The Secret of the Codex

by Melissa Frey

  Na-um cocked his head, listening to something off in the distance, then set the doll back down in the dirt and stood up. He started to reach for the boy’s hand, but both were clutched around his toy. Na-um laid a hand on his shoulder instead. He softly replied, “I do not know. Everyone is in the meeting hall.”

  The boy’s eyes grew even wider. “What for?”

  Na-um’s eyes narrowed. “The Elders have called a meeting.”

  Na-um led the way through the village to the meeting hall, nothing more than six thick wooden posts holding up a thatched roof. The covered space was packed; everyone was in attendance. The Elders held regular meetings here, but very rarely called impromptu gatherings. Na-um had only seen it happen once—and that hadn’t ended well.

  Na-um approached the crowd quietly. Thankfully, nearly everyone was turned away from him and the boy. The only people facing them were the Elders, standing a head above the crowd on what was most likely the raised platform that usually sat at the head of the open-air meeting space.

  Na-um sent the young boy through the crowd to find his mother, then stood near the back, trying to remain inconspicuous.

  “Ah, our Hunter has returned!”

  So much for being inconspicuous. The crowd began muttering in indistinct whispers as every neck craned to look back at him. Na-um gave a slight nod of his head. He knew that voice.

  “Greetings, Chac.” His voice rang out over the din of the crowd.

  The man called Chac, the leader of the Elders, motioned Na-um forward. Na-um was fairly certain he hadn’t been seen as he approached the gathering, so Chac must have sensed him. Or something. No one really knew everything the Elders could do. Sometimes they almost seemed to know things about the future, things no one should be able to know. Almost as if they could see the future for themselves. It made Na-um’s hair stand on end when he thought about it.

  Na-um made his way through the crowd, bodies parting for him as he passed. The effect was unsettling.

  As was everything about this meeting. Na-um could sense it; something was coming, something big. Something Na-um wasn’t sure he’d like.

  Chac addressed the crowd in their native tongue as soon as Na-um reached the platform. “Brothers and sisters, as you well know, we have always been a peaceful people. We have never had reason to use our superior combative abilities. But still we trained, as those before us, to be ready to fight if the need arose.

  “Today, regrettably, that time has come. The powers we have protected for so long are in danger of being unleashed. So we are calling all men to fight, to prevent this from happening.” He barely took a breath as he switched gears.

  “Are there any among you unable to fight?” Low murmurings again spread through the crowd, but no one dared answer. Na-um scanned the faces in the crowd; wide eyes and pale complexions greeted him from every side.

  Chac continued. “Good.” He smiled. “The power of our ancestors is in your blood. Do not be afraid, men; this is your purpose, your reason for being. There is nothing to stop you, nothing in your way but your own fear.” He paused. Na-um winced internally. Chac really knew how to work a crowd. Much too superficial for Na-um’s liking.

  “So today we train. We prepare to fight. We prepare to win!” Everyone cheered, as if on cue. But Na-um could easily see the fear barely masked in their eyes. The men of this village were going into battle. And, despite Chac’s confidence, Na-um knew some of them probably wouldn’t make it back.

  “Na-um,” Chac said as soon as the crowd had quieted down. Na-um looked over at him, moving past the other elders to his side. Na-um faced the members of his Clan with a blank expression on his face. He knew what Chac and the rest of the Elders wanted. And he knew he was going to give it to them.

  Chac turned back to the people, placing a hand on Na-um’s shoulder. “Here is our leader in this fight. He is the best-trained fighter among us, and the strongest. His abilities are unmatched in our Clan. He will show us the way; he will prepare you all for the battle—for your Destiny.”

  A quiet murmur trickled through the crowd. Na-um knew what he had to do.

  “I am honored to lead you in this fight. We will prevail!” His display of assurance was met with cheers and applause. Na-um flashed what he hoped was a confident smile.

  Because he didn’t feel confident at all.

  “Chac, what is this about?” Na-um approached the leader of the Elders as soon as the crowd had dispersed.

  “How are you, my son?” Zotz, the longest standing Elder, placed a genial hand on Na-um’s shoulder. Na-um resisted the urge to shrug it off. He just wanted answers; no need to stall with useless trivialities.

  Tohil, one of the more agreeable Elders, spoke up before Na-um could answer. “We have received word of a breach at the Lamanai site. Our source says that a few American scientists have uncovered a shaft in the dirt and have discovered the underground passage there.”

  Na-um blinked, expecting Tohil to continue. When he didn’t, he said, “And?”

  The one named Bacob took over. “Na-um, this underground passage contains important information, information that we are here to protect.”

  The picture was still a little hazy, but Na-um thought he was catching on. “Information about the Secret?”

  All five Elders exchanged glances with each other. The youngest of the Elders, Kucumatz, continued. “All you need to know is that we need to stop them. If they continue down this path, the path they discovered in this underground tunnel, they will unleash a great evil on the world, an evil we must abolish.”

  Na-um sighed to himself. He wasn’t going to get any more information out of them. The Elders were extremely tight-lipped about the “Secret.” How apropos.

  Na-um nodded in response. “Of course.” Give them what they wanted now. He could do some research on what they were hiding later; right now he had a job to do. “When shall I begin the training?”

  Chac smiled, a confident grin that put all his teeth on display. “Tonight.”

  Lamanai Archeological Project, Northern Belize Rainforest

  Kayla tossed restlessly on her cot, unable to go back to sleep. After an hour of staring at the canvas ceiling, fidgeting until her light blanket was on the ground beside her, she gave up and got dressed. She left her tent with the sun still hiding behind the eastern horizon and headed for the mess tent. Might as well get some breakfast before the morning rush.

  Morning rush. The thought almost made her smile. Almost. Maybe if she wasn’t so tired.

  She ducked under the blue tarp that covered the mess tent just as the rain was starting. Kayla wished she would have brought her rain jacket. Now she’d have to either wait for the rain to stop or get drenched running back to her tent. This day was starting off wonderfully.

  Kayla grabbed an apple, a granola bar, and a glass of water from the communal water jug. Thankfully, whoever was in charge of bringing the purified water had done their job well. In this heat, even with the intermittent rainstorms, having clean drinking water readily available was a must.

  Kayla dropped into a nearby chair and tossed her food on the white plastic tabletop gently. Still worn out from her dream and the subsequent lack of sleep, she opened the granola bar and picked at it, staring at the table. Usually, she was a morning person. Not today.

  She didn’t know how long she’d been staring at the table, but she suddenly noticed she could see the muted red skin of the apple in front of her clearly. The sun was finally up, fighting with the rain and mostly losing. The rain was coming down harder now, incessantly pelting the tarp above her head. A sigh escaped her. She’d be here awhile.

  Just then, she heard staccato footsteps splashing toward her. She looked up to see Grady jogging through the rain toward the shelter of the mess tent. He stepped under the tarp and jerked his head quickly from side to side, sending a spray of water toward Kayla. Though the water was warm, she jumped in her seat, nearly knocking over her chair. Grady laughed.

  “Not nice,”
she mumbled in his direction as she grabbed a napkin from the table dispenser and began drying herself off.

  She stole another look at Grady as he grabbed some food for himself. Grady’s hair hung in long spikes, water dripping from the ends. The royal blue shirt he was wearing clung to his chest, saturated with water. Kayla stared a little longer than she should have. She pulled her gaze back to the food in front of her with a little effort, hoping Grady didn’t notice.

  Grady dropped to the chair across from her, putting his own breakfast on the table between them. Kayla didn’t dare look up. She wasn’t sure she could avoid staring at his chest.

  “Sorry for getting you wet.”

  Though Kayla wasn’t looking at his face, she could picture his sheepish expression. She glanced up, careful to look him directly in the eye. His expression was just as she thought. She smiled bitterly in his direction. “Sure you are.”

  Grady chuckled. “Okay, so I’m not really sorry. Well, maybe a little. Just thought I’d be nice and apologize.”

  Kayla nodded. “Well, you needed to.” A tiny smile escaped her lips, belying her words. For some reason, she couldn’t stay angry at him.

  Grady returned her smile. He still looked a little too cocky for her taste.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, Grady crunching on a granola bar of his own. Kayla, who had abandoned hers awhile ago, casually started on her apple.

  “So how are you?”

  Grady’s question caught her off guard. Did she really look that terrible?

  “What does that mean?” She shot back without thinking.

  “You just look tired. Did you not sleep well last night?”

  Kayla sighed, then shook her head. “Not really.”

  “Bad dream?”

  Grady’s intuition was a little too on point for this early in the morning. Kayla shifted in her seat and went back to staring at the table.

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Grady offered.

  If he’d pressed her, Kayla probably would have kept it to herself. But when he was being all nice . . .

  “Yeah, it was a bad dream.” She took a deep breath. Grady waited. “I can tell you, but you’ll probably think I’m crazy.”

  Grady smiled sweetly, no hint of teasing. “Hey, we’re all a little crazy.”

  She smiled, then, with a deep breath, began relaying her story. She first told him about her vision in the cavern, then about the eerily similar dream she’d had. Grady didn’t interrupt, but Kayla watched his eyes widen more than once.

  When she was done, Grady leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. Silence stretched between them as she let him process all the information she’d given him.

  One word broke the silence. “Wow.”

  Kayla’s mouth turned up a little on one side. “I know.”

  “So what does it mean?”

  She shrugged, her fingers playing with her granola bar wrapper. “I’m not sure.”

  Grady just nodded, a look of concentration on his face. Kayla had had at least twelve hours to process this, at least some of it, and she still was in shock. Grady could take all the time he needed.

  But he needed to know everything first. Kayla drew in a deep breath. “I didn’t tell you the last part,” she whispered.

  Grady’s jaw dropped, just a little. “There’s more?”

  Kayla nodded once. “My dream was exactly like the vision I had—until the end.”

  Grady leaned forward in his chair. “What did you see at the end?”

  She took a deep breath. “First, there was a blinding light. Then I saw one last picture.” She didn’t continue, even knowing what Grady would certainly ask next.

  “What was the picture of?”

  Yeah, that was the question. Kayla hesitated. This was the really crazy part. Was she ready for Grady to know just how insane she really had become?

  She steeled herself, then continued. “The bright light faded into the picture of a mountain.” She folded her hands on the table and stretched them out in front of her. Her eyes bored holes into them.

  Grady laid his hands on top of hers. Kayla twitched at his touch, but didn’t pull away. Her eyes flew to his, and he stared right back. “You can tell me.”

  Kayla held his gaze, suddenly feeling a little better. Something about staring into his sapphire eyes made her feel almost confident, a little more sure of herself. “I’ve never been there, never seen a picture of this place, but somehow I know where it is. And I don’t know why, but . . .” she let her voice trail off as she looked back down at where their hands touched. Her next words were a whisper. “Something is calling me there.”

  She expected Grady to chuckle, or make some snide comment about her really being crazy, but when she didn’t hear anything, she looked up. Grady was staring at her blankly. That couldn’t be good.

  Finally, he spoke. “Where is it?”

  Kayla blinked. “That’s it?”

  Grady’s eyebrows scrunched together. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you’re not going to tell me how crazy I am? How I should be committed, or, at the very least, sent home?”

  Grady’s forehead smoothed out and the beginnings of a smile pulled at his lips. “No. I don’t think you’re crazy.”

  Kayla sighed and sat back in her chair. “Then you’re as crazy as I am.”

  Grady chuckled and leaned back himself. After a few moments, he said, “So are you going to tell me where we’re going or not?”

  “We?” Kayla couldn’t keep the shock from her face.

  “Of course.” He sounded so sure of himself.

  Kayla crossed her arms. Was she ready for this? Was she ready to travel across continents with the man in front of her?

  She realized quickly and with little surprise that, since the moment she’d glanced over at him in front of that computer monitor less than two days ago, the answer had always been yes. She’d go anywhere with him. Or, in this case, take him anywhere with her.

  Grady’s voice broke into her thoughts. “So? Where are we going?”

  Kayla grinned. “Alaska.”

  CHAPTER 6

  Capture

  Somewhere in the Belize Rainforest

  The Elders assembled all the men of the Clan and sent them into the forest to train with Na-um. Such an overt display of confidence in his abilities made Na-um breathe a little easier. The Elders trusted that he could prepare these men for battle. Na-um was actually starting to believe it himself.

  Na-um taught them all the ways of the Hunter. Some were skilled in archery or the way of the spear; Na-um gave them their arrows and oversaw their target practice. He taught them the art of weaponry-based combat, showing them how to stalk and capture their prey before their quarries even knew they were being pursued. He taught them well, and soon at least a dozen men were as skilled as he was in the hunt.

  Others were skilled in hand-to-hand combat; these he trained personally, man to man. He showed them various combative maneuvers, both offensive and defensive, trying to simulate every possible scenario before pairing them off to train further.

  To those who were new to the fight, to the training, he assigned tasks after a quick analysis of their strengths. He found a few men who were exceptionally strong; these he trained in hand-to-hand combat with the others, so they were able to use their strength to their advantage. The others were divided and sent to different groups according to their abilities.

  The youngest man among the newer recruits was of a slighter build than the others, his long black hair unkempt and his clothes slightly more tattered than the rest. At first glance, he seemed to have little to offer their small force. Na-um studied him carefully, watching as he failed exercise after exercise. The young man, a boy called Holun, was barely old enough to fight, still a child.

  Na-um studied him carefully for several days, trying to understand this boy’s inept mannerisms. By the fifth day, he was about to give up on the boy an
d send him back to the village. He decided to allow the boy one more chance, one last chance to prove his worth.

  He watched with idle curiosity as the boy fought with one of the other younger but clearly stronger men, something he’d not yet seen the boy Holun do. They grappled in the dirt for a few minutes, the other boy clearly holding a steady advantage.

  The two fighters were eventually on their feet, locked in a face-off, waiting for the other to attack. The older recruit stood a foot taller than Holun; Na-um was surprised the younger boy had lasted this long. Na-um watched with steadily increasing interest, half expecting the same outcome as the exercises before.

  But as he watched in growing disbelief, the strangest thing happened. The younger boy closed his eyes and froze, standing completely still for a split second—the pause was not even long enough for the other soldier to react. Na-um wondered for a moment if perhaps he had simply blinked.

  When Holun came out of the momentary trance—after only a second—he opened his eyes just as the other boy lurched toward him to attack. Right before the other recruit could touch him, he jumped to the side, just out of reach. The older boy fell to the ground, stumbling as he missed his mark. Holun seized the opportunity, kneeling on his attacker and restraining him.

  Na-um’s mouth dropped open slightly. The youngest of their soldiers had won the fight despite the other boy’s disproportionate advantage; Na-um was impressed.

  As Na-um watched the boy’s reaction to his unlikely victory, he saw something in his eyes, something he couldn’t explain. He watched as Holun quickly composed himself, not bothering to rejoice in his success, then return to his place in the nearby formation. Na-um considered it for a moment, then called to him.

  Holun hurriedly rushed to his superior’s side, snapping to attention in front of him. He’s entirely too eager for his own good, Na-um thought, fighting to contain his smile.

  Na-um chose to start with an easy question. “How old are you, son?”