Sky Knife (7 page)

Sky Knife turned to the warrior. “But she was in the temple!”

Bone Splinter grimaced. “Only because the king has nowhere else to send her. That's Jade Flute, his wife's niece. You don't think nuns have pet monkeys, do you? Or can speak of the king the way she did?”

Hope and despair clashed in Sky Knife's heart. Jade Flute was not only his age, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And unmarried. And
not
a sworn virgin.

And she was beyond his station. Sky Knife could never aspire to woo the niece of the king's wife.

“Go on,” urged Bone Splinter. “Talk to her—why not?”

Why not, indeed. He had the king's own permission to speak to anyone. Sky Knife stepped toward Jade Flute, determined to introduce himself properly this time.

Behind him, someone screamed.

6

Sky Knife whirled around to see what was wrong. Bone Splinter, too, had turned toward the sound of the scream.

Several men ran into the plaza shouting about the
Bolon ti ku,
the Lords of Night. Sky Knife broke out into a cold sweat. Surely the Lords of Night weren't going to appear, too! The
Bolon ti ku
weren't malevolent like Cizin, but neither were they particularly well-disposed toward mankind. They reigned over the nine underworlds, the fifth and lowest of which was Xibalba, the land of the dead. Sky Knife had no desire to meet any of the
Bolon ti ku
one hour earlier than he had to.

Sky Knife ran up the steps of the Great Pyramid. From the summit, he scanned the plaza below. The crowd milled about in apparent confusion. The men who had run through shouting about the Lords of Night were gone.

Another scream. Sky Knife strained to see the danger. Suddenly, the mass of people in the plaza began pushing against each other, trampling merchants' tents and wares underfoot. More screams rent the air.

A horrible growl rose over the screams, and echoed between the stone buildings that surrounded the plaza. Sky Knife trembled. A jaguar! A jaguar was loose in the plaza of Tikal.

Something large and black leapt at a child. The child fell underneath the weight of the beast. A black jaguar. The child's last scream gurgled into silence, and her blood splattered on the pavement, on the men and women running by. Sky Knife's heart went cold in his chest at the sight of the dead child. She could be his sister—she was surely someone's sister. Now she lay broken on the tiles of the plaza.

The jaguar stepped over the body of the child and looked around as if searching for something. Sky Knife held his breath. No wonder the men had shouted about the
Bolon ti ku
—the black jaguar was their messenger. Only the black jaguar could make the journey between earth and the underworlds and return in safety. Only the black jaguar could speak for the Lords of Night.

The cat sat down, panting. It sniffed the child's body briefly, then resumed scanning the plaza. Two other bodies littered the ground of the plaza, blood from their wounds dark and wet on the pavement stones.

The cat stood and stretched slowly. It yawned, blinked, and shook its head. Its gaze traveled to the only human left in the plaza: Bone Splinter. It took a step toward him.

“No!” shouted Sky Knife. He darted down the steps as fast as he could and tried to step in front of Bone Splinter. A fierce determination rose in his gut. No one else would die before his eyes today! No one!

A thick arm blocked his way. “Stay behind me,” said Bone Splinter softly. Sky Knife halted, but remained tensed, ready to move, to spring, to do
something.

The cat's gaze traveled slowly from Bone Splinter to Sky Knife. Its ears perked up when it saw him.

“It's you,” said Bone Splinter. “It wants you.”

“Me?” gulped Sky Knife. “But…”

The great cat roared. Its glistening fangs looked yellow in the late morning light.

“Stand still!” called a voice. It took Sky Knife a long moment to place it. Stone Jaguar.

Sky Knife looked away from the cat reluctantly. To his left, Stone Jaguar, Death Smoke, and Claw Skull spread out on the south end of the plaza. Claw Skull beckoned to someone. Sky Knife looked to his right. Several hunters, spears and nets in hand, fanned out on the north end of the plaza.

“It seems the priests' plans for a jaguar sacrifice have gone astray,” said Bone Splinter. He sounded amused. Sky Knife couldn't imagine how anyone could find the situation funny.

The hunters approached the cat, which only acknowledged them with a flick of an ear. The cat tensed, still staring at Sky Knife.

“Don't move!” shouted Claw Skull.

Sky Knife wanted to shout that he wasn't moving—not an inch!—but he didn't dare speak. Suddenly, Bone Splinter screamed and jumped toward the cat.

The cat backed up, toward the hunters. One of the hunters jabbed at it with his spear, but the cat swerved and swiped the hunter with a paw. The man went down in a spray of blood and didn't move.

Another hunter lunged at the cat with his net and dropped the net over the cat's head. A cheer of triumph rose up from the other hunter. Sky Knife's voice joined his.

The cat jumped backward and snapped the net, then darted forward and locked its teeth onto the net-holder's throat. The man's eyes widened in fear. Then he slumped over and the cat let him go.

“Itzamna, help us!” shouted Claw Skull. He ran toward the cat and picked up the first hunter's spear. The cat ignored him and the remaining hunter and loped toward Sky Knife. Bone Splinter pushed Sky Knife out of the way and got in front of the cat. Sky Knife stumbled, then picked himself up quickly and turned back to the plaza. The great cat was only a dozen yards away, poised to spring at Sky Knife. Bone Splinter surged forward and caught the cat around the neck.

Claw Skull plunged his spear into the cat. The cat howled in pain and twisted away from the spear and from Bone Splinter. It pounced on Claw Skull, dug its claws into his chest and its teeth into his face and shook him like a dog shakes a bone. Sky Knife couldn't look away.

With a sickening crack Claw Skull went limp.

Sky Knife, unthinking, rushed forward and leaped onto the back of the jaguar. He wrapped an arm around its throat and squeezed. The coarse fur of the jaguar smelled musty in his nose.

The cat snarled and flung Sky Knife away with a twist of its back. Pain exploded in Sky Knife's shoulder and head as they connected with the pavement. He bit back a scream.

The third hunter and Bone Splinter jabbed the great cat with spears. Bone Splinter impaled the cat right through the neck.

The cat twisted in agony, its roars turned into pitiful mewlings. Then it was still.

Bone Splinter pulled out his spear and tossed it down. He jogged over to Sky Knife. “Are you injured?” he asked.

Sky Knife shook his head. “A little,” he said, embarrassed by the way his voice shook.

Bone Splinter laid a hand on Sky Knife's uninjured shoulder. “That was stupid,” he said. “To go against a jaguar without a weapon.”

Sky Knife hung his head, ashamed that Bone Splinter would think so little of him.

“It was also very brave,” said Bone Splinter. He squeezed Sky Knife's shoulder. “But next time, pick up a weapon first. All right?”

Sky Knife looked up into Bone Splinter's blood-spattered face. The warrior wasn't angry—he was smiling! Sky Knife smiled back. “All right,” he said.

Bone Splinter nodded and stood up. He extended a hand to Sky Knife. Sky Knife took it and let Bone Splinter pull him up.

“Our luck truly has flown,” mourned Stone Jaguar. He knelt by the broken body of Claw Skull.

“Two priests in less than a day,” said Death Smoke. He bent over to look at the dead cat. “It will be difficult to replace one, but two!” He shook his head sadly.

“The cat didn't want
him,
” said Bone Splinter. “Or these other people. It wanted Sky Knife. It came for him.”

Stone Jaguar stood and faced the warrior. “The cat came because the hunters trapped it, but it got away from them somehow. Why would a jaguar want Sky Knife? He's just a boy.”

Bone Splinter said nothing, but turned back to Sky Knife. “Come,” he said. “Our wounds can be tended to in the House of the Warriors.”

“Sky Knife should go to the acropolis, where he belongs,” said Stone Jaguar.

“Sky Knife belongs anywhere he chooses to go,” said Bone Splinter over his shoulder. “The king has said so.”

Stone Jaguar glowered. Sky Knife almost ran back to the acropolis, back to his small room, but he didn't. Curiosity overcame his fear of Stone Jaguar's wrath. Like any other boy, he'd always wondered about the House of the Warriors, for only the king's personal guard could enter. If Bone Splinter were willing to allow him to enter the House of the Warriors, Sky Knife had to go.

“Bolon ti ku!”
shouted Death Smoke.

Sky Knife spun around, visions of the jaguar suddenly returning to life and ripping out Death Smoke's throat dancing in his mind.

Death Smoke stood, unharmed, by the body of the cat. Sky Knife breathed a small tired sigh of relief, but his breath caught in his throat. The body of the jaguar writhed in mock death throes on the pavement. Its limbs quivered and its abdomen distended as if something inside were trying to escape.

“What's happening?” demanded Stone Jaguar.

Sky Knife stared, mouth agape, as butterflies—blue butterflies—climbed out of the jaguar's wounds and took to the air. In mere moments, hundreds of butterflies, each the size of Sky Knife's hand, fluttered about Death Smoke. The cloud of butterflies spread outwards toward Sky Knife and the others.

The remaining hunter dropped his weapons and ran, shouting incantations against evil as he went. Sky Knife fought the urge to follow him. Butterflies were an evil omen. Butterflies meant decay; they spoke of death. They stole the souls of children who were left unattended. They swarmed the newly dead on their trip to the underworld to make them lose their way.

Bone Splinter batted at the butterflies. He hissed and drew his hands back.

“What's wrong?” asked Sky Knife.

“They bite,” said Bone Splinter.

Sky Knife stared at the butterflies warily. The butterflies hovered in the air, reflecting the bright light of the sun like a thousand blue jewels.

“Get back,” said Bone Splinter.

“What?” asked Sky Knife.

“Get back,” Bone Splinter repeated. “The jaguar came for you—perhaps the butterflies are meant for you as well.”

Sky Knife walked backwards a few steps, but the butterflies didn't follow him. Instead, they floated higher and higher into the sky until they were above the Great Pyramid. Then the cloud dispersed. Butterflies flew everywhere, in every direction.

A few flew down toward Sky Knife and flapped up into his face. He batted at them. Where he touched them, his hands stung as if he'd angered a bee. Bone Splinter grabbed the butterflies attacking Sky Knife and crushed them in his hands, only a grimace betraying the pain they caused him.

“Itzamna,” hissed Stone Jaguar. “They'll spread throughout the city. No one will be safe! Death Smoke—come!”

Stone Jaguar jogged back to the southern acropolis, Death Smoke at his heels. A sprinkling of butterflies trailed them, but no more remained to bother Sky Knife or Bone Splinter. Sky Knife felt a surge of relief. The priests would be able to handle the threat. Their power was great. Sky Knife took a deep breath. His shoulder throbbed and his head ached. He wanted to sit down, drink some water, and try to forget his pain.

“Come,” said Bone Splinter. He walked east past the Great Pyramid, toward the House of the Warriors. Sky Knife walked close behind him.

7

Two warriors stood straight and tall on the patio in front of the House of the Warriors. They nodded to Bone Splinter, but looked askance at Sky Knife.

“He has the king's grace,” said Bone Splinter. The warriors' faces cleared and they bowed to Sky Knife. Sky Knife fidgeted, embarrassed.

Bone Splinter entered the building and walked down several narrow, windowless corridors. Sky Knife struggled to keep up with the warrior. His eyes felt gritty and tired, and he ached all over.

Bone Splinter walked into a garden enclosed within the building. Sky Knife gasped, his pain momentarily forgotten. He'd never suspected the House of the Warriors contained such a place.

Vines dripped down the walls and flowers bobbed in the faint breeze. Small shrubs of a type Sky Knife had never seen before lined the garden. Several warriors sat in the center of the garden, the leaves of a
ceiba
tree shading them from the early afternoon sun.

Bone Splinter approached the warriors. Sky Knife gritted his teeth and stumbled after him. The warriors cheered, and Sky Knife heard the sound of dry bones cracking against each other. The warriors were apparently throwing bones in a game of chance.

“Brothers,” said Bone Splinter. The others looked over to him. One of them stood.

“You must be Sky Knife,” said the standing warrior. He was not as tall as Bone Splinter, but his arms and chest were as big as two men's. Sky Knife had never seen such a massive person before. “I am Kan Flower. You are welcome here.”

Sky Knife nodded and stood still, fighting to stay on his feet.

“Come, sit,” said Bone Splinter. He latched onto one of Sky Knife's elbows and guided him to a low bench. Sky Knife sank onto it, knees trembling, grief over the death of Claw Skull and the remains of his fear clutching at him.

“He is tired and injured,” said Bone Splinter. “There was a black jaguar in the plaza. Sky Knife leapt onto its back to try to save another's life.”

“Bone Splinter killed it,” Sky Knife said. “And he killed the butterflies, too.”

“Butterflies?” asked Kan Flower. He knelt in front of Sky Knife.