The Serpent Passage

stepped back, a cheer erupted from the crowd, followed by everyone chanting, “Balam… Balam… Balam.”

Yax raised his hands to silence the room and looked back to William. “It is true that Priest Quisac has not been with us for much time, and so I need only ask Balam, to whom we all owe our lives… do you wish the assistance of the Serpent Priest?”

Understanding the general idea of what Yax had just asked, William answered without hesitation. “Yes,” he agreed.

“Then it is so!” Yax cheered, clasping his hands together. “Our kingdom is whole again! Let us celebrate our gifts, and play the games we once played.”

The room erupted in a festive mood of music, feasting, and lively conversation-all except the man with the diamond-shaped tattoo on his forehead. Honac-Fey glared at Priest Quisac like a hungry wolf that just had his meal snatched away. He stormed off, carrying his rage with him.

The Serpent Priest bowed to Yax. “I am weary from travel, my Lord. With your permission, I will withdraw.”

“Of course,” he said. He signaled the servants to his side and ordered them to assist the Serpent Priest.

Before leaving, Priest Quisac leaned close to William and whispered, “Balam, I will try to help you with your… circumstance. But you must promise me something first.”

William nodded.

“You must give your word to help my people, to whom my life has been dedicated. Do I have your pledge?”

William had no idea what kind of help he was referring to, but figured he had no other option. “Sure… yes,” he said with an enthusiastic nod.

Priest Quisac clasped William’s forearm in a binding gesture. He locked a curious stare deep into William’s eyes for a time, as if peering into his mind; he lurched back, as if startled by something he saw. He turned abruptly and exited.

Teshna watched Priest Quisac leave, and she stood. “I am going to the temple for prayer, brother,” she said.

“Fine,” Yax said, “but come to the ballcourt later, as planned.”

She nodded and passed by William on her way out, running her fingers along his back. William snapped his attention to Teshna, catching eye contact with her before she left the room. He realized that she was the Mayan hottie who had been at his bedside rubbing oil on his body the other night.

“So what the heck is going on?” Betty asked, interrupting William’s blank stare.

As if coming out of a day dream, he refocused back to Betty and explained things as best he could-how the Serpent Priest had promised to help them with their unusual problem.

“How does he even know what our problem is?” Betty asked, looking doubtful. “Anyhow, haven’t you already helped these people enough? What more could you possibly do?”

“What choice do we have?” William asked.

Betty’s annoyed look softened, until the heavy man seated beside her began touching her hair. She turned and glowered at him. William assumed he was a high ranking noble, to be seated so near to the King. The chubby Mayan had decorated his face with, among other things, a bone pierced clean through his nose. He continued to play with her hair, seeming to find its texture fascinating.

“Stop it!” Betty scolded, slapping his hand away. The chubby man put his hands to his heart, as though he had just found his true love.

William laughed as Betty fought off the affections of her new friend. In that moment, he decided to do as Yax had advised… to enjoy the day.

Teshna did not go to the temple to pray as she had told her brother, but instead followed Priest Quisac to his room. However, when she entered she did not see the Serpent Priest anywhere. Strange, she thought, for she saw him go in just moments before, and had only waited in the hallway just long enough for the servants to leave.

“Teshna,” a voice drew her attention from the ceiling above. “I must regain my strength. Please leave me to rest.”

She looked up, startled to see the Serpent Priest lying flat on his back, along one of the wood beams at the top of the vaulted ceiling. “Priest Quisac, how did you get up there?”

“Is that important, for I am here, am I not?” “Well, yes you are. Why aren’t you resting in your bed?” she asked.

“Is it not obvious, Teshna, for I am here.”

Teshna stomped her foot and moved to a table along the wall, taking a moment to light an incense burner. “You’re impossible, you know that? You never give me a straight answer.”

“Teshna, have I not known you since birth?” he asked, rolling onto his side along the narrow beam, and resting his head on his hand.

“Yes,” she said, worried that he might fall off any moment.

“Do you remember nothing of my abilities?”

“Oh,” she said, understanding, and spun around to find Priest Quisac in the corner of the room, hiding in the shadows. “Yes, I remember our games as a child. They are fond memories.”

“Why are you here?” he asked.

Teshna heard several nobles chatting down the hall, nearing Priest Quisac’s room. She moved to the side of the doorway where she could not be seen. She watched them pass, sighed, and spun back to the Serpent Priest. “I must know…. who is this young man? Is it true that he is the Balam… from the prophecies… sent by the gods? He is indeed powerful and…” She blushed. “Well, is it true?”

“We are all sent by the gods to serve a purpose in this life. Have I not told you this before?”

“More riddles!” she said, and turned away.

Priest Quisac moved to the side of the room, where a large Mayan calendar was hanging on the wall. He studied it for a moment. “Life is indeed a riddle. That is why we have our sacred calendar-to give us guidance for each day.”

“Priest Quisac!” she blurted, becoming impatient.

The Serpent Priest turned with a confident enthusiasm; a slight smile crossed his lips. “Yes, he is the Balam… sent by the gods… not only to help our people, but his kind as well. He does not yet understand all this.”

“His kind? Where is he from? How can such a man-so different-be in our land? He has hair over his face and body-and the color of his skin!”

Priest Quisac turned the wheel on the calendar, as the interlocking outer and inner wheels moved together. He set it to the correct date and studied the calendar, lost in thought. “I see… broken images in his mind, of places and things that I have never seen before,” he said in a misty voice, and spun around with an intense look. “Clearly he is not of our world.”

Teshna perked up with a coy smile, somehow delighted by his words. “When you learn more, will you share it with me?”

“Perhaps,” he said with a questioning glance.

“I can show you something of his, in exchange for your confidence,” she said in a tempting manner. “I took it before it was seen by the others.”

The Serpent Priest thought for moment. “I suggest you return it to Balam. When he desires, he will tell us about his life, and his… possessions.”

She stared at the Serpent Priest the way teenagers glare at their parents when they don’t like the answer they were just given. “Good day, Priest Quisac,” she said.

He nodded.

Teshna stormed from the Serpent Priest’s room, angry as she always felt after having been outwitted by the old man. But when she considered the idea of returning the item to Balam, a delicious smile spread across her face.

After the festivities in the courtyard concluded, Yax insisted on giving William and Betty a tour of the city. Children gathered along the way, following William as though he were Chuck E. Cheese parading through the restaurant at a kid’s birthday party. Young women also joined the procession to get a look at him. They giggled