Pekari -The Azure Fish

by Guenevere Lee

  They left the road, moving into the shadows, suddenly surrounded not by the sounds of people shouting and carts rolling past, but the twitter of birds and the buzz of insects. Sha’di never looked comfortable among the trees, always swatting away insects and looking around with a worried expression, but these were the sounds that had followed Tenok since birth. These were the sounds that had followed him whenever he and his older brother would play outside.

  Nnenne squawked, perhaps smelling something close by, and Tenok looked around, straining his ears, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

  “Look,” Sha’di pointed, and Tenok was surprised to see a barely noticeable game trail of broken branches and trampled leaves. He’d always been a good tracker, but his skills had improved quite a lot since coming to the Grey Mist.

  “You’re getting much better at this,” Tenok smiled, feeling something akin to pride.

  “I spend much time with Belam,” Sha’di laughed. Belam hadn’t been interested in coming to the jungle with them today, mostly because one of the pretty maids in the pyramid had finally started showing interest in him. During their journey, Belam had often pointed out signs of animals, and Sha’di had begun to recognize them.

  They followed the trail as it wound away from the city, stopping every now and again when they thought they heard something. Was that the snap of a twig? Was that the growl of a jaguar? Was that the laughter of a woman stubbornly refusing to show herself because she was waiting for them to get lost so she could jump down from the trees and ‘save’ them?

  “It doesn’t have to be a big lie,” Tenok said, turning their conversation back to what he’d been trying to discuss with him for days.

  “Big lie, little lie,” Sha’di sighed, shaking his head.

  “Just tell them the gods came to you in a dream, and—”

  Sha’di stopped him with a look. “And what? Told me Huwamanpellpe should marry Maarku?”

  “No, they’d probably find that suspicious. And anyway, it doesn’t have to be him. I just think, well I don’t know, he is very handsome. She’d probably like him.”

  Sha’di laughed. “Not if she smart. He is an idiot.”

  “You think so too?” Tenok smiled.

  There was a pause. “Eh…what you want me to say?”

  “I don’t know. You had a dream where Huwamanpellpe gave birth to a copper baby? And that the gods were well pleased by this babe and decided not to… destroy the world?”

  “A copper baby?”

  “Because Ixk’inmetzuha, the pyramid Maarku is form, is known for its copper mines,” Tenok shrugged.

  “Pretend I will do this. You said the Ellpe will choose.”

  “Yes, but if the huitls think Maarku is the chosen one, they’ll do everything in their power to get those two together. They’ll put them in each other’s paths as many times as it takes. And who knows, maybe Maarku will want to be an Allpa. Maarkallpa sounds nice.” Tenok smiled hopefully.

  “…Maybe.”

  They found a few golden fruit hanging from a tree and stopped for a quick snack. The wind was picking up and the trees were swaying, their branches clattering and making their own music. The little of the sky he could see through the leaves was cloudy, and Tenok worried it might start to rain. In Chultunyu by this time of the year, every day would be a steady downpour of rain, but apparently in the north they did not have a severe rainy season.

  Something hit the tree above Tenok’s head. He jumped up in surprise, rolling away and holding up his sling, swinging it over his head, looking around furiously to find the target, but could only see Sha’di’s amused face looking at the tree where Tenok had been sitting, at the spear still gently swaying, lodged deep in the trunk. Qayset’s spear.

  “You’re insane. Do you know that?” Tenok felt his shoulders relax, but his hands were shaking.

  Qayset seemed to melt out of the shadows, easily pulling her spear out of the tree as she sat next to Sha’di, taking the fruit he offered. “Don’t be baby,” she smiled.

  “I’m not a baby. You’re just…” he trailed off at her expression, her amusement dangerously close to annoyance.

  “Just what?” she asked, cracking open her fruit on a rock, the juices dripping onto her slender fingers.

  “You’re going to skewer me with a spear one of these days,” Tenok sat down with a sigh.

  “Only if you too slow to dodge,” Qayset smiled.

  “Ha, ha,” Tenok rolled his eyes.

  “We worried you left, went home,” Sha’di said, clearly pleased to see Qayset again, and she smirked back at him. With a twinge of jealousy, Tenok wondered just how pleased those two were to see each other.

  “Hunt is good here. I have no reason to leave.”

  “We uh, wanted to ask you something,” Tenok began awkwardly. “Err, I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Oh?”

  “Well maybe not a question, but advice.”

  “Advice? You want learn how to hunt right?” Qayset chuckled softly.

  “No, advice about…women…”

  “Women?” Qayset froze, a piece of melon sticking out of her mouth. Clearly, this was not a subject Qayset ever thought would come up between them. And then her eyes narrowed slightly and Tenok wondered if he had made her angry. But what would she have to be angry about?

  She swallowed the melon in her mouth and frowned. “I know jungle. I know hunt. I know spears and medicine. I don’t know women.”

  “You are a woman…” Sha’di trailed off.

  “I need to convince a woman to fall in love,” Tenok explained quickly.

  “With you?” she snapped.

  “No, the opposite! If she hated me that would be great. I need her to fall in love with someone else. I need to know how to convince her to fall in love with a complete fool.”

  Qayset looked confused a moment and then began laughing.

  She looked rather plain for someone who was the highest of all the nobles, for someone who had the blood of gods flowing through her veins, for someone whose life controlled whether or not their people were loved or destroyed by the gods. Her tunic was a dark crimson, her dark hair cropped short, her face had no piercings, her skin no dye, and was a beautiful dark copper glinting with just a hint of sweat.

  For a moment he forgot all the advice he’d been given, forgot what he’d been planning to do once he stood before her. Had they told him to be too interested or not interested at all? Sha’di and Qayset had squabbled so long together in the jungle that he’d forgotten which advice had been good.

  “Women want men who protect them,” Sha’di had said confidently before Qayset had laughed.

  “Women don’t want protection, women want equal. Women want man they can spar with,” she held up her hand to stop Sha’di from interrupting her, “I don’t mean with weapons, I mean with words.”

  The two had such polar opposite thoughts about how to court women, and although he trusted Qayset’s opinion over Sha’di’s, they’d spent so much time going over every aspect he’d lost track over exactly who had said what. He realized he was just nervous, but that didn’t help at the moment.

  He bowed his head courtiously, to show respect—but not too much respect. He didn’t want to make a good impression on her.

  “Huwamanpellpe, blood of the gods, thank you for receiving me.”

  She sat on a stone throne in what was by far the largest entrance hall he’d ever walked into. It was exactly as he’d expected. What had surprised him was how a dozen or more women surrounded the throne, ones who sat and gave him cold glances. From the shapes of their skulls it was clear they were not noble women. All nobles had their heads bound as babes, elongating their skulls. Although most of the women looked aged, he could tell they must have all been beautiful in their youth.

  “Which huitl are you?” she spoke curtly, and although she sat up straight and tried to give her voice authority, it was a small voice—the voice of a child. How old was she? Fourteen? Fifteen? S
he was a woman, but she still looked as frail and tiny as a girl.

  “I am the son of Atzayakatl Nuktatl Chultunyunatl. He who Guards the Passage, He who Hears the Whisperers,” he tried to look as smug and proud as possible, knowing that if Sha’di were here he’d laugh his head off at how ridiculous he sounded, but it had the desired effect. Huwamanpellpe looked at him with cold eyes.

  “How…interesting,” she looked down at her feet, which swayed back and forth, too short to reach the ground.

  This wasn’t an impromptu meeting; he’d asked the huitls to let him see her. Along with Sha’di they’d convinced them that the plan to marry her might be better received if it came from someone closer to her own age. That and he wanted to thoroughly put her off to the idea that he might be a good match.

  Sha’di hadn’t exactly told the huitls his idea about a copper baby. Instead he’d given quite a long speech about a dream he’d had where he saw a different possible future of the Ellpe marrying each one of the prospective suitors, and how in most cases, it ended very badly. He didn’t give any names, just symbols and colours.

  I saw the Ellpe marry the Red Son. They gave birth to only daughters.

  I saw the Ellpe marry the Vine Son. He could not sew his seed in her.

  I saw the Ellpe marry the Copper Son. They had a strong son who grew into a noble Allpa, who had many sons with many women.

  And on and on. Tenok had practically held his breath through the entire thing, marvelling at how easily Sha’di spoke, especially since he knew how hard he’d practiced to get the words right. He’d asked Xupama to help translate what he’d seen in his dreams, a difficult feat in and of itself.

  Right before Sha’di was to speak, they’d had a moment to themselves.

  “Thank you for doing this. I know you aren’t sure if…it’s right,” Tenok had looked around, not knowing if anyone might be listening around a corner.

  “The gods chose me to speak. If what I say is wrong, I think they stop me,” he looked confident, but his voice wavered ever so slightly. Tenok thought, or hoped, that the gods wouldn’t care either way.

  In the end, Sha’di named five suitors who would be a possible match for Huwamanpellpe, and Tenok had begged for the chance to speak with her, to convince her what a blessing this would all be. He wished he could have spoken with her alone, without a gaggle of angry-looking women staring at him.

  “I bring word from the huitls,” he smiled broadly.

  “What word would that be?” she asked, bored.

  “They tell me you’re a woman now and must marry.”

  Her eyes shot up, locking him in a death glare. She became completely still. She motioned towards her attendants. “They are women. I am a god.”

  Tenok swallowed hard. “Yes, well, of course,” he cleared his throat, reminding himself that it was good if he was annoying her, but he wondered what would happen if he really did make her mad. Royal Sacrifice or not, she was the Ellpe, and there were several women who looked like they wouldn’t mind dragging him out of the hall and throwing him from the top of Chipetzuha to his death. “But even gods need husbands.”

  She leaned back, narrowing her eyes at him. “Do they?”

  “If they want children.”

  “If…” her voice had lost the soft, childish distinction from earlier.

  “Many will try to woo you—”

  She scoffed.

  “But I wanted to get a look at you first.”

  She cocked her head to the side, and he couldn’t tell if she was about to laugh or scream at him to get out. She hopped off the throne with grace and took a few steps down from the dais.

  “Here I am. How do I look?”

  “Suitable,” he shrugged, turning away to hide the disgust he was feeling with himself. He’d meant to say something cruel to her but couldn’t bring himself to be more than simply dismissive. He didn’t like this character he was playing, even if it might save the lives of his future children. “I find this palace far more to my liking.”

  “This is not a palace,” her voice sounded small again.

  He turned back to her, and she was walking towards one of the pools of water, staring down into it at her reflection.

  “This is a prison,” she finished.

  “I hardly think—”

  “No,” she cut him off, staring him down. “You hardly do.”

  “Bah,” he waved his hand dismissively at her. “You sound just like him.”

  “Just like whom?” she obviously still had the curiosity of a child.

  “No one…Maarku-chakatl. Hardly worth mentioning.”

  “And yet you did mention him.”

  Tenok smiled. “When someone crawls under your skin the way he does, it’s hard not to.”

  “He’s your rival?” She turned back to the dais of women and started towards her throne.

  “He’d like that. He’s just some lowly chakatl who thinks he’s worthy of you because he’s handsome. He tried to best me at wrestling once and,” Tenok laughed, and it was a genuine laugh, when he remembered how quickly he’d won against that oaf. “A man like that has no place with a god.”

  “So you beat him up and now you think he’s worthless?” She took her seat once more, and one of the women whispered something in her ear, which she acknowledged with a nod.

  “The weak are worthless,” he tried to straighten his back to look taller. He would have rather curled into a ball.

  “No,” she looked back at him, not with hatred, but with a strange curiosity on her face. “Only the cruel. Thank you for bringing me the word of the huitls, Tenok-huitl. I… look forward to meeting with you in the future.”

  THE RED PYRAMID

  THEY ALWAYS DEMAND SACRIFICE

  At first, Sha’di was excited he’d finally been invited to enter the Red Pyramid, and to a great feast no less, until he remembered how much climbing was involved. He imagined Qayset would have enjoyed laughing at him as he trudged up the long ramp, which zig-zagged up one side of the pyramid. The huitls all sat in little carts painted in the colours of their pyramids as servants pulled and pushed the chubby men up to the top. It was a colourful parade that ascended, and many people had gathered at the base of the pyramid in the morning to watch them go up, but they had soon grown bored and gone on with their day.

  Sha’di trailed behind them with the servants who carried food and ceremonial offerings for their Ellpe. He would have walked alongside Tenok, but he hadn’t returned from his audience with Huwamanpellpe. Tenok had remained as a guest and was waiting for them at the top. It was frustrating not knowing if Tenok’s plan had gone well. He wasn’t sure if he was going to celebrate with his friend or comfort him.

  “Why do you keep frowning?” Belam asked, punching him gently on the arm, but what was a gentle punch for Belam still sent a jolt through Sha’di’s body, and he rubbed the spot to stop the throbbing.

  “Where’d you come from?” Sha’di hadn’t seen the warrior that morning and had assumed he hadn’t been invited to join them.

  “I was walking up there with the good old Chuntunyatl, but he’s not one for conversation,” Belam frowned.

  The weaker servants forced to drag the carts of their masters were sweating and breathing heavily, and even a man as strong as Belam with nothing to drag up the ramp was breathing more shallowly than usual. It was hot with the sun blinding them, and Sha’di was aware of all that, as well as his own panting, but it was like he had been cut off from his surroundings.

  “What’s wrong?” Belam asked.

  Sha’di pointed to his forehead. “Lost here, with thoughts.”

  “The huitls still make you nervous? Haven’t you met all of them? Look,” Belam pointed to the nearest cart in front of them where Moltapetzuhuitl, the oldest of the huitls, who instead of jewels and precious metals wore vines wrapped around his arms and legs, sat. He was talking to one of his guards, leaning over the side of his cart and cackling loudly at some joke he’d made. “They’re all old and sen
ile. A great disappointment, if you ask me.”

  “Why disappointment?”

  Belam shrugged. “I don’t know. Growing up, you hear stories—legends—of the great lords and their great pyramids. I thought they’d be more…” he shrugged again, and looked out at the view. “Then again, the city is more massive than I ever could have imagined.”

  Sha’di smiled. “As a child…I didn’t know men could build any pyramids. But, these men do not make me nervous, no.”

  “So what does?”

  His smile drifted away. “The gods.”

  Tenok had asked him to lie for him so he had. He told himself it hadn’t been a big lie, that it wouldn’t do any harm, but the evening after he had left the huitls, as he had eaten a cold dinner by himself in Atzayako’s great pyramid, he knew that was an even greater lie than the one he’d told the huitls. Whoever the Ellpe chose as her husband would impact this land. And worse, if she chose wrong because of his lie, the gods would never show him mercy.

  Whatever misgivings he had about it though, the damage was done. He’d told the huitls what they wanted to hear, even if he had slightly skewed what he needed to say to help his friend. He’d done what the Rhagepe had told him to, he’d warned the Petzuhallpa about the gods’ anger and to heed the old ways. So was that it? Was that enough?

  The Rhagepe had told them there was a corruption that needed to be weeded out, a poison infecting the hearts of these people. But the Rhagepe had never told them what to look for or how he would know if he’d succeeded. All he knew for certain was that they had until next Orope to succeed. Because if the Rhagepe were correct, this kingdom would be drowned in a flood by then, if not sooner. Would he have to stay among these people until then, until he was certain the gods had been appeased? The thought made him feel sick.

  As Sha’di became more and more lost in his thoughts, he mindlessly followed the crowd as they were taken into the palace. They entered the large grand hall where musicians played and sang with smiles on their painted faces, and servants walked around with bowed heads, offering sweet meats and dried fruit on stone platters. The lords were mingling and laughing, waiting in a casual line leading to the throne in the centre of the room.