by Zoe Saadia
“Oh, what nonsense! I’ll get an army of slaves to take you home safely, sister. And the Warlord would know you are here, so if he is back, he’ll send for you.” The large, oval eyes sparkled. “But it’ll be a while before he comes home.”
“Why?”
“The delegations from all over the Great Lake arrived to pay their respects to the new Emperor. Even the representatives from the distant Texcoco showed up this morning, surprising everyone. They’ll be talking and scheming and planning, keeping your husband busy for most of the night.” Nopalli was famous for her gossiping skills. There was no Palace story that she didn’t know about.
“It’s all quiet in Texcoco now, isn’t it? No new wars or anything?” That refined Acolhua altepetl was so distant, placed on the other side of the Great Lake. She hoped Tecpatl would not have to go out there.
“No. Since we took their altepetl from the savage Chichimec, it’s all quiet and peaceful around there.” Nopalli inhaled loudly. “What a war it was! So many slaves, so many spoils. The markets were bursting with exotic jewelry and clothing, remember?”
“I was not yet in Azcapotzalco when it happened,” admitted Sakuna, uncomfortable once again.
“Ah, I keep forgetting.” The large eyes measured her guest mischievously. “But there were wars in your lands too. I remember our esteemed Chief-Warlord-to-be coming back all bruised and limping, his leg almost rotting away. I was just a girl, but I remember. He looked magnificent. All of the girls wished their fathers would give them to him. Who would think he would bring you back and would never take another?” The large eyes twinkled, throwing Sakuna further off balance. “Do you know why he’d been sent away in the first place?”
Sakuna shook her head, not sure she wanted to know.
“He had done something shameful. Made a mistake, something to do with some battle, something wrong and disgraceful. They said he might have been captured, Imagine that! Such a promising warrior getting himself almost captured alive. I don’t know exactly what it was. There were plenty of rumors. So, his father asked my father, who was by then already one of the Emperor’s advisers, to smooth the matter. And my father made sure Tecpatl got sent away. To live it down, you know. To let the matters calm.” The young woman’s eyes sparkled, their excitement spilling. “But do you think he was grateful for such a perfect solution? Do you think he wanted to go? He had the gall to argue, imagine that! To argue with his Revered Uncle, no more, no less. Your elder, Atolli, reminds me of him, you know? As proud, as promising, as stubborn. Although his trouble is more serious than his father’s was.”
“What would you do if he was your son?”
“Me? Oh, I would go to my father and beg him to fix the matter. My blood and my connections are infinitely better than yours.” The wink of the stocky woman was an innocent one. “But then, I’m not the wife of the Chief Warlord. Your husband should be able to solve this problem.”
“I know that,” said Sakuna, more impatiently than she’d intended. “But what if Atolli doesn’t want to involve his father? If you are right and he is like Tecpatl, you should understand his pride wouldn’t let him accept any help.”
“He cannot decide on such matters. Tecpatl had the gall to argue when my father wished to send him away, but away he went. Your son is only a youth of fifteen summers; he cannot decide on his fate. Tecpatl is such a stern leader, but he is stern neither with you, nor with his children.”
“That is a slur!” began Sakuna hotly, but the laugh of the young woman trilled with such radiant playfulness, her anger died before being born. “This is not true, you know?”
She could feel the reassuring touch of the well-kept palm. “You get angry so easily, sister.” Nopalli’s wide smile displayed a row of large beautiful teeth. “Don’t. In Azcapotzalco a woman best survives by keeping her head cool. It is such a gossipy place. Always assume there is nothing you do that will remain unknown. The nobles know everything about each other. And the commoners know even more. But there is nothing wrong with that either. Not even with making love to your husband in all kinds of places.” The young woman winked, her eyes glittering, playful but friendly. “Servants gossip, and the word gets around. But you shouldn’t feel bad about it. This is your life, and you could do no better, anyway, could you?”
“I’m not sure about that. I didn’t come from a forsaken village. I grew up in a civilized city, you know. And…”
The rising volume of voices startled them both. Servants were running and many people talked outside, loud and sure of themselves.
“My husband came back, bringing along some company,” stated Nopalli, rising to her feet. “I’ll make sure they are comfortable.”
“I should go.”
“Of course, not!” The gentle palm rose, stopping Sakuna in the process of getting up. “They won’t need me. They are sure to invade the gardens and make themselves comfortable there, drinking octli and cracking nuts. Wait for me here.”
“Then I’ll check on your youngest, while you are away.”
This suggestion was greeted eagerly. “Will he need to drink another potion?”
“I’ll prepare it, just in case. Tell the servants to bring me a pot of boiled water.”
A maid appeared in the doorway. “Mistress, your Revered Father is here.”
Nopalli gasped. “Did he come with the Master?”
“Yes.”
“Then go and make sure everything is in order, and…” The young woman’s palms ran through her wonderful mass of hair, tearing some pins on their way. “Oh, what a mess! Why didn’t anyone warn me beforehand?” She glanced at Sakuna, then turned to the maid once again. “Before you go, take Sakuna to the kitchens and make sure she gets a pot of boiling water and whatever she needs. Make one of the kitchen slaves carry it for her. Then come and fix my hair.” She rolled her eyes at Sakuna. “What a mess. I’ll be with you shortly. I will just make an appearance and leave. They won’t need me for more than that, anyway.”
***
The child was still asleep, breathing rapidly. Sakuna watched the small limbs jerking from time to time. He was hot again, and she felt a twinge of anxiety. Her herbs should influence the patient for longer than that.
She busied herself, stirring the now tepid water in which a root of tomato was softening, giving away its magical qualities. What took Nopalli so long?
She could hear distant voices of the men outside, loitering by the pond, lightened by many torches, probably, surrounded by clouds of incense to keep the mosquitoes away.
“This way, please, Revered Master.” It was the maid’s voice.
Sakuna shifted uneasily. Was that the father of the boy, wishing to visit his ailing son?
She wished she was anywhere but here now, squatting on the mat, stirring some strange smelling liquid like a common healer. Or maybe a witch. Tecpatl was right; she should not have come. She sprang to her feet.
The figure shadowing the doorway was shorter than Nopalli’s husband, whom she had seen several times. The wide shoulders blocked the entrance almost completely, so broad they hardly fit between the plastered walls. His thick arms folded upon the square chest, the man regarded Sakuna calmly and coldly, his squinted eyes flickering with amusement.
“Go away,” he said to the maid and paused to let the frightened woman disappear down the hall. “Well, is this not my Esteemed Nephew’s barbarian woman, stirring a brew of herbs like a common witch from the forest?”
She stared at him speechless, her skin crawling.
The thin lips stretched into a smile. “Greetings, little barbarian.”
She licked her lips. “Greetings, Revered Uncle.” Her mouth was so dry she found it difficult to move her lips.
“So, you have been serving my Second Daughter, while your husband is busy seeking favor with our new Emperor.”
She fought her rising wave of panic. “I… Nopalli’s child was sick… is sick. I wanted to help.”
“You would do better waiting for my Nephew t
o come home, you know?” said the man conversationally, but his gaze remained heavy, clinging to her. “He will want to talk to you, to tell you what transpired. He does it from time to time, doesn't he? His day was not an easy one.” The bulky figure did not move, standing there like a statue, blocking her way of escape. “The new Emperor trusts your husband. He wants him to continue destroying Culhuacan. But your husband would rather go back to the Mayan forests. Would he not?” Another pause. “It can be arranged, you know? Not by the new Emperor, but by a different one.”
She stared at the square, broad face speechless, unable to breathe. Her heart seemed to shift upwards, tumbling into her ears, interrupting her ability to think.
“He likes to talk to you about these matters, doesn’t he? He even seems to value your opinions. Such an uncivilized practice, to talk to a woman. Just like the refusal to take an additional wife. A civilized man of my Nephew’s status should have been breeding with many women of exalted birth. A barbarian like you he should have kept as his concubine. But my Nephew is not as smart as he is stubborn. He would not listen to the advice of his superiors, to the advice of people of superior knowledge. He would rather listen to you. So I would have to talk to you, I suppose.”
She swallowed to make her throat work. “He always listens to you, Revered Uncle. He values your advice greatly.”
The thin lips stretched into a wider smile, showing surprisingly large white teeth. The teeth of a predator.
“Oh, you are loyal, aren’t you? Or is it about your status? You are a smart woman. You know you are safe as long as he lives, but not a moment longer. Uncivilized women are smart, or they do not make it into the most exalted ranks of Azcapotzalco’s nobility. I wonder how you kept him from taking more women into his household.” The gaze measuring her suddenly flickered with so much desire she took an involuntary step back. “I would love to find out how you’ve been holding him in thrall for so many summers.”
Hurried footsteps echoed outside the room. “Revered Father?”
The man turned his head. “Go away, Second Daughter. I wish to talk to your friend.”
She could hear Nopalli hesitating just outside the door. Please, don’t go, she thought fervently. Please, find an excuse to stay. Please!
The echo of Nopalli’s footsteps died away.
“We don’t have much time, do we?” said the man, not moving from the doorway. “So, I will be brief. My Nephew is about to make a wrong decision. He is about to throw his fate in with our new Emperor, not realizing that this particular reign will not last. The First Son of the deceased Emperor much better fitted to be our new ruler. He’ll rule more successfully, expanding our lands and our influence. The wise man I’ve served so faithfully for more than twenty summers made a mistake. A mistake that is up to us, his most faithful advisers, to rectify. Do you understand me, woman?”
She licked her lips, her mouth parched, her tongue so dry she felt it scratching her lips. The airless room made her head spin.
“I cannot see how I am to help,” she whispered, then made an effort to control her voice, adding more firmly. “I cannot tell my husband what to do.”
“Oh, but you do. You are doing it all the time. Probably subtly and wisely, so he doesn’t notice he is being maneuvered.” The man’s laughter was deep, almost growling. “You know, if your husband will not act wisely, if he is not to survive the changing of rulers, I will not let you fall with him. I will take you into my household, at least for a little while. I would love to sample you. When I have you, will it make me throw my other wives away? I’m prepared to take this chance, little barbarian. To sample someone like you and see what happens.”
Suddenly the bulky figure shifted, stepped into the room. The torch, fastened into the wall, flickered with a draft. She could smell the man’s breathe, the scent of octli and some hot beans and an old sweating body.
She snuck a glance at the mat where Nopalli’s child was still asleep, calculating her way to the pot full of hot water. The heavy pottery ornamented with gold would serve her better than the wooden spoon she was clutching tightly in her palm.
“Oh, you are a wild one,” laughed the man, following her gaze. “I may understand some of my Nephew’s fascination. To be always alert, even in the privacy of your home. To force your way into the jaguar’s lair, time after time. Yes, it might be a pleasant challenge.” The narrow eyes lost their amusement. Suddenly she was staring into two black, cruel holes. “He is to side with the First Son when the time comes. Make him understand that. If you want to enjoy your cozy little life any longer, make him do this by whatever means you have.”
The man backed away, but halted at the doorway, his eyes still boring into her, sending waves of most primitive fear down her spine.
“Your son is wiser than his father. He will go to Coatepec and serve the correct ruler, whatever his father says. My Nephew had the temerity to object, imagine that. But it won’t help him, as the young man has already agreed. Still, to benefit from his decision, he’ll need his father as well. We value the Chief Warlord better than the young hothead, however promising. I trust you to make him understand that.”
He was gone, his heavy footsteps echoing down the corridor.
She didn’t notice herself sinking onto the mat beside the sleeping child. Some time had gone by before Nopalli’s broad face was beside her, the gentle hands shaking her, the generous mouth opening and closing.
She made an effort to concentrate.
“Sakuna, are you all right? What happened?”
She swallowed. “Nothing, nothing. I’m all right. I have to go home.” Her throat tightened. “I have to go home now!” She pressed her lips to stop them from trembling.
“What has my father done to you? What has he said?” The young woman gaped at her appalled, almost frightened.
“Nothing. Please, please, get someone to walk me home. I have to see my husband!” She made an effort to suppress a sob, her stomach constricting violently as if she’d been sick. “I’ll explain it all later, I promise.”
“All right, sister, all right. Let me help you up.”
Grateful for the support, slightly comforted in her friend’s embrace, she stood up shakily, not trusting her legs to walk her out of the airless room.
Chapter 8
The large plaza in front of the main Palace’s entrance was lit by so many torches it almost turned the night into day. Suffocating air vibrated visibly, thickened by plenty of incense, making Atolli’s throat tickle.
He smirked. It was so easy to blend with the crowds that filled the spacious grounds beneath the grand stairs. Most of them looked foreign, the way they wore their cloaks and loincloths, the way they tied their hair. He listened to the strange accent of their Nahuatl, fascinated.
“Where are you from, brother?” he asked a young warrior who stood beside him, gaping up the wide staircase.
“Texcoco,” answered the young man, not turning his head.
“A long way.”
“What do you think? We arrived this morning and it took them all day to receive us. Very rude, if you ask me. Our ruler sent here the best of his advisers, the most exalted ones.”
“You know how it is. Our Emperor has so many delegations from all over the Great Lake to receive. I don’t think he’s gotten much sleep since the funeral rites.”
“Still, he could accommodate our representatives better than to let us all rot outside the Palace.”
“Well, you are getting in, at least.” The idea flashed. “How many of the warriors are allowed in?”
“I hope all of us!”
He lingered around, eyeing the wide marble stairs together with the provincials beside him. Would he be able to sneak in, mistaken for one of the foreign warriors? He was glad he’d had enough sense not to wear his calmecac garb, covering his shoulders with a plain cotton cloak, instead.
The foreign warrior beside him turned his head. “Who are you?” he asked curiously.
“I have an appoin
tment with the Chief Warlord,” said Atolli with just the right amount of self-importance to ward off any suspicions.
“At night?”
“As you see, they don’t seem to bother to sleep.” He pointed toward the glittering entrance at the top of the staircase, spitting out a group of well dressed foreigners. “I guess we’ll be next.”
The warrior glanced at the descending people, then turned back, staring at Atolli, eyes wide.
“Will the Chief Warlord receive you dressed like that?” he asked incredulously, examining the plain garb. “What does he want with you?”
“He asked me to be his shield bearer.”
The warrior gasped. “His shield bearer? What did you do?”
Atolli shrugged, annoyed by the stranger’s persistence. “Nothing much. He likes to pick the best of our calmecac students. He does it before every campaign.”
He really should do this, he thought suddenly. I would, if I had so much authority. I wish I was more like him.
“He is the best leader, the best warrior in the whole world of the Fifth Sun,” he added proudly.
A tall herald, dressed most imposingly in a wide gown embroidered with gold, appeared beside the glittering statue of Tlaloc, at the top of the staircase.
“I guess it’s us,” commented Atolli lightly, pushing his way into the middle of the flow of people.
Unhurriedly, and as calmly as he could, he went alongside his group of foreigners, up the polished stairs and past the warriors guarding the entrance.
However, as he passed the threshold, his amazement turned genuine. He had never been in the Palace before. Accustomed to the splendor of the Great Capital, he imagined the royal palace as another, larger and wealthier dwelling of Azcapotzalco’s nobles.
But this one was different. So spacious, for one thing. The reception hall was so large it made a ball court look small. Polished walls reflected the flickering lights of five times twenty of torches, lined with marble and beautifully carved wood, painted so elaborately one felt the urge to touch the frescos.