The Serpent Priest noticed William’s disturbed look. “This is not a pleasant task for any of us,” he said, “but the dead must be sent properly on their way.” He jerked an obsidian dart out of a dead warrior before leaving the hut. “They don’t need my darts where they’re going.”
They packed the hut with palm leaves, said some prayers, and ignited it. To avoid the stench of the burning bodies, they moved further up the shores of the lagoon, watching the black smoke ascend high into the air, merging with the clouds above.
That afternoon, William spent a long time in the lagoon, scrubbing his body with sand to get the smell of death off his skin. He kept thinking about how the bloodstone killed the Calakmul warrior by removing his blood-like a wet vac cleaning up a heavy water spill. The Serpent Priest had explained that the bloodstone reacted defensively to protect him from the danger it sensed.
He held up his necklace and gazed into the red gem. During the general assembly, the Serpent Priest had said that it was his job to drain the blood from the King of Calakmul, because he carried the bloodstone. At the time, he swore he would never do something that awful. Yet thinking back to the night before, he realized that he did exactly that; he had drained the blood from that warrior with the bloodstone. William sighed, understanding what Priest Quisac had meant, and why the task was his burden. William wondered what other powers the bloodstone had, and what its original purpose was. He released the gem and let it drop beneath the water, deciding to not worry about it for the moment; he would ask Priest Quisac about the bloodstone when they had more time.
William swam back to the shore when he saw the Serpent Priest approaching. “Are the other priests coming with us?” William asked, staring at the five old men.
“No, they must go to Chichen Itza, to warn the Itzaes.”
William recalled a fond memory of a trip he had taken with his mom and dad when he was only seven. “Chichen Itza must be amazing to see now… in this time,” he said. “The Castle of Kukulcan is sure incredible, isn’t it?”
Priest Quisac responded with a blank stare.
“You know, the temple built over the top of the older temple… in the middle of the city?”
“The temple in the center courtyard of Chichen Itza has not been… built over.”
It occurred to William that the famous Castle of Kukulcan had not been built yet. While contemplating that notion, he sat on a boulder near the water and gazed at his shadow; seeing it reminded him of another special feature of that pyramid. “When they get around to building it, they position the temple in such a way that on the day of the equinox the sun makes a shadow that looks like a snake slithering down the steps.”
“Such a design would be for an important reason, but I do not know what that reason is… or will be. Perhaps the Castle of Kukulcan holds a purpose beyond our people today, and it will be built for the people in your time.” He sat beside William and swung the pack off his shoulder, setting it on the ground in front of him. “Concerning things made in other times… as promised, I will show you the sacred items.” Priest Quisac reached into the pack and retrieved a golden tube. He twisted one end of the tube, causing a bright light to shine.
“It’s… a flashlight,” William said, unimpressed, expecting something much more magical.
“The light has never dimmed.”
“Well, that’s a good thing… hard to find batteries around here, I’d imagine.”
The Serpent Priest put the flashlight back, and he stood as he pulled out an object that looked like a metal Frisbee with a handle and buttons on top. He pointed at the large rock William was sitting on. “Try to lift that stone.”
William laughed. “You know I can’t.”
“Try.”
William bent over and strained his muscles, but he couldn’t budge the heavy boulder. The Serpent Priest placed the disk on the rock and pressed a few buttons; tiny metal spikes poked out from the bottom of the disk, making contact with the rock. He pressed another button, and a high-pitched humming noise became audible. Sparks traveled up and down the metal spikes against the rock. “Now try to lift it.”
William picked up the boulder as though it was made of Styrofoam. He waved it around, feeling like he had superpowers. “That’s incredible!”
“As you can imagine, this would be a useful item for construction purposes,” Priest Quisac said. William set the stone down. “It has another use that I shall demonstrate.” He gripped the handle and pressed a button; the disk pulled him over the top of boulder. Priest Quisac deactivated the device before it launched him over the side. “I suppose that feature could assist in climbing a great mountain.” He glanced at the lagoon. “It can also propel you through the water.” He put the disk back in his pack.
“This last item is the most powerful,” he said, holding the handles of a metallic object with three crystal spikes jutting out. He pressed some buttons, causing the object to hum as he aimed it at the lagoon. A bolt of lightning shot out from the device, followed by a loud thunderclap that rocked the ground, drawing the attention of the other priests nearby.
William jumped. “Awesome!” he said, transfixed by the weapon. “It’s like a laser gun. Is this what King Aztuk wanted to steal?”
“Yes,” the Serpent Priest said. “Imagine the damage such a weapon could inflict if in the wrong hands.”
“With this weapon, couldn’t we easily defeat Calakmul?” William asked.
“We will indeed use this sacred weapon against their advancing army. It will kill many with each blast. However, it is only good for two such blasts, and then it must remain in the sun for a full day to regain its power.”
The Serpent Priest glanced up at the sun. “We must make use of the remaining light to travel to the Sacred Cavern of Jade. I will take you through the tunnels to show you the cavern with the underground cenote so you can determine if it is the same passage that brought you here.”
Priest Quisac said his farewells to the others. He appeared to be fighting back his emotions, as did the other priests when they parted. “Ensure that the mission of the Solar Cult does not end here in Bacalar, my brothers,” Priest Quisac said, with a bow.
They all bowed in response.
The Serpent Priest turned away from the lands that he had known since he was a child, and he did not look back, as he and William began their journey to the Sacred Cavern of Jade.
Chapter Eleven
Hiking back the way they had come before, William and Priest Quisac followed the trail south along the shores of Bacalar lagoon, stopping to fill their jugs at the Cenote Azul before continuing on. Rather than veering east into the hills toward Dzibanche, the Serpent Priest maneuvered through a dense section of jungle without any trails to guide them.
“Isn’t there a better path to the Sacred Cavern?” William asked, after being whipped in the face by a leafy branch.
“The jungle conceals its location from those outside the Solar Cult.”
“Then how does King Aztuk know about it?”
The Serpent Priest retrieved his atlatl and hacked through a thick section of brush that blocked their way, slicing off foliage from a bushy coffee tree. He reached down and picked up a branch, examining the red beans that dangled in tight clusters. “Before becoming the King of Calakmul, Prince Aztuk was once a student of the Solar Cult.” He plucked a bad bean off the branch and tossed it aside. “We banished him due to his behavior-his thirst for power. It is also unfortunate that he met Yax’s uncle then. It is when they began their alliance, and their plans to overthrow the ruling family of Dzibanche.” Priest Quisac stuffed the branch of coffee beans into his pack and continued on.
They trudged through a muddy section of the jungle for a while. Combined with the advancing darkness, William lost his footing a couple times along the slippery ground. The Serpent Priest stopped and pointed to a rocky knoll covered in vegetation, just beyond a swampy wetland stretch ahead of them. With a grand announcement, he said, “There lies the Sacred Cavern of Jade.”