back.
William ducked under the swing of a club, while simultaneously snatching a spear from the ground. Thrusting up, he gouged the weapon through his attacker’s chest. He tried to pull the spear free, but it was stuck in the man’s ribs. As Priest Quisac finished off a warrior near them, William glanced over to Teshna and spotted the last of the Calakmul warriors rushing at her, about to strike her down.
Teshna hurried to set another arrow, but her fingers slipped, and the arrow dropped to the ground. She held her bow out, preparing to block the warrior’s attack. Before William could even call out, Teshna’s attacker caught an arrow dead center in his forehead. He turned with an empty stare before falling by Teshna’s feet.
William glanced to his left and saw Betty with her bow held out. A startled look spread across her face; she seemed stunned by her accomplishment. “Great shot, Betty!” William said as he rushed over to Teshna.
Betty shook off the jitters of what she had just done and said, “I was actually aiming for his gut.”
William lifted Teshna from the ground with a big hug, relieved to have her safely in his arms.
Teshna pulled away from him, scanning the dead bodies. “Where is he?” she asked.
William spun around, searching for Honac-Fey with wild eyes. Somehow the man with the diamond tattoo had snuck off in the heat of the melee. “He’s not getting away this time!” he said. William grabbed his pack from the ground and yanked out the sacred weapon. He ran down the path, following Honac-Fey’s trail of blood. William stopped and scanned the area, but he could not see him anywhere.
A scream broke the silence as Honac-Fey came storming out of the jungle, swinging his arms wildly over his head. His white owl had drawn him out; it appeared to be attacking him. The owl fluttered above Honac-Fey, slashing its sharp claws at his face. When the owl spotted William, it flew off.
Honac-Fey broke free from the jungle and staggered back onto the trail. Wounded and half-blinded from the owl’s attack, he stumbled along the trail, about fifty yards away. William aimed the sacred weapon at Honac-Fey, just as Teshna and the others caught up.
“Balam, no!” Priest Quisac yelled from behind him.
Feeling the intensity of the bloodstone’s fury, its demand for revenge against the man who had cast the soil plague on it, William couldn’t resist pressing the button. A tremendous thunderclap rocked the ground as a bolt of lightning burst forth from the sacred weapon, chasing Honac-Fey down the trail, ripping through his body, and exploding him into a million little pieces-splattering fragments of his skin, bone, and blood across the jungle.
William felt a deep anger burning in his heart as the bloodstone glowed vibrantly on his chest. “That’s it!” he said. He gripped the bloodstone in his left hand, with a glazed look on his face. “King Aztuk started this, and he must also die. We will find him and kill him!” William glared at the sky. “We’re coming for you! Do you hear me, you bastard? We’re coming for you!”
The white owl caught William’s attention; it appeared above the trail, soaring right at him. He thought the crazy bird was going to attack him-like it had with Honac-Fey-and he reached for his dagger. But instead, the owl flew within a few feet and paused, hovering just before him. The bird locked eye contact with William, and for a moment he found that he was staring back at himself through the owl’s perspective. He could feel the strain of its flapping wings and noticed its rapid breathing. William had inadvertently activated the bloodstone’s
“Balam,” the Serpent Priest grabbed his arms, shaking him. He immediately lost his link with the white owl, and it flew off, soaring high above the trees. “Release your anger at once. The bloodstone is feeding on your negativity and intensifying it.”
Teshna held William’s hand, and her soft touch helped to subdue his rage. He released his grip on the bloodstone and its radiance diminished.
“You must keep thoughts of vengeance from your mind,” Priest Quisac said. “We must act calmly for our mission to succeed.”
“Our mission?” William laughed. “We’ve been preparing to fight a
Priest Quisac considered that for a moment and then turned to Teshna. “Did it come for our people?”
Teshna rolled her eyes with a baffled look. “What are you talking about? I left our camp not long after you. What cloud are you referring to?”
“We have to get back,” William said.
Without another spoken word, the four companions began the journey back to Dzibanche.
During the hike, William told Teshna about the dark cloud that appeared, and how it seemed to be blasting everyone into oblivion, although Priest Quisac insisted that it was
“It is near,” Priest Quisac said matter-of-factly. “We must proceed with caution.”
As they approached the clearing where the Dzibanche army had been waiting for the attack, the buzzing noise increased in its intensity. Darkness enveloped them under the shadow of the large cloud. They peeked around the trees, staring at the western side of the clearing with shocked looks. The entire army was gone.
“What happened,” Teshna said. “Where are they?”
“They have also been taken,” the Serpent Priest said.
“No. Surely they fled into the jungle,” she said, almost in tears.
“Look.” Priest Quisac pointed to the eastern edge of the clearing. “Their weapons lie where they last stood.”
Colorful lights sparkled beneath the cloud just before a beam of orange light struck a spot in the middle of the clearing, creating a blinding glare until it dissolved.
“It knows we are here,” the Serpent Priest said.
“You think,” Betty whispered sarcastically. “Hey, someone’s there now!”
“It’s Yax,” Teshna said, and began to run out to him.
William grabbed her arm, holding Teshna back. “It may be a trick.”
Yax spotted them and began to approach. He stopped after a few steps, his arms held out in a welcoming gesture. “Do not be frightened, for now I understand. All is well. Come, I shall explain,” he hollered from across the field.
They moved from their hiding place behind the trees and met up with the King in the middle of the clearing.
Yax smiled when they neared. “I am pleased that you have returned, for I am delighted to tell you that our great fear of this day has been misunderstood. Our ancestors from the stars have arrived to take us home… to the world where we come from. They sensed your worry, and so they sent me down to welcome you myself.”
The Serpent Priest gave a suspicious look at the cloud. “The stars did not speak of a reunion such as this. This is unexpected.”
“What about King Aztuk?” William asked, still feeling a twinge of the bloodstone’s thirst for the man; they needed to sacrifice him to end the curse.
Yax gazed at the cloud above. “They say he is there, with all his people too. They told me that King Aztuk was very disturbed by all this. He demanded to be made a god… to be given the powers he thought he deserved. So they subdued him-preserved him inside a crystal chamber. These beings do not understand his negative urges, and they wish to study him.”
“Then you’re leaving,” William asked, feeling confused. “You’re going with them?”
“Not only us,” Yax said. “Those who have been faithful to the gods in
There were many other confusing matters that William still couldn’t piece together, and after everything they had been through, he wanted answers-to understand the purpose of it all. “The bloodstone… the soil plague… the Sacred Cavern… this cloud… what’s the connection between all this, Yax?” William asked.
“Perhaps it would be best if
