Coyllur followed her aunt to her cell. A prophecy meant change. Was she to be sent to the Sun Temple in Cuzco? Was she to be a Chosen Woman to serve the inch in life and death?
Chaquira sat on a stool. Coyllur sat at the priestesses’ feet.
“A time of change approaches for the land and for you. Strangers came and will return. Among them is one tied to you by strings of an ancient curse given in a land beyond your imagination.”
Coyllur frowned. Were these strangers the ones who had taken her father?
Chaquira leaned forward. “This I say to you. When you see his face, you will love him. This love must remain pure until you are bound together. There are three who will help and two who wish to prevent this union. Time and again, they have manipulated and succeeded. This time, they must not.”
Coyllur’s brow wrinkled. She was too young to join with any man. Besides, she belonged to the temple. If she was to have a mate, the Inca would choose him. “I hear but I do not understand.”
“In time you will.”
Coyllur sighed. “When?”
“In many turnings of the moon.” Chaquira patted her hand. “Seek your mat.”
“A good night to you.” Coyllur scurried away. As she hurried to the room she shared with the other girls, a priest beckoned. She tensed. Her muscles tightened and she wanted to flee. Though Suka was handsome, something about him made her fearful.
He caught her arm. “Why aren’t you with the other girls? Were you seeking me?”
She stared at the floor. To meet his gaze would expose her fear. “I was with the Sun Priestess Chaquira.”
He lifted her chin with his fingers. “You are lovely but too young for the pleasure I could show you.” He laughed. “You won’t be young forever.”
Coyllur backed away. “I must go.”
“Tell Sumac I await her. She is late for her lessons and I would see her at once.”
Coyllur ran the rest of the way to the sleeping chamber. Sumac sat on her mat. The older girl was near the end of her training. Soon she would be a priestess. What kind of lessons did Suka teach? Coyllur shuddered. None she wanted to learn.
Her friend, Coca, waved. Coyllur stopped before Sumac.
The older girl glared. “What do you want/”
“The Sun Priest, Suka, awaits you.”
Sumac undulated from the mat. Her icy smile chilled Coyllur. “Your time will come but I doubt you’ll enjoy the lessons. He’ll punish you for your haughty ways. Just because your hair and skin are lighter than most doesn’t make you a treasure.”
Coyllur frowned. Was Sumac one of the enemies her aunt had mentioned?
Coca waited until Sumac left. “Let’s go bathe. I waited for you.”
Coyllur picked up a clean dress. “Why does she go to Suka?”
Coca laughed. “To learn how to please a man. I watched through a spy hole once. He mounted her like the llamas do.”
“But the Chosen are virgins.”
“Not all. Some of the priestesses serve the priests.” They scurried to the bathing room.
“He said he would teach me. I don’t like him. What can I do?”
“Don’t let him catch you alone.” Coca stepped into the heated pool. “Did your father send the chasqui?”
Coyllur joined her friend. “The chasqui came to Chaquira. Coca, my father has been taken away by strangers.”
“I will pray for his health.”
So would she.
* * *
Five years passed but Coyllur clung to the belief she would see her father again. Her skills grew and she became a weaver of the finest cloth.
“Coyllur, wake up.”
She rolled over and rubbed her eyes. “Coca.” Her friend was dressed yet the day remained dark.
Coca bent closer. “Chaquira woke me and told me to bring you without waking the others.”
Coyllur rose and pulled her dress, woven from vicuna hair over her head. She overlapped the sides and fastened the belt. With her sandals and shawl in her hands, she hurried after her friend. They trotted down one of the inner passages and emerged outside the temple.
Chaquira stood beside the litter. “Inside. When we are on the road, I’ll tell you why we leave this temple.”
Once Coyllur and Coca settled, the priestess took the place across from them. The bearers lifted the poles. A man carrying a torch led the way from the town. Chaquira released the side curtains and enclosed them in darkness.”
“Where are we going?” Coyllur asked.
“To where the Inca waits for a call to Cuzco. I must warn him about the strangers. He must destroy them before they bring his doom.”
“Are these the ones who took my father?”
“Perhaps. All I know is they bring danger.”
Coyllur sighed. “I must believe my father lives. If you dreamed true, he is one of those who help.”
“Are you sure?” the priestess asked.
“Coca woke me from a dream. Faces changed until they were ones I know. You, Coca, my father.”
Chaquira leaned forward. “What of the Inca?”
“He wasn’t there but not all the faces changed.”
Coca frowned. “Will the Inca listen to you? If the gods have called, we can do nothing.”
“No matter. I must warn him,” Chaquira said. ‘Rest now. The day will be long.”
Coyllur dozed until the sun rose high. She lifted the curtain. Dust stirred on the hard-packed soil of the road. Walls lined the sides providing protection from landslides. Coca woke and they ate from the basket of provisions.
As the sun set, the bearers lowered the litter to the ground. Coca lifted the side curtain and climbed out. Coyllur helped the priestess to her feet and lead her to the tampu. The way station guardian showed them to an inner room where food was brought for the evening meal.
The journey continued for days. Finally, they reached the palace where the Inca waited. They found places in the women’s quarters.
Coyllur stopped just inside the door. “Why is Sumac here? Wasn’t she sent to Cuzco?”
Coca shrugged. “She is beautiful. The Inca must have chosen her.”
“But she and Suka are…you know. Do you think he’s here?” Coyllur feared the answer. If the Sun Priest was here, she and her friend could be in danger.
* * *
Coyllur and Coca found places among the women who wove cloth for the Inca’s clothes. He wore a new set every day and the old ones were burned. Several days passed before Chaquira bade Coyllur to attend her when she spoke to the Inca. Coyllur followed the older woman into the Inca’s presence. The sight of Suka among the Sun Priests brought a rush of fear.
“I would speak,” Chaquira said. “I bring news of strangers come to this land. I have fasted and meditated. There are prophecies.”
Suka sprang to his feet. “The Inca knows the gods have returned as they promised. Be gone, old woman. Take your prophecies of doom elsewhere.”
Atahualpa held up his hands. “Priest, you dare insult a Sun Priestess. I have heard of this one’s prophecies and will listen to her words.”
Chaquira knelt at his feet. “It has been said when the gods who brought great gifts of learning to the people departed, they promised to return. Strangers have come. Men with pale skin and hair on their faces. Some say they are the gods come again.” She stared at the Inca. “This I know. When the gods walk among men, sometimes they come to test, sometimes to teach, sometimes to bring change and often to destroy. Weigh carefully the actions of these men before you trust their words.”
The Inca nodded. “I will think of what you have said.”
Suka waited until Chaquira moved away. His gaze lingered on Coyllur. He licked his lips as though anticipating a treat. Coyllur tore her gaze away and found herself staring into Sumac’s hostile eyes.
The Chosen Woman’s dark eyes held anger. Coyllur felt as though arrows pierced her serenity. Why does she hate me? Sumac had no reason, except…Sumac must be one of the enemies from
the past born into a new body. Coyllur was so lost in thought she missed Suka’s first words.
“…the strangers have come to aid your struggle. Did they not reach these shores on the very day Huascar died? They have come to honor you. You must welcome them. Take them into your service so they can carry you in triumph to Cuzco. Can’t you envision the glorious procession through the Golden Enclosure?”
The Inca smiled. “You present a grand picture. I will weigh your words but the decision is mine.”
When the Inca retired, Coyllur followed Chaquira to the women’s quarters. What would happen now? If the Inca believed Chaquira, what would happen to the strangers?
* * *
Fall drifted into winter and nothing changed. Even when word arrived about the rape of the priestesses of the Sun Temple in Caxas, the Inca remained silent. Spring arrived and still the strangers didn’t arrive. Atahualpa remained in his refuge near Cajamarca. Chasqui brought news of the strangers. Coyllur listened and hoped for word of her father.
“The men ride beasts like huge llamas. The beasts have silver hooves. The men bear things that send killing thunderbolts. They wear metal shells. With them are ones who speak both tongues.”
Atahualpa nodded. “Perhaps they are the gods but I will wait. They are few and we are many.”
Suka smiled. “My Lord Inca, you are wise. Yes, wait until they come to you.”
Chaquira drew Coyllur into a corner. “I will make plans to send you and Coca to a safe place. There is a small village in the mountains where you can hide.”
Coyllur shook her head. “I can’t go.”
“There is danger for you here.”
“The dreams. One face became a man with fair skin and dark hair. Sumac and Suka are in these dreams. They are the evil ones. I must be here or I fear they will destroy the man of my dreams.”
Chaquira sighed. “So we wait.”
* * *
Coyllur and Coca joined Chaquira in the Inca’s presence. They sat with the Sun Priestesses. Courtiers and Sun Priests milled about the room. Sumac sat at the Inca’s side. Suka stood behind her. A chasqui trotted into the room. He knelt and held out the knotted string.
“Speak,” the Inca said.
“The strangers have reached the town and have taken several houses on the square. With them are some of our people who speak the strangers’ tongue. They ride their beasts and carry lightning weapons.”
One of the war leaders rose. “Let me lead the army against them and bring an end to this.”
Suka rose. “My Lord Inca, Son of the Sun, remember the promises of the gods. They vowed to return. Let these strangers lead you to Cuzco and your rightful place.”
Chaquira faced the Sun Priest. “Or lead him to his death. These men could be tricksters. They seem to be mere men with men’s appetites. Haven’t you heard how they despoiled the Sun Priestesses and stripped the gold and silver from the temples?”
Suka raised his fist and strode toward Chaquira. Coyllur grasped Coca’s hand.
“My Lord Inca, the strangers have sent a party to speak to you,” a guard said.
“Bid them enter. I will hear what they have to say.”
“You must come to the plaza. They must remain on their beasts for they fear the animals will attack someone.”
“Then we will go.” Atahualpa motioned to his bearers. They lifted his chair and carried him outside. Suka whirled and joined the priests and courtiers.
Coyllur’s eyes widened when she saw one of the beasts race across the ground and halt beside the others. The creatures were huge. The men gleamed in the sunlight. A man on foot approached the steps. Coyllur grasped Coca’s arm.
“What’s wrong?” Coca asked.
“The man is my father. I must go to him.”
Chaquira grasped Coyllur’s shoulder. “Not here. A way will be found so you may speak in secret.”
The man who had raced to join the group spoke to her father. Then she saw the man’s face and her breath caught. “That one is the man from my dreams.”
“Ah,” Chaquira said. “Tonight I will go to town.”
Coyllur’s father knelt before the Inca. “These men from Spain have a gift for you.” He placed a small box before Atahualpa.
“I have gifts for them.” The Inca clapped his hands. Two servitors carried a pair of stone fountains. Another brought lengths of finely woven vicuna.
“The men of Spain would have you come and share a meal in their company.”
“I cannot come this day. I will come tomorrow. Tell the leader I give them the houses on the square.” Atahualpa raised a hand. Servitors arrived with gold cups, one for each mounted man. Another poured liquid from a silver pitcher. “Tell them to drink and the cups are theirs.”
Coyllur watched the faces of the strangers. All but one, the man from her dreams, grasped the cups and grinned. She stared at the man she knew. Her gaze meshed with his.
* * *
Guerro stared at the young woman. When he’d joined Pizarro’s men, he had thought he wanted adventure, wealth and power. Those reasons vanished. He had come for her, the one who had flitted through his dreams always out of reach.
Who was she? He prayed she wasn’t the ruler’s wife. If so, she was in danger. Pizarro and his men craved the gold seemingly common as stones in this land. The gold and silver they had already acquired had only whetted their greed. And the priests saw only souls ripe for conversion.
He noticed Qhari also stared at the young woman. Guerro called the interpreter to his side. “Do you know her or is it the woman with her.”
Qhari nodded. “One of the young women is my daughter. The older is my sister.”
Guerro sucked in a breath. “They must be warned of their danger.”
Qhari frowned. “I’m not sure I can reach them. If they’re among the Chosen Women, they will be guarded.”
Guerro noticed one of the men who wore a large gold medallion also stared at the three women. “That one.” He pointed. “Who is he?”
“I don’t know his name. He is a Sun Priest. The woman he touches is the Inca’s companion.”
“How could your daughter be one of the Chosen?”
Qhari toed the ground. “When her mother died, my sister took her to the temple. There she was cared for and taught. Every lunar, I visited her. Then your people came and took me away. Let me stay here and try to see her.”
“You must return to town,” Guerro said. “Pizarro will want to know what was said. “He wheeled his horse and rode toward town. Qhari followed.
* * *
The next morning when Coyllur woke, Chaquira was gone. Coyllur and Coca dressed, ate and went to the weaving room. Where had the priestess gone? Coyllur sat at a loom and began to work. She ignored the conversations around her. The chatter of the women halted abruptly. She looked up and froze.
Suka sauntered through the room. He pointed to several of the younger women. He nodded to Coyllur and Coca. “You and you. Go to the baths. You will travel with the Inca to his meeting with the gods. Perhaps he will give you to them. Don’t look to Chaquira. She can’t help you.”
Coyllur shivered. Had he harmed her aunt? Had the priestess deserted them? She rose and followed Coca to the baths.
* * *
Guerro frowned. Who was the woman sitting in Qhari’s room? Guerro and the translator had become friends during the voyage and Guerro had been assigned as the man’s guard. The interpreter placed his fingers on his lips. “My sister. Chaquira is a Sun Priestess.”
“We’re alone.” Guerro looked closer and recognized the woman he’d seen during the visit to the Inca. “Is your daughter here?”
Qhari shook his head. “Chaquira came alone. She has a tale and a favor to ask.”
Guerro sat on a stool with his back against the wall. “I listen.”
Qhari translated the woman’s words. “That’s the story.” He looked up. “What do you think?”
Guerro smiled. “The moment I say your daughter, I knew I h
ad come to this land to make her mine and keep her safe.”
“Then you will flee with us when we leave?” Qhari asked. “You may never see your home again.”
“Matters little. When I joined Pizarro, my father disinherited me. I’m but a younger son and have no thought of inheriting anything. There is little in Spain for me. “I need to learn what Pizarro plans for the evening. When I return, we’ll discuss the rescue.”
* * *
Coyllur and Coca took their places in one of the litters. Coyllur frowned. None of the Inca’s guards were armed. Why had he eschewed protection? Did he believe these strangers were the gods who had promised to return?
Sumac sat at the Inca’s side. Coyllur studied the others. Where was Suka? Once he’d made his selection of those to companion the Inca, he had disappeared. The bearers lifted the poles and the long line set forth for Cajamarca.
When they reached the town, the sun neared setting. The distant mountain peaks were stained with the color of fresh blood. Coyllur swallowed her fears. Was this an omen? No one waited on the plaza to greet them. What had gone wrong?
Two men appeared. One wore a robe the color of night. He carried a black object in his hands. Coyllur’s father was the second man.
The dark-robed man spoke and then Coyllur’s father said words. “This man of God says you must swear fealty to his god and king.” The priest held the black object toward the Inca. “Place your hands on this and give oath to Christ, the greatest king of all.”
Atahualpa jerked back. “I rule these lands. I will meet your king as a brother, not a servant.”
The black priest’s eyes narrowed. His face flamed. He raised his hands and dropped them. A boom resounded. As men fell to the ground, Coyllur screamed.
Past Betrayals, Past Loves Page 26