Bride of Thunder (57 page)

The men who'd been ready to kill Dionisio hacked to bits the head and body of the white man who had tried to be a god, and with those bits, after another word from the
tatich
and one choked scream, mingled parts of what had been a beautiful woman. Mercy hid her face, sickened, shuddering. Xia's body had lied to her; she was not destined to dance with, dissolve in, flame.

“Come,” said the
tatich
. “You,
señora,
you, Señor Falconer; you, descendant of Canek; and you,
batab
of Macanche. I must hear all your words.”

An hour later, reaching for a guava as he swung in his hammock, the
tatich
said reflectively, “The Talking Cross will speak tonight. It will tell God's Cruzob children that this was a way to snare impostors who would otherwise have worked later mischief, and that God desires us to plant and harvest our cornfields in peape.”

General Poot growled something. The
tatich
smiled. “If you worry about lax discipline and need practice for your troops, there are always the Icaiches. And we will defend our frontier, too.” He gazed steadily at Zane. “You'll tell this to your friend Peraza?”

“I'll tell him.”

“Good.” The
tatich
looked next at Mayel. “So, maiden, you descend from Canek?”

“Yes, Great Father.” She spoke shyly but with pride.

“It's not fitting for you to be a servant, even to friendly
ladinos
.”

“She's free,” said Mercy. “There are no slaves at La Quinta.”

The
tatich
looked at Mayel. “You should marry free and raise Canek children who owe no grace or favor to the
ladinos
. Doña Mercy, will you give me guardianship of this girl?”

“If she wishes it.”

Distressed, Mayel stood mutely between Mercy and Novelo, who suddenly chuckled and reached forward to pat her hand. “My child, daughter of Cahek, do you see the
batab,
Dionisio?”

Slowly, she looked at him and flushed, casting down the dark fringes of her eyelashes. “I see him, Great Father.”

“And he pleases you,” observed the
tatich
with great satisfaction. He signaled to Dionisio. “
Batab
of Macanche, the treason charges died with those false ones. We are pleased to accept you as an ally and confirm you in your lordship over your captive, Doña Mercy. But we would also ask that you take as a wife this flower of Canek's line.”

Dionisio looked at Mercy, his gaze warm on her, yet sad. “Good-bye, Ixchel,” he said in Mayan, and then in Spanish, “Be happy, Doña Mercy. You have saved my life again, and much more, also. If ever you or your betrothed need my help, it is yours.” Turning to Mayel, he smiled and took her hand. “If she agrees, I will be honored to wed this maiden.”

Mayel peered at Mercy, who took her in her arms and kissed her. “Your life will be good with him, Mayel. Bless you. Bless you both!”

“It's my place to do the blessing,” said the
tatich
gruffly. “Now,
señor, señora,
you'll be our guests for a few days?”

Zane inclined his head. “If you'll excuse us, Great Father, we have a wedding of our own to attend to.” As Mercy caught her breath in shock; he said to Dionisio, “You saved my life. Thank you.”

Dionisio smiled, his gaze just touching Mercy. “We have all saved each other. God guard you—and your lady.”

“I command you to eat and drink,” rumbled the
tatich
. “Then you may go. And Doña Mercy, may I say that though you've been excellent company and told me many interesting things, I hope to never see you again? You cause too many problems!”

After they reclaimed their horses from the sentry, who explained that the bundle tied on the back of one saddle held Mercy's books and other things, and had ridden a little way into the forest, Mercy could restrain herself no longer. “Did … did you mean what you said to the
tatich?
”

“About what?”

“A … a wedding.”

He turned in his saddle, and his face was that of her love's again, young and tender, smiling. “That depends on you. Will you be my wife?”

“But you said …” she mumbled, dazed, but slowly started to hope.

Zane slid down from Kisin, strode back to her, and lifted her down. “Listen! For a month, for a moon, you were Ixchel for Dionisio. But you descended into hell; you came back to me, not as a goddess, but as my woman. He saved my life; he gave you to me. Even Eric was right about one thing—you are a quetzal woman, very rare. I'd have to be a bigger fool than I am not to know my luck!”

She reached up for his kiss, joyous in his arms. She would live at the center of his life, not in the tower. And as he tied up the horses and carried her off the road, she hoped their first child would have eyes like his, but that it would also look a little like Elkanah.

Source Notes

I drew on many sources for this book, but the most valuable printed ones were:
Mayan History and Religion,
by J. Eric S. Thompson, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1970;
The Rise and Fall of Mayan Civilization,
by J. Eric S. Thompson, University, of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, second edition, 1966;
The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel
, translated and edited by R. L. Roys, C. I. W. Pub. 438, Washington, D.C., 1933;
The Indian Background of Colonial Yucatán,
by R. L. Roys, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1972;
The Maya: Diego de Landa's Account of the Affairs of Yucatán,
translated and edited by A. R. Pagden, Philip O'Hara, Chicago, Illinois, 1975;
A Treasury of Mexican Folkways,
by Frances Toor, Crown, New York, 1947;
Medicine in Mexico,
by Gordon Schendel, University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 1968;
Land and Society in Colonial Mexico,
by François Chevalier, translated by Alvin Eustis, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, 1972;
Decorative Design in Mexican Homes,
by Verna and Warren Shipway, Architectural Book Publishing Co., New York, 1970;
Mexico, Land of Volcanoes,
by Joseph Schlarman, Bruce, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1951;
A Flower Lover's Guide to Mexico,
by Phil Clark, Minutiae Mexicana, Mexico City, Mexico, 1973;
A Guide to Mexican Poetry,
by Irene Nicholson, Minutiae Mexicana, Mexico City, Mexico, 1972;
La Literatura de los Mayas,
by Demetrio Sodi M., editorial by Joaquin Mortiz, Guaymas, Mexico, 1970;
Ensayos Henequeneros,
by Renan Irigoyen, Cordemex, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico, 1975;
Early Texas Homes,
by Dorothy Bracken and Maurine Redway, Southern Methodist University Press, Dallas, Texas, 1956;
The Common Soldier in the Civil War,
by Bell Irvin Wiley, Grosset and Dunlap, by arrangement with Bobbs-Merrill on 1943 and 1951 copyrights;
Escape from Reconstruction,
by W. C. Nunn, Potishman Foundation, Fort Worth, Texas, 1956.

The interested reader will find much information and pleasure in
The Caste War of Yucatán,
by Nelson Reed, Stanford University Press, California, 1973; the four travel books of John L. Stevens with engravings by Frederick Catherwood: the two-volume
Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatán,
1969 Dover reprint of 1841 Harper & Brothers edition; and the two-volume
Incidents of Travel in Yucatán,
1963 Dover reprint of Harpers' 1843 edition. I also found many helpful articles in my files of
Mexico This Month,
edited by Anita Brenner.

Chronology