“You are a great ambassador, Kaloonte’.” Batab Pakal paused. “On behalf of the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu, you are to convey this matter of great unease to your Ajawinel. I apologize that his unease has not been formally prepared by his scribes, but your arrival was without protocol, and you wish to leave immediately. This is the Note. ‘The Nim-q’ij Dynasties of the Highlands will do whatever is necessary to protect our teachings and beliefs, given to us by Itzamná himself, to which our adherence is demanded by all the Gods of Yaxché.” Kish Nodded. “There is another matter. The Nim-q’ij Daughter of the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu was abducted one tun84 ago. Our Nim-q’ij Scouts report that she may have travelled to Ox Witz Ha. The Ajaw of Tulam Tzu requests the help of Ajawinel K’an II in the return of the Alixel85 Moyolehuani.”86
“On behalf of Ajawinel K’an II, I regret the loss of the Alixel Moyolehuani. I will take your message, Batab.”
Someone clapped their hands. “These Warriors will accompany you to the edge of the city where your slaves and Warriors wait. You will then be taken to a place where you will eat and be given loincloths and the weapons I have allowed. You will also be given some food for your journey. Then, you will leave Tulam Tzu.”
“Thank you, Batab. We will travel north, take the sacbeob to Chay Abaj and then on to Ja’-nima’.” There was a pause and I heard footsteps, still kneeling with my head bowed. “Get up, Slave.”
“Fok you, Kish!” I whispered.
I got up and looked to the stairs. The men were gone and eight Warriors were coming down towards us. Four had long bate’s, the others carried maquahuitls.87 Kish turned and the Warriors and I followed him as he walked back to the outskirts of Tulam Tzu.
“Nacon!” shouted Kish, as we arrived where we had left the Warriors.
“Kaloonte’!” answered Teul.
“Ko’one’ex.”
Teul came out the jungle followed by the Warriors and my men. I noted that the Tulam Tzu Warriors sent to accompany us stared at Clarke, Anderson, and Hulse. It was the first time they saw people looking like them and I hoped that did not complicate our situation and endanger us any further. They said nothing, however, simply preceding us as Kish led us back into the city.
The news of our arrival had spread for many people lined the sacbeob, among who were beautiful young women with small rounded and full breasts, their nipples firm, ready to be played with. There was no danger of a tutuchci, however, as I was very concerned about our situation. Things had gone too easily. I saw that Kish black eyes flashed all over the area around us as if anticipating something. I also noted that Yochi and Iztali had returned and moved among the Warriors. I heard them quietly talking. All this indicated to me that Kish was expecting trouble.
We reached a large shed which had several wooden tables and stools. One of the Batab’s Warriors instructed that only Kish, the Nacons, and the Warriors were to sit at the tables. The rest of us, as slaves, were directed to the floor. There was some initial confusion within us as to who were Warriors and who were slaves. I realized that would make the Warriors of Tulam Tzu suspicious so I quickly sat and about half the remaining men followed me. The hosting Warriors spaced themselves around us, one with bate’ then one with maquahuitl. Immediately, women came from adjacent houses with mugs of saksa’88 and bowls of tiáálinbil.89 When we were done eating, apprehensively, Kish addressed the Warrior who had spoken.
“Please give our thanks to the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu, Nacon.” The young Warrior nodded then clapped his hands. Two women came and gave Kish, the Nacons, and each of the seated Warriors a loincloth. She was followed by a Warrior with the agreed few weapons and several other women brought cuxtals90 with additional supplies.
“I am Iccauhtli, Kaloonte’,” said the Warrior who was handing the weapons to Kish. Their eyes sought each other, briefly, then Kish nodded and the Warrior hit his chest and left. So did Yochi and Iztali.
I thought it strange that a Warrior of Tulam Tzu would hit his chest in salute to Kish. I decided that it was simply routine, that he must have been used to doing that for his Nacons.
“Warriors!” shouted Kish. All stood and beat their chests once. I almost got up then realized I was in slave mode, so I settled down back on the dirt floor. He looked at me. “You, Slave. You will carry the weapons until we are out of the city. Foreign Warriors carrying a weapon in a city could be regarded as an offense. I will then carry the long bate’ and Choco the wik’iaq.” He then spoke softly. “You, Chiac, will carry the short Bate’. He looked to Teul who was sitting beside me. “Teul will organize the carrying of the cuxtals.” I saw Teul glare at Kish. I was almost completely convinced that Teul did not like him. “Ko’one’ex!” ordered Kish and I saw Yochi and Iztali easing away from us.
We followed Kish along the sacbeob to the north where the elevation continued to increase. We did not see anyone following us, but the valley was surrounded by mountains and we were most likely being observed as we passed through farms where we could be monitored easily. As I looked ahead, however, I saw the jungle beginning in about two miles. When we reached the tree line marking the beginning of the jungle, I took a moment to look back at Tulam Tzu. The valley was beautiful. The green of the farms, the wide sacbeob, the canals, the ha’, the city itself, and the array of imposing volcanoes to the south presented a panorama that would be firmly entrenched in my memory forever. Even without the stone temples, Tulam Tzu was a metropolis. I rejoined the Warriors and as soon as we had marched about quarter mile into the jungle, Kish called a halt.
“We will wait here for Yochi and Iztali,” said Kish. “Let us all sit except for four guards who will monitor our front, rear, and two flanks. Even as we sit, however, we will all be on our guard. Coatl, Nabe Kaloonte’ of Tulam Tzu, is not a Warrior of Tulam Tzu. He is from Puh. That is not good.” Kish appeared tense, then he relaxed. “While we wait, I will tell you of an adventure.” We all looked at him, puzzled. I had never thought of Kish as a storyteller.
“Before I went to Xibalba, after you left Ox Witz Ha, Chiac, I came to Tulam Tzu in secret. K’an II had received a young scholar named Achcauhtli91 from Tulam Tzu who had heard of the new beliefs concerning agriculture, social structure, and religion. He had traveled all the way to Ox Witz Ha alone and requested that K’an II send a scholar to teach them of these things. Of course, that was to be without the knowledge of the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu. K’an II sent his nephews Lord Choj and Lord Bo with me.”
“Choj and Bo!” I exclaimed.
“Yes, Chiac. Your friends, Lord Choj and Lord Bo. But let me continue. We were to pass ourselves off as merchants doing trade. We spent a uinal, teaching in secret to Achcauhtli and six more young tijoxels who formed the group. We met in the farms and jungle, never used the same place twice, and it was always after Kinich Ahau had left us for the Underworld. We used no torches and we came by different routes. But it seemed that our meetings were not as secret as we thought. The day before we were to leave, one of the tijoxels, Tlacaelel,92 was told by the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu’s daughter, Moyolehuani, … it seemed that they were meeting secretly in the abix … that information on our group meetings had come to the ears of Batab Pakal. Tlacaelel informed me, immediately. I still do not know how we were found out, but I think that Tlacaelel was being watched to see if he chakuj tutuchci with Moyolehuani. The Ajaw of Tulam Tzu, Batab Pakal, and the Ahau Can Mai did not have definite information on who the rest of the us were, other than Tlacaelel, but the plan was to follow him and attack us that night … our last meeting. K’an II had given me specific instructions that our visit could in no way be attached to him as that would mean war. For that reason alone, I had to ensure that Lord Choj and Lord Bo escaped. They were not to be captured. It was not even to be known that they were in Tulam Tzu.
“I searched out the members of the group and told them nothing more than to come singly and covertly, dressed only in loincloths and lej-xajäbs so as not to attract attention. We would meet in the jungle at the northern end of the
city where the sacbeob entered the jungle, one k’ab before Kinich Ahau’s began going behind the mountains. Lord Choj, Lord Bo, and Tlacaelel, other than I, were the only members of the group aware that I had planned for all of us to leave. As soon as the tijoxels began to arrive, I told them that we had to leave for Ox Witz Ha as our operation had been compromised and we were in grave danger, that we would be sacrificed to Manik. They were aghast and hesitant to leave their homes and families, but knew that they had to. Within a short space of time all the scholars except Tlacaelel had arrived. 1 told Achcauhtli that I could wait no more. Again, the tijoxels were reluctant, that time to leave without Tlacaelel, but I insisted.
“As Kinich Ahau was in line with the summit of Ja’ Xakanul in the southwest, we got ready to begin our walk away from Tulam Tzu and towards the Chixoy. I had decided on that track hoping that Coatl, who was then and still is Nabe Kaloonte’ of Tulam Tzu, would think that we were going to Chay Abaj, then on to the Ja’-nima’. I planned, however, to travel directly to the Ja’-nima’, cross it, continue to the Chixoy then on to Ox Witz Ha, avoiding Chay Abaj. Just as we were about to leave, Tlacaelel arrived with Moyolehuani. I was angry. I told him that Moyolehuani had to go back. He insisted that she come with us saying that, once he was missed, it would be suspected that Moyolehuani told him about the planned attack. Even though she was the daughter of the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu, she would be sacrificed. He added that no one knew that our group was associated with Ox Witz Ha and, as long as we escaped, no one would know. I told him that there would be war when it was found out she was missing. He responded that there wouldn’t be war as the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu did not know who was helping them to escape. I argued that she was a Nim-q’ij and would be treated as a Nim-q’ij in Ox Witz Ha. Soon, everyone would know she was there. He countered that he would be a scholar, Warrior, if necessary, and they would live among the citizens for she would not demand or accept Nim-q’ij status. I still did not agree, but Lord Choj instructed that we must be on our way, and Moyolehuani would go with us. We would sort out the problems later.
“I was absolutely sure that we would be followed by Coatl and the Warriors of the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu and possible by the Ajaw himself,” continued Kish. “I ordered us off the sacbeob and we travelled through the jungle. It was difficult, even though the jungle floor was not thickly covered, for there were many deep gorges as we descended towards the great Ja’-nima’, and our tracts were obvious. In a short time, Kinich Ahau had left U Wach Ulew and we stopped by a creek. I told them we’d spend the night there. Although the tijoxels were fit men and had some Warrior training, they were not Warriors and barely kept up with Lord Choj, Lord Bo, and myself. I knew that if I continued in the jungle, it would have taken us at least three k’iins to reach the Ja’-nima’. Coatl would have realized we had not taken the sacbeob to Chay Abaj and scouts would have found our tracts through the jungle, easily. Coatl’s Warriors would follow the tracts to ascertain where we were going, advance ahead of us and simply wait for us. I was very angry at Tlacaelel and couldn’t help wondering why Tlacaelel had to use the Alixel of Tulam Tzu to chakuj tutuchci. Why couldn’t he have just fallen in love with a pretty servant girl? Or just use a slave girl. I went ahead and set up guard duty and tried to sleep.”
“We can’t help who we fall in love with,” I said.
“Yes,” answered Kish. “But, many times, one has to lay aside that love or chaos ensues. Sometimes, the gods make us fall in love with a specific woman for their amusement only.” He looked about him, agitatedly. “If Yochi and Iztali are not here very soon, we leave without them.”
“I hope we won’t have to, Kaloonte’,” I entreated.
“I’ll continue my story. The next k’iin we started our journey very early, but the land was even more difficult and we progressed very slowly so I turned to the northeast and found the sacbeob once again. I did not like doing that. Lord Choj and Lord Bo and I looked for tracts to see if the Warriors of Tulam Tzu had gone ahead of us. We found no tracts, but they had gone ahead.” Kish shook his head. “There was an ambush and I took the first ch’ab in my chest. Seven Warriors rushed from the jungle armed with bate’s and maquahuitls. Lord Choj. Lord Bo, and I had retrieved our weapons that we had brought with us from Ox Witz Ha, but we were the only ones with weapons. I had a short bate’, Lord Choj a long bate’, and Lord Bo a maquahuitl. The young Lords fought bravely, trying to protect the scholars and Alixel Moyolehuani. I fought, but felt my lungs filling with my blood. Soon, the battle was over and all seven Warriors of the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu lay dead. Three tijoxels were also dead. Lord Choj and Lord Bo held me and took me to the side of the sacbeob and lay me against a tree. I told them to get rid of all the bodies and then go on to Ox Witz Ha. They said that they would not leave me. I ordered them to, but Lord Choj, Great Alaxel93 and Warrior, said that they could not leave my body on the sacbeob as I could be traced back to Ox Witz Ha. I told them to do what was necessary. They both hit their chests in salute then Lord Choj took an unused chay arrowhead and moved it strongly across my throat. I immediately began my journey to Xibalba.”
“Lord Choj killed you?” I asked, in disbelief.
“I was already dead. He did what a Warrior had to do and he gave me a Warrior’s death. If he had left and another of the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu Warriors found me, I would have died the death of a slave.” Kish smiled. “I do not know what the young Alaxels did, but I am sure that the three dead tijoxels and I were taken to a deep gully and laid to rest where we would not be found.”
“And Lord Choj and Lord Bo and the other tijoxels?” I queried.
“They did not travel to Xibalba, so they lived. I know nothing else of that journey.”
“Warriors!” warned Kish, suddenly, and Kish and the Warriors disappeared quietly into the jungle, leaving me momentarily perplexed. Even Hulse, Clarke, Anderson, Choco, and Teul had disappeared. I was just about to jump up and disappear as well when Yochi and Iztali came through the jungle, walking towards me, chuckling.
“Chiac!’ said Yochi, in a scolding tone.
“Yes, Yochi,” I replied, standing.
“Do you want to go back to Xibalba?”
I sighed loudly. I was not being as alert as I should be. I had become too involved in Kish’s story. “It won’t happen again, Yochi.”
Yochi did not answer, but looked to the jungle and nodded. Seven men walked out carrying weapons while Kish and our Warriors returned.
“Kaloonte’!” said Yochi. “I have seven short bate’s, seven long bate’s, and seven maquahuitls.”
“And the men?”
“There are two scholars who want to go to Ox Witz Ha to join Achcauhtli. They say that the teachings of Ox Witz Ha still persist in Tulam Tzu, in secret. One of the scholars is Iccauhtli.94 He says he is a Warrior and Tlacaelel’s chaq’.95 All I know of Tlacaelel is what you told me in Xibalba. The other is Yaotl.96 He is also a trained Warrior. We have five artisans from Pusilhá. They were captured as they travelled to Oxwitik97 to build bridges there. They were later sold to Tulam Tzu as slaves. They have some training as Warriors, are still young, and are ready to fight. They want to return to Pusilhá, but are willing to become artisans of K’an II for whatever period the Ajawinel decides. The scholars knew them and they helped us secure the weapons. I did not have time to search out Warriors from Ox Witz Ha.”
Kish looked at Iccauhtli. “It was you who brought the weapons to me as we ate in Tulam Tzu.”
“Kaloonte’!”
“Should I trust you, or should I remove your head? It is because of Tlacaelel that I took a ch’ab in my chest and travelled to Xibalba.”
“I am Iccauhtli. Yes! I am Tlacaelel’s chaq’. It was Tlacaelel who took away Moyolehuani, Alixel of Tulam Tzu, Nabeal Mial98 of the Ajaw of Tulam Tzu. Because of Tlacaelel, my nah’ and taat were sacrificed to Manik. My two sisters, Cihuaton99 and Itotia,100 were given as gifts to the Ajawal of Quiriguá. I was a scholar and poet, the best among the best, and my
tijonel101 begged that my life be spared. The Ajaw of Tulam Tzu agreed, but ordered that all our possessions be seized and that I be trained as a Warrior, never to rise among the ranks. Do I lose my head for the story I bring, Kaloonte’?”
Kish stared at the young Warrior and I could see in Kish’s eyes that he knew that one day, the scribes would write and the poets would sing about Iccauhtli.
“Do you go to Ox Witz Ha to send Tlacaelel to Xibalba?”
“I go to Ox Witz Ha to become a Warrior Scholar and a Warrior Poet, and one day I will avenge my family. I also go to Ox Witz Ha to tell Tlacaelel what he has done to our family. I do not go to blame him. I do not go to kill him. Perhaps, I should. It will be up to him to face or not to face the Way of the Warrior. I know he lives for Achcauhtli sends us messages in secret. I do not know if my sisters live. Tlacaelel may be all I have left.”
“Anyone who is a Warrior of Ajawinel K’an II is never alone, Iccauhtli. I can see it would not be wise for me to remove your head and send you to Xibalba.” Kish paused. “I have been to Xibalba, Iccauhtli. So have all of us.” Iccauhtli hit his chest then knelt on one knee in front of Kish. “Stand, Iccauhtli,” ordered Kish, his face expressionless. “In Ox Witz Ha, you kneel to no man.” Iccauhtli stood and hit his chest again.
“We have all travelled through the Nim-ja’ Ti’ Síina’ans. We survived the anger of Ja’ Xakanul. We will tell our stories when we are, once more, able to sit around the fire at night and drink iztāc-octli. It was your chaq’, Iccauhtli. your chaq’s rash decision to leave Tulam Tzu with Moyolehuani that brought about the battle that sent me to Xibalba. The Ajaw of Tulam Tzu would not have minded losing a few trouble-makers. Tlacaelel did not think as a Warrior. He thought with his tutuchci and not with his tz’o’om.”102 Iccauhtli hit his chest. “You will serve me, Iccauhtli. You will fight beside me. If I return to Xibalba, you will be beside me also.” Iccauhtli hit his chest twice. Kish turned to Yaotl. “I hope that you are indeed a Warrior, that your name is a true name and not just a name, Yaotl.” Yaotl hit his chest. “You will be with the five artisan slaves. Train them as we travel. You are to make sure that they arrive at Ox Witz Ha and, as Artisan Warriors, be ready to guard and adorn the temples of Ox Witz Ha.” Yaotl hit his chest.
Sisimito III--Topoxte Page 5