“Iztali has a long cut across his head, but his skull isn’t broken, as far as we can tell,” said Huehue. It has stopped bleeding. When the Healers come, they’ll find something to sew it up. He’s dazed, but can talk sensibly.”
“Clarke has several broken ribs,” advised Eztli.” Ixtli is dazed from a cut to his head. Ihuicatl has a broken arm. They’ll live.”
“Hulse and Ichtaca both have dislocated shoulders,” advised Ichik. “We’re hoping nothing is broken. Ichtaca is waiting for Teyacapan quietly, but Hulse is cussing. Strange cussing, but I don’t see signs of a hit in the head. Cipactli has a broken collar bone.”
“That’s it?” asked Chiac. The Nacons nodded their heads. “Then our casualties are less than I thought they would be, but we still have those we left behind.”
“They’ve been picked up,” Teul reminded Chiac. “Iccauhtli, Mazatl, Iuitl, and Rhys, appeared serious. Ilhicamina, Cualli, Nopaltzin, Itztli, and Necalli, not so serious. I don’t have details. I don’t know how Choj’s doing. Of course, those are the major injuries. Every one of us is swollen and cut up. Some of the wounds look like they were made with a madafok pinking shears.”
“Pinking shears?” asked Chino.
Teul sighed. “Mix-ba’al. There is the possibility of massive infections. The worse trouble with the injuries may be yet to come.”
Chiac stared at Teul, really looking at his wounds for the first time. “You have cuts all over, Teul, and some are long and deep.”
Teul glanced down at his body. “So there are, but they have stopped bleeding. The Healers will sew them up later. I don’t have time for that now. Neither do you.”
Chiac hesitated then continued the briefing. “Okay! Let’s reassess.”
“Mahanamtz has escaped. We have failed our mission,” said Yochi, sounding frustrated and angry. No one answered. They watched as Mahanamtz continued to be pulled towards the green mist in his circle of calm. Bloodcurdling cries still came from Xwáay Ok’ol and Xwáay Chikoop, and every few moments Mahanamtz’ demonic howling was echoed by Molly’s terrifying moaning.
Chiac ‘s face was dark, black, as he listened to Molly’s hysterical lamentation and saw Mahanamtz and his evil cortege moving away. “We have Xch’úup Xma’ K’aaba’.”
“That was not our mission,” countered Yochi.
“I know, Yochi,” fumed Chiac. His face softened. “Can’t you be less the Warrior and more the Achalal? For once.” Yochi did not react. Chiac nodded as his hand came up to Ba’s Green Scapular. He held it tightly, feeling its warmth. You have not failed me and, yet, you have failed me, Ix Na Li Kawa. I am only a Warrior, but Molly is your believer.
“Are you invoking Ix Na Li Kawa?” asked Yochi, as a tempest of cold wind suddenly rushed in from the northwest, blasting Topoxte and the ha’. He looked up at Kaán. “Is this fierce wind from Maria or from Etzelal Iq’,” he asked, as he braced himself against the gale. “I have never seen a great wind like this come up so suddenly.”
“Sometimes there are greater winds,” pointed out Teul, his hand tenderly rubbing his swollen face and almost closed right eye. “Like the K’o-chuq’ab Kiäqiq’-jab that destroyed Nito. Ask Xipilli to tell you about it. That story is good for the scribes and artisans.”
“But look,” exclaimed Yochi, frowning. “Even though the wind is strong, the mists move against it. The waves are higher, but they too rush to the west even though the wind is from the north. And look! The water is leaving the beach. It is below our knees and falling.” They all looked down then turned to observe the west. A deafening, thunderous explosion shook Kaán in the area over the ulew-q’a’m, as an immense circular mass of boiling green clouds began descending on the ulew-q’a’m.
“Madafoka!” swore Choco, who had just come down the beach, fighting his way against the wind. “U-hatz’il-cháaks are not only raining down over the ulew-q’a’m, u-hatz’il-cháaks are also going from the ground up. From where I was, I saw giant sprays of water lifted up.” As he finished talking, Topoxte moved again and battling waves pulled rapidly to the west and north.
“The ulew-q’a’m is sinking,” blurted out Yochi, alarmed. “Perhaps, Topoxte will soon disappear as well.”
“Madafoka!” swore Choco again, staring. “And we have no canoes.”
“Achaq!” cussed Eztli. “That, thatenraged kiaqiq’-jab is moving towards us.”
“It’s taking the shape of a sutul-q’um,” said Huehue, gaping. “I thought the first one was big, but look at that. Tot’! I can barely stand. If it comes down all the way to U Wach Ulew, Topoxte is finished.”
“And so will we. What do we do, Chiac? We can’t just stay here and watch it. We have to do something,” urged Yochi.
“We wait.”
“We wait? Again, we wait?”
“Yes, Yochi. We wait.”
Yochi stared at Chiac, then raised his fist. “We wait.” Suddenly, he started to laugh.
Mahanamtz’ crazed howls penetrating the screaming wind made Chiac and his Warriors look back to the ha’ and the canoe. Large waves were beginning to grow in the calm area surrounding Mahanamtz as Maria’s xaman ka’an,518 north wind, lashed with fury. Xwáay Chikoop was having trouble flying as she gripped her two straw mat wings, the strands being ripped away. Q’eq Ha’ Wíinik was franticly jumping up and down, trying to hold the bow of the canoe upright, while Xwáay Kaán and Xwáay Ok’ol were holding onto the sides, trying to keep it from capsizing.
“Etzelal Iq’ and Maria are fighting.” Chiac brought both his hands to his head. “We need to give Maria all the power we can,” commanded Chiac.
“Then we must do the ritual of the Ch’ahb. There must be blood-letting. Now!” urged Yochi.
“We have spilt enough blood. Our bodies are red with our blood and that of our enemies,” responded Bo. “Some of us continue to bleed. Even the Raax Ch’ayom Puag we wear is stained with blood. If Ix Na Li Kawa truly exists and is a different god from our gods, then we do not need to do the Ch’ahb. The blood-letting would not be the sacrifice to offer to Ix Na Li Kawa.” He shook his head as he held his Raax Ch’ayom Puag, closed his eyes as if thinking deeply then opened them and looked down at the Raax Ch’ayom Puag on his chest. He began to feel its warmth. He looked at Chiac. “Bring all the Warriors, even the injured, the priests, and the Warrior Ah’-cuabs. Leave someone to guard Xch’úup Xma’ K’aaba’. We will invoke Ix Na Li Kawa as we would our gods.”
Chiac nodded at Eztli. He rushed off and soon returned with them.
Bo hit his chest then spoke. “I, Alaxel Cit Bolon Tum of the Kingdom of Ox Witz Ha, commands that we give sacrifice to Ix Na Li Kawa, that you hold your Raax Ch’ayom Puag and invoke her. We will not take our blood, place it on parchment, and burn it. We will pray that the warmth you feel when you hold your Raax Ch’ayom Puag’s will itself enflame your blood as we invoke the blessings of Ix Na Li Kawa.” Bo looked directly at the Warriors. “Now do as commanded.”
The Warriors grasped their Raax Ch’ayom Puag and as each did, it began to glow, emitting a strong green light. Each brilliant glow became intense, growing until it spread beyond their own bodies, covering them all and spreading along the beach and over the ha’ as they watched in awe. When
the green luminance covered Molly, her screams were heard above the roar of the u-hatz’il-cháaks.
Yochi reached out, as if trying to grasp the green transparent cloud surrounding them. “This Ya’ax-chich Mayul519 is sacred. It brings a message from Ix Na Li Kawa, but Xch’úup Xma’ K’aaba’ cannot receive it because of Mahanamtz’ enchantments.” He turned and stared at Chiac, saying, “Her cries tear at my heart. For that to happen is not the Way of the Warrior. No, Chiac. That is not the Way of the Warrior. What are you doing to me, Achalal?”
Maria unleashed powerful gusts of wind and Etzelal Iq’ pierced the air with terrified blaring whistles as he struggled to maintain his strength, but then he weakened rapidly and moved apart, colla
psing upon himself with a tremendous force of power that opened and closed Kaán, quaking U Wach Ulew to the most distant kingdoms. The whistling blasts died and Etzelal Iq’ was gone.
The Ya’ax-chich Mayul drifted from the beaches of Topoxte and onto the ha’. Huge waves grew around Mahanamtz’ canoe and it was slowly overtaken by the Sacred Mist. The massive boiling cloud in Kaán plunged repeated u-hatz’il-cháaks into the Ya’ax-chich Mayul and as Xwáay Chikoop turned into a roaring ball of fire, multiple u-hatz’il-cháak tore into her like flaming giant ch’abs. She exploded, her fiery mass expanding then suddenly slamming in upon itself, becoming a globule of dying light as she drifted down into the Ya’ax-chich Mayul and the ha’ below. Mahanamtz’ howls and the cries of the remaining Kechelaj Jupuq faded into the Ya’ax-chich Mayul as the living boiling cloud in Kaán empowered the Ya’ax-chich Mayul with repeated u-hatz’il-cháaks. Then all Topoxte was quiet.
Chiac and the Warriors looked around them in disbelief. Maria had passed. The Ya’ax-chich Mayul was gone. Áayins were no longer along the beach. There were no sounds of u-hatz’il-cháaks, thunder, or of wind. There were no sounds of battle, no clash of weapons, no trumpeting of the töt, no beating of the nim-tums, no whoops, no frantic shouting, no barking, no grunting, no roaring, and the ground did not move. There was no Kechelaj Jupuq. Ha’ Yaxha was calm, empty, and quiet. There was no canoe, no Mahanamtz’, no Kechelaj Komon. All that remained were the smells of war, the smells of death, carnage, blood, shit, and sweat. All that remained was the mournful music that Ch’aw-baq and La’j-tun played to the loud chanting of Coatl and his priests as they tried to rid Molly of Mahanamtz’ enchantments. All that remained were the tortured, wailing cries from Molly as she reached out to her husband, Mahanamtz.
Illustration 21: Painting of Classical Maya Warfare.
(From Tempo Ameríndio.)
Illustration 22: Chultuns at Topoxte.
(From The Maya - Maya Chultun Cisterns.)
K’iin 34 - The Uinal of Mol
Saturday, June 2, 1973
It was nik’aj-q’ij and Kinich was merciless. I stood on the highest tier of Ahau Topoxte’s fractured Nim-q’ij Palace. Alaxel Cit Bolon Tum and Ukab Nacon Yochi stood with me. Yochi had replaced the loincloth he had used to tie down Molly with one from a dead Warrior. I didn’t know if that were right, but I couldn’t have the Ahau meet with a naked Ukab Nacon of Ox Witz Ha. Ahau Topoxte, his Nabe Kaloonte’ Teoxihuitl, and Nabe Kaloonte’ Yolotli of Yax Mutul stood with us. Xipil, Nim-q’ij Runner of Topoxte, stood to one side with two other Runners. It was only Ahau Topoxte that was not covered with dirt, grime, and blood, not smelling of the stink of war. Kinich was at its zenith as we looked down at the destruction that was Topoxte.
Many buildings had crumbled or were crumbling and even those not badly damaged, were fissured. All the chultuns were destroyed, flooded with caved in walls. Everything that could have burned was burnt except in the very east of the island. Yet, what was truly abhorrent was the smell rising from the city. Hundreds of mutilated bodies lay throughout the city, covered with buzzing pumpu’s as the hot humid air hurried decay and hurried the hatching of the pumpu’’s eggs. The few people walking among them reflected the horror on their faces. As I had walked by those bodies and saw the rabble of pumpu’s, I was torn back to my murdered men on the summit across from Victoria Peak. I was again with them, at least for now, in a different world, but with them and they were alive. That was with the exception of Taylor. He had exited my life, once again, and was back in Xibalba.
Teoxihuitl hit his chest and Ahau Topoxte nodded. “Nabe Kaloonte’ of Yax Mutul, Ukab Nacon of Ox Witz Ha, and I have met most of this morning and have estimates of the casualties,” briefed Teoxihuitl. “I had also sent Nim-q’ij Runners and Nim-q’ij Scouts to Paxte, K’aay, and the peninsulas and have their information.” Ahau Topoxte nodded. “Out of some nine hundred and fifty Warriors of the Kechelaj Jupuq, only a few, less than one hundred escaped. Of Topoxte’s battalion, about fifty were injured but are alive, over seventy are still active, over three hundred and fifty killed. Of the one company from Yax Mutul, only about three platoons survived, leaving about one hundred and fifty dead. Topoxte is covered with the bodies of over five hundred Warriors and about eight hundred and fifty of the Kechelaj Jupuq. The peninsulas, K’aay, and Paxte also carry their dead which are the entire Militia of one thousand, and six hundred of the Kechelaj Jupuq. The dead are not only scattered on the islands, but many are floating in the surrounding waters of the ha’, too many for the áayins to eat.”
Ahau Topoxte was pensive and distraught. He looked towards me. “Nabe Nacon of Ajawinel K’an II.” I bowed my head. “Topoxte will not forget the help that you, Fuck, the Great T’oit’ik-jolom of Ajawinel K’an II of Ox Witz Ha gave to us. I frowned as I had not done much with respect to the battle itself. “The story of what happened at Topoxte will be written and sung for many k’atuns.” He furrowed his forehead deeply. There were many things that happened during the Battle for Topoxte that we do not understand. Sometimes, it is best not to understand.” He smiled, tiredly, at me. “It will also be sung that you drove Mahanamatz from Topoxte and into the ha; where he drowned.”
“Thank you, Ahau. But I cannot forget my Warriors, the Q’eq Warriors, the Q’eq Warriors of the Chaq’ab. They too deserve to be sung. Mahanamtz meant this to be a debellatio.520 He nearly succeeded. It was also the military strategy of Alaxel Chaak, the one called Choj, and his use of the archers that turned the battle to our advantage. Unfortunately, he lies severely injured.”
The Ahau nodded then turned to Bo. “Alaxel Cit Bolon Tum of Ox Witz Ha. Give my greetings and thanks to your Nim-q’ij Al-ch’utin-nan. Please inform him, also, that the strategy provided by Alaxel Chaak helped to swing the battle into our favor. I hope he recovers soon and not take the sacbeob to Xibalba. He will be needed at Ox Witz Ha. I will also send a diplomat to personally give him that message and advise him of our new alliance with Yax Mutul.” Bo nodded. “Victory came at a great cost. The price of rebuilding will be overwhelming.” He looked around and even though I saw the pain in him, he stood firmly and regally. “Xipil.” The Nim-q’ij Runner came over immediately. ” Have your Runners take orders to all Nacons that they are to search out our dead and place them here before my Palace. Place the dead of Yax Mutul near the quay.”
“The quay is no more, Ahau,” advised Xipil. “It is now on the bed of the ha’.”
“Then place them on the platform above, away from the áayin. They will be removed to Yaxha to lie with their fallen comrades there. Take all the Kechelaj Jupuq to the south and burn them. Search the waters for dead Warriors and bring them ashore to be properly sent to Xibalba. Also collect any of the Kechelaj Jupuq and take them to be burned. We cannot have our ha’ poisoned by the dead of the Kechelaj Jupuq. Ha’ Yaxha must remain clean. Once that is done, we prepare to send our Warriors on their journey to Xibalba. It is only after that gruesome duty is over that we look to the city.” He turned at me. “You may search out your dead as well, Nabe Nacon.”
“We have casualties, but no dead, Ahau Topoxte.”
“No dead?”
“No, Ahau.”
He stared at me then reached out and held my Green Scapular, looked at it intently then at me. “I will have my Ahau Can Mai invoke blessings for Xch’úup Xma’ K’aaba’. I have been briefed on her status and her relationship with you.” He let it go, not saying anything else.
“Topoxte, by mutual agreement with Yax Mutul, is now a satellite city of Yax Mutul,” said Yolotli. “Ahau Topoxte will be informing Ajawinel K’an II of this in his diplomatic scroll.” He looked at me and hit his chest three times. “It has been a great honor fighting in the same battle with the Great T’oit’ik-jolom of Ajawinel K’an II of Ox Witz Ha.”
I hit my chest three times. “It has also been a great honor for me to fight in the same battle and as a comrade of the Nabe Kaloonte’ of the great city and Kingdom of Yax Mut
ul,” I responded then turned to Teoxihuitl, “and you too Nabe Kaloonte’ of Topoxte.”
Teoxihuitl hit his chest then smiled. “Perhaps, one day, Fuck, you can teach me the way of the Q’eq Warriors of the Chaq’ab, or, as is also being said, the Q’eq Warriors of the Raax Ch’ayom Puag.” I nodded, not answering as I hit my chest once, wondering at the latter name. Yolotli stared watchfully at us.
“Xipil,” interjected Ahau Topoxte.
“Ahau.”
“Escort our friends from Ox Witz Ha to the beach. Find enough canoes and Warriors to take them across the ha’ so that they can take the sacbeob to Ox Witz Ha.”
“We had secured canoes at the eastern end of Topoxte, Ahau,” Bo informed him. “We took them from the peninsulas before the Battle for Topoxte. If they are still there, we need only nine of your Warriors to bring back your canoes.”
“Then go,” he said. “It is time for you to leave Topoxte. My Nim-q’ij Scouts have told me that there is another battle awaiting the Q’eq Warriors of the Raax Ch’ayom Puag at Ox Witz Ha. Ka xi’ik teech utzil, T’oit’ik-jolom of Ajawinel K’an II of Ox Witz Ha.” He nodded to Yochi and Bo.
We walked down the crumbling steps of the three tiers of the Nim-q’ij Palace to the courtyard where my Warriors waited. The priests had Molly surrounded and were continuing their incantations. Molly was standing and Teyacapan, Extic, Loni, and Huitl stood guard. The loincloth from her ankles was removed so she could walk, but she was still tied at her wrists. It was hard for me to look at her, to be near her in the state she was. I had sat beside her most of the night, after the battle, talking to her about things that had made her happy. I told her the story of Tepeyac and Our Lady of Guadeloupe, but most of the time she screamed and screamed. Coatl was finally able to get her to rest by forcing medicine down her throat and having her breath in smoke from burning herbs. I kept looking at her and she at me and, sometimes, there seemed some slight recognition from her then that was lost and all that was left was a deranged looking woman covered with dirt, tangled and messy hair, torn cloths. Coatl had tried to replace her torn huipil, but wasn’t able to for she fought him continuously. Yet, now she was calm.
Sisimito III--Topoxte Page 62