An eerie melody echoed through the courtyard as musicians beat on drums and blew into wooden flutes of varying sizes.
An unusually attractive Mayan woman, covered in dazzling jewelry, entered from another archway. She was dressed in a tight fitting huipil that clearly displayed her perfect figure. Her feathered headdress looked like a peacock spreading its tail. As she approached, the sun broke through the clouds briefly, causing her to sparkle like a celebrity at the Academy Awards show. She sat to the left of Yax and regarded William with a curious smile.
William felt uncomfortable by the young woman’s stare, and he had a strange feeling that he knew her from somewhere. He shifted his attention away from her, but felt her gaze still upon him.
Yax licked his lips in anticipation of the feast and twiddled his fingers over the platter of food before him, not sure what to grab first. All the others watched, apparently waiting for him to begin. Yax grabbed a single small berry, tossed it in the air, and caught it in his mouth. Everyone laughed and began eating.
The beautiful woman beside Yax rolled her eyes up; she seemed embarrassed. William wondered if she was the boy’s mother. Yet beneath her decorative attire, and the swirly designs painted on her face, she looked closer to his own age.
While feasting and chatting with one another, the courtyard filled with laughter and merriment. William inhaled his meal like a dog chowing down his first ever scrap of meat. He helped himself to plenty of fruit and tortilla pancakes, and he gulped down several cups of a delicious chocolate-flavored drink.
Betty picked at her food, while the chubby man beside her urged her to try the stringy meat from a platter with flies buzzing over it.
After the little king had eaten his fill, he stood, silencing all those around him. His demeanor transformed from that of a boy, to a serious ruler. He began speaking, and the people clung to his every word. At first, Yax spoke in angry and harsh tones. Later, his speech became optimistic and inspirational. He seemed to be grabbing something with his hand. When he opened his fist, he set it on William’s shoulder, staring at him with a sense of deep gratitude in his eyes. Everyone began beating their hands on the floor in applause.
Betty leaned over and jabbed William with her elbow.
“What’s he saying?”
“He went a little fast. But I think the guy who fell down the steps was somehow related to him. That was the family division I had heard before-two in line for the throne. They think the gods sent us to… set things right.”
“Balam! Balam!” the King chanted. The others joined in, even Betty, repeating the new pronunciation of his name. The King sat and motioned for William to stand.
“Oh great,” William said, “I think they want me to give a speech.”
“Ask them if they know how we can get home,” Betty said with a hopeful look.
The crowd continued to chant, “Balam… Balam… Balam,” until at last he stood. Everyone became silent and gazed at William with reverence-except for the young lady seated next to Yax, who looked at him like he was going to be her dessert.
William cleared his throat, speaking in Yucatec-Maya as best he could. “I know my words sound different,” he said, motioning with his hand across his mouth. “I just want to say, that…” he paused for a moment, trying to think of the right words, frustrated that he didn’t know how to explain what had happened to them, “…we need to go back to where we are from.”
Upon seeing some confused and worried looks, it occurred to William that it may have been rude to announce that they wanted to leave after just getting there. “What I mean to say is… thank you for your help. We are happy to be here,” he said in Yucatec-Maya, forcing a smile before he sat down. He figured he’d find another venue for discussing their situation later.
The entire assembly thumped their hands on the floor, applauding his comments.
A bald Mayan with bright silver eyes stepped out from the shadows of a stone column, as a thunderclap accentuated his sudden appearance. His long braided ponytail-the only hair on the back of his head-rested against his short purple cape.
As he approached the King, he glanced at William, giving him an intense stare. “Perhaps,” he said with a power in his voice that echoed through William’s mind, “I may be of assistance.”
Chapter Four
The unusual bald Mayan bowed before the King, revealing two swirling tattoos on the back of his head that merged to form an image of a serpent’s face over his forehead. His necklace-a large jade pendant of the sun with rays of snakes-rested against his bare chest, partially covering a scar from an obvious battle wound. “My Lord, I understand the significance of Balam’s arrival here, and I request your permission to be his mentor.”
Yax leaned back, considering the request with a concerned look on his face. A hiss resonated through the courtyard as the nobles whispered the announcement amongst themselves.
“How is it that I understand you so well?” William asked the bald man in Yucatec-Maya.
His silver eyes rolled beneath his eyelids. “My words-in this plane-are in the voice of my people. You hear me through your ears and also through your mind,” he said, pointing his index fingers to his temples.
William believed him because when he spoke, he understood Mayan words that he had never heard before.
“William,” Betty whispered with a confused look. “When he talks, I’m seeing… pictures in my head!”
Most the guests in the chamber returned to eating and conversing with those beside them. The musicians chimed in as well, increasing the background noise around them.
The woman seated beside Yax leaned forward, looking upset. “With all due respect, Priest Quisac, after our father died, you were not here to help our cause-of my brother’s rightful accession to the throne. How can we trust you now?”
“Teshna!” Yax slammed his hand against the floor, silencing the room as quickly as a waiter dropping a stack of plates in a busy restaurant. He gave his sister a scolding stare for a moment, seeming angry that she had spoken in such a way. Yax turned to Priest Quisac with a hopeful look in his eyes. “Well, Serpent Priest? Do you still have it?”
“Yes, King Stone Frog,” Priest Quisac said. He turned to Teshna. “It is not as you presumed, my dear. Your father sent me away to protect it before his final battle with Calakmul.”
Amidst the crowd of nobles, a man stood abruptly. He was a muscular and handsome Mayan, somewhere in his forties, with a diamond-shaped tattoo on his forehead. “The
“Patience, Honac-Fey!” Yax said to the noble. “It is true that you were our father’s Royal Protector. I understand that the bloodstone must be kept with the Royal Protector prior to the full accession of a new king.”
“What’s all the fuss about?” Betty asked William.
William shrugged, not certain either. “Something about a stone.”
The Serpent Priest retrieved a small jade container from a pouch on his side, and he removed a silver necklace with an oval red gem-about the size of a small potato-dangling at the end. He handed the necklace to the King.
Yax stood and retrieved the necklace, being careful not to touch the bulky gem. He displayed the bloodstone for all to see. It began to glow, casting a red haze over his face. “It is not proper for me to wear the bloodstone until I am of age. For now, it must be kept by the Royal Protector.”
“Agreed,” Honac-Fey said, coming closer.
Yax held his hand out, halting Honac-Fey. “Balam and Bati were sent by the gods for our protection. For if not, you and many in this room would be dead… or awaiting death. Therefore, I name the one who saved my life… Balam… as my Royal Protector,” the King said. Honac-Fey became livid; his face turned red, almost competing with the glow from the bloodstone. Yax held the necklace out to William.
William didn’t understand everything the boy had said, but he gathered that he wanted him to have the necklace as a gift for saving his life. So he nodded to accept it. A servant behind him removed his feathered headdress, while Yax placed the necklace over his head; it felt much lighter than William had expected. When Yax
