The Serpent Passage

their black eyes toward them when they neared. A bright light filtered through the mist ahead. They proceeded forward until they reached a huge tinted window that slanted up from the floor. The light was from the setting sun, visible beyond the dark glass.

“Beyond and below are the lands where you have lived,” Seblinov said, pointing his gangly arm to the darkening sky outside the window. He motioned to the padded seats nearby. “Sit. Let us commune together.” He studied William and Betty carefully. “You two are not like the others here, yet you possess the bloodstone.” Seblinov waved a grey finger at William. “Tell me how this can be.”

Priest Quisac cleared his throat. “They have come to us from our future, through a portal known as the Serpent Passage. It is activated by the sun on the solstice days. We believe the passage has been used by other advanced beings-the feathered serpents-a race that assists in the growth of civilizations on this world.”

Seblinov clasped his hands together and cocked his head curiously. “Yes, we know of the beings that you speak-those that live in the underworld of this planet, who are unable to ascend for long. These creatures indeed seek the growth of the surface dwellers… but for their own purposes.” He paused for a moment, almost seeming disturbed about the creatures in question, making a wheezing sound as his breath accelerated. Seblinov shut his eyes for a moment. When his eyes opened, they were focused on William. “Why is the bloodstone possessed by this one?” he asked again.

“Balam saved our city from the invaders of Calakmul,” Yax said. “I awarded him the bloodstone and named him as our royal protector.”

“Why is it damaged?” Seblinov asked with concern. “The bloodstone was used by Calakmul to set a curse on our lands,” Priest Quisac said. “It killed our crops and the surrounding jungle.”

Seblinov and Jensik exchanged a knowing glance. “Yes, we are aware of this,” Jensik said. “It is why our vessel is unable to penetrate the area over your kingdom; the negative ions disrupt our controls. It is also why we could not gather you all until now, after you had moved your people further from the city center. The people in this region must either join us or relocate.”

“Where is your home world?” Betty asked with a raised eyebrow.

Seblinov stood, looking into the sky outside the window. “There was a time, long ago, when our world became unlivable. Many of our people left in search of new worlds, to begin again. But many of us remained behind, living in the protection of our vessels, attempting to correct the damage to our world.”

“Why come back for these people,” William asked, feeling concerned about their motives.

Jensik and Seblinov exchanged subtle nods to each other; they seemed to be sharing a private conversation. They both looked back at the same moment, their heads spinning in unison. “We have devoted our lives to restore our world,” Jensik said, “to make it livable again. Yet we have evolved to a point that prevents our ability to adapt to the climate. We are unable to reproduce in the normal manner, and we survive through molecular extrapolation.”

“Does he mean cloning?” Betty whispered to William.

William shrugged and nodded. “I guess so.”

Another grey alien wandered over to Seblinov, appearing out of the fog with a blue disk held in his long fingers. Seblinov tapped at the disk, while they had a hidden conversation. The alien left, disappearing back into the mist.

The leader turned back to William. “The people of this land carry the seeds of our race. The chosen ones shall be taken from this land, and they will be… adapted… to the new world.”

“It is true, Balam,” Yax said. “Our people have been saved today. Had we fought Calakmul, perhaps we would have all perished. You saved our people, Balam. You saved us so that we could live to see this wonderful day-when our brothers from the stars returned.”

“That is what the legends say, Balam,” Teshna said, trying to reassure him.

“We have been studying the people in these lands for some time,” Seblinov said. “Over the years we have witnessed a great disintegration in their culture. The collection had to take place before the required bloodlines dissolved.”

“Yet it is also important for the future of this world that the people of this land endure,” Jensik said. “The bloodstone promotes growth, and it must be cleansed. We have agreed to assist you in this endeavor. King Aztuk shall be delivered to you on the evening of the lunar eclipse so that you may reverse the infection.”

“Seblinov, there are others below who you did not collect,” Priest Quisac said. “Hundreds of children and elderly, who could not take part in the battle, are still in the city center.”

“We will send you back to make arrangements for their collection,” Seblinov said.

William didn’t like the cold way the grey men discussed the Mayan people, like they were animals being rounded up for a new zoo. But all things considered, their arrival had occurred at a calculated moment in time to prevent a battle that would have cost the lives of a lot of people on both sides. He only hoped that their intensions were sincere, and that the people would be given the option to stay behind if they chose to.

Chapter Seventeen

Upon returning to Dzibanche, William helped Teshna and Priest Quisac to round up the remaining residents hiding in the city center. After gathering them in the courtyard of the King’s palace, they explained how their brothers from the stars had arrived to avert the battle, and that they would be taken to a new world where they could live in peace.

Many of the older Mayans refused to go. They had lived in that area all their lives and insisted that they stay behind. William didn’t blame them, for he also had reservations about the plan. However, the King had made up his mind about the relocation, and William agreed that it would be safer for them to go with the others than to stay behind.

He wished that Yax had been there. His presence would have helped to persuade the stubborn elderly Mayans. Yax had remained on the vessel to iron out some resettling details. Housing had been provided for everyone in the artificial environment on the craft-huts similar to what they were accustomed to on the surface. But their grey benefactors left it up to them to assign their own accommodations. Food also arrived at intervals from the triangular pillar that rose from the plaza center, and a distribution method had to be worked out.

Betty stayed on the craft too. She told Yax that she wanted to help with the transition. But in truth, William had asked her to keep an eye on things over the days leading up to the eclipse. There was something awkward about the whole situation. Salmac, Etznab, and most of the warriors were missing. When William had pressed the leader of the greys for an explanation, Seblinov said that the warrior-class was taken to another area for closer screening. He wondered if they were still alive.

The strange grey men seemed to lack emotion, which made it difficult for William to assess their sincerity. Even Priest Quisac was blocked from their thoughts and deeper motives. If something unusual was going on there, William hoped that Betty might notice. If she uncovered anything disconcerting, William planned to tell Yax about it, and suggest that they all be placed at Chichen Itza instead of venturing to the other world. William had already decided that he wasn’t going to leave. Being cooped up in that chamber on the vessel, for God knows how long, wasn’t something he planned to sign up for. Besides, the greys were only after the Mayans of a pure lineage, and he figured they wouldn’t want him. He wondered if Teshna would stay with him when the time came for her to make a decision… if she was allowed to make a decision.

“This is the last of them,” William said to Teshna, after leading the final batch of kids and elderly to the edge of the clearing.

“I wish you would come, Balam,” Teshna said.

William held her in his arms, feeling the warmth of her skin pressed against him, not wanting her to leave. “Priest Quisac needs me to stay-to prepare for the ritual to reverse the soil plague, and… for some other tasks. Besides, the eclipse is in just seven days. We’ll be back together then.”

“What will we do after the ritual is over?” she asked.

William looked deep into Teshna’s eyes and sighed. “All I know is that I want us to stay together, Teshna.” He kissed her and held her tight before letting her go.