Sisimito II--Xibalba

by Henry W. Anderson

  Emataly came with another jar from the bowl of burning coals. She stared into Chiac’s face. “We need to hurry. He will soon be back with us.”

  Emataly and Nikai started applying the second hot liquid, filling up the spaces, completely covering the already tender chest wall. Chiac’s tears began to fall. “He’s coming back to us,” advised Emataly, sounding relieved. “Let him lie or he may fall.”

  Once again, I felt someone slapping my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see everyone around me including the guards. “It is done,” Kish announced, and that was the first time I saw some concern in his eyes. I looked at my body. I touched it. Except for my head, I was completely covered with a thin layer of dark rubber, k’ik’.

  “That will help to protect you in K’íilkab Ja,” stated Kish.

  I nodded and touched the rubber again. Beneath it I felt a moderate stinging and burning sensation. I put out my hand and he pulled me up to sit.

  “How do you feel?”

  I stared at Kish. I couldn’t remember if he had ever asked me that before. “What’s going on Chief Guard? Getting soft?”

  “How do you feel?” he repeated, his eyes having lost any trace of concern.

  It was my turn to shrug shoulders. “Have you ever eaten too much pepper and the next morning you took a shit and it scorched your ass. That’s how my whole body feels, except my head.” I felt my head. “What

  about my head? And my eyes? How do I protect them?” I asked, a bit too panicky for a T’oit’ik-jolom.

  “There is a headdress you will wear.”

  I stood up, still felt a bit disorientated so I began walking around, trying to get back my strength. I looked at my men. I saw the pain they endured still lingering on their faces as they had watched how I suffered, how I agonized. I tried to smile, but was not very successful.

  After walking a little, I began feeling better, stronger, so I returned to the table and sat on the edge. “One of the drinks you gave me, Kish, it took me to a world I had visited before. A beautiful world. I was happy. There was no pain. The effects were many times stronger than k’uutz. I wish I could have stayed there longer.”

  “The drink contained the juice from the Flower That Honors Ix Chel. Its effects are short, but it removes your mind from your body, allows you to endure pain while its effects last. If you take too much, however, your heart and your lungs will stop. You are still strong, Chiac. The effects should have lasted a longer time, but your body fought it. That same juice is mixed with the sap of the k’ik’ tree to make k’ik’ and to make the ol for Pitz. The mixture is boiled and thickened until it reaches the strength desired.”

  I stood up. “I am better now.”

  “That is good as it is time.” I heard my men standing up.

  “Fokmi!” cussed Choc. “Again! Here we go again!”

  Emataly and Nikai brought the headdress. It was very different from the ones usually used by my people. It was just a rubber bag, the shape of a head. There were two choq’s for the eyes, and small pieces of fabric for the nose holes.

  “This is all we can do, Waach. The k’ik’ will protect the skin, the headdress your head. The cha-cá you drank will help you breathe the hot air. Breathe as slowly as you can and not too deeply. The taman394 through which you will breathe, has Sacred Pom embedded into its fiber and will help to remove the heat from the air entering your lungs. We will give you a little more of the juice from the Flower That Honors Ix Chel, but only a little for you must be fully conscious. It will help to keep you calm, keep your breathing calmly. The choq’s will allow you to see the fires, but you will not be able to see clearly. There is no slit for your mouth.” I put out my hand for the headdress. He folded it and placed it in his loincloth. “You will put it on when you reach K’íilkab Ja. Even though my guards would stop anyone from entering the Cavern of Trials, we can never be totally certain someone’s spy won’t. It would not be good for anyone to see you wearing any of the things I have given you.”

  I rubbed my chest. “What about the k’ik’? Someone would notice that I am covered with k’ik’.”

  The Cavern of Trials is dark and so is the k’ik’. It would be difficult to see.”

  “But if that happens you will forfeit the trial,” sang Teul. Kish ignored him, but I could not help wondering how long Kish’s patients was going to last. And, of course, Teul did not stop there. “How deep is that madafok loincloth of yours, Chief Guard? You seem to be able to load it up with all sorts of things. Just like Taat’s cuxtal.” When he said ‘Taat’, I saw a momentary flicker of pain in his eyes. That was immediately gone, however.

  “It is the will of the gods.”

  “Well, to fit in everything you put in it, you must have a very small toon, smaller than Waach’s.” He shook his head. “That would not be good for your women, but then, again, I suppose that is also the will of the gods.”

  Kish swung around to Teul, glaring, his fists tightening. “Perhaps, the time is now,” he murmured.

  I began to think that Teul really did not like Kish and that he was about to receiving the beating of his life. “Teul!” I roared, then quickly went back to Kish. “Chief Guard!”

  “Xibalba will soon let us know if you are the Warrior you think you are, Teul. Be careful, very careful.” He turned away from Teul and looked back at me. “Yes, Waach.”

  “All this help I am getting. Are the Lords aware of it? Aren’t they aware of everything in Xibalba?”

  “No! Once they were humiliated by Hunahpu and Xbalanque, their powers were reduced. But if the Lords find out, all of us here will suffer torture for all eternity. So, Waach, do not fail.” Emataly brought him a small chay blade. He showed it to me then placed it in his loincloth.

  “Careful …” began Teul.

  “Soldier,” I bellowed.

  “Sar … Waach!” he roared.

  Kish stared at Teul, his forehead furrowed in bewilderment, then he continued. “Before coming out of K’íilkab Ja, take off all the k’ik’ and throw it into one of the fires. You must get rid of all the k’ik’ before we go to the Chamber of the Council Place of the Lords.”

  “But won’t K’íilkab Ja still be hot? I will not know for certain when you are coming.”

  “Once Kinich Ahau returns to the Underworld, the trial is over. There will still be fires burning, but they will not be as hot as during the night. You will be aware of that change.”

  “Do I take off the loincloth?”

  “Everything. All traces of k’ik’ must be completely removed or the Lords will know that we used it.”

  “What’s the matter, Waach?” grinned Teul. “Afraid of walking around naked.” He laughed out loud. “I have been naked for so madafok long that when I return home, I’ll wake up in the morning, brush my teeth, and just walk madafok naked out of the house, not even thinking about it.” We all laughed as we stood around, pushing away horror, finding a happy place, ignoring the longing we felt by the word ‘home’.

  “Yeah. We’ll have to do some adjusting when we go home, back to so called civilization. It has gotten so that I don’t even miss clothes anymore,” added Choco.

  “Same here,” said Cho. “Maybe this is the way we should be.”

  “I don’t know about that,” objected Rhys.

  “It’s possible,” said Robertson. “I never ever thought I would say this, but there’s a certain feeling of freedom in walking around naked. Do you know that certain armies use to fight naked?”

  “Shut yu395 madafok, Medic,” remarked Teul.

  “Yes! It’s true. The Picts were early medieval Celtic people living in ancient Scotland and they went into battle wearing no clothing, covered only in war paint. Julius Caesar, when he fought the Gauls, wrote that the Gauls went into battle naked save for their weapons.”

  “Well, Medic. That may be true, but that was a long time ago. I don’t see that happening now,” challenged Rhys.

  “Right now,” coun
tered Robertson, “in the Vietnam War, Vietcong sappers slip through barbed wire naked or almost naked.”

  “What’s a sapper?” asked Teul.

  “A sapper is a soldier who performs a variety of engineering duties like clearing or laying minefields, building bridges, field defenses, and so on. They are mainly concerned with tasks that advance their forces and delay those of their enemies,” answered Robertson.

  “If that is so,” questioned Rhys, “What the fok are they doing naked in barb wire?” Robertson frowned for a moment then shrugged his shoulders. The men looked at each other and we all burst out laughing.

  When we had settled down, Robertson continued. “Who knows? We might be added to that prestigious list. We have our machete and knives and we’re absolutely naked.”

  “Well,” sighed Rhys, “If I have to fight my way out of this fokin Xibalba, I will do it naked if I have too. I’ll do anything I have to do to get out.” The men nodded, but didn’t say anything, probably thinking of what that scenario would entail.

  “It’s time,” announced Kish.

  “The man with the bad news,” grunted Teul. Kish ignored him.

  The men and I got up and we formed a tight circle. “Ready?” Teul roared. We nodded and shouted in unison, Ixca junes maka ka metzev! We are never stronger than when we are one! The guards all hit their chests.

  I looked at Kish and as was our ritual, I asked, “Is there anything else you can tell me about K’íilkab Ja?”

  He raised his forehead. “K’íilkab Ja is filled with fires and heat. You must walk through K’íilkab Ja until you can find a place of safety. Buluc-Chabtan is God of War, Violence, and Death. He tortures our people then cooks them over a fire as if they were kitams. K’íilkab Ja will try to trick you so that Buluc-Chabtan can watch you as you torture. Beware of tricks. In Xibalba, things are often not what they seem to be. I can say no more.” I nodded. Emataly came over and handed him two small jars which he also put in his loincloth. She gave me a mug from which I drank. “Ko’one’ex, Waach.” We walked to the doorway. I did not look back at my men.

  As soon as we entered the Cavern of Trials, K’íilkab Ja was directly ahead, its red door clearly visible in the semidarkness. As we continued walking, Kish turned to me and spoke, quietly. “There are stories of waterfalls and pools in K’íilkab Ja. They look cool and invite you to plunge into them. Don’t. They are as hot as the roaring red mud of Pacaya.396

  “Pacaya?”

  He looked at me as if puzzled that I did not know the name. “A great fire mountain of the god Huehuetlotl.”397 I nodded.

  We stood in front of the red door. He reached into his loincloth and carefully took out the chay blade, handing it to me. “You know what this is for.”

  I nodded, placing it in my pouch. “It is to remove the k’ik’.” He stared at me, his eyes expressionless and I suddenly knew what those expressionless eyes meant. “And it is to pierce my heart, should I fail.”

  Kish nodded. “In Xibalba, one cannot offer himself to Ixtab as there is no weapon here that will allow itself to be used for that purpose. Also, that is especially not permitted during the trials. The u-yeh I gave you is not from Xibalba.” He paused. “Should you have to use it, you must invoke Ixtab. Tell her that your death is not to stop your suffering, but that you would pierce your heart as a sacrifice to her. She will accept your sacrifice as she receives few from U Wach Ulew, and none from Xibalba as it is forbidden. In K’íilkab Ja, it is better to give yourself as an offering to Ixtab than to Buluc-Chabtan who would burn you like a kitam on a spit.” Kish then took out the two jars. “The red one is for you to drink now.” He handed it to me. “It will dim your senses. It will make you sleep a deep sleep as if you’re dead. It should last all night until I awaken you. But before you sleep, you must find a place of safety and do so quickly before the medicine begins to affect you. If you sleep on any pathway, you will die.”

  “Normally, you don’t want me to sleep, Kish,” I said, speaking as quietly as I could. I actually smiled.

  Kish did not. “In K’íilkab Ja, it is best to be as if near death. In that way, your body needs very little. Also, you do not sweat. If you do sweat, the k’ik’ does not allow your sweat to rise from your skin. Your sweat will boil. You will become hotter and you will die. When you are as if near death, you do not breathe often. That does not allow much hot air to enter your body. That is why your headdress carries no opening for your mouth. If you use your mouth to breathe, too much hot air enters your body.” He handed me the second jar which was colored blue. “Put this in the pouch of your loincloth. When Kinich Ahau returns and I call to you, take the chay blade and remove all the k’ik’. You will be red and tender. You will burn. Open the jar and rub your entire body. The areas you cannot touch, just leave them. When you return to the room, Emataly and Nikai will help. Now, let me put on your headdress, but first you must drink.” I hesitated. “Drink, now!” I drank the portion, so anxious I was not even aware of the taste.

  He took out the headdress and slowly pulled it over my head. I felt very closed-in as if sand and mud were covering me. I started to breath hard. I was having difficulty breathing through the nose holes, and my mouth was blocked. I was also unable to see.

  “Be calm,” instructed Kish. “Be calm and everything will be good. You are a Warrior, Waach, not the xch’úup398 baking kua on the ke’l. We must hurry.” The insult forced me to focus on controlling my panic and I started to settle down. “That’s better,” he said. “I will now secure the headdress with strips of k’ik’. I have to tie them tightly as no heat is to pass between the headdress and the k’ik’ on your neck. If it is too tight, if you have difficulty breathing, shake your head.” I did not shake my head. “When you enter K’íilkab Ja, you will not be able to see clearly through the choq’s, but you will be able to see the fires, the waterfalls, the pools. What is most important is to see where there are no fires, waterfalls, pools, where there is only darkness, but be careful as you walk those pathways for there are stones and holes that will make you stumble and fall into the fires or boiling waters.”

  Are you ready, Waach?’

  “Yes, Chief Guard.”

  “Then we begin.” He took me by the arm and turned me to face the red door.

  HOT HOUSE

  K’ĺILKAB JA

  “We have arrived at K’íilkab Ja and face the Red Door of the House of Trials that carries the glyph of the god Hobnil of the East, and the glyph of the fiery Buluc-Chabtan. Waach! Are you ready to enter K’íilkab Ja?”

  “I am.”

  “May the gods be with you,” he said, and opened the door.

  For the first few seconds there was nothing, then the heat began to penetrate the k’ik’. I walked in further and it was as if I were in a huge cauldron, fires burning in it rather than under it. There were fires everywhere with dark rocky roads passing between them. The stink of sulfur and thin clouds of ash were all over. There were mountains with lava flowing down their sides, some exploding upward with brilliant displays of fire and hurling burning rocks. There were giant waterfalls cascading to bubbling pools, thick mist rising from them. A shower of burning rocks hurled themselves into one of the bubbling pools, exploding on impact, sending sprays of water, vapor, and fire into the air. Suddenly, the ground shook as one of the mountain tops exploded and I was hurled to the ground. Luckily, I was still near the door, still away from the burning and arid land. I stood up and leaned against the wall for support, absolutely enthralled, but quickly pulled myself away as the wall was burning hot.

  I brought myself back to me, rather than having my thoughts in that violent and hostile land. I slowed down my breathing, breathing only when necessary. I had to decide what next to do, and quickly before the medicine took effect. Another shower of burning rocks hit a pool not far from me and the boiling water splashed around me. Already heat was beginning to touch my skin and my lungs were beginning to burn. I counted on the k’ik’ s
uit protecting me, but it wouldn’t keep me alive. I had to find a place of safety where I would sleep. It had to be quick as disorientation was a definite possibility, either from the drink or the intense heat. I would not be able to resist going into the pools and under the waterfalls that called out to me, inviting me to come into their cooling waters.

  The rocks were falling closer and the fires getting bigger, the mountains exploding more frequently. A strong quake shook the ground again, even the air seemed to tremble, and I kneeled quickly so that I was not hurled down again. I had to get out of the open. If I were hit by even a small piece of volcanic debris, it would tear the k’ik’ and I would be baked in no time. I looked through the choq’ at the pools of water and had to force my eyes away for I began seeing them clearly and they were cool and inviting. I closed my eyes and felt for the chay blade in my pouch. It felt cold against my hand.

  If I failed, I wouldn’t see Molly again. I would not rescue her. I would not kill Mahanamtz. I couldn’t let that happen, but as I looked around me, hopelessness began to overtake me. Perhaps it was just too much and it was the time for me to go to Ixtab. But then I wouldn’t see Nah’ again. I wouldn’t see Taat, help him to get out of Xibalba, go back to his kool. Then Fuller came back to me, The soldier’s ultimate goal is to survive. I gripped the blade. I had to survive. I had to think quickly. But I began to drift again, the effects of the potion, and I was with Taat in the kool and we were cleaning the fire-line around the kool so that when we did the burn the fire would not spread. When we were done with the line, he lit the fire. Then Taat looked at me. He smiled. I was shocked for Taat almost never smiled. I didn’t know if that were a good or a bad omen. Then he said, “Paal. You’d think that the fire would kill all the ch’o’s for us. It doesn’t. The ch’o’s just go deep in their holes until the fire has passed then they come out and eat the seeds we plant.” I fought to shake the drowsiness that was overcoming me. Then Taat said again, urgency in his voice, “Paal. You’d think that the fire would kill all the ch’o’s for us. It doesn’t. The ch’o’s just go deep in their holes until the fire has passed then they come out and eat the seeds we plant.” He smiled again and I knew what he was telling me. Thanks, Taat. Thanks. I will become the ch’o’, even though I removed his legs then killed him. The ch’o’ didn’t live, but I will become the ch’o’ to live.