“Did it work?” Yax asked. “Is the curse broken?”
“No, it did not,” Priest Quisac said with certainty. He shot an angry look at Seblinov.
“The eclipse is retreating,” Teshna said.
An uncomfortable stillness followed. King Aztuk broke the silence by kicking at the cracked crystal, trying to break his way out.
A thump from the plaster floor near the bloodstone drew their attention, followed by a tremendous cracking noise that sounded like a car crash. They backed away with startled looks.
“What was that?” Betty asked.
Before anyone could answer, a giant claw punched through the floor of the ballcourt, causing chunks of dirt and plaster to rain down on them. Another claw tore through the surface, and they backed further away, stunned to witness the beast ripping its way up. A skulllike head lurched out. It was the demon, Yum Cimil!
The god of death opened a gaping hole in the floor of the ballcourt, and he pulled his large frame onto the surface. He spotted William near the crystal cylinder and stormed over to him; black goop dripped from his jaw bone as he approached.
“I thought you said the demon couldn’t harm us here… in the physical world,” William said to Priest Quisac.
“The eclipse,” the Serpent Priest said, “has merged our worlds for the moment.”
Yum Cimil stopped just in front of William, breathing his hot putrid breath on him; he thought he was about to be squished like a bug. However, the demon spoke to William as though they were old buddies. “If it’s not my dear friend, Jupiter. Oh, how I have missed your delightful stories.”
King Aztuk called out from the cylinder. “Yum Cimil, I call upon your services. I pledge my life to you. Free me, and we shall rule the world together!”
“Tell me, Jupiter… who is this that calls me by my name?”
“This is the man responsible for the curse of the soil plague,” William said. “He is King Aztuk… the King of Calakmul.”
Yum Cimil rested his claws against his boney chin, and he tilted his skull with a creepy smile. “How exquisite… how delightful…. how wonderful how you have angered me!” he said, with his black drool splattering against the cylinder. The demon smashed his clawed fist against the crystal, shattering it. He yanked the King out, holding him by his waist, and glared at the struggling man with his black sunken eyes.
“Yum Cimil, it is not true. I will help you,” King Aztuk said, begging for his life.
The demon studied King Aztuk for a moment and then shifted his attention back to William. “You do realize, Jupiter, that to reverse the curse of the soil plague, the King must be dead?”
“Yes, of course,” William said. “We had a bit of a problem.” He glowered at the grey men; they had backed further away from the hideous demon.
“Must I do everything myself,” Yum Cimil said, and promptly bit off the King’s head, with his screams cut short. The demon turned with a devilish grin and spit the head right through the center of the scoring ring of the ballcourt. He went beside the bloodstone and dropped the headless body beside it. Kneeling over, he watched closely as the bloodstone drained the corpse of its remaining blood. Yum Cimil let out a pleasurable moan as he stretched, with his joints cracking. “It is done. I am free.” He glanced back to William. “Although I would love to stay and hear more of your stories, Jupiter, other duties now call my attention.” Yum Cimil trudged over to the chasm in the ballcourt and climbed back in. As the lunar eclipse concluded, he gave a farewell nod and dissolved into the light of the moon.
William went over to the broken area of the ballcourt and retrieved the bloodstone. He draped it over his neck, feeling the warmth of its radiant energy. Looking into the stone, he sensed that its curse had been lifted. Yet the bloodstone still felt… tired. He hoped it was a temporary symptom-from the stress from the ritual-and would soon pass.
“The distortion has been lifted from these lands,” Jensik said. The vessel hidden in the dark cloud drifted in, blotting out the moonlight.
Seblinov approached the Serpent Priest, beside the crater where the demon had just disappeared. “You were correct in this matter. There are forces on this world that we do not fully understand.”
The Serpent Priest glowered at them. “I hope that you will trust the advice of my people when you settle back on your world.”
“You will join us, of course,” Seblinov said.
Priest Quisac shook his head. “I choose to remain behind.”
“No, Priest Quisac,” Yax said. “Come with us.”
“Yes, you
Priest Quisac moved over to the dead body of King Aztuk and stared at the lifeless corpse for a moment. He sighed and looked back to Seblinov. “I have made an oath to the Solar Cult to help the people of
Seblinov studied him in silence for a long awkward moment. He finally nodded, appearing to agree, and snapped his attention to William. “Strangely, Balam also contains the genetic codes of a strong bloodline. It is very faint, and it required extended analysis to be certain. It is also the reason that his connection to the bloodstone is so great. This requires further analysis. He must join us.”
“No,” William said, becoming angry, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here!” The glowing bloodstone emphasized his decision. William felt rooted to the ground, just like he did in Kohunlich before the explosion. He sensed that the bloodstone would prevent the grey men from taking him, if it was against his will. Luckily, he had learned to better control his mind since that outburst, and he was able to settle his nerves before his hostility caused another deadly fire.
The grey men appeared frustrated; their helmets twitched on their heads as they stared at each other like they were having a secret argument.
Teshna rushed to William’s side. “I will also stay,” she said.
“Teshna?” Yax asked with a sad face. The sound of a ‘hoot’ distracted him. The white owl was sitting on a wall above the ballcourt. William wondered if it had been there the whole time, watching the ritual unfold.
Seblinov and Jensik moved over to the broken cylinder, investigating the damage, while continuing their private conversation. An orange light lit up the area, and the wrecked equipment vanished. They turned back, and Seblinov said, “Allow us to escort you to Chichen Itza.”
“It is not necessary,” Priest Quisac said with a stern face. “We have other tasks to attend to before we can leave. It will take some time. We can make our own way.”
William remembered something important that he needed to ask the grey men before they left. He approached Jensik. “Bati plans to return home, back to our time… through the Serpent Passage. She said you offered to help by providing equipment?” He thought they might go back on their promise to Betty since he wouldn’t give them what they wanted. However, after another hidden dialogue, Jensik nodded and a metallic box materialized beside him.
“Inside this container are the suits that have been configured to supply you with the air that you require,” Jensik said.
“Very well,” Seblinov said. “We must depart.”
Yax reached over and held his sister’s hand. “Are you sure you won’t come with us, Teshna?”
“No, Yax,” Teshna said. “My place is with Balam. Go now, and be a strong leader for our people!”
Yax nodded. He hugged William, Teshna, and Betty, and then bowed to Priest Quisac before moving beside Seblinov. Yax lifted his arm for a final wave goodbye. The gesture caught the attention of the white owl; it flew down and perched on Yax’s outstretched arm. He jumped, startled by its sudden appearance. A smile could be seen spreading across his face as a flash of light took them all away… including the owl.
William consoled Teshna in his arms as she wept. He also felt sad for Yax’s departure, knowing that he would likely never see him again. But as the dark cloud moved off to the north, and the light of the full moon illuminated the land, a wave of satisfaction swept over him. Although the outcome wasn’t what anyone expected-for Dzibanche had been abandoned-he felt relieved to know that most the people survived. They had reversed the curse on the land, and future generations would be able to inhabit the region. The bloodstone had been healed too, so it could be used to help the Mayan civilizations in the north.
