William told her that he understood, and the servant shuffled off, leaving him alone, at last. He sat on his bed and let out a heavy sigh, worrying about how to get home. Thoughts of his mother surfaced again, bringing on a wave of desperation. If only he could tell her that he was okay.
He took a drink from the jug, trying to clear his thoughts, focusing on the pleasant lime-flavored water in his mouth.
The sound of a spark-like a match being lit-made him jump. He snapped his head to the left and saw Teshna standing in the corner of the room. She had just ignited the end of a stick from one of the burning torches.
William’s jaw dropped upon noticing Teshna’s figure; she had a sash around her waist that accentuated her curves. Her headdress was missing, allowing her long black hair to flow across her shoulders and back.
“How long have you been there?” he asked in Yucatec-Maya.
Teshna smiled. “Not long,” she said. She moved to the figurine of a Maize god on the stone table in the corner of the room and held the burning stick behind it. The smell of incense filled the room. She raised the burning stick near her mouth and blew it out with a single breath.
Teshna retrieved a small wooden box near the incense burner and brought it to William. She sat beside him as she handed him the box, studying his expression as he opened it.
“Oh, it’s my watch,” he said, but paid no attention to it. He preferred to undress the Princess with his eyes.
Teshna frowned, appearing frustrated that he wasn’t more interested in his watch. She reached into the box, pulled out the watch, and pushed it into his hands.
William latched the watch onto his left wrist, while gazing into her intense brown eyes. She was exotic and beautiful. He felt the urge to kiss her and began to lean her way.
Teshna stood and said, “Uts k’in, Balam.” She made her way to the door.
“Uts k’in, Teshna.”
She turned with a smile and winked as she left the room.
William collapsed on his bed, wondering what that was all about. He felt a little guilty for wanting to make a move on her when he still had a girlfriend. However, it occurred to him that from his current position Jennifer had not even been born yet. So technically, William decided with a grin, he was a free agent in that time period.
While lying there, he detected heat coming from the red gem resting on his chest. He snatched it up, studying it more carefully. The red stone was attached to the necklace by a jade setting that looked like an eagle’s claw grasping it. While gazing into its reddish glow, the morning’s events flashed through William’s head like a slide show. He heard Mayan dialogue churning over in his mind, and he repeated the new words he had learned that day until he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Five
Flutes, drums, and rattles echoed through the palace hallways, waking William from his afternoon nap. After pulling on his sandals and adjusting his awkward headdress, he ran into the Serpent Priest in the hallway. Priest Quisac told William that he would assist him by interpreting.
“I hope I didn’t keep you waiting there too long,” William said, as they walked down the hallway toward the courtyard.
“Too long?” Priest Quisac asked, not quite understanding.
“You know… a long time,” William said. He could see that a large crowd had gathered in the courtyard ahead, and he really wasn’t in the mood to be around so many people just after waking up. He rubbed his eyes to wipe the sleepy look off his face.
“Time is time,” the Serpent Priest said. “It is neither long nor short. It is exactly what it must be in the context of our baktun.”
“Sounds to me like you did have to wait a long time,” William said.
The Serpent Priest let loose a rare chuckle, studying William for a moment. “You have a humorous spirit Balam, yet you portray it in a subtle manner. I find that most amusing.”
They entered the palace courtyard where dozens of Mayan nobles mingled about in scattered groups. The women were preoccupied with buying and selling jewelry, cocoa beans, and feathers of every imaginable color. The men bartered with the merchant traders for weapons and hunting instruments. They all stopped and stared at William when he entered, making him feel conscientious of his every step. He spotted Yax and his hot sister standing on a platform above the courtyard, and he waved to them as he approached.
“Good evening, Balam,” Yax said. “Did you rest well?”
William nodded with a smile.
“We are enjoying music and conversation before leaving to the ballcourt,” Teshna said. She studied William, her eyes rolling up and down his frame. “How are your injuries?”
William didn’t quite understand her fast dialogue, and he looked to Priest Quisac for help. The Serpent Priest repeated what she had just said, with images of William’s sore feet appearing in his mind as he spoke.
William looked back to Teshna. “Oh, yes my feet are much better. Thank you.”
“Do you enjoy the ball games, Balam?” Yax asked.
“Oh, yes I like ball games,” he said, remembering how his high school soccer team had made it to the state playoffs the year before. “I used to play back home, but I have never seen…”
An argument between several nobles arose near in the courtyard, interrupting their conversation. A merchant bickered over a particular transaction, and he would not release the spear decorated in quetzal feathers. It escalated into a tug-of-war over the item in question. Yax motioned to one of his guards to take care of it. He waited for the conflict to calm down before turning his attention back to William; he looked like a kid admiring his favorite sports hero. “I am not surprised to hear that you are also a ball player. You must tell me about all your victories.”
“I believe the games are played differently in his land,” the Serpent Priest said, while his eyes rolled back in his head. William figured that Priest Quisac had just seen images of him playing soccer in his mind.
“Yes, Priest Quisac,” Yax said, annoyed. “I am aware that the rules differ from land to land. Yet we play the games to honor the gods. Is this not so, Balam?”
William felt frustrated that he couldn’t completely follow the conversation. But he figured it couldn’t be too important if they were just talking about games, and so he just nodded. He looked around the room, wondering where Betty was. “Where is Bati?” he asked.
Yax instructed a servant to go look for her.
“What is your relationship to Bati?” Teshna asked William, with a hint of jealousy on her face.
Priest Quisac shot a suspicious look her way, raising his grey eyebrows. Teshna responded with a demure smile, like a girl caught stealing candy.
“I have no relationship with Bati,” William said with the same assurance as a husband explaining his pretty secretary to his wife. He wanted Teshna to be aware of his availability. “We only met some days ago, when I… helped her out of a tough situation. We’ve been traveling together since then.”
The Serpent Priest reiterated William’s dialogue, selecting different words than he had to better convey the message. The translation process also helped William to further learn their dialect and expressions.
Teshna let loose a smile, displaying her jewel-embedded teeth. It occurred to William that all the Mayan nobles had similar dental work. He recalled reading how it was a fashion trend with the Maya in those days, and he grimaced, wondering how they went about drilling the little gems into their teeth without the modern dental tools they had in his time.
William shifted his attention to the large crowd in the courtyard. “Who are all these people here?” he asked Priest Quisac.