoulder. His hand tingled and burned as blood rushed into it without hindrance. Rabbit started on his other wrist.
“I suppose they might kill me,” said Rabbit. “But, then, I might be able to buy my way out of it. I’m fairly wealthy, you know, and an army needs money to pay its soldiers. Dark Lightning is going to need to find some income quickly if he wins and plans on remaining king.”
Rabbit freed Sky Knife’s other wrist and went to start on his ankles. “Almost there,” she said. “Don’t worry. The Masked One will keep us safe.”
“That’s what Dark Lightning says to himself,” said Sky Knife.
Rabbit made a rude noise that sounded much like a colecab buzzing. “Dark Lightning knows nothing about the Masked One. If he did, he wouldn’t have claimed his sister for a bride. The Masked One will strike him down for such an affront to her laws. What I can’t believe is that so many others have chosen to follow him when he’s quite clearly mad. Marrying your sister? Abomination.”
“He’s not behind it,” said Sky Knife. “I’m sure there’s someone else. Dark Lightning isn’t smart enough to have pulled this off alone.”
“He’s got Mirror.”
Sky Knife sobbed in relief as Rabbit freed his ankles. “I don’t think,” he said between sobs, “that Mirror is that bright either.”
Rabbit laughed, but covered her mouth with her hands so she wouldn’t be heard. “That’s funny,” she said.
“What?”
“Never mind,” said Rabbit. “A joke’s never funny if you have to explain it. Besides, we need to get away, don’t you think? You’re scheduled to be executed at noon and it’s almost noon now.”
Rabbit took one of Sky Knife’s hands and pulled him up into a sitting position. Every muscle in Sky Knife’s body roared in agony and threatened to cramp after so long in the same position on the ground. He winced and his wounds bled anew as he moved and the sliced skin parted. The pain from the design on his chest itched and burned.
Rabbit threw a robe over Sky Knife’s shoulders and helped him to his feet. He leaned on her heavily, the pain making his head spin. Rabbit took his left arm and put it around her neck. “Come,” she said. “This way.”
Rabbit led Sky Knife to the edge of the pit. At one section, the wall of the pit had caved in, leaving a slope. With Rabbit’s help, Sky Knife managed to walk up the slope. The rocks cut into his bare feet. Sky Knife gritted his teeth.
Rabbit led him, almost at a jog, behind an apartment complex. Sky Knife leaned against the wall and looked back.
The pit was in the center of an old apartment building that had fallen in. Sky Knife shivered. He understood what it was now—a grave. He had been tied down in someone else’s grave.
Sky Knife groaned. Rabbit hugged him briefly. “Come on, not far,” she said. “We can find safety with a client of mine.”
Rabbit led Sky Knife in between and behind apartment building after apartment building. Sky Knife kept silent though his feet pained him terribly. He was sure Dark Lightning’s people would be able to follow them by the blood trail he left behind him.
“Rest a moment,” said Rabbit. “We’re almost there.”
Sky Knife leaned back against the wall of a building. Rabbit peered around the corner.
For the first time, Sky Knife noticed how little Rabbit had on. Her dress—if he could call it that—covered her from chest to mid-thigh, but no more. Suddenly, Sky Knife recalled his own nakedness. He grabbed the loose ends of the robe and closed it in front of him.
Rabbit turned back to him. Her dress was immodest by any means in the back, but in the front, it plunged so far her breasts almost popped out of it. Sky Knife blushed and looked away.
“All right,” said Rabbit. “Just a little farther.”
Sky Knife let Rabbit lead him around the corner and behind several more buildings.
“Wait,” she said.
Sky Knife wobbled but stayed on his feet. He listened. Footsteps approached. Rabbit motioned for Sky Knife to stay where he was. Then she strutted around the corner.
“Why, hello there,” said Rabbit.
“Good day,” said a man’s voice. “Who are you?”
“Just a woman looking for a few brave warriors such as yourself,” said Rabbit. “You’re one of Mirror’s men?”
“Yes,” said the warrior. �
�But I still don’t know who you are.”
“No one of importance, really. But I could be your friend.”
“Huh,” said the warrior. “A woman such as yourself must be very expensive. And I’m on duty. Though perhaps we could make arrangements for later—if I could find enough to pay you for your services.”
“Oh, I won’t accept anything from any of Mirror’s brave men today,” said Rabbit. “If you doubt me, you can ask Mirror himself. I personally attended to him only an hour ago.”
“And now you’re sneaking around in the alleys? Seems to me you’d stay with the commander.”
“Well,” said Rabbit. She sounded like a young girl. She sighed deeply. “He was busy, you see. So I left to see if I could find any other companionship.”
The man laughed. “If that’s the case, then you just found it.”
Rabbit laughed. “My place isn’t far.”
“I don’t have the time,” said the warrior. “I should think a woman of your profession could be a little more inventive than that.”
“All right,” said Rabbit. “Let’s see…”
Sky Knife looked around, desperate for escape. But he dared not move. If he made a sound, the warrior would know Rabbit was hiding someone.
“Oh, my,” said Rabbit. “You are really quite impressive. Even more so than your commander, Mirror.”
“I’m pleased to hear it,” said the warrior.
Nothing more was said by either of the people in the alley for many minutes. But the grunts and groans they made left no question about what was going on. Sky Knife blushed furiously and tried not to hear, but neither Rabbit nor the warrior were quiet.
Eventually, the two finished. Sky Knife sighed, relieved not to have to listen to them anymore.
“If you’re off duty sometime soon, come find me. I live in the fifteenth complex west of the Butterfly Temple. Ask for me—I’m Spider Silk. But bring something with you—I’m only free for today.”
“I certainly will,” said the warrior. “Come, that is, and bring you something fine enough to suit you.”
Serpent and Storm Page 18