by David Meyer
"Real plan?" Emily frowned. "What are you talking about?"
I gathered the group into a tight circle. "Miranda's a fraud. She fabricated at least one of her most famous papers. Probably many others too. I won't go into the details. But she trimmed and massaged the evidence to fit her thesis about climate change causing the Classic Maya Collapse."
"That's impossible." Rigoberta's voice sounded hollow. "I've read all her works. They're heavily footnoted. Anyway if she'd been lying for that long, someone would've noticed."
"Pacho noticed. After he died, I searched his tent. I found one of her papers along with others she'd used as references. On the surface, her work looks good. Her apparatus is massive. Her data sets are enormous. Her methodologies appear comprehensive. But Pacho wasn't fooled. He was systematically checking every footnote, every citation. Unfortunately, many of them were fabricated or altered."
Dr. Wu stared at me, wide-eyed. "How could she get away with that?"
"I think I know," Tum said. "Academics love Miranda. But they love her conclusions even more. Most of them believe climate change is a real threat to humanity. So, they probably never even stopped to consider the possibility she was conning them."
"I also found lots of empty duffel bags in Pacho's tent," I said. "I think he brought other papers with them. I'm fairly certain Miranda disposed of them after she killed him."
"Wait." The doc's eyes opened even wider. "You think she killed him?"
"I'm almost positive. And not only that. I think she's the one who brought Votan here."
"But why would she do that?" Emily asked. "She's an archaeologist. She should want to see the Library of the Mayas more than anyone."
"She's built her entire reputation on a single theory," Graham explained. "Namely, that manmade climate change caused the Classic Maya Collapse. If the library backs that up, it doesn't really help her, especially since so many of her peers are convinced of it anyway. But if it doesn't back her theory, people will start taking a closer look at her work."
"Let's say you're right." Emily glanced at me. "Let's say she's trying to lead us into a trap. What can we do about it?"
"I don't know." I looked across the marsh and caught sight of Dora and Renau. They stood near Votan's helicopter. Their hands were raised high in the air. Numerous guns were pointed in their direction. "But whatever we do, we'd better do it fast."
Chapter 84
The makeshift white flag ruffled fiercely in the wind as Miranda walked forward. On the surface, she appeared calm and collected. But inside, she was a mess of frazzled nerves.
Sixteen individuals stood around Votan's helicopter. They wore black shirts and black pants. Black ski masks adorned their faces.
Miranda felt slightly emboldened upon seeing the masks. They wanted to protect their identities. Clearly, Votan intended to spare her life.
Dora and Renau stood several feet in front of Votan's men. Their knees trembled gently. Their hands were behind their backs, presumably tied in tight knots. Black drawstring bags covered their heads.
A man stepped forward. He was tall and skinny. He possessed broad shoulders and giant hands. "Hello Miranda," he said in a disembodied voice.
Miranda swallowed hard. It was difficult to believe she was actually standing in front of Votan.
"The prisoners are gagged," he continued. "They can't alert your friends."
Miranda's gaze flitted to the Maneros. They were about to learn of her betrayal. They'd probably hate her for it. Unfortunately, the greater good sometimes called for sacrifices. "Good," she replied. "The others are waiting in the east jungle, near the pyramid. There are seven of them all together, including Cy Reed."
Dora and Renau squirmed. Tiny noises escaped their gagged lips.
"I'll hand them over to you," Miranda said. "In exchange, you spare my life. Then I'll help you retrieve the library and melt it down."
"How will you leave here?" the man asked.
"I'm going with you. You're taking the corpses too."
The man cocked his head.
"No one knows I'm here and I'd like to keep it that way. So, I'll have you drop me off in the jungle with the bodies. We'll stage a massacre. Then I'll call for help. When a rescue crew arrives, I'll tell them a band of Maya savages raided our camp. They stole our supplies, executed the other expedition members, and escaped via Emily's helicopter." She shrugged. "I'll say I managed to hide in the jungle until they were gone."
"You're going to blame it on Mayas?"
"I have to blame it on someone."
"And once you return to civilization?"
"As promised, I'll continue to feed you information on dig sites."
"I still don't see how this benefits you." The man shrugged. "But that's your business."
Miranda twisted eastward. She raised the white flag high over her head. "Hey everyone," she shouted at the top of her lungs. "I worked out a deal with Votan."
A minute passed. The Maneros continued to squirm.
Miranda cupped a hand around her mouth. "It's okay," she yelled. "You can come out now."
Another minute passed. And yet, no one emerged from the jungle.
A frown creased Miranda's face. "I guess they can't hear me."
"More likely, they just don't trust you."
Ice crept down Miranda's spine. Slowly, she turned around. "I … I don't understand."
Renau and Dora stood in the exact same spots. But bags no longer covered their faces. Matching pistols filled their hands.
Dora gave her a condescending look. "It's rather simple, really."
Miranda slowly turned toward the tall man. "He isn't Votan."
"That's right." Renau smiled as he raised his pistol. "I'm Votan."
Chapter 85
The gunshot reverberated in the crater. My jaw slowly unhinged as Miranda jolted backward. Seconds later, she sagged into the marsh.
"What the hell just happened?" Graham said.
"Renau shot her." A cold realization swept over me as I watched Renau take charge of the situation. "I think he's Votan."
It made no sense. And yet, it made all the sense in the world. During our first encounter, Votan had worn a mask. So, I hadn't seen his face. But his build had been a good match for that of Renau.
Also, thanks to his connection with Miranda, he'd been privy to all sorts of information about dig sites. He would've known about every excavation in Central America, even the secret ones. Furthermore, he would've known which excavations promised the greatest payoffs with the least amount of risk.
Briefly, I wondered why he'd waited so long to reveal himself. Then I realized he'd used us to do his dirty work. We'd located the pyramid's entrance. Now, he could kill us and take the library for himself.
"I know the Maneros," Tum said. "They'd never hurt anyone."
No one replied.
Tum's gaze tightened. He started forward.
Graham grabbed his arm. "You can't go out there."
"I need to talk to them."
"Renau—Votan—just killed Miranda. If you show yourself, he'll kill you too."
Tum halted.
"We can't stay here." I looked toward the marsh. "I say we hole up inside the pyramid."
"And do what?" Emily asked.
"Make our stand." I pulled my pistol from its holster. "And pray to God it isn't our last one."
Chapter 86
My heart raced as I crawled into the pyramid. After about fifty feet, the ceiling lifted and I was able to stand up. I took out my flashlight and pointed it in front of me.
I stood in the middle of a magnificent hallway. It was about thirty feet tall and roughly fifty feet across. Giant statues of Maya gods lined either side of the hallway. I wanted to study everything at once, to drink it all in. Unfortunately, I had more pressing concerns.
Rigoberta crawled through the entrance. Her legs wobbled as she rose to her feet. "I don't feel well," she said.
"Wait for the doc," I replied. "He'll help you."
>
"It's okay." She blinked a few times. "I'll … I'll be fine."
Graham followed Rigoberta into the hallway. "Wow." He stood up and looked around. "This place is amazing."
"Do me a favor. Stay in the shadows." I nodded at the rifle in his hands. "If you see Votan or anyone else, shoot them."
He nodded. "Will do."
Beverly crawled through the entranceway. She carried a few small boxes in her hands. "What's that?" I asked.
"Semtex," she replied. "Along with blasting caps and some other stuff I scrounged up from the excavation. I'm going to try to rustle up a few semtex grenades."
I detected a note of uncertainty in her voice. "Have you ever done that before?"
"Yeah. But I had better supplies."
Turning back to the hallway, I tried to think of a plan. Dust wafted into my face and I coughed. Quickly, I retrieved my respirator from my satchel and strapped it over my nose and mouth. The dust cloud thickened. I tried to wave it away but it hung over my head.
I strode out from under it and swept my beam from side to side. The statues wore stern, almost disapproving facial expressions. More importantly, they were massive. They'd make decent hiding spots if we were forced to retreat.
I walked down the middle of the hallway. At the end, I saw a long set of winding stone stairs. They stretched before me, leading deep into the ground. I aimed my beam down the steps, but all I saw was darkness.
A slight breeze wafted into my face. Puzzled, I bent down and extended my hand over the staircase. The breeze felt slightly stronger and I felt a surge of excitement.
I raced back to Beverly. "Forget the grenades. Can you make a couple of timed explosives?"
"Well, sure," she said. "They won't be exact, but I can delay their fuses. Why?"
"We're going to need to get away before we blow the entrance up."
She blinked. "Excuse me?"
"There's a staircase over there. It leads into the ground. I felt a breeze coming out of it."
"You think it connects to the surface?"
"That's the idea. There could be some old caves beneath us." I frowned. "It's a bit of a long shot. But they just might lead us out of this crater."
Chapter 87
A soft cry rang out.
I turned toward Rigoberta. She gasped for air. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head. Then she slumped to the ground, convulsing violently. Spittle and bile shot out of her mouth and dribbled down her cheeks.
Dr. Wu raced across the hallway. Kneeling down, he felt her pulse. A grave look came over his face. With Emily's help, he quickly worked to revive her.
Beverly continued to work on the semtex. And Graham maintained his watch over the entranceway. But the rest of us stood completely still.
A hot breeze pushed into the pyramid. The scent of mud and damp leaves filled my nostrils.
"I'm sorry." Dr. Wu withdrew his trembling hands from Rigoberta's chest. "She's dead."
Chapter 88
"Dead?" Shock flowed through me. "But that's impossible. She was alive a few minutes ago."
As the doc closed Rigoberta's eyes, he shot a fierce glare in Tum's direction. "I told you those leaves were a bad idea."
Emily's jaw quivered. A few tears flowed from her eyes. Tum quickly moved to comfort her. "They're harmless," he replied softly. "They couldn't have hurt her."
"Maybe not. But they masked her symptoms. She exerted herself—against my wishes, by the way—and her sickness caught up with her."
Tum opened his mouth to respond. But then he clamped it shut again.
"It wasn't anyone's fault," Emily said softly. "Her sickness killed her."
"That's odd." Carefully, the doc pulled Rigoberta's pant legs up to her knees. Light purplish discolorations covered much of her exposed skin. "Did anyone notice these before?"
"I saw them," I replied. "She said they were bruises."
"They're not bruises. They're purpura. They're caused by bleeding under the skin. Usually, they arise from vasculitis or scurvy." His jaw tightened. "They're also fairly common in victims of ARS."
"What's ARS?" Emily asked.
"Acute Radiation Syndrome."
My heart skipped a beat. "She had radiation poisoning?"
"I don't have the equipment to do an autopsy or blood panel. But it makes sense. Ever since we got here, she's complained of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, among other things. Now, she's got purpura." He paused. "Since Pacho showed the same symptoms while he was alive, I think there's a good chance something in this crater is emitting radiation."
"But no one else is showing symptoms."
"That's because we arrived two weeks after them."
Until that moment, I'd chalked up the strange appearance of the Xibalbans as well as the nagual to natural evolution. But radiation exposure over many generations could accomplish the same thing.
My adrenaline raced as several answers clicked into place. The radiation source could've arrived with the other strange metals on the extrasolar meteor. If so, it would've been embedded deep into the ground. Anyone who got close to it would experience nausea, strange markings, and even death. It was easy to imagine how an ancient civilization like the Mayas would attribute something like that to underworld deities.
"Can we protect ourselves from it?" Emily asked.
"Our best bet is to vacate this place." The doc shrugged. "Of course, that's easier said than done."
I cleared my throat. "We have to leave Rigoberta here. If we can, we'll come back for her."
Heads bobbed.
"There's a staircase on the other side of the hallway," I said quietly. "I felt a breeze coming out of it. So, there's a decent chance it leads back to the surface, possibly somewhere outside this crater."
"What's the catch?" Emily asked.
"I can't be sure it connects to an actual exit." I paused. "Also, if radiation really killed Rigoberta, its source could lie on the other end of the staircase."
"Those are big catches."
"I know." I nodded at Beverly. "She's going to blow up the entrance to buy us time. So, if you want to come with me, stay here. If you want to take your chances in the jungle, now is the time to leave."
The others shared glances. Then they looked back at me.
"Okay," I said. "Follow me."
I ran to the staircase and pointed my flashlight down the steps. The darkness swallowed my beam. I took a deep breath and tested the first stair. It felt firm. I gave the others an encouraging nod. Then I turned around.
And descended into Xibalba.
Chapter 89
Votan wasn't just Renau's secret identity. It was, for all intents and purposes, his only identity.
Over the last six years, he'd raided sixteen separate dig sites throughout Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. He'd confiscated thousands of priceless artifacts. He'd murdered over one hundred people, including full-time archaeologists as well as local laborers. But his campaign had produced more than terror and bloodshed.
It had preserved the heritage of the Maya tribes.
"I can't believe she was willing to kill us." Dora knelt next to Miranda's corpse. "I guess we never really knew her."
"She never knew us either," Votan replied. "Or me for that matter. She actually thought I was going to melt down the Library of the Mayas."
"It seems you've developed a reputation as an incredibly stupid treasure hunter." Dora grinned wickedly. "Somehow it fits you."
"You're right. How smart can I be if I've got you for a wife?"
Dora giggled. A broad smile crossed Votan's face. He loved needling her. It was the greatest pleasure in his life. The only thing that came close was recovering ancient Maya artifacts.
For centuries, the Mayas had been ripped off by the outside world. Conquistadors had stolen their land and resources. Archaeologists had looted their artifacts. Now, corporations like Arclyon were robbing them of their jungles and medical knowledge.
For years, Votan—using his given name of R
enau—had attempted to utilize the legal process to keep ancient artifacts in the hands of the Mayas. But since he was unable to buy them off, bureaucrats and politicians had shut him down at every turn.
Frustrated by the endless defeats, Votan began to raid isolated and vulnerable dig sites. With Dora's help, he'd killed the thieves and taken back the history of his people. Someday he hoped to share that history with his fellow Mayas. But in the meantime, he was content to preserve it.
"Itzamna Squad, find them," Votan called out. "Yum Kaax Squad, stay here and guard the helicopter."
Eight individuals quickly fanned out and headed for the jungle. The other eight individuals spread out around the chopper.
A sense of satisfaction stirred deep within Votan. Back in 2012, Miranda and Emily had struck a deal to recover the library. Votan had been furious about the arrangement. He didn't care that Emily had offered to donate part of her profits to the various Maya tribes. All he cared about was keeping the Library of the Mayas out of foreign hands.
One day, Miranda had secretly reached out to his private line. He'd quickly returned her call, using a digital modifier to disguise his voice. She'd asked him to help her steal the Library of the Mayas. At first, he thought he'd found a kindred spirit. But she hadn't wanted to preserve the library for the Maya tribes. Instead, she'd wanted to melt it down.
He shouldn't have been surprised. Miranda had never cared about her heritage. As far as he was concerned, she was a traitor to her people. So, when the time had come to kill her, he hadn't hesitated.
"Are you ready?" Votan asked.
"I see you're as patient as always." Dora glanced at the pyramid. "But personally, I think we should—"
A booming noise rang out. The ground rumbled and Dora lost her balance. She smashed into the mud and slid a couple of feet forward.
The rain picked up speed as she struggled to her knees. The noise had been massive, like a sonic boom experienced close-up. And the trembling ground had all the force of a giant earthquake.
Votan helped Dora to her feet. Then he checked her skin. Large abrasions and welts coated her limbs and chest. Fortunately, she wasn't bleeding.