Tyrone squinted his eyes as he tried to look to where the bohpoli was pointing at. Up ahead of them was a huge mound. At first glance it looked like a gigantic beaver dam made up of tree logs and it was blocking the waterway directly ahead of them. Tyrone used his pole to try and steer the raft away but the current was too strong.
“Do not fight the path of water,” the bohpoli said softly. “Let the power flow through you, and you shall prevail over the stronger enemy.”
Tyrone placed the barge pole on the floor of the raft and decided to wait. Within minutes, they came upon the edge of the massive wood mound and the raft stopped in front of it. As he wondered what to do next, the mound suddenly shifted as if a massive earthquake hit. Tyrone staggered and nearly fell off the raft as several huge wooden logs rolled towards them and nearly toppled them over. Suddenly, the water behind them started to churn rapidly as Tyrone fell on his knees onto the lashed wooden planks, just as he turned to see what was causing it.
Tyrone’s eyes opened wide as the head of the great horned serpent rose up from the water right behind them. He noticed that the body of Captain Pillinger was still hanging by an attached cable around its massive neck. The huge stone crystal that adorned the creature’s head had begun to glow with a bluish fire. A strange feeling began to cascade all over his body, it was as if the light from the crystal on the giant snake head had provided some sort of energy that warmed his cold, clammy skin.
“This is the Sint-Holo,” the bohpoli said. “The great horned serpent of these lands. When the gods had returned to the world, so did he. The Sint-Holo appears to those who have the gift, and it is through he those chosen are blessed.”
A sense of calmness washed over Tyrone as he blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. “Please tell the serpent that I had no intention of hurting it. I was only traveling with those people because I had to.”
The bohpoli nodded. “The horned serpent knows. Do not fear, for no man could ever harm it. Your foolish companions all chose their fate, just as you have chosen yours. It asks you now, what is it that you wish?”
Tyrone fell to his knees. “All I could ask is that if it could help me stop the threat of these Aztecs, help me find a way to fight them off, so that I can return to my family and we can have peace all over again. I am greatly ashamed I ran away. I don’t wanna be known as a coward ever again.”
The great serpent’s head seemed to sway back and forth. The red crystal glowed a violet hue and it cast strange beams of light onto the waters. It opened its mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.
“The Sint-Holo understands,” the little furry imp said. “It will give you the chance to right your wrongs. It will give you the opportunity to become a man of power, to learn your true place and your true calling.”
Tyrone nodded meekly. “Yes, yes. Whatever it wants, I’m ready.”
The bohpoli made its way until it stood beside him. “Then your path is now chosen. You will do battle with the Aztecs. The prize will be the lands all around you. If you fail, the Aztec will conquer all. If you succeed, then you will have fulfilled your chosen path.”
Tyrone gritted his teeth as he stood up. “Just tell me what to do.”
The bohpoli gestured at the murky water in front of them. “You must enter the water and swim to the other world. From there, you shall meet the boy who wields the black mirror. That child shall be your companion against the darkness of the Aztecs. Or you can forgo what you were destined for and forge an uncertain path in these forests. Choose your way.”
Tyrone looked down at the black depths. He was never a good swimmer. He would probably drown if he jumped in. A part of him just wanted to give up, to run away. He had survived all this time, surely he would make it. He didn’t have to be this medicine man that his god had wanted him to be, he could just be his own man. Then his thoughts strayed back to all the people who had died. From his friends in the Army who were most certainly dead, over to the families in Shreveport, like Monique and her two daughters- they would surely be killed too. If he walked away from all this right now, more people would die, and it would be because he turned away from the gift offered to him. It would be the easy way out if he truly wanted it.
He made his choice. Tyrone drew a deep breath and then dived headfirst into the muddy water. As he began swimming into the suffocating darkness, his ears started to pop as the water pressure increased. He could see a distant light somewhere down below so he used his hands to swim deeper. Within a few seconds, his lungs started to get painful as it screamed for fresh oxygen. The light at the bottom became more distinct. It was like a bluish white circle, a hole in the ground made of solid, glowing energy. Tyrone was starting to black out and he inadvertently swallowed some river water. He started to back away and panic as the stinking, brackish water partially filled his lungs. The pain was intense as he could no longer see around the corners of his eyes, but he somehow regained his composure and kept on swimming towards the glowing circle. He knew he was close to death’s door now as the darkness had just about had him.
The last thing he remembered was touching the glowing circle. Then everything faded to black.
24. The Betrayer
Tenochtitlan
Chipahua placed the suitcases in the forward trunk of the Volkswagen and closed it before getting back into the driver’s seat. It was still very early in the morning and the sun was about to rise. Checking the reading on the gas gauge, he hoped that the car would have enough fuel to make it to whatever destination that his master would command them to go to. His devotion to High Priest Tepiltzin was total. Out of all the other priests in the temple of Xipe Totec, he felt that the avatar’s nephew had the best chance of becoming the ultimate successor and that he would have a better chance to ascend as well. To that end, he firmly believed the reasoning as to why the child needed to be spared from being sacrificed to Tlaloc. Tepiltzin had convinced him that the traitor was one of the high priests in Tlaloc’s temple, and the rebirth of the rain god’s avatar needed to be delayed.
Isabel and Tepiltzin emerged from a nearby house and walked towards the waiting car. Since they were on the outskirts of the city, there were practically no checkpoints once anyone went past the causeways and into the surrounding suburbs along the foothills. Tepiltzin figured that by the time the child’s identity had been known and a search was conducted, both Isabel and her son Atl would be long gone.
Tepiltzin stared into the backseat of the car and noticed the little boy was fast asleep in the backseat. He turned to Isabel and gave her a letter envelope. “Here, this is a signed pass with an official seal from the great temple. If any warrior or magistrate gives you any trouble, just show it to them and they will be forced to let you go.”
Isabel had been at the ragged end of her nerves since the day before and now she was physically and mentally exhausted. She smiled slightly and hugged him. “Thank you, Ramon. For everything that you have done. I know your mother put you up to this, but nevertheless I am eternally grateful to you for saving the life of Atl.”
Tepiltzin smiled back as he caressed her shoulders. He'd always liked her. “We’ve known each other for a long time, long before the return of the gods. You’re like a family to me so I did it for that, not for my mother’s sake.”
Despite her fatigue, Isabel’s lips began to tremble. She was ready to cry again. “I really don’t know how I could thank you, if there was only some way I could repay you, but what you did was beyond any price.”
Tepiltzin winked at her as he opened the passenger door of the car. “No need. I would have done this service for any other member of my family. Now, you need to go as far away as you can, I think it’s better you even leave the empire. My suggestion is that you make it southwards and go past the Incas. Do not worry, we are still at peace with them, but I fear that once we have finished with the Americans to the north, the Incas will be next, so it’s best to keep moving.”
She clasped his hand tightly b
efore she sat on the front seat of the car. “I will try. Once more, thank you, Ramon.”
Tepiltzin closed the car door and leaned over on the window. “Chipahua, make sure you get her past the southern border, then come back here quickly, we still have much work to do.”
Chipahua nodded as he started up the engine. It came to life after a loud bang and the car began to vibrate slightly. “Yes, master. See you in a few days.”
As the car sped away, Tepiltzin adjusted his cloak and started making his way towards a nearby plaza. The sun was now beginning to rise above the hills. The days usually started like this. There would be a bright morning before the darkening of the skies just before noon, and then the heavy rains would begin by nightfall and their torrential downpours would last for the rest of the evening. He had heard that there was less rainfall in the nearby farmlands so that the harvests would not be flooded, such was the blessing of their gods. A small part of him regretted having to violate the sacrifice for Tlaloc in Teotihuacan, and he shuddered at the potential consequences of his act. Then again, he had already been lying to everybody ever since he dreamt of that boy, and of the prophecy of Tezcatlipoca. He wasn’t afraid to die, but he figured he would at least finish off his hated rival Coaxoch in order to protect his family before the gods finally claimed him.
Tepiltzin walked through the streets and wandered in the local stone plaza for a bit. He needed some time to clear his mind and plan his next move. The morning sun had now cast its warming rays over the neighborhood and most of the city had begun to wake up. He noticed a plump, dark-skinned woman tending a small fire as she prepared some tortillas beside her food stall. He walked over and bought a plateful of huevos rancheros, the classical breakfast of Mexican rice, beans, eggs and tortillas smothered in a spicy red tomato sauce. He hadn’t eaten since arriving late last night with Isabel’s child in tow, so the mouthfuls of food were comforting for him.
An hour had passed by the time he got back to his home. He used a key to open the outer gate. No one had been in his house since he left it. Tepiltzin quickly went to his bedroom and opened up his safe. Seeing its contents hadn’t been disturbed, he took out a flint knife he was sure would incriminate Coaxoch. Since he was given the authority to find and eliminate the so-called traitor, all he had to do now was to present his findings to Ixtli, the avatar of Huitzilopochtli.
Several loud knocks on the metal gate interrupted his train of thought. There was no doubt it would be the temple guards. What surprised him was how quickly they had come to take him. Tepiltzin looked at himself in the mirror and made sure his clothes were prim and proper before walking out of the house, carrying a leather pouch with the dagger in it.
A whole squad of warriors were waiting for him outside as he opened the gate.
The lead warrior bowed slightly as a token of respect. “High Priest Tepiltzin, I am here to escort you to the great temple. You have been summoned to appear before your avatar.”
Tepiltzin nodded. Since the festival of Tlaloc had happened just yesterday, his uncle and his entourage must have journeyed all night to return to the capital. “Very well, let’s go.”
The warriors had cars. Tepiltzin rode in the backseat of a Chevrolet Silverado that still had Mexican Army markings on it. Even though they started to adopt many of the fighting styles of the ancient Aztecs, their warriors still made use of present-day technology when it came to certain things such as transportation. It took less than fifteen minutes to cross the causeway and the car had finally stopped near the frontal entrance to the great temple of Xipe Totec.
Tepiltzin was escorted by a group of four temple guards as he walked in between them. He was somewhat relieved that they were using the inner stairways. If they had gone up the stone steps along the outside of the pyramid, it would have been a public execution that awaited him. Then he realized that if they proved that he was a traitor, then his death would be done quietly and out of sight, since it would have caused a major scandal due to his exalted position within the temple hierarchy. The fact that the warriors who came for him did not put him in restraints still boded well to Tepiltzin, he had his evidence and could still bluff his way out of this. All he had to do now was to convince his uncle.
He was led into the main inner hall. The ceiling above him was at least thirty feet tall and the massive room was lit by burning stones on nearby braziers. Large stone columns had recently been added to help buttress the hall. In front of him was a raised stone platform and nearly all the high priests were standing there. Tepiltzin noticed that many of them had haggard faces, clear evidence of their hurried journey to return back to the capital. He was only slightly better rested than they were as he had spent all night in preparing for Isabel’s escape from the empire.
The crowd of priests quietly parted in the middle as Tlazopilli, the avatar of Xipe Totec, strode forward and faced him. His uncle was painted in red from head to toe and wore a yellow feathered headdress. His loincloth was made of corn leaves and he carried an ornate wooden staff. “High Priest Tepiltzin, you have been summoned before me, and before my entire priesthood, to answer some very serious allegations that have been made against you. First, it has been said that you were in the holy city of Teotihuacan in disguise yesterday, during the festival to celebrate the rain god. Second, it has been said that you murdered several priests of Tlaloc, and that you abducted a child who had been chosen to be sacrificed that day. What do you have to say about these accusations?”
Tepiltzin made a quick glance at the crowd of priests. His uncle said that the entire priesthood was present, yet he didn’t notice Coaxoch anywhere. That only meant that his rival must still be in Teotihuacan. Good, that meant that he could accuse Coaxoch of being the traitor, and his enemy would have no chance to defend himself today. “I adamantly deny these accusations against me. I had spent most of the day here, in the capital, in order to gather evidence as to the supposed traitor in the empire.”
The other priests began to murmur amongst themselves, but his uncle was unmoved as he banged his staff on the floor to quiet the room. “Can you present any witnesses that state that they saw you here in the city all day yesterday?”
Tepiltzin nodded. “I can provide witnesses. I also demand that whoever has accused me of murder and deceit, to present himself and his evidence as to my guilt.”
Tlazopilli raised his hand. “That will come in due time. Now, have you made any findings as to who this avatar of Tezcatlipoca might be?”
“Yes,” Tepiltzin said as he drew out the flint knife from his leather pouch and placed it on a dais in front of the stage. “That is the dagger which belongs to the traitor. My visions had led me to that knife and I soon found out the identity of its owner. I accuse Coaxoch, high priest of Xipe Totec’s temple in Teotihuacan, as the future avatar of the god Tezcatlipoca! May the Triple Alliance of gods damn his soul!”
Loud gasps of surprise came from the other priests as their murmurings once again started. Tlazopilli continued to stare back at his nephew without a hint of emotion on his face. Tepiltzin noticed some movement behind the crowd of priests. There was evidently something going on behind him that he couldn’t see.
Tlazopilli struck the stone floor three times with his staff. “Tepiltzin, despite the fact that you were given authority to find this traitor, my visions have not been able to discern your true thoughts. As such, your recent actions have fallen under suspicion. We will find out if you are telling the truth soon enough. On the other hand, your accusation against High Priest Coaxoch is a grave matter. I am aware of your mutual hatred for each other and I will now state the truth. It was I who made Coaxoch antagonize you. I considered it a test to see if you were worthy of becoming a future avatar to succeed me.”
Tepiltzin’s eyes opened wide. He was speechless. His own uncle had set him up.
“Your recent actions have been very disturbing and have now threatened the stability of the Triple Alliance,” Tlazopilli said. “We know for a fact your assistant Chipahua
was one of the litter bearers of the child that you stole. One of the people in the crowd was using a video camera and we studied the footage of what he took during the procession in Teotihuacan yesterday. The fact that Chipahua is nowhere to be found has led me to conclude you may have indeed engineered yesterday’s incident in the other city. For that, you have dishonored your priesthood and you have personally shamed me.”
Tepiltzin shook his head. “No, no, Uncle Paco. I would never—”
“Silence!” Tlazopilli said menacingly. “You have debased my own house. I have carefully considered what I would do with you, but I sense that there is still hope for you. You are highly intelligent, but lack loyalty to the empire. I will purge you of your uncleanliness and I shall set you back on the right track. To that end, I must break you first.”
A small band of musicians came out from behind the crowd of priests, as they walked off the side of the platform and positioned themselves near the far end of the hall. Almost immediately, the band began to play a traditional dancing tune with soft drumbeats and flutes. The crowd of high priests on the platform parted again, as Coaxoch emerged from behind them. He was wearing the flayed skin of a recent sacrifice as he started a rhythmic dance on the stage.
Tepiltzin had a confused look on his face as Coaxoch jumped off the platform and began to dance less than ten feet in front of him. The skin he was wearing had been freshly flayed and drops of blood began to fall on the stone floor. Tepiltzin narrowed his eyes as he stared at the flesh mask that Coaxoch was wearing. The features looked familiar to him. Wait, it couldn’t be!
“Yaotl!” Tepiltzin screamed as he fell on his knees. He realized the awful truth. He sobbed as tears began to flow down his cheeks.
“Your brother was loyal to you,” Tlazopilli said. “He even attacked Coaxoch after the latter accused you of the murders of the priests of Tlaloc. He was so loyal to you, he even played a game of ullamaliztli just to defend your honor. He played against the greatest player in the empire, Commander Huemac. And do you know what? Your brother won the game! He scored a goal against Huemac’s team and singlehandedly defended your honor. He could not bear to see Huemac being sacrificed, so he instead demanded that he be sacrificed himself. Your brother’s selfless devotion is the reason why I am not going to execute you.”
A World Darkly (Wrath of the Old Gods Book 3) Page 35