“How?” I queried.
“Questions! More questions.” Hunahpu shrugged his shoulders. “The more the Xibalbans are defeated, the easier our job becomes. Unfortunately, defeating the Xibalbans has proven difficult for everyone, except us of course. Now, no more questions. Ka xi’ik te’ex hatz’utzil.”
I started walking up the sacbeob towards the gates. There was already a crowd of citizens going in and out, so I was able to push between them unnoticed. I turned around to wave goodbye to the Hero Twins. They and their crew were nowhere to be seen.
Xibalba was a large and well-ordered city of grey and black, securely contained within its walls. Straight ahead of me, about two miles away, was a large structure of columns and pyramids, built upon a small rocky hill. Beyond that, Xibalba sloped upward and I saw the stone roofs of other buildings. Fountains in specific arrangements were everywhere; not fountains of water, but fountains of fire that flowed in wave like patterns, up and down, sending out sprays of dancing flames all to a non-existent melody. Much further to the west was the opposite wall. I knew I was walking west as I was still on the sacbeob I had chosen at the krus-be. Also, Hunahpu had told me that in order to reach the city of Xibalba, I had to go west and that was where Kinich Ahau began his night journey. To my left and right were many small houses, all in neat rows, with small sacbeobs between them. There were a few citizens about, the men either completely naked or dressed in a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist, only one or two having on a full loincloth. The women were all bare from the waist up, the women having a larger piece of cloth to wrap around their hips. Most of the men and women wore no lej-xajäbs. To my great disbelief, there were small gardens with fruit, vegetables, and flowers growing in the arid soil. They were there and that fact further reinforced the truth that I was in an enchanted land, the enchanted land of Sisimito, or Mahanamatz as I would have to call him from then on.
I continued walking and there was a large market place on my right, set up just like the one at Ox Witz Ha, or any major Maya city. People were everywhere, dressed like the others I had seen, those selling behind the packed stalls wearing cloaks like the ones the Hero Twins had worn.
Ahead and to my left were six temples, all equally spaced, the first five about thirty feet in height, the last about fifty feet. On either side of the first five temples, abutting each, was a medium sized one-storied building decorated with columns and carvings, not very imposing, possibly residences. The building at the sixth temple was different, heavily embellished with many columns and having carvings and paintings on the walls. It was circular and on a stone platform seven steps up, the temple rising from its center. Across the Chúumuk Sacbeob from that temple, there was an even taller temple, but it was set in further away and I could not see its lower details.
Before the six temples on my left were long buildings with openings for doors and windows. The roofs were made of slabs of stone. There were three buildings per set with a large courtyard that faced me. Those were military barracks as many Warriors were training there.
I came adjacent to two large stone cauldrons on my right, filled with flaming rocks shooting up dancing flames at short intervals. Between them was a raised sacbeob leading to an amphitheater surrounding a ball-court. That’s where One Hunahpu and Seven Hunahpu, Xbalanque and Hunahpu, played Pitz. I may … will soon be playing there. I continued walking along the crowded sacbeob amongst the Xibalbans who were all going about their business as people would in any city. No one stopped to speak to me and I kept reminding myself not to stare too much as that would mark me out as a stranger.
I came to the end of the Chúumuk Sacbeob, at the Council Place of the Lords. To my right was the temple set in furthest away from the sacbeob. It was a remarkable structure rising over seventy feet with three tiers, residencies on the topmost level. Unlike the others, there were no buildings at the base. Instead, there were flower gardens in large, medium, and small, sometimes concentric pet-kots. A raised sacbeob left the Chúumuk Sacbeob, where I stood, passed between the pet-kots and disappeared into the distance. The black stones of the palace were highly polished and offset by lighter grey ones that formed patterns around them. Tongues of flame and wisps of smoke rose from all over the temple, increasing the awe the building demanded.
To my left was another small and raised sacbeob, that one leading to residencies on its left and orchards of trees on its right. To see green leaves, red and yellow fruits, in that bleak and ash covered arid land made be tremble and koal seed rose. This was not my land. This was a strange land, and I was a stranger here.
I looked up at the Council Place of the Lords. The building stood several feet back on a very large platform about nine or ten feet high and I counted nine341 wide steps leading up to it. The right and left sides were like the sides of any temple, but the front was different as there were no upper tiers. There was a large doorway with no door; the wall on either side standing an imposing fifty feet and decorated with nine columns built into them. The Council Place of the Lords was about five hundred feet long and there was no roof. Even though not adorned, it was an imposing structure eliciting astonishment.
I climbed the steps of the Council Place of the Lords. There were guards everywhere, but in no way as finely dressed as the Royal Guards at Ox Witz Ha. They wore a plain black loincloth, had bangles on their wrists, ear plugs, and lej-xajäbs. They wore necklaces, but there were differences. They were all a basic string necklace, but some had grey stone pendants, others obsidian medallions, some had none; also, the number of pendants and medallions varied between one and two. As a weapon, each carried a long bate’342 and to’bal-rib.343 I didn’t know who to pick so I chose a guard that stood apart from the rest and on a short pedestal. He wore two necklaces with two shinning obsidian medallions on each. He did not look at me until I was standing directly in front of him. He stared at my face then his eyes dropped to my Green Scapular then to my machete and scabbard. He focused on the machete and I saw tension build on his face. Other than that movement of his eyes, he made no other. He looked up slowly then stared at me. I could not read the Warrior and that had me worried. I just felt that he was going to take his bate’ and ram it right into my fokin belly. I opened my mouth. “I want to be taken to the Council Place of the Lords.” I was very puzzled as he kept his eyes riveted on me. It was as if he was trying to recognize me, or had. “I wish to leave Xibalba,” I continued, hurriedly.
He frowned deeply, as if puzzled with disbelief, then stepped off the pedestal and gave a smart left-turn. “Follow me,” he instructed.
We walked through the large doorway and along a curving passage that was over fifty feet wide. Xibalbans were everywhere. Curving along and adjacent to the wall was a rank of tall statues, many showing grotesque features. “Who are the statues of?” I asked.
The Guard did not stop or look at me. “They represent the Demon Lords of Xibalba. Perhaps, you should not ask questions.”
I wondered at his statement, but asked nothing more as we approached three doorways. There was one main doorway and two smaller ones, one on either side, about thirty feet away. Many Xibalbans were going through the main doorway into whatever room and activity that lay beyond. My guard took me to the smaller doorway on the right, a grey and black woven tapestry hanging in front of it as a curtain. “Stop here,” he said, not looking at me. “I will go in with you and you will follow me and stand beside me when I stop. When someone is accompanied by me, it means that person has a plea. Make your plea and may you be victorious at the trials.”
“Thank you,” I responded, choosing not to ask about the trials. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn’t.
There was something that I was missing and I wanted to find out. “Is there something else you want to say?” I asked.
He turned and looked at me. “You carry a strange weapon.” I put my left hand on top of my machete handle wondering how I would react if he tried to take it from me. “It is not from X
ibalba,” he continued.
“It is not,” I answered. “It is from a kingdom far away. I am not supposed to be here in Xibalba. I was tricked.” I wasn’t sure what else to say, but he kept looking at me, his eyes demanding that I say more, so I went ahead. “I am from the Surface World, U Wach Ulew.”
To my surprise, he simply nodded then asked, quietly, “Is the weapon made in your kingdom?”
I hesitated, not knowing where the line of questioning was taking me. I wondered if it were a test of some sort. From discussions with the Hero Twins, Xibalba seemed to be filled with tests. I decided to answer. “Yes.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “I have seen a weapon like that before.”
“That’s impossible,” I argued, wondering what trap this Warrior was setting for me. What he asked next made my mouth drop open.
“Did you not fight the great battle against K’uxaj, Ajawinel of Maxam? Did you not fight along the side of the young alaxels,344 Chaak and Cit Bolon Tum, to protect Ox Witz Ha?” I was dumfounded and just stared at him. “Are you not the great T’oit’ik-jolom345 named Fuck, also called Ke’kchi?” I had no choice but to remain quiet. I felt weakened as my gut cramped, heart raced, and I broke out into sweat and koal seed. “Did you not win the Pitz of Death and did your woman, Xch’úup Xma’ K’aaba’, not rise alive from the Ch’ajch’oj Tz’ono’ot?346 I just stared at him. “My Lord,” he said, bending his head, and beginning to kneel.
“Don’t kneel,” I ordered. He stopped. “Never kneel before me. You don’t ever have to do that, but especially here in the Council Place of the Lords. Wouldn’t the Death Gods be angry to see you kneel before me? They’d probably kill me and have you suffer death again.”
He raised his head, looking at me. “I too want to leave Xibalba. On U Wach Ulew, I was a great Warrior. Now, I am just a Chief Guard of the Dead in a fallen city.”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Kish, Nabe Kaloonte’347 to Ajawinel K’an II.”
Slowly, I recognized him and my head swung with recollection. “Did we not meet at the height of battle, and was it not you who took me away as Ajawinel K’an II had ordered.”
“It is me, my Lord,” he answered, pulling the curtain aside. “Now, go in before the Lords become aware that we speak.”
I nodded and went in as the tapestry closed behind me. “You may journey with me out of Xibalba,” I said, under my breath.
My head was still swinging from my meeting Kish as I stepped into the roofless Chamber of the Council Place of the Lords. On either side of me, tiers of stone seating rose, in a semicircle, the full fifty feet of the wall with intermittent stairways every twenty feet or so. There were three other doors on my left and four on my right making a total of nine, including the main door at the center. In front of each doorway a pair of guards stood, both armed with long bate’s. To my right were two towering statues on pedestals, the one closest to me taller, and the citizens knelt briefly before them then took their seats in a rapidly filling auditorium. Some fifty feet away from me was a long and deep dais set against the back wall, nine short steps leading up to it. Twenty columns, reaching up to the same height as the wall, rose from it and supported a narrow stone roof. At the center of the columns were two thrones, the one on my right larger and set on a higher pedestal. On either throne sat an ordinary looking but muscular figure, fully tattooed with glyphs, dressed in highly decorated loincloths, pati’s,348 and embellished lej-xajäbs, wearing crown like headdress of highly polished obsidian. In front of each of the twenty columns was a stone chair upon which sat a figure dressed in a black cloak that covered all of his body except his head which, although hairless, a bit pale, and with eyes slightly sunken, was almost normal. On the wall behind the columns were mosaics of intricate patterns made from grey and black stones having various degrees of brilliance. Interspersed among them were glowing red hot stones and carvings of open mouths from which thin swirls of smoke and fingers of flames rose. In front of the dais was a low semicircular convex wall, about three feet high. A midway opening led into what appeared to be a cavern below. A black tapestry, embellished with stones that shone like diamonds, roofed the open semicircle, appearing as if it just floated there. At either side of the dais was an elaborate arched doorway covered with small sculptures. Between the two statues beside me and in front of the dais were two small pedestals standing about a foot off the black floor. There was a continuous hushed murmur from the citizens and I looked into the crowds, hoping to see the Hero Twins. I didn’t.
I heard the curtain open behind me and Kish came and stood beside me. “We will walk to those two pedestals. You will stand on my left. That is the protocol. Let’s go.” We reached the pedestals and stepped up. Kish immediately bowed. I did nothing. “Bow,” he ordered, quietly, firmly. I bowed.
The figure sitting on the throne to my left spoke in a clear, deep, and firm voice. “I am Lord Vucub-Came, Death God of Xibalba. “Make your plea to Lord Hun-Came, Death God and Ruler of Xibalba.”
I gave a slight bow and began to speak as clearly, deeply, and firmly as I could. “I am not a Xibalban. I am the great T’oit’ik-jolom named Fuck, Warrior to Ajawinel K’an II of Ox Witz Ha. I have played the Pitz of Death and was victorious. I helped to draw up the strategies that defeated K’uxaj, Ajawinel of Maxam. I was brought here through trickery. I am not dead and I will leave Xibalba.” The Xibalbans broke out in laughter, giggling, and jabbering, some pointing at me, some holding their heads. Their attempt at ridicule and humiliation had begun. Vucub-Came held up his hand and the noise stopped. “And I will rescue the six Warriors that came with me,” I continued.
Vucub-Came looked towards Hun-Came and said, “It seems we will have some entertainment today.” They both chortled.
“So, you are not dead,” said Vucub-Came. “It’s funny. All our new residents say that when they arrive. Also, they always tell us how great they are. Anyhow, why do you want to leave this great city of Xibalba? I am sure that where you come from is not as great. And how can you be sure that your Warriors are not already happily settled into our beautiful city and our way of life … death?”
“I will leave Xibalba so that I can hunt Mahanamtz and rescue my woman. My six Warriors accompanied me on the mission and will continue to do so.”
The crowd couldn’t hold in their amusement. Some grasped on each other. Some threw themselves on the floor between the chairs, always pointing at me. Then I noticed two young citizens that just sat observing, watching me. Hunahpu and Xbalanque had said they would be there as two young nobles. They were inconspicuous, dressed like everyone else, but I was convinced it was them because they did not partake in the brouhaha surrounding them.
Hun-Came held up his hand and all became quiet, once again. “So, you wish to hunt Mahanamtz.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“Because he took your woman?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“And your six Warriors? You want them back even though you have absolutely no jurisdiction here?”
“They were never given away,” I responded. “My Lord.”
Vucub-Came looked toward Hun-Came and both their eyes glared momentarily. “Do you know the significance of the number ‘six’?” asked Hun-Came.
“I do not, My Lord.”
“Perhaps there is a message for you in that number ‘six’. The god associated with the number ‘six’ is the God of Death. That is I.”
“My Lord,” I answered, having nothing else to say.
Hun-Came opened his mouth slightly as if he wanted to speak then gesticulated towards Vucub-Came who then continued.
“You will be given the trials and, undoubtedly, you will fail the trials and, other than providing us with entertainment, accomplish nothing as you will suffer death and then remain here in Xibalba forever among our citizens. The Council of the Lords gives only one chance to leave Xibalba and very few take that chance. Why should they? They are happy here.
There is fruit. There is iztāc-octli and balche’. There are ballgames, like the one you said you won at Ox Witz Ha. There are women for our men and men for our women; men for our men and women for our women, if that be your desire. But you say you will hunt Mahanamtz and rescue your woman.” He shook his head. “It seems you take on tasks that are doomed to failure.” He threw his head backward and his hands into the air, laughing loudly. Immediately, the whole council chamber, as if on cue, guffawed momentarily.
“Look around you. There are many young women here who would happily lay with you on your mat so you may have the pleasures of the flesh; and the pleasures of the flesh are greater here than on U Wach Ulew. Do you really want to give all that away just to die at the hands of Mahanamtz? You will, if you go after your woman.” The giggling and jabbering began again. “You are young and look like a strong Warrior. We would happily give up our entertainment and have you remain with us, undead, as you claim you are. In your ignorance, I suppose you would prefer to remain as an ‘undead’ than one of the dead even though the blessings are less? Shouldn’t this young Warrior, this T’oit’ik-jolom named Fuck, remain with us, Citizens of Xibalba?” Vucub-Came shouted.
“Yea!” roared the citizens, stomping their feet.
“I have already escaped from Mahanamtz once. I have already defeated Mahanamtz and I will do it again. I must refuse your offer, My Lords. Xibalbans, including the Council of the Lords, are known for their trickery and deceit throughout all levels of Yaxché, through Cab, Kaán, and Xibalba. Yet, I will take the trials. I will win the trials and I will leave Xibalba with my Warriors. Then I will kill Mahanamtz and rescue my woman.” The jabbering noise in the chamber increased again, but I heard no giggling and many of the people were looking at the Death Gods rather than at me.
Hun-Came and Vucub-Came laughed loudly, and the crowd joined them in boisterous laughter, once again, stamping their feet, pointing at me. Vucub-Came held up his hand, leaning forward. “And what makes you so sure?” I was tempted, but did not look towards the two young nobles I had seen watching me.
Sisimito II--Xibalba Page 31