Fugitives of Fate

by Morganfield, T. L.

"I want to go to the House of Warriors, but Father says I must go to the calmecac instead." The boy fell silent a moment then asked, "Your father was Huey Tlatoani Ahuitzotl, wasn't he?" When Cuauhtemoc nodded, he added, "My grandfather disliked him, but my father says he was really good in war, and very fierce."

  "He was," Cuauhtemoc agreed.

  "He thinks you're very fierce too. Father says that one is better served by respecting their enemy's abilities than denigrating them, so you're never caught unaware." He spoke the words as if they were something he'd been made to memorize.

  A grin quirked at Cuauhtemoc's mouth. "May I ask who your father is?"

  The boy stood straighter, proud. "He's Lord of Tlaxcala."

  "Oh? And what is your name?"

  "Xicotencatl, of course. Same as my father and my grandfather before him."

  So this was the boy Lady Izel wanted to betroth to Achicatl. By all appearances, Xicotencatl had raised a respectful, intelligent boy, and Cuauhtemoc rather liked him. To Nauyotl, he said, "And you're Acxotecatl's boy."

  Nauyotl glanced sharply at him, looking far more like his father. He doubted Acxotecatl ever spoke positively to his son about him.

  To the unspoken question in Nauyotl's eyes, Cuauhtemoc answered, "I know your mother."

  The guard finally returned with a proper bow and arrow set and Cuauhtemoc spent the next hour watching the boys shoot, complimenting them on their targeting and showing them how to keep a steady hand. Over the course of the hour, Nauyotl warmed up to him, and by the time they all left at sunset, he'd turned into a chattering parrot, laughing and shouting when the younger Xicotencatl finally hit the target. It seemed that his father hadn't completely crushed Malinali's influence, and perhaps, with the right environment—away from his father—he could grow up into a fine young man.

  ¤

  Malinali tried to put aside the thoughts of marriages and families that she'd never have, but as soon as she entered the women's hall for the feast, Lady Izel said, "I was thinking about what you said the other night, about no one wanting an older woman for a wife, and I've found a solution."

  Swallowing hard, Malinali asked, "Oh?"

  "I can't believe I didn't think of this before, because it would be perfect." Lady Izel sat down and waited for Malinali to join her. "My brother Ohtli recently left the priesthood and he's looking to make a marriage."

  "He was a priest?" Malinali held back the bile rising in her throat as she imagined his ears notched so they resembled flowers, and his long hair matted from rubbing sacrificial blood in it, as priests were wont to do. She'd also heard they mutilated their tepollis with thorns and flint knives, to prove their devotion. She had only ever stood close to a priest once—the one whom Acxotecatl gave her to—and she wouldn't soon forget his repugnant smell.

  Perhaps sensing the direction of her thoughts, Lady Izel said, "Oh, don't worry, he was never particularly fervent in his devotion. He only went into the priesthood because my father had too many legitimate sons and too few honors to bestow upon them, so as the youngest, the only way Ohtli could bring honor on the family was to go into the priesthood. But now that my father has passed on, Ohtli wants to be his own man. He's not anyone of consequence, even within our family, but he wants only a few children, which isn't an unreasonable burden for women our age. And he's attractive; between you and me, he's the most handsome of my brothers."

  Malinali put on a carefully-crafted smile. "I appreciate you thinking of me, and I'll keep him in mind once I've officially taken over the Cihuacoatl's duties. I'll be much too distracted until then to give the necessary attention to such matters."

  "Of course. Ohtli is traveling anyway, and I don't expect him back for the remainder of the month." At least there wouldn't be any pressure to rush to a betrothal.

  Malinali wondered if she should mention any of this to Cuauhtemoc, but when she returned to her quarters and he greeted her with a passionate embrace, she didn't have the heart to do it.

  "I spent the evening with Nauyotl in the archery range," he told her once they parted to catch their breaths. "He and Xicotencatl's son came there to practice, and I got to talk to both of them."

  Malinali's heart paused in her chest. "You did?"

  He nodded. "He's shy at first, but once you get to know him...you would adore him."

  "I'm sure I would." Her voice broke.

  He gripped her hand tightly in his. "I wish I could undo the injustice Acxotecatl committed, that I could return Nauyotl to you, but we both know that any attempts to take him from his father will be interpreted as an act of war."

  She bowed her head, not wanting him to see how close to tears she was. "I know."

  "But that doesn't mean you have to let him go completely." When she met his gaze again, he smiled. "These treaties are usually sealed with marriages and promises of educating children, so we insist that Nauyotl come to Tenochtitlan to study in our House of Warriors. It will be a few more years before he's old enough, but once he's there, you'll get to see him often, and with time, perhaps you can build a relationship with him. And once he's grown enough to understand, maybe we can tell him the truth. At the very least, it's a start."

  She smiled back, tears clouding her eyes. "It is indeed," she murmured, then pulled him into another kiss.

  ¤

  For three days, Malinali neither saw nor heard anything from the lords of Tlaxcala, which made her simultaneously nervous and relieved; it meant the treaty was undergoing strenuous debate, but at least she wouldn't run into Acxotecatl on her way to the atrium where the lords' wives gathered each day. A few times scribes brought questions or negotiations, and she and Cuauhtemoc discussed the revisions, but they spent most of the time waiting, so much so that Malinali found it difficult to sleep, and not because Cuauhtemoc considered lovemaking the perfect ending course to every feast.

  She begged off his invitation to while away yet another afternoon watching a ritual ball game and instead stayed behind to catch up on some much-needed sleep. She told Tenoch to not let anyone but Cuauhtemoc disturb her—though she told him to inform the huey tlatoani that if it wasn't treaty-related business, she needed the sleep—then she lay down, letting her mind slowly drift away. It felt good to finally let go of the day's worries and melt out of consciousness.

  But the mat shifting next to her drew her out of the depths of slumber. Cuauhtemoc was back already? She felt as if she'd only just fallen asleep. She blinked her blurry eyes as she reached out and stroked his arm. "How was the game, my love?"

  But when someone put a hand over her mouth, pressing her head down against the bed, she struggled, panic snapping her brain awake. Acxotecatl grinned at her, pinning her chest down with his forearm. "The game was very entertaining, My Lady, but I suppose that question was intended for that Mexica dog that's been mounting you like his bitch all week."

  How in Mictlan did he get in here? Though when he showed her the cruel blade of an obsidian knife, terrified tears clouded her eyes. He killed Tenoch!

  Acxotecatl traced the edge of the blade across her cheek, above his hand, mirroring the scar on his own face. "I've been waiting days for this moment," he growled. "Oh, but don't fear. I'm not going to kill you; it would be stupid to do so at this point, for even as much as you deserve to die, it will foment war between Tlaxcala and the Triple Alliance, and even I'm not so foolish to believe Tlaxcala could win that. But you will pay for scarring my face; oh, yes, you will, My Lady. You see, I've come into some information about you that Cuauhtemoc will find very interesting, and when the time is right, I'll release it and watch as all these screens of smoke you've built blow away, leaving you completely vulnerable. And then you're mine. Trust me, it won't be a quick end for you. Maybe I'll use you for an archery target, or perhaps I'll have the priest of Xipe Totec walk me through how he skins the sacrifices to ensure the crops grow."

  Malinali swallowed back bile. For all his invalid appearance and his limping gait, she hadn't expected the strength apparent as he held her
down. Nor had she expected such murderous rage in his eyes. This wasn't a man who knew how to let go of the past; he would plunge that knife into her throat at this very moment if he thought he could get away with it.

  "But only when the time is right." Acxotecatl tucked the knife away. "When you have the most to lose, then I shall take it all away, starting with your happiness and ending with your life." To her astonishment, he removed his hand from her mouth.

  "I could scream right now." Her hoarse voice broke with the threat of sobs.

  "But you won't," he said with a snake-like smile. "For then that peace you and Cuauhtemoc have worked so hard to achieve will flitter away; the huey tlatoani's accord has been accepted, and for the first time since the founding of Tenochtitlan, the Mexica and the Tlaxcalans are at peace. But if you scream, that flies out the window as my fellow lords jump to defend my killing you and war breaks out and thousands die, on both sides, all over one insignificant little woman who couldn't do what was best for her people." He ran a finger over her lips, but when she jerked away from him, he grabbed her cheeks and squeezed. "I could have you again, as I used to, but then all your moaning would rouse that guard of yours, wouldn't it? Then you'd have a time explaining to Cuauhtemoc why you moan louder for me than you do for him." He shoved her down hard but said no more as he disappeared out into the bath yard.

  She watched him go for a few rapid breaths before bolting after him.

  He was gone.

  She dashed around the bath yard, yanking aside the trailing vines covering the walls, searching for a secret doorway that Tenoch had missed during his initial security sweep. Eventually she found it—though the vines were so thick and heavy that she nearly missed it too; the arch opened into a narrow passage big enough for a single person, and when she poked her head in, she saw the tail of Acxotecatl's cape disappear around the corner.

  Dear gods, he's been spying on me this whole time! He probably sat here in the bath yard and watched me and Cuauhtemoc—

  She backed away from the vines, trembling. He said he has something on me that will ruin everything. Could he mean my affair with Cuauhtemoc? That was hardly scandalous enough, nor could it possibly ruin Cuauhtemoc's trust in her—

  "The potion!" She rushed back into the room and ripped the blankets off the bed. When she lifted up the reed mat, she fell to her knees, her heart hammering in her ears.

  Her medicine bag was gone.

  Chapter Sixteen

  "I cannot begin to express how pleased we are to see the relationship between our kingdoms improving," Xicotencatl said as the nobles gathered in the great hall to witness the lords apply their royal stamps to the peace treaty. "My father had a similar vision but never a Mexica huey tlatoani willing to consider it. I'm sad he didn't live to see this day, but he would have approved."

  Each of the lords stamped their royal seal in ink at the bottom of the page, next to those of the Triple Alliance. Acxotecatl applied his stamp with gusto; he didn't even argue over having to send Nauyotl to Tenochtitlan in two years. Because he thinks I won't be there to interfere with our son, Malinali concluded. She stiffened when he spoke with Cuauhtemoc after the signing ceremony, but he spoke only words of congratulations and admiration for their efforts at achieving peace between their peoples.

  "My Lord tells me that he and Cuauhtemoc have reached an agreement to betroth the children," Lady Izel whispered to Malinali as the rest of the room chattered. "I thank you for speaking to him on our behalf."

  "My pleasure." Malinali watched Acxotecatl from the corner of her eye each time he spoke to Cuauhtemoc, but when he caught her at it, she scolded herself. She shouldn't let him know she was bothered.

  For the final feast, Cuauhtemoc insisted on a grand gathering of all the nobility, both men and women, to celebrate the peace that would benefit all citizens alike. "I didn't achieve this peace on my own, after all," he told Malinali as they headed into the great hall together. Musicians played flutes and drums throughout the meal while the nobles and their wives shared conversation and lavish food—provided by the Mexica delegation—from hundreds of bowls and gourds.

  The children joined their parents once pipes were handed out for smoking, and they remained the rest of the evening. Acxotecatl sat Nauyotl between his wife and Malinali, perhaps hoping for a little sport, but Cuauhtemoc kept her engaged in conversation with Xicotencatl and his wife until the darkest hours of the night.

  The next afternoon, they left Tlaxcala to better tempers than when they arrived. News of the treaty preceded them into the countryside, and while no one sang Cuauhtemoc's praises as their caravan passed from village to village, no one glared nor cast stones this time. They watched with a grudging respect.

  The caravan reached the army camp in time for the evening meal then Cuauhtemoc and Malinali turned in early, in preparation for the long day ahead. Malinali woke before dawn though, anxious to get on their way, as far from Tlaxcala as she could. For years, she'd dreamed of leaving Tenochtitlan, but when they reached the pass on Mount Tlaloc after a long, hot day of riding, seeing the city in the valley below felt as if she was seeing home again.

  "We should make it there by tomorrow afternoon," Cuauhtemoc said as he sat atop Tlazocozcatl next to her. "We'll eat dinner in Texcoco then take the barge back to Tenochtitlan." He patted the horse's neck when Tlazocozcatl tossed his head, irritated. "I've missed my own bed this last week."

  Malinali chuckled. "Even the camp beds have been more comfortable than my sleeping mat back in the slave quarters, so I haven't missed mine at all."

  "You won't ever have to go back to that again. Hopefully you'll find my bed a suitable replacement." He gave her a grin before moving Tlazocozcatl over to the other lords who had already dismounted to watch the slaves setting up the tents for the night.

  It will be more than adequate replacement. Malinali's cheeks burned with excitement, but remembering the conversation with Lady Izel about her brother soured it. It's not a good idea to continue this affair. Cuauhtemoc will marry Ixtlil's sister and you will probably marry Ohtli, so better to end it now, before it gets too serious.

  But when she looked over at Cuauhtemoc and her heart hitched in her chest, she knew it was already too late to avoid that.

  ¤

  They reached Texcoco the next afternoon, and Ixtlil and Achicatl greeted them in the main courtyard. Achicatl flung herself into Cuauhtemoc's arms once he dismounted, and he hugged her tight, laughing between kisses to the cheeks and forehead. "I missed you so much, Tatli! I can't wait to tell you everything I did while you were gone!"

  "Then you had fun?"

  She nodded enthusiastically. "Lady Papantzin taught me some new dances, which I can't wait to show you, and Cozcatzin and I hunted lizards in the garden, though she screamed when I tried to get her to hold one. Isn't that silly?" Before he could answer though, she spotted Malinali—who had dismounted with Tenoch's help—and she ran to greet her. "I'm so glad you're back! Just wait until you see my weaving! I'm doing so much better now!"

  Cuauhtemoc watched his daughter babble excitedly to Malinali, a smile on his face, but when he looked back at Ixtlil, he noticed Lady Xocotzin lurking behind her brother, done up in her best dress. She blushed when he bowed to her. "It's good to see you again, My Lady."

  "I'm pleased to see you again too, My Lord." She kept her gaze fixed on his feet. "I trust your mission went well?"

  "It went very well. The years of war against Tlaxcala are finally over."

  Ixtlil chuckled. "As if there was ever any doubt. I look forward to a full report on matters over a hot meal."

  "If I could get you alone for a moment before I leave tonight, there's something I want to discuss with you." Cuauhtemoc glanced back at Malinali, who knelt next to Achicatl, listening as his daughter regaled her with something about the flowers woven into her hair.

  Ixtlil followed his gaze then nodded. "Of course."

  ¤

  The feast lasted hours, and Cuauhtemoc spent most of it sitting
between Ixtlil and his sister while Malinali sat with the wives. But in his mind, he was sitting next to her, listening as she told the other women what Tlaxcala looked like and what styles the women wore. She looked so comfortable, completely different than three weeks ago when his mother had interrupted their meeting in the garden. She was so beautiful and confident now. What a difference their time in Tlaxcala had made!

  When the servants brought the pipes, Ixtlil motioned Cuauhtemoc to follow him, and they left the crowd of nobles and servants to walk among the flowers. Once they were alone, Ixtlil said, "She really seems to have blossomed, hasn't she?" He looked back at Malinali again then folded his arms behind his back. "And you look better than I've seen in a very long time, my friend."

  "I think I've finally stepped out from under my father's shadow," Cuauhtemoc admitted. "We've made peace with Tlaxcala, and I'm going to name Tenochtitlan's first female Cihuacoatl."

  Ixtlil blinked at him, confused.

  "It worked perfectly, Ixtlil. The lords not only accepted her as my future Cihuacoatl, but they genuinely respected her. She easily proved herself, not only to them, but to me. She's the right choice."

  "But she's a woman. The Council will think you're crazy."

  "When they hear about what she did in Tlaxcala, and they see what she can do and how she handles herself and others, they will think it crazy they doubted her on something as silly as the body the gods chose for her," Cuauhtemoc insisted. "Even you said she would make a good Cihuacoatl. You gave me the notion to start with."

  "I said if she'd been born a man," Ixtlil corrected him.

  Cuauhtemoc frowned. "Then I can't count on your support for her with the Council?"

  Ixtlil sighed. "Of course you can. But I don't understand why you insist on defying tradition. These have been our ways for hundreds of years—"

  "And they would have seen us destroyed. We didn't defeat the Spanish by refusing to change; traditions define who we are, but it doesn't help us if those traditions destroy us. We will keep some but we will make new ones, and we will be stronger and fiercer for them. The Mixtecs have their war queens, so why can't the Triple Alliance have a female Cihuacoatl? What are we afraid of?"