“That’s awful nice of him, but he doesn’t need to do that,” KC said. “I have nothing to hurry home to.”
“That’s precisely what he said about himself.”
“Let him go home,” she insisted. “I might catch another flight later.”
“Might?”
KC’s grin turned timid. She’d opened the door to her secret. “Father Ruiz invited me to spend Christmas here and I’ve already accepted.” The surprise washing over John’s face made her chuckle. “He’s collecting food and other donations which he intends to distribute to the indigenous people in Chiapas. I’ll provide the transportation if we can find the right plane for the right price.”
John raised his eyebrows, impressed. “That’s very generous.”
KC smiled, pleased with the warmth washing over her. For the first time she felt a purpose for her training and talents. Somehow, that was enough. It was all she needed.
John lightly tapped his knee and then pulled himself to his feet. “Well,” he said with a grunt and a clumsy adjustment of his crutches, “I suppose there’s no point in trying to convince you to take Peet’s seat. I’ll go inform him of your decision.”
KC let him go, sending him off with a rewarded smile.
* * * *
“Where have you been, Lori? We’ve tried calling you for three days now.”
“I’m sorry, Gabriella,” Lori said, shifting away from the festive procession now approaching the Zócalo. She shifted her cell phone to her other ear. “I’ve been away from my phone.”
“So did you find your Quetzalcoatl and all that?”
Lori paused. “It became complicated.”
“Well, nothing’s as simple as we want it to be. Just ask Mike. Turns out the Mayan calendar didn’t destroy his world like he expected.”
Lori had to smile at her choice of words. No, the calendar didn’t destroy the world. In fact, it seemed the world had destroyed the Mayan calendar. What had been revered and reputed as ancient wisdom personified, the Long Count Calendar had quickly fallen off the radar as a joke, a spoof—another glaring example of yet another failed apocalypse.
And then there was Abe - perhaps the only man on earth who had destroyed the very calendar that ended little more than his own life in return.
Mike’s voice erupted into the background. “You missed a great event, Lori!”
Gabriella sighed. “Here, I’ll let him tell you all about it.”
“Wait…Gabriella…”
There was a rustle at the other end of the line as Gabriella passed the phone along. Lori rolled her eyes and waited. A signal from her call waiting filled the void.
“It was the end of the world,” Mike spouted. “It was the end of the world as we know it.”
“Mike, I’ve got another call…”
“This is the beginning of a revolutionary shift in human perception.”
Call waiting interrupted again.
“That’s great, Mike, but I’ve got to go.”
“You’ll see,” he continued. “Prepare to open your mind to things you’ve never thought of before.”
“Thanks, Mike. We’ll discuss this later.”
With that, Lori disconnected the line and answered the incoming call.
“Lori?”
It was Stefanie, her contact with the biological team charged with the preservation of The Trader’s bones. This was a call she needed to take.
“Stef! How’s it coming with the remains?”
“We’re all but finished. You can come look at them tomorrow if you want.”
Lori’s pulse started racing as her fingers toyed with the tenderly returned Kokopelli pendant dangling at her chest. She’d be on campus right that very moment if she could. But explaining that she was waiting for a flight out of Mexico would consume too much of the present conversation, so she chose a convenient diversion.
“Maybe I’ll wait until after Christmas to see him,” she said.
“Him?”
“Yeah. I can’t wait to learn what secrets The Trader might share about his Effigy.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Lori took a quick peek at the service bars on her cell phone. It was picking up full reception.
“Stef?”
“Lori,” Stefanie’s voice returned. “Haven’t you read any of the preliminary reports?”
“No,” Lori admitted. “I don’t want my study to be influenced by anyone else’s data.”
“Maybe you should at least take a look at the field notes from the dig,” Stefanie advised.
Lori frowned. She leaned into her phone and placed a finger over her open ear as cheers erupted from the Zócalo. “Why do I need the field data?” she asked.
“All this time I thought you knew,” Stefanie said. “It was determined while the remains were still in situ that The Trader is not a man.”
“What?”
“That’s right, Lori. Your Quetzalcoatl is actually a woman.”
* * * *
Peet stood along the fringes of the Zócalo, his eyes taking in the Christmas lights and over-sized decorations that bordered the lit and over-sized square. The evening carried chords of Christmas renditions offered by mariachi musicians playing somewhere on the other side of a manufactured tree of record-breaking size. Even the enormous Mexican flag complimented the Christmas flavor. Children of all sizes were everywhere, circling the giant ice rinks and flinging down the carnival-style snow slide. But most striking were the parents there with them, not simply supervising, but participating. It was the most striking display of family togetherness Peet had ever seen. Or perhaps he was just sensitive to the atmosphere considering he was a mere spectator to the intimacies of family.
It was when the Posada procession arrived behind Joseph, and Mary on her donkey—a living nativity dwarfed by the holiday fiesta—that an old desire to share in tradition struck him. That was also when John crutched up beside him.
“Nobody celebrates quite like the Mexicans,” John observed.
Peet nodded, noting the tone of admiration in John’s voice. “I’ve been thinking,” he said. “If those seats don’t open up tomorrow, I could use the Cardinal’s money to charter a flight home for all of us.”
Ever since Laffy and his Vol de Feu dropped them all off in Mexico City two days ago, John had ritually checked for an available flight out. Nothing had opened up yet. In short, they were stranded with few options but to wait. That was, until earlier this afternoon when Peet was approached by Cardinal Balbás who promptly handed him roughly twenty thousand dollars worth of pesos.
“I can’t accept this,” Peet said. “I didn’t bring back your crucifix.”
The cardinal waved a hand. “The cross is not important now,” he said. “However, consider it payment for bringing home a transcended priest.”
With that, Cardinal Balbás would not listen to any further protests, burdening Peet to decide what he should do with his reward. Was this a moral test? Was he expected to donate the money back to the church? He couldn’t even convince KC to take it as compensation for her lost plane. So should he keep it for himself? Would he rather make a contribution to the anthropology department?
“Keep your money, Anthony,” John said with a pat on Peet’s shoulder. “It seems nobody is in a great hurry to get home.”
“KC declined the seat too?”
“If the ladies intend to stick around, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t go.”
“It’d be nice if enough seats opened up for all of us.”
About that time Peet spotted Lori pushing through the crowd gathered around a chocolate atole vendor. Her face was beaming. Peet recognized that look. She was excited. She was on a mission.
She was hot on the trail of discovery.
“Is that seat still up for grabs if it comes open tomorrow?” she asked as she approached.
“Decided you’re ready to go home after all?” John asked.
Her sparkling eyes belied the coy und
ertone to her smile. “The Trader’s bones are available for study,” she said. “I can finally get back to work on the heart of my dissertation.”
Caught up by her enthusiasm, Peet gave a chuckle. “Well, we can’t delay you any further,” he said. “Of course you can have the first seat.”
Lori brightened, nearly dropping her cell phone in her excitement. “Great! I’ve got to make some phone calls. There’s a woman I need to get to know a lot better.”
Peet was still chuckling as she bounded off, her finger punching into the pad of her phone. Even John took an extended moment to watch her go.
“Her mind rarely strays from her work, does it?” John said.
“That’s a sign of someone who really enjoys what they’re doing,” Peet agreed. “I hope that seat opens up for her.”
John took a moment to clear his throat. “You know, Anthony, if those seats do open up, maybe you should take the second one.”
Peet turned to him, surprised. “You’re giving up your seat? I think you’ve got the most pressing matters to return home to.”
John waved a dismissive hand. “The FBI can wait another day or two. Besides, I doubt they’ll be in a pinch to work on Christmas Day. And Martha’s just happy that I’m alive. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Peet gave him a mock-stern look. “You’re not planning to run off into the jungle again, are you?” he joked.
John smiled as he glanced at his crutches. “Not hardly.” When he looked up again it was to watch Lori as she continued to walk away. “It’s like she said, Anthony. I think there’s a woman you need to get to know better.”
Peet grinned as Lori escaped into the Christmas crowd. John had sniffed him out, but this time he didn’t want to deny it. He didn’t want to hide it any longer. He suddenly found himself deeply hoping for those seats to open up. A flight back to the states with Lori, with time to concern himself with nothing but her, sounded perfect.
And if those seats didn’t become available, well, maybe he’ll just charter that flight after all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Theresa Danley is the author of Epic’s E-Book Award Finalist, EFFIGY. She lives along the hi-line of Montana. Somewhere between raising her family and writing her novels, Theresa can usually be found riding a horse.
For your reading pleasure, we invite you to visit our web bookstore
WHISKEY CREEK PRESS
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
Table of Contents
Cover
Title page
Copyright
Historical Note
Prologue
PART 1
Yucatan
University
Peet
Mexico City
Metropolitan Cathedral
The Ladybug
Chichen Itza
Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl
Cosmologies
Itza
Cenote
Mayaland
Part II
Kin
The Light
The Way
Through The Darkness
Mayaland
Airfield
Tunkuruchu
Talking Cross
PART III
Chicxulub
Ladybug
Chiapas
Zapatista
Stranger
Gulfstream
Yucatan
Mythology
Thrones
Izapa
Tun
Deception
Olmec
Sierra Madre De Chiapas
Quiché
Center
Part IV
One Hunahpu
Vol De Feu
Tacana
Divine Intervention
Tribulations
The Truth
Katun
Eschatology
Ravine
Part V
Traps
Calendar Wheel
Chamber
The Center
Pieces
From The Ravine
Chamber
Eschaton
Inertia
House
Pyroclast
Mexico City
About The Author
Deity Page 31