The Mayan Priest

by Guillou, Sue

  CHAPTER SIX

  Samuel sat in a room at the Hotel Aeropuerto adjacent to La Aurora Airport. He had failed his ahaw (Mayan ruler) by allowing the red-haired woman to escape. Ahaw had insisted he attend this dig due to the likelihood of rare and exciting riches and it was his duty to ensure things went to plan. The ensuing entrapment of the archaeologists and escape of the woman with the plaque had infuriated him, but Samuel had one thing in his favour. He had overheard the old man known as Richard tell the woman that he had unearthed a box at the base of the Temple of the Sun in Teotihuacán with matching inscriptions. It had sounded so important that he had rung his ahaw, on the way out of Tikal, who immediately deployed a contingency to capture her.

  Unfortunately their first effort failed when Dale Bright simply replaced the helicopter they had destroyed, leaving Samuel feeling guilty. If he had captured her in Tikal then Ahaw would not have sent men to Houston, so the entire failure to date was his fault. He knew his ahaw would see it the same way and he dreaded the call he had to make.

  Samuel’s fingers could barely dial the familiar numbers on his mobile phone.

  He did not speak. Ahaw knew who it was.

  ‘You failed me, my son, but I’m not angry. It is not your fault alone although I have come to expect more of you. Nevertheless all is not lost. I have the location of her destination and expect you to do better next time.’

  Samuel cringed. A second failure would surely spell his death.

  He paid undivided attention to his ahaw and learnt that a plane would be sent to take him to San Antonio at which time a list of directives would be provided. He was expected to follow the commands faithfully without diversion.

  Before hanging up the phone, his ruler also ordered him to ask the gods to forgive his failure and look favourably upon the next part of his mission. In particular he was required to pray to Xaman-Ek, the god of the North Star, depicted by a black monkey head. He needed to ask for direction and guidance in his journey and this had to be accompanied with the ‘blood-letting’ ceremony.

  Samuel always came prepared, learning from experience that the failure to produce evidence of appeasing the deities after a flawed mission resulted in consequences. His first assignment almost five years ago was to send a traitor to mitnal, the ninth and worst level of the underworld. He had succeeded in releasing him of his earthly life but had forgotten to take the heart as proof of his victory. Ahaw punished him by leaving the head of his only friend Can-tel on his bed that evening. At first it had upset him, but he came to realise that it was the result of his own failings and the all forgiving Ahaw would accept his mortal weaknesses if he could demonstrate he had repented.

  Reaching into the small bag he carried around his waist, Samuel produced a specimen jar and custom made threadlike, surgical steel spike. The balled end of the blood-letting tool had been engraved with his name and presented to him when he had been given the greatly desired privilege of defending their community from intruders.

  His home was a vast labyrinth of rooms carved by their ancestors into the peak of Tajumulco some 13 000 feet from the ground. It afforded them views of the lower grounds where all of the lesser children of the gods resided. It was these people, jealous that Samuel’s community contained the chosen students of Hunab Ku, who had mounted an attack against them. Samuel was sent to assist in destroying their world and stop the spread of their evil influence.

  Samuel took one long sniff of the revered powder to dull the pain and dropped his pants to his ankles. He then lowered his underwear and lifted his flaccid penis, rubbing it slightly until it was somewhat erect and easier to work with. Quickly locating the thick pulsing vein at the back of the organ, Samuel took the sharp spine and jabbed it into the membrane, pushing it until it had completely penetrated his entire manhood. He withdrew it immediately and placed the specimen jar underneath, catching the stream of blood as it spurted from the hole he had created. When the clear, yellow lidded jar was full, he rubbed a pinch of the white powder into the wound to staunch the bleeding.

  Dressing the wound with gauze, Samuel then withdrew a few drops of blood from the container and placed it on a piece of paper which he burnt. The resulting flames and smoke would make its way into the sky where the Paua tun (the four gods that hold up the sky) would smell his scent and know that he had given up some of his very essence to request their forgiveness. The rest would later be presented to Ahaw for his consideration.

  Samuel recalled the first time he had been requested to complete this special ceremony. Initially he had trouble with the pain, but with the insistence of his leader, Samuel had soon learnt the white powder greatly assisted him. He had also discovered that his own mind was a powerful tool in quelling pain and he had almost reached a level where he no longer required relief. The only problem was that he enjoyed it. It made him feel invincible and this gave him great confidence.

  Recently, though, the red-haired woman had caused him to question himself. She had outrun and outwitted him, singularly causing the failure of his mission. He was not angry with her – women could not be held responsible for their own actions – but rather at his own lack of ability. Women were only useful as breeders and to provide amusement. They certainly did not have the supreme intelligence of a man, so he could not understand how she had out-manoeuvered him. It was something he would have to consider further.

  Samuel gazed at his body. Until he had ventured from his home five years ago, his body lacked muscle and stamina. His skin had been white and translucent from the lack of sun and his eyes were unused to glare. Now he was tanned, lean and well defined. His hair was black, glossy and wavy and his skin was clear and healthy; however, he had not stopped there. He had learnt minimal skills from the ancient Japanese art of karate to assist in his protection and etiquette that allowed him to integrate more readily into the population he wished to walk amongst. His only flaw was the missing ear which had been taken from him as punishment for asking about the woman whose body he had come from. He never questioned his deliverance into the world again.

  He quickly brushed his white teeth, untarnished from the ravages of sugar and corrosive drinks, and turned to see a rat scurrying across the floor. He reacted quickly, grabbing an exposed shaving razor from the vanity unit and spinning around, his unexpected movement momentarily startling the rat and giving him enough time to whip the blade across its neck. He had almost severed the spine and tendons and his right hand was covered in blood. Samuel smiled in pleasure. This would make a small but suitable offering to Hun Honshu and Xbalanque, the two hero twins of creation. He hoped they would consider him favourably and pass some of their bravery onto him.

  Samuel quickly placed the decapitated body and severed head onto a sheet of paper and carried it outside. He prayed before leaving it near the front door and moved back into the unit, suddenly caught by surprise as his mobile phone rang. In the five years he had possessed one of these strange machines, he was still unable to get used to it. He answered the phone tentatively and waited until he heard the divine voice of his supreme ruler.

  ‘Samuel, the plane is waiting for you in hangar three. It is a small jet with the name “Renalda” on the side. My further instructions are inside,’ his raspy, ageing voice forcibly demanded. His ruler was old, somewhere over seventy, but he commanded complete respect and conformance from all of his children, and they loved him. He was the provider of their shelter, food and water. He was their king.

  ‘I will go immediately, as you command.’

  ‘Do not disappoint me this time. Of course I would try and protect you, but I fear the wrath the gods will afflict on us if we cannot show them our loyalty. The council will also be upset. The sacred Juun (book) has long foretold of a discovery of a great treasure that will ensure the continuance of our community. It would be a shame to tell the populace that they have been deprived of this great treasure because you failed to defeat a female.’

  ‘I will find the woman for you, my ahaw,’ replied Samuel
, the thought of failure never even entering his conscience.

  Samuel zealously ensured he had removed any traces of his existence before walking the 450 feet from Hotel Aeropuerto to the airport. He had been to La Aurora Airport previously and required no direction to the outfield where the hangars were situated. It took only a few moments before he located Hangar number three, noticing that a lone figure of a woman was waiting for him at the door.

  ‘Welcome. You must be Samuel. My name is Alandra and I’m your pilot this afternoon’

  Samuel looked at her in surprise. She was small and elegant with a nice waist and generous breasts. She moved fluidly and her speech was slow and articulate. He found it surprising that a good-looking woman had chosen to use her brain rather than her body. A woman pilot. He had never heard of that before.

  He did not accept her hand in greeting as this would only lower him to the status of a female. Instead he nodded and ascended into the private plane owned by the wealthy and influential real estate baron, Haldon Renalda. Haldon was also a member of their council.

  It never ceased to amaze Samuel how far and wide his ruler’s influence reached. He was truly a great man.

  Samuel positioned himself at the rear of the plane, enjoying the luxury of the sumptuous cream leather and airconditioning which was a welcome relief after the humid weather of the tropics. He stretched his legs and relaxed only to be interrupted by an attendant.

  ‘I have been instructed to hand this to you,’ the young, well-presented man advised as he passed him a small parcel wrapped in inconspicuous brown paper. Samuel nodded and gingerly unwrapped the package to reveal an XREP Taser stun gun. It was a wireless prototype that could be fired from a 12 gauge shotgun. Attached to the base of the Taser was a note that detailed the time frames it took for vehicles to move about the Brooks City-Base and a tag that had five words written on it: ‘Bring her to us alive’.

  Samuel grinned in delight. He knew Ahaw wanted to use her as an example to the community, most probably as a sacrifice.

  The thought of a sacrifice caused shivers of pleasure to run through his body. It was an amazing experience and something the entire community looked forward to. Everyone dressed in his or her very best, the men in simple cotton pants tied around the waist and a tight, sleeveless vest. The women wore wraparound skirts and oversized tie-dyed blouses called huipil. There was a feast of fresh fruits, rabbits, turkey and deer and sweet maize cakes for supper. A rare delicacy of cocoa and milk were supplied to drink. It made a wonderful change from their staple diet of agouti, plain maize, squash, beans and amaranth.

  They were given the day off work and the men, women and children were allowed to mingle. The spectacle was a sight to behold with 600 people filling a cavernous room the size of the hangar he had just been standing in. They would chant and cheer as their leader ascended the forty steps to the ornate stone altar followed by the sacrifice which was led up behind him by five guards and tied down, their chest exposed.

  Just before their heart was offered to the gods, the voices of the thirteen deities of the upper world could be heard voicing their approval from the roof and everyone fell to their knees in awe.

  After the ceremony, they were allowed access to a large barrel of pulque (a thick alcoholic drink made from the sap of the agave tree) and could celebrate until the next morning.

  Samuel exhaled in delight and took a moment to indulge in the memory as the plane took off down the runway. He was keen to continue his pursuit although he considered the word ‘keen’ to be an understatement. Ardent to the point of desperate more closely represented his true feelings. He felt like a hunter searching for his prey and he longed to get his hands on her. She would bring him great favour and he could almost visualise the applause he would receive in front of his people.

  Samuel zealously clutched the Taser and drifted into a trouble free sleep as the plane reached its cruising altitude.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Very little bothered Richard! He considered himself to be a calm, sensible man who had always taken life one step at a time and it was for this reason that archaeology was a perfect fit for his nature. Delving into the past took considerable patience and he enjoyed spending months uncovering mysteries of the past. His only fear had been claustrophobic tunnels, caves and the insides of ancient tombs, but by forcing himself to face this trepidation as a young man, he had developed the tools required to deal with most occurrences, this one included.

  When the door slid closed, locking them into a small, impenetrable room, he readily accepted his fate and was neither startled nor worried. Gillian was a smart girl and if anyone could get them out, it would be her. His faith in her was unwavering, but even he knew that not everyone was infallible. It was for this reason that Richard had no intention of sitting about and waiting for a rescue. The Mayans were smart people, but it did not take much intelligence to know that they were not the inventors of the metal cable and that the most likely thing stopping them from falling into oblivion was a rope, and an old one at that.

  As soon as they realised they were entombed, the first reaction was one of amusement. They could not believe that a group of five highly intelligent individuals had been outwitted by a civilisation long since passed, but this soon elapsed as the full comprehension of their predicament and the confines of the tiny room, less than three square feet, brought them down to reality. Tempers began to fray with Fred and Redmond being the worst offenders, forcing Richard to bring order.

  ‘Now, listen!’ Richard raised his voice. ‘No amount of squabbling is going to bring forth a magic genie to grant us three wishes and let us out of here.’

  Julia saw the funny side of Richard’s comment. ‘You always did like Aladdin.’

  ‘I think I could recite it backwards,’ replied Richard, referring to the amount of times he had watched the film with his granddaughter. ‘So, we need to stop acting like caged rabbits and find a way out of here.’

  ‘It’s not like I can see an escape hatch,’ replied Fred, his sarcasm causing Richard to cringe. He never did have much patience for that boy.

  ‘Well, it’s quite obvious that we don’t have any food or water and we could be trapped here for days. I for one have no intention of withering and dying like a sacrificial victim,’ said Richard as Julia, Mitchell and Redmond replied with a ‘here, here’.

  Richard contemplated the situation at hand and did a mental calculation of the tools he had with him. As a rule, he had a large cache of equipment at the dig site, but he had always carried a small tool belt in light of his ageing years to save him the energy of running back and forth. He had investigated in a good quality, lightweight hiker’s belt that contained a small hammer, chisel, tiny hand spade, Capewell retractable grappling hook and nylon rope for safety. A small torch with a set of spare batteries was also included and for which he was thankful. Unfortunately he did not have the one thing they required – food or water.

  ‘We should all empty our pockets and combine anything we may have with us,’ suggested Richard.

  Everyone agreed and they were able to put together an eclectic mix of sustenance bars, tissues, a couple of pocket knives, two mobile phones, pens and odd pieces of paper. Redmond also had a complete packet of jelly snakes that he had to give up.

  ‘This is not looking good,’ muttered Julia.

  ‘I know,’ replied Richard, frowning. ‘All the more reason to find a way out.’

  ‘Surely Gillian and Samuel will bring a rescue party,’ said Redmond.

  ‘I have no doubt, particularly as her father is a Major General in the United States Air Force. I would expect that he will be here as soon as he hears about my predicament. It is also possible that our rescue will receive media attention and we could be famous,’ said Fred, the darkness covering what Richard knew would be a smug expression.

  Richard remained silent. He did not want to dampen anyone’s spirits, but the odds were stacked against Gillian. For one thing, there was no transportation from
Tikal other than the vehicles conveying the tourists at irregular intervals, there was little coverage for mobile phones and he suffered a nagging distrust of Samuel. Something about him did not ring true despite his obvious knowledge about the ancient Mayan society. At first Richard had been unable to pinpoint the problem until he recalled the first time he knew he would become an archaeologist. He was so passionate about his chosen future that he ensured everyone knew about it. It was passion that was the key. Samuel did not have passion. He was mechanical, without feeling. The picture of the jackal, a dog not to be trusted, came to mind and he suddenly feared for Gillian. All was not well, but he was determined not to share his concerns with his companions and moved to another topic.

  ‘Now, we have enough battery power here for at least four to five days, but we must use it wisely …’started Richard as Mitchell intervened.

  ‘I don’t know if this is helpful, but when the door closed on us, I caught a quick glance of an inner wall. It was revealed just as the grate closed and the internal door sprang loose.’

  ‘Well, what did you see?’ asked Julia impatiently.

  ‘Obsidian.’

  ‘What … the entire wall was obsidian?’ asked Richard in amazement.

  ‘I didn’t see much, but yes, it seemed to be obsidian.’

  ‘So, what does that mean?’ queried Redmond.

  ‘It means we’re in a whole lot of shit. That’s what it means,’ snapped Fred as Richard called for calm.

  ‘If Mitchell is correct, and I suspect that he is, there is the possibility of four walls of impenetrable obsidian, but we can’t go on that assumption. We need to see for ourselves and the only way we can do this is to escape this room first,’ said Richard.