“He desires to control the sea trade, the sacred lands of Bacalar, and to regain dominance of the region using the powers from the Sacred Cavern of Jade,” Priest Quisac said. “We cannot allow this to happen.”
“I have called for a general assembly today in the plaza at dusk,” Yax said. “Every citizen of our great city has been ordered to attend. There, the topic will be discussed with all. But for now, I must meet with the ambassadors of Kohunlich to request their assistance.”
After the meeting concluded, William stopped Priest Quisac in the hallway. “I didn’t want to bring it up in there, because it would have upset Yax and Teshna, but I thought I should tell you that in our time, all the great Mayan kingdoms have long since collapsed and are ruins. They say that most the population seemed to vanish over a short period. Do you think that means we don’t stop the soil plague, or end Calakmul’s plans?”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not. When we worry of the future, or dwell on the past, we are not able to focus on the present.”
“Then let me ask you this, Priest Quisac… do you think there’s a chance that we can return to our own time when this is all over?”
The Serpent Priest thought for a moment. “Where there is darkness, there is light. Where there is good, there is evil. Where there is a doorway in, there must also be a doorway out.”
Standing atop the North Palace, William observed a massive assembly gather in the plaza below him. Torches were lit at points along the various temples and palaces at dusk, providing ample light when the sun made its graceful descent into the western horizon. A steady drum beat echoed between the temples while citizens crammed forward for a better view of the King’s coming appearance. Higher ranking nobles and warriors stood along the bottom steps of the palace, while the majority of the people mingled along the plaster floor of the plaza. A sea of bodies stretched all the way to the South Palace, spanning the distance of a football field, filling every inch of free space and overflowing up the steps of the other buildings.
At the top of the North Palace, Priest Quisac stood beside William on the eastern side of the platform, while Teshna and Betty were on the western side across from them.
It amazed William to see how he had risen to the top of their social ladder. Other nobles who had served Dzibanche for their entire life remained below him in status. Yet they respected their place, and his. William’s success, he considered, was simply the result of stepping out from the shadows that night on the temple to save Yax.
Yax made a grand entrance just as the sun set, seashell trumpets blasting. He wore a giant eagle headdress that looked in the same direction he did, with a colorful cape of quetzal feathers trailing behind him. He lifted his hands in the air, quieting the crowd of thousands. “I have called you all here today to discuss a matter of great importance for the future of our kingdom.” The acoustics of the palace carried his voice throughout the plaza.
Recapping recent events, Yax explained how the soil plague was set by King Aztuk of Calakmul to end their food supply. He moved down the stairway onto another rising, scanning the faces in the crowd. “Let it be known… on the morning following Venus as the
Grumbles resonated through the crowd. “If our kingdom falls, so too falls the sacred lands of Bacalar, opening powers to King Aztuk that would make him a threat to the entire region-even to the empire of Chichen Itza!”
Yax moved back up to the top platform, gazing across the ceremonial center. “We will capture King Aztuk, and on the night of the coming eclipse, ten days beyond the
The crowd erupted in a frenzy of cheers.
William shot a look of extreme concern to the Serpent Priest. “No one said
“You carry the bloodstone, do you not?” Priest Quisac whispered.
“I don’t care! No way. I’m not doing it!” William grumbled.
Priest Quisac gave William an amused smile in return, as if he wasn’t concerned with William’s refusal to participate… like he knew he would have to do it anyhow. William’s opinion on the matter seemed to hold no merit to the Serpent Priest.
Yax paced along the platform, scanning the crowd with a stern look. “It is clear that our army has been reduced over the years. To succeed in the coming battle every man in our kingdom must join our cause. We must stand together to defend our kingdom.”
Cheers could be heard, but they were sparse and scattered.
A look of concern crossed Yax’s face. “I see there is doubt. I open the floor for you to voice your concerns. Who will stand on the platform below me and speak.”
A man walked up the stairway, standing on the lower platform, and he bowed to the King. “Lord Stone Frog, I represent the merchants. We also wish to defeat this approaching threat. Yet we have never seen battle. How can an army of common men defeat a superior number of trained warriors?”
Another man approached the platform. “Lord Stone Frog,” he said, with a bow. I represent the farmers, and we share the same concern. I must confess that there has been talk… the people speak of leaving this poisoned land.”
A third man approached the platform and bowed. “Lord Stone Frog, I represent the hunters. We are skilled with spears, bows, and the blow pipe. We trust in the stars, in the gods, and in your judgment. You were saved by Balam-sent by the gods-that led to this moment. What says Balam of this?”
Scattered voices cried out through the plaza, “What says Balam?”
Yax looked over to William, gesturing for him to take his place on the platform below and speak to the assembly.
“Oh crap,” William muttered. He turned to Priest Quisac. “What should I say?”
“You will know when you step on the platform. You are bound with the bloodstone. It will focus your thoughts and convey the needed message to the people,” the Serpent Priest said. The assembly continued calling for William to speak. “Hold the bloodstone in the hand used during the Ritual of Binding and your words will be heard by all.”
“Are you sure?” William asked.
“I am a Serpent Priest, Balam. I am always sure.”
As William made his way to the steps, he glanced over to Betty; she gave him a big thumbs-up in support. Teshna stepped forward to hold his headdress while he removed the bloodstone necklace. With his headdress back on, he went down to the lower platform, gripping the bloodstone in his left hand. He faced the immense crowd, feeling a little nervous from all the attention.
“You all say that I was sent here by the gods… maybe that is true,” William said. “I want you all to know that I am just a man-no different than any of you.”
William gazed across the assembly and noticed three nobles that he did not remember seeing before-dressed with jaguar skin capes, gawking at him from the base of the steps.
“When I saw that King Stone Frog was about to be sacrificed that night at the temple, I didn’t know he was a king. I thought he was just a boy. I would have done the same for
While pacing back and forth on the platform, trying to gather his thoughts, William heard scattered voices in the crowd repeating his words, “the right thing to do,” in Yucatec-Maya.
He put his hands up; an immediate hush followed. “As much as I miss my family back home, the reason I stay-the reason King Stone Frog and all the nobles stay is to protect the future-to protect our children’s future-to end this threat once and for all!”
William moved a few steps forward, gazing across the crowd again. “People of Dzibanche, the reason
“People of Dzibanche,” he said, holding up his left fist, with the chain of the bloodstone dangling before him. “I ask you as one man to another… will you stay and fight beside the King for your own future?”
“We will! We will! We will!” The assembly blasted the words through the night air.
William returned with the others to the royal palace, still feeling high from his moment in the spotlight. While
