Torrent (15 page)

"Sure did." I grinned. "I found an entrance."

Chapter 45

With a loud yawning noise, the giant block sank further into the pyramid. I waited for it to stop moving. Then I pulled out my flashlight. My beam revealed a set of steep stairs leading into the pyramid.

I lowered my boot to the first step. It held my weight without a problem. I took another step. Then I slowly descended the staircase.

At the bottom, I entered a tunnel. I waited for Emily and the others to join me. Then I headed south. The tunnel's slope quickly steepened to a forty-five degree angle. After ten feet, I turned west and entered a new tunnel. The slope steepened to sixty-degrees. I found it difficult to maintain my footing on the smooth surface.

I reached another corner. A perpendicular tunnel led off to the north. I stopped short of it. The floor block in front of me was gigantic and steeply slanted. Its southern end was flush to the block under my feet while its northern end was on a much lower level.

Leaning out, I glanced around the corner. The perpendicular tunnel continued at an extremely steep angle for a couple of yards before hitting a dead end.

"Something's wrong here," I said. "It—"

"Get away." Emily's scream reverberated in the tight space. "It's mine."

I spun around.

She slammed into me, taking out my legs in the process. My body twisted. I fell on the mysterious floor block. Fighting off wooziness, I lifted my chin. Emily lay sprawled on top of me. Her eyes looked dazed, disoriented.

The tunnel rumbled. A cracking noise filled my eardrums. Rock scraped against rock. The floor block shifted underneath me and started to sink into the ground.

"Get out of there," Beverly shouted.

I looked at the southern wall. It consisted of a large slab of rock. The slab started to vibrate and shake.

I shoved Emily. She rolled into the other tunnel.

The block jolted as it slammed to a halt. The slab slid toward me.

I suddenly realized the sloping block was more than just a floor. It was a wedge. For centuries, it had kept the slab in place.

But no longer.

I clambered to my feet.

The slab picked up steam.

Graham reached his hand out.

I grabbed it. He yanked.

I flew out of the tunnel. The giant slab hurtled past me, narrowly missing my right leg. Stone crunched as it slammed into the dead end.

I touched the back of my head. I felt sticky blood.

Beverly shot Emily a furious glance as she raced to my side. "What's wrong with you?"

Emily blinked a few times. Her eyes cleared. A look of confusion crossed her visage.

Beverly examined my head. "We need to get you to Dr. Wu."

"We're going to have to be more careful from here on out." As I stood up, I glanced at the ancient trap. "Because it looks like Hunahpu is playing for keeps."

Chapter 46

The mist parted and I saw the clinic. As I walked toward it, something stung my arm. It felt like an oversized raindrop. I slapped at it. Then I slapped my neck. And then my leg.

Damn flies.

Flies swarmed me, feasting on my flesh. They left behind layers of itchy bites. It took every ounce of strength I possessed to keep from tearing off my clothes and itching myself from head to toe.

Beverly had offered to walk me back to camp, but I'd insisted on going alone. The back of my head stung a bit, but otherwise I felt fine.

I veered toward the fire. The smoke drove the flies away. Then an ear-piercing scream rang out. I forgot all about the booby trap and sprinted to the clinic. Wrenching open the flap, I darted into the interior.

Dr. Wu glanced in my direction. He wore a respirator over his nose and mouth. "Stay back."

Pacho lay on a sleeping bag. His arms trembled. His legs kicked out. His head twisted from side to side. "Where … what …?"

"You're fine." Dr. Wu grabbed his hand. Clasped it hard. "You're okay."

Pacho blinked. His eyes flickered open. They looked dull, nearly lifeless. "It hurts … oh my God, it hurts so bad."

"What hurts?"

"Forehead." He clenched his teeth together and shoved the side of his head into a pillow. "Hot … like fire."

"Okay, I can help you. But you have to stay calm."

Pacho thrashed to his right. Then to his left.

The doc grabbed Pacho's shoulders. Firmly, he pushed the man into the sleeping bag. "I know it's hard, but you have to stay still. We don't know what's wrong with you yet."

Pacho quaked violently. "Please hurry."

Dr. Wu rooted through his bag. "Dang it all."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"He needs a sedative. But I'm out of vials. Can you watch him while I get my other bag?"

I nodded.

Dr. Wu threw me a box of latex gloves and a respirator.

I frowned. "Is this necessary?"

He jabbed a thumb at Pacho. "Do you want to look like that?"

I quickly donned the gloves and strapped the mask around my head. Its foam face seal clung tightly to my skin.

As the doc ducked out of the clinic, Pacho groaned under his breath. His cheeks puffed out. His skin took on a reddish tint. "It's hot, real hot. Feels like I'm in the desert."

"Try to relax," I said.

"They're starting to hurt."

"What's starting to hurt?"

"My bones. They hurt like hell. They …" His voice died off.

"Pacho?" I shook him hard. "Wake up."

Dr. Wu raced into the clinic with a second bag in his hands. His jaw tightened as he laid eyes on Pacho. Quickly, he threw the bag on the floor and started to rummage through it.

The tent flap moved behind me. "What's wrong with him?"

I glanced over my shoulder. Rain poured off Tum's head, soaking the grass at his feet. "He's got bone pain." I felt Pacho's sticky forehead with a gloved hand. "And he's hot. He's definitely running a fever."

The tent swished. And then Tum was gone.

"We have to move fast." Dr. Wu produced a vial. "I need your help."

Pacho convulsed on the sleeping bag. His face contorted in pain.

"What can I do?" I asked.

The doc swabbed alcohol on Pacho's skin. "Hold him down."

I grabbed Pacho's arms. They felt slippery in my grip. He convulsed again. I pushed harder, trying my best to pin him to the ground.

Dr. Wu prepped a needle.

The tent swished again. "Hey doc."

The needle paused an inch above Pacho's arm. "I'm busy."

Tum held up a handful of evergreen leaves. "I've got Chi ke' leaves."

"So what?"

"So, they'll help him."

Dr. Wu exhaled loudly. "You need to leave."

"Let me feed these to him."

"They're not even clean. Just—"

"A little dirt never hurt anyone." Tum leaned over Pacho and pressed a handful of the leaves into the man's mouth. "Eat these," he whispered. "You'll feel better."

The doc's eyes practically exploded out of his head. "Are you insane?"

Pacho stopped fidgeting. His jaw started to move. His throat swallowed.

Dr. Wu dropped the needle and lunged for Pacho's mouth. He pried it open and reached inside. A dark frown creased his face. "Help me prop him up," he said to me. "I'm going to induce vomiting."

"The leaves will help him," Tum said. "Anyway vomiting won't work. They're already in his system."

"What did you give him?"

"It's a traditional Lacandon remedy for fevers and—"

"It's shaman bullshit."

"My leaves are better than your drugs."

"Is that right? Then what's in them?"

Tum hesitated. "I don't know. But they work."

I glared at them. "Stop arguing."

"Open your mind," Tum said to Dr. Wu. "There's more to health than Western medicine."

"Western medicine is real. Folk medicine isn't." The doc quickly jabbed the needle into Pacho's arm.

Pacho flinched. A pained look crossed his face.

I waited for Pacho to calm down. Then I released his arms and touched his forehead. It was slick with sweat. But it felt a little cooler.

"I think his fever is breaking," I said. "Is he going to be okay?"

"Who knows?" Dr. Wu exhaled loudly. "Our resident shaman could've fed him poison for all I know."

"Poison?" Tum's eyes flashed. "I saved his life."

"You're delusional."

They stared defiantly at each other.

"Carlos." I narrowed my eyes. "Go."

Tum looked at me. "But—"

"Just go."

He turned around and exited the clinic.

Dr. Wu wiped sweat from his brow. "Thanks for your help."

I nodded.

"I know Tum seems nice. But I'd stay away from him if I were you."

"Why?"

"I can't put my finger on it," the doc replied. "It's not just the shaman stuff. There's something else wrong with him. Very, very wrong."

Chapter 47

"Dutch and I checked every inch of it. We couldn't find any hidden tunnels or passages. Other than the trap, it was completely empty."

I winced as I touched the bandages on the back of my head. "So, it's a decoy tunnel."

"Unfortunately, yes." Beverly glanced toward the summit shrine. "Emily is still up there. I asked her about what happened. She says she just lost her balance."

"That's ridiculous. What about her scream? Right before she hit me, she yelled, 'Get away. It's mine.'"

"She claims she said, 'Get away from the incline.'" Beverly rolled her eyes. "Of course, no one actually believes that."

"We need to keep an eye on her. And she's not the only one."

I quickly told her about Tum. When I was finished, Beverly cleared her throat. "He's a strange one all right."

"He's a shaman." I shrugged. "Strangeness goes with the territory."

"How'd the doc handle it?"

"As well as you might expect. Dr. Wu told me Tum specializes in herbal remedies. He gets them from the Lacandon Jungle. Also, he uses divination, specifically a form called 'the blood speaking.'"

She arched an eyebrow.

"Apparently, he undergoes elaborate rituals that put him into a trance. He peels back the layers that divide him from the spirit world. Then he probes his patient's veins, searching for pulses, letting the spirits inform him about what's out of balance."

"Wow. Just … wow."

"Cy?"

I turned around. "What do you want?"

Tum, surrounded by falling rain, stepped forward. "I'd like to talk."

I gave Beverly a nod. Then I walked a short distance with Tum. "What did you do to Pacho?"

"I helped him."

"Dr. Wu is smart. He knows what he's doing."

"Agreed. But he's also limited. If a treatment doesn't fit into his paradigm, he's unwilling to even consider it."

"Are you any different?"

"Not really," he said with a chuckle. "Are you hungry?"

The question surprised me. "I guess, but—"

"Try this."

I stared at the round purplish fruit nestled in his palm. "What is it?"

"A star apple."

My stomach growled. I was tempted. At the same time, I was wary of eating something I'd never seen before. "No thanks."

"Suit yourself."

Using a small knife, he cut the fruit in half. A sweet odor wafted into the rain-soaked air.

On the inside, the fruit looked like a white starfish edged in light purple pulp. Tum picked out the seeds and cut a chunk of the fruit. Lifting it to his mouth, he placed it on his tongue. His eyes closed as he swallowed it. A tiny smile danced across his mouth.

My stomach growled again. "Do you have another one?"

He produced an identical fruit from his shoulder bag. I used my machete to peel off the skin. The seeds were light brown and felt hard to the touch. I scraped them away, cut myself a slice of the fruit, and tasted it.

It was delicious. Sweet and just the right texture. Hungrily, I devoured another slice.

"Pretty good, right?" Tum said.

I nodded. "Where'd you find it?"

"In the jungle. With the chi ke' leaves."

"You mean the stuff you fed to Pacho?"

"Yes."

I stared at him, then at the fruit.

"They both come from a tropical tree best known as the cainito. It's relatively new to this continent."

"And the leaves … they've really got medicinal properties?"

"I use them to treat fevers, aching bones and muscles, diabetes, and articular rheumatism. Also, the tree's bark is a tonic and a stimulant. And this fruit," he held up the rind for me to see, "contains antioxidant properties."

I was dumbfounded.

"Shamans aren't bad, you know. We use our knowledge to help people cope with problems of both a spiritual and physical nature."

I took another bite. "You still should've asked Dr. Wu before you pulled that stunt."

"I saw a person in need and I helped him. I don't see why that's such a big deal."

I took another bite. Maybe Tum wasn't such a nutcase after all.

"Well, that's all I wanted to say. I hope we can be friends now." Tum held out his hand and gathered some rain. "By the way, what do you make of this storm?"

"I hate it."

He chuckled. "I'll give you one thing. This rain is strange."

"Strange?"

"I've seen a lot of rain in my life. But this is different. It's almost like we're being punished, like we shouldn't be here." His expression turned thoughtful. "Or maybe it's the opposite. Maybe we're supposed to be here and this is just Chaac's way of showing his appreciation."

"Who is Chaac?"

"Just an old Maya legend." Laughing heartily, he clapped me on the back. "That's all."

As he strode away, an eerie sensation passed through me. I'd felt something in the canyon ever since our arrival. It was an odd, crackling energy. An evil energy.

And I couldn't help but wonder if Tum felt it too.

Chapter 48

"Come on, Hunahpu." I studied the north wall. "Where is it?"

After returning to the pyramid, I'd spent several hours inspecting its surfaces. I'd walked along its edges dozens of times. I'd taken hundreds, if not thousands of closer looks. And yet, I'd found no sign of a hidden entrance.