“You must keep thoughts of vengeance from your mind,” Priest Quisac said. “We must act calmly for our mission to succeed.”
“Our mission?” William laughed. “We’ve been preparing to fight a normal army. How are we supposed to fight that cloud thing?”
Priest Quisac considered that for a moment and then turned to Teshna. “Did it come for our people?”
Teshna rolled her eyes with a baffled look. “What are you talking about? I left our camp not long after you. What cloud are you referring to?”
“We have to get back,” William said.
Without another spoken word, the four companions began the journey back to Dzibanche.
During the hike, William told Teshna about the dark cloud that appeared, and how it seemed to be blasting everyone into oblivion, although Priest Quisac insisted that it was taking them-a concept he still could not comprehend. They marched east for several hours, until the familiar buzzing sound vibrated the ground beneath them; they stopped in their tracks.
“It is near,” Priest Quisac said matter-of-factly. “We must proceed with caution.”
As they approached the clearing where the Dzibanche army had been waiting for the attack, the buzzing noise increased in its intensity. Darkness enveloped them under the shadow of the large cloud. They peeked around the trees, staring at the western side of the clearing with shocked looks. The entire army was gone.
“What happened,” Teshna said. “Where are they?”
“They have also been taken,” the Serpent Priest said.
“No. Surely they fled into the jungle,” she said, almost in tears.
“Look.” Priest Quisac pointed to the eastern edge of the clearing. “Their weapons lie where they last stood.”
Colorful lights sparkled beneath the cloud just before a beam of orange light struck a spot in the middle of the clearing, creating a blinding glare until it dissolved.
“It knows we are here,” the Serpent Priest said.
“You think,” Betty whispered sarcastically. “Hey, someone’s there now!”
“It’s Yax,” Teshna said, and began to run out to him.
William grabbed her arm, holding Teshna back. “It may be a trick.”
Yax spotted them and began to approach. He stopped after a few steps, his arms held out in a welcoming gesture. “Do not be frightened, for now I understand. All is well. Come, I shall explain,” he hollered from across the field.
They moved from their hiding place behind the trees and met up with the King in the middle of the clearing.
Yax smiled when they neared. “I am pleased that you have returned, for I am delighted to tell you that our great fear of this day has been misunderstood. Our ancestors from the stars have arrived to take us home… to the world where we come from. They sensed your worry, and so they sent me down to welcome you myself.”
The Serpent Priest gave a suspicious look at the cloud. “The stars did not speak of a reunion such as this. This is unexpected.”
“What about King Aztuk?” William asked, still feeling a twinge of the bloodstone’s thirst for the man; they needed to sacrifice him to end the curse.
Yax gazed at the cloud above. “They say he is there, with all his people too. They told me that King Aztuk was very disturbed by all this. He demanded to be made a god… to be given the powers he thought he deserved. So they subdued him-preserved him inside a crystal chamber. These beings do not understand his negative urges, and they wish to study him.”
“Then you’re leaving,” William asked, feeling confused. “You’re going with them?”
“Not only us,” Yax said. “Those who have been faithful to the gods in all the kingdoms of these sacred lands may go. However, many will be relocated in the north to strengthen Chichen Itza… for the continued protection of this world.”
There were many other confusing matters that William still couldn’t piece together, and after everything they had been through, he wanted answers-to understand the purpose of it all. “The bloodstone… the soil plague… the Sacred Cavern… this cloud… what’s the connection between all this, Yax?” William asked.
“Perhaps it would be best if they explain it to you,” he said, and gazed up at the cloud above them. He raised his hands to the sky, and a golden light flashed. The land around the clearing dissolved from view-immediately replaced by an incredible sight. They found themselves standing on a platform atop a pyramid that sparkled from the light of a blue-green sky. The sky had an artificial appearance; it shimmered as though it were being viewed through a giant prism. William noticed that the spear and sacred weapon he had been clutching a moment before had vanished from his hands, as did all the weapons that they had each been carrying.
An enormous collective cheer rose from the base of the pyramid. The entire population of Dzibanche seemed to be there, gazing up at them from the courtyard below. Rows of huts spiraled out from the pyramid as far as he could see. In unison, they began chanting, “Balam! Balam! Balam!”
“So the cloud is a spaceship?” Betty asked.
William recalled how he had seen a dark object hidden inside the cloud when he viewed it through the lens of the sun shield.
“Yes, we are inside their craft, Bati,” Yax said.
“But it looks like we’re still outside,” Teshna said.
Yax smiled, raising his arms to quiet the crowd. “I was also confused upon my arrival here. At first, I believed that I had died and had ascended to the heavens. But then they explained what happened. A large portion of this vessel has been designed for the comfort of our people while we travel through the stars to our new world. This area where we now stand has been constructed to suit our needs. It is much the same as our lands that we know-complete with plants and animals as well. Yet this area is but a small chamber on the craft. I am told that if we were to travel from this city center, a large wall would be encountered.”
“Sounds kind of like a big cage,” Betty said with a raised eyebrow.
“Where are these ancestors of yours?” William asked.
“We are here,” a voice answered in his mind. William jumped and looked behind him. The others had similar reactions. Teshna’s nod confirmed that she had heard it too. “We speak to you from another location. There is much to explain. Proceed to the rising transport.”
The crowd at the base of the pyramid scattered when a green triangular pillar rose up from the ground. An opening materialized at the base of the object, where a tall slender figure stepped out in a tight-fitting white uniform; it had long arms and legs, a shiny head with a single black eyeball, and a large grey beak.
“Good grief,” Betty muttered. “What is it?”
As it approached, William could see that the bizarre appearance was actually from an odd-shaped helmet on its head; tubes were connected to the helmet from a pack on its back. The citizens dropped to their knees and bowed down before the strange being.
Its gaze slowly drifted up to the top of the pyramid, and it stretched out its hands as if welcoming them. “I am known as Jensik. Do not fear my appearance, for I am not accustomed to your atmosphere, and merely dress in such a manner so that I may interact with the people of your world. Beneath my uniform, I am much the same as you. Please come with me. I will take you to the others of my kind.”
“Who are these people?” William asked, as they descended the steps.
“They may indeed be our brothers from the stars, Balam,” the Serpent Priest said.
“Priest Quisac is correct,” Jensik spoke in their minds. “We are… brothers. Yet not all gathered here comprehend what has occurred. It is why we developed this simulated world, complete with landscape and habitations that you will find familiar-to avoid the shock you might otherwise experience. You will spend much time here with us, and those who remain must be adapted to the conditions of our world. In time, all will be made to understand our purpose.”