Priest Quisac nodded. “Then it is indeed the cavern of the Serpent Passage.”
William felt confused about the whole thing. “Why would they build a time portal under water? And why does it only work on the solstice days?”
Priest Quisac gazed at the underground cenote as he considered William’s question. “The solstices are an important time. They mark the beginning and end of our solar cycles. In the Sacred Cavern, the jade stones awake on the days of the solstice-the gems ignite with a fire burning inside. Clearly, the Serpent Passage is set to the same timing.”
As Priest Quisac spoke, William thought about the timing requirements of playing online games with his friends. “Maybe it has to be turned on at both ends to make the connection… to open a port between the two times. So they set it up on a solar timing system because… well, it’s not like you can just text your buddy, and tell him to turn on his PlayStation.”
The Serpent Priest stared at William with a confused face for a moment, and then snatched the flashlight from his hands. “In any regard, the passage now sleeps, and so must we.” He turned and headed back up the tunnel.
While following the Serpent Priest, William thought about what he had just learned, and he contemplated how it could help him to return home. “All I have to do is come back here on the day of the winter solstice and go through the Serpent Passage again… right?”
“It appears so,” Priest Quisac said. “Yet how would you travel through a passage that is beneath the water?”
“Oh, right, I forgot about that detail,” William said with a huff. He wondered if there might still be some air remaining in his tank… that’s if he could even find it. Just a few breaths might be enough to get him through. But then William shook his head when he recalled how the crocodiles were chewing on his gear; the air would have surely drizzled out through the broken hoses.
When they arrived back at the chamber with the strange jade stones, Priest Quisac gathered a handful of branches from a pile and started a campfire by using a striking stone to cast a spark onto some dried moss until it lit. As the fire crackled and popped, he added larger branches until a cozy blaze began to warm the cavern.
While staring at the sparkling lights that reflected off the jade stones, William moved in closer to get a better view; they looked like the same triangular lights that he saw when he traveled through the Serpent Passage. “I don’t think this is actually jade.” He rubbed his hand against the glassy texture on one of the green rocks, and the bloodstone grew warmer on his chest. The green surface shimmered in a myriad of colors along the spot he touched. He heard a high-pitched squeaky noise, and it felt like his ears popped.
Mesmerized by the green stone before him, he could not pull away. His hand felt glued to the jade, and he couldn’t break his stare. His heart raced, and his body shook. William sensed his consciousness being sucked away from him, reminding him of the Binding Ritual with the ceiba tree. He heard an explosion, and his vision shifted. Tall lizard creatures rushed about in a panic, amidst a blazing hot fire. A shrill noise-like a jet engine-blasted through his mind. The sensation of falling overwhelmed William. He felt himself being slammed against the ground, sliding and flipping. He saw the strange lizard creatures tumbling all around him.
William shuttered as he came to, still gazing into the sparkling jade stone; his wrist was held in Priest Quisac’s strong grip away from its surface.
The Serpent Priest regarded William with a grin, contemplating the vision that he also shared. “It is said that the feathered serpents came in a boat of fire from the heavens, settling on our lands long before Man.”
William rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the start of a headache. “Priest Quisac, this isn’t a cavern, is it?” he asked, pointing at the green stones with a look of revelation. “This is a crashed spaceship!”
Priest Quisac let loose a rare smile. “Yes, it is.”
“You knew this all along?”
“Many in the Solar Cult have had similar visions here. The power emanating from this chamber allows one to see the images trapped inside the jade. Combined with the properties of the bloodstone, your vision took over and it became difficult to control. I suggest you remove the bloodstone and keep it in your pack until we leave.”
William pulled off his necklace and shoved it deep inside his bag. “Why didn’t you tell me the truth about this place before? And why do you tell everyone that it’s just a cavern of jade?”
Priest Quisac shrugged. “It would be difficult for most to comprehend. We do not have other words to describe this green stone. It resembles our most precious stone-jade. You had to see for yourself, for this is your journey, and you must make your own conclusions.”
William studied the ceiling for a moment, realizing that the odd formations were actually stations of the ship, now covered by hardened sediment. The black vines hanging about were likely wires of some sort. He thought back to their hike to the underground cenote-how the metallic tubes were connected to rough passages-and he deduced that sections of the ship had broken off in different areas, and tunnels had been made to connect the remnants of the ship back together. “So the Serpent Passage is actually part of this spaceship. But why would it have a… time travel tunnel?”
“As I did not know it existed before, I cannot answer your question.”
William sat beside the fire, enjoying its warmth. The flames provided a welcome relief from the chilly underground caverns, especially after stomping through the wet tunnels earlier. He realized that he may never know for sure why the Serpent Passage was built-or retrofitted from the spaceship-or why it was in sync with the solstices. It had been there for thousands of years, so knowing the purpose didn’t really matter. It was there… and that was that.
While heating up a piece of leftover boar meat over the fire, a pleasant sleepy sensation drifted over him. He remembered camping trips with his mom and dad, which triggered a twinge of despair as he became aware, again, of the sadness he must have caused his mom for disappearing. But he wondered if his assessment was really true. “If I manage to get back to my own time,” William asked, “do you suppose that any time would have elapsed while I was gone? Or would I arrive at the same moment that I left?”
Priest Quisac considered his question, while laying out his sleeping mat. “Time is relative to the position of the sun and the stars.”
“Meaning what exactly?”
“If you were to leave here on the winter solstice, you would likely arrive on the winter solstice in your time, as well.”
William felt disappointed by that concept. “That means every day that passes for me here, is a day that passes for my family too.”
“Time is not passing for them now. But the time will pass for them when their future arrives, whether you return or not.”
William found some degree of comfort realizing that his family wasn’t worrying in that very moment, since they weren’t even alive yet. It was also reassuring to know that there was a possible way for him to get back home… if he wanted to. Yet thinking of Teshna definitely put another kink into that debate.
He let out a big yawn and decided to put thoughts of returning home out of his mind for the moment. The winter solstice was still months away, and he had to concentrate on completing his obligation to Dzibanche. If they didn’t stop King Aztuk, he wouldn’t live long enough to have any options whatsoever. All he knew for certain was that he had the next few months to live before the coming battle… and so he might as well enjoy himself. As he began to slip off to sleep, he pictured Teshna and imagined, in vivid detail, how he wanted to spend his time over the months ahead.