as if it were a comfortable chair.
Neutemoc's face was closed. 'Maybe not,' he said. 'But things have to be clear, don't they?'
'Enough,' Teomitl said. Again, he didn't raise his voice, but it cut through every word I might have thought of. 'Reinforcements are probably going to be useful. Duality priests?'
I shrugged. 'Whatever I can find.' I hoped it would be Duality priests, though I'd have preferred Ceyaxochitl and Yaotl at my side, even over a dozen of them. But the priests were fierce fighters.
'Very well,' Teomitl said. 'We'll leave you in Tenochtitlan, and go on to the tree and see what's going on.' He raised a hand to forestall my protest. 'We'll be careful, never fear. I don't intend to get killed before I get a chance to strike.'
Neutemoc said nothing. I wasn't so sure he wouldn't rush, but at least he'd have Teomitl to control him. It was amazing how persuasive the boy could be, when he applied his mind to the conversation. A boy who would one day be Emperor. Better not to think about that – not right now.
TWENTY-ONE
When I arrived, the Duality House was all but deserted.
'The priests?' the warrior at the gates asked. 'I'm not sure if there are any left inside. You can look, though.'
My heart sank. 'The Guardian?'
The warrior shook his head. 'She hasn't come back from the palace.'
The Southern Hummingbird blind me. I had counted on Ceyaxochitl not being there, but not on all the priests leaving.
I found two priests in one of the rooms at the back: an old man and an old woman, who sat with Mihmatini, sipping hot chocolate.
'Greetings,' I said. 'I was looking for help.'
The priests acknowledged my presence with a nod of their head. 'I'm not sure you're in the right place,' the old priestess said. 'We're somewhat depleted at the moment.'
'Help? What kind of help?' Mihmatini asked.
'Against creatures of Tlaloc.'
The old priest nodded, sagely. 'There's been trouble all over Tenochtitlan. The waters rising, and people mauled by things they couldn't see.'
The creatures. Neutemoc had been wrong: the child had come into his full powers, and he wasn't shy about using them either. This wasn't good. Not good at all. 'That's where all the others are?'
The old priestess nodded. 'Emergencies. We're – ah, staying here as a precaution. Keeping the wards up.'
The priest took a sip of his cup. 'But if it's urgent…'
It was urgent. But Mihmatini was in the Duality House, as well as Neutemoc's whole household. Two old priests wouldn't make that much of a difference against what was coming. 'No,' I said. 'Given how badly things are turning out, it's more urgent to keep a safe place. I'll – find help somewhere else.'
Mihmatini had been relatively silent until now. 'I'll come with you,' she said.
I shook my head. 'Stay here.'
'Because you think I'm too weak to fight?'
The Duality preserve me, why did everyone take what I said badly? 'No,' I said. 'Because you're not putting yourself in danger.'
Mihmatini set her cup aside, but didn't speak.
'Do you really want to fight those creatures again?'
'They frighten the soul out of me,' Mihmatini said, finally. 'But my wards–'
'Won't last in this rain,' I said. 'And it takes you too much time to draw them. Stay here. You'll be safe. No need to endanger your life.'
Mihmatini puffed her cheeks, with a familiar thoughtful expression. 'Is there need for you?' she asked.
I stared at her for a while; trying to imagine myself ensconced in the safety of the Duality House. But I couldn't. 'It's my place,' I said. 'No matter how hopeless things are.'
I couldn't read her expression. 'Your place,' she said. She shook her head, as if exasperated. 'You're impossible, you know. You and Neutemoc, come to think of it.'
I felt embarrassed; though I didn't know why.
Mihmatini shook her head. 'I'll stay here,' she said. 'The children are frightened, in any case. And you – you're not leaving until I set new wards on you.'
I made a mock-frightened face. 'As you wish.'
Mihmatini snorted. 'What did I say? Impossible, both of you.'
On my way out of the Duality House, I stopped in the barracks, looking for Ixtli. I found him supervising a mock-battle in one of the larger rooms. Three of his Duality warriors were taking on another three, hacking at each other with their macuahitl swords, the harsh sound of wood striking stone echoing under the carved rafters of the ceiling.
'Acatl-tzin?' Ixtli asked, surprised, when I came in.
'I need help.'
Ixtli glanced at his warriors. 'What kind of help?'
'Fighting men. There's a god's agent loose in Tenochtitlan.'
Ixtli raised his eyebrows. 'The rain, eh?' he asked at last. 'I thought something was wrong. But we're not
