Young Jaguar, The (10 page)

“I can still climb down this balcony, you know?”

She was taken aback, surprised. “You wouldn’t!”

“Want to see?” He rose to his feet, slow and
reeling, but managing not to fall.

“If you step onto this balcony, I’ll scream.” Her
voice took on a shrill tone.

They glared at each other.

“Listen,” she said, eyes softening. “Let us say you
manage to get away. Then what? Think what you will miss. It’s a grand game, and
you are offered a part in it. A considerable part. You said you are of no
significance. Well, this is true. For now. But listen, you can become someone
of significance. Are you prepared to lead an insignificant life in the shadow
of your great father? You are offered something great here. Will you now risk
your life to get away from it?”

He could not take his eyes off her animated face.
Oh, she was one to want something out of life, something more significant than
just being a princess.

“I need time to think about it,” he said painfully.
“I can’t decide just like that. My father… he…” He winced at the thought of his
father. “He won’t agree to… you know.”

“Your father will change his mind. He will be
persuaded.”

“You don’t know my father.”

”I know the people who are willing to persuade him.”
It came out ominously.

Atolli shivered. “I won’t fight against him. I need
you to know this.”

“You won’t have to.”

He gazed at her, feeling cornered.

Then he remembered. “My friend, the other boy that
was with me that night, remember? He is coming with me. We are together in
this.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “It can be arranged.” But
her gaze still bore into him, searching his face, piercing and intense. Then
the bottomless eyes flooded with such obvious relief, he winced.

She was right, he knew, there was no way back now.

Chapter 11

Sakuna hated being carried in a litter. The uneven
swaying made her nauseated, this morning worse than ever. She leaned against
the wooden screen and shut her eyes, dizzy from lack of sleep.

Oh, that was a long night! Lips tight, she tried to
banish the unwelcome memories, the way she had sat in her set of rooms,
pretending to go to sleep, waiting for the household to calm down, waiting for
her husband and her oldest son to return.

When the place went completely quiet and she could
be sure the boys upstairs were fast asleep, she wandered the gardens, peering
into the darkness, waiting and waiting, her lips swollen from her biting them
so much, her fingernails damaged.

Yet, neither Tecpatl nor Atolli came home, and just
before dawn she huddled on the flat top of the roof, her favorite spot, hugging
her knees, shivering with cold and thinking…thinking hard.

Tecpatl was probably all right. The councilors would
sometimes be required to sleep in the Palace, when their advice was needed most
urgently. Their time belonged to the Emperor, of course, and with this changing
of rulers there was nothing unusual about the Chief Warlord not coming home.

But that was not the case with his son; especially
since the youth had been just recently expelled from
calmecac
under most
embarrassing circumstances; especially since the youth had been pulled into a
dubious political game between the dead Emperor’s successors; especially since
his mother had just been threatened by the highest of the Palace’s advisers.
She felt her palms beginning to tremble and clutched them tight. She had to
remain strong and determined. She was on her own this time.

Nopalli’s voice tore her out of her dark reverie.

“Turn right onto the next pathway and stop after
about twenty paces,” she called, pulling away the curtain. “I hope I remember
correctly,” she murmured, leaning back against the opposite screen. “Are you
all right, sister? You look sick.”

Sakuna forced a smile. “I think it’s the litter, the
way it jerks all the time. But I’ll be perfectly all right when we get out.”

“Oh, you will be! Just wait and see what materials
this vendor has. What colors! And the quality of his cotton. You wouldn’t
believe it. It comes all the way from the Big-Headed Mayans, you know? I wish he
would bring twenty times more.”

“I love this flame-colored blouse of yours. Is that
the same material?”

“Yes, exactly. You can see the difference, right?
And the quality of it! I hope this trader is still in Azcapotzalco.”

The litter jerked to a stop, and the two women
swayed uncomfortably.

“Watch it, you imbeciles!” shouted Nopalli. “I
really can’t stand the litter bearers sometimes.”

“I wish we were allowed to walk,” muttered Sakuna.
“I love walking, and the most walking I do is around my own house.”

Nopalli laughed. “Oh, you wish you were a commoner
sometimes, eh?”

The clamor of the marketplace burst upon them as
they stepped outside, careful not to mar their elaborately tied sandals.

Sakuna looked around, disappointed. She had been
half-hoping to see Atolli wandering the marketplace. How silly! But it really
felt better to be out and surrounded by people who had nothing to do with the
Palace and its politics.

She smiled at Nopalli as casually as she could.
“Amusing to see all those commoners running around as if the old Emperor were
still sitting on his throne. Do you think they care about who rules
Azcapotzalco?”

The young woman beamed. “They couldn’t care less as
long as their bellies are full and the markets are overflowing. But you should
see how involved they can get on the summers of bad harvests.”

They picked their way carefully between the mats and
the heaping baskets, two sturdy slaves clearing their path.

“Has it happened in your lifetime?” Sakuna glanced
at the baskets with various seeds. On a regular day she would have stopped by.

“Once, when I was very little. There was a great
drought, a few summers in a row. The marketplaces grew ugly and dangerous, so
they say. Riots every day and crime everywhere.”

Irritated by the digression, Sakuna frowned. On a
regular day she might like that story, but now she needed to navigate the
conversation back to the Palace.

“So, you think they would not care which son of the
old Emperor rules Azcapotzalco?”

“Oh, they would care. They would talk and argue and
fume and make fights. The way the commoners do.” Nopalli chuckled. “But
eventually, as long as the markets are full and there are games and sacrificial
rites to watch, they would stop there.” She glanced at Sakuna, amused. “Are you
afraid of the commoners? Or do you care for their opinions?”

“No, not at all! I… I just don’t know what to think.
It’s so sad that the old Emperor has died. I don’t know. Do you think the new
Emperor will succeed in ruling all those lands?”

“Why not? He has nothing challenging to face.
Culhuacan is crumbling, thanks to your husband. The Aztecs are tamed. What is
there to fret about? He’ll do all right.”

Sakuna lowered her voice, but mostly to put to rest
any suspicions Nopalli might harbor. “I heard his brother is not happy.”

There could be no mistake at the appreciative glance
the young woman shot at her. But her shrug was lightly, non-committal. “Where
would you hear something like that?”

“You father told me.”

That statement had an effect. Nopalli stopped dead
in her tracks. Her large eyes peered at Sakuna, wide open.

“Was that what he told you yesterday? Is that why
you looked like someone haunted by the lowest creatures of the Underworld?”

Oh, she should not have said that. Sakuna cursed
herself. She should have kept this conversation as chatty as in the beginning.
Stupid!
Stupid, stupid, stupid
. She was no politician!

Nopalli grabbed her wrist. “Oh sister, don’t look so
frightened. I know that you know that you shouldn’t have said that. It’s all
right. There are some things we should not discuss. If we want our lives neatly
arranged, we better keep to our clothes and jewelry, and our children. Politics
are better left to the men, don’t you think?”

Sakuna felt the light arm encompassing her
shoulders. She knew she would break any moment.

“You are right,” she muttered. “Of course you are
right! It’s just…” She took a deep breath, not trusting her voice, aware of the
attention they drew. “Sorry, I’m sorry.”

“You are not well. Let us buy these materials, and
then go to my house. There is nothing that hot chocolate would not make better.
I can smuggle a little
octli
in it, you know?” The young woman winked.
“It will definitely make you feel better!”

“Can you arrange for me a meeting with your father?”

“What for?”

“He wanted me to give him some advice.”

The young woman’s eyes grew so large they
momentarily dominated her round face, untypically so. “I think I’d better have nothing
to do with it. I may try to arrange it for you, but only this once, and I’m not
sure I want to know the details.”

“It’s not what you think, Nopalli!”

The young woman winced. “I know, I know! But it
doesn’t sound good, you know? Not at all!” She shrugged. “My father is not the
kind of a man to talk politics to a woman. Tecpatl may like to treat you like
he cares for your opinions, but the rest of Azcapotzalco nobles are not like
that.” Frowning, she eyed their litter bearers and the rest of the market
frequenters, staring at the two women, consumed with curiosity. Her voice
dropped. “Yesterday, when my father wanted to talk to you privately, I was
afraid. Afraid for you. I tried to interrupt, if you noticed. You see, you
should be really careful with this man. Better talk to Tecpatl, let him handle
this. He’ll manage.”

Sakuna clutched her palms so tight, they went numb.
“I wish I could!”

“Of course you can, sister. Let the men handle
politics.” She winked. “Let me buy this material and we’ll go home.”

“Can I wait for you in the litter?”

“Of course.”

In the relative privacy behind the light curtains,
Sakuna leaned against the warm planks and closed her eyes. Would it be better
if she waited for Tecpatl? He must come home sometime during the day. She could
talk to him, tell him everything. Everything, aside from the sexual remarks, of
course.

What would Tecpatl do? Would he do what his Uncle
wanted? She doubted that. And how would he go about finding the whereabouts of
Atolli?

She shook her head. What was their son up to? Where
had he gone? Was he hurt or kidnapped?

She doubted that too. There was no logic in alienating
the powerful warlord like that. Not as long as they hoped to achieve his
cooperation.

But then, what should she do? She opened her eyes.
Well, first of all she should stop being hysterical, stop saying stupid things.
She agreed to this market excursion in order to make Nopalli talk. But she had
done exactly the opposite. She had done the talking, blurting out almost the
entire story. She'd  behaved like a silly girl, while Nopalli acted
surprisingly mature.

She took a deep breath. Well, from now on she’d plan
everything beforehand. So, the first thing she would have to decide whether she
should cooperate with the scheming Uncle and help him install his preferred
emperor on Azcapotzalco’s throne, or go to Tecpatl and let him solve all the
problems.

The sensible solution was obvious. Nopalli was right
about that. The young woman was not as silly as she looked like. And yet…

Sakuna frowned. Didn’t she trust Tecpatl’s ability
to handle this dangerous situation? He was the Chief Warlord of the Great Capital,
and that, if nothing else, should count. Even as a young warrior, he had saved
her and her people, time after time. Why didn’t she think he could handle his
Uncle?

Because he was a warrior, a leader, a warlord. He
was no politician. He was not as deceitful, as crafty, as unprincipled, as
sneaky
,
as this power-hungry Uncle of his. She shivered. Could she handle such a man?

I’m a woman
, she thought, straightening up
and stepping out of the litter. The squatting litter bearers looked at her,
surprised
. I can also be crafty and unprincipled. The dirty old villain may
be surprised.

***

Tecpatl eyed his warriors sternly.

“I want to know everything, everything that has been
said between those hallowed walls!” He scanned their faces, three times twenty of
the best elite warriors, clad in their spotted brilliant blue, wearing their
elaborate headdresses. 

They looked back at him, some guiltily, some
apprehensive, some just bewildered.

“I’ve been hearing rumors. All kinds of strange
doubts and deliberations have been reaching my ears since the consecration of
our new Revered Emperor. So here you are, summoned to our hall dedicated to the
mighty Tezcatlipoca, Smoking Mirror, who watches over us, his faithful servants
and the elite warriors of Azcapotzalco.” His gaze encircled them solemnly,
grave and foreboding. “So now, speak up. I want to hear my warriors. I want to
know what they think. I do not wish to hear murmuring and fragments of
disgruntled thoughts. Since yesterday, I’ve been feeling as if I’d been
surrounded by women, those silly creatures crowding the marketplace, chattering
and babbling, gossiping all day long, dropping hints then hopping onto another
subject. Have I been leading women?” His voice rose, echoing between the
marbled walls.

He knew why he had summoned them here, in the
holiest of their military order, the building that was built especially for
them, dedicated to Tezcatlipoca, the god responsible for war and strife, and
jaguars, among many other divine responsibilities. This place would remind them
of who they were.

“We all mourn the passing of our beloved Emperor. A
part of us also died, accompanying this mighty man on his Underworld journey.
But we were left here to guard his legacy. His Empire is our responsibility.
His legacy is sacred. But what have I been hearing? Is it true that some of you
dared to doubt his legacy, openly or covertly? Is it true that some of you
think he did not decide wisely by choosing his successor? Is it true some of
you think you know better?”

His gaze encompassed them, not lingering on any
particular face as the tension grew.

“Speak up now! I want to hear you out,” he bellowed
suddenly, and some jumped at the suddenness of his rage. “Come on, are you just
a bunch of peasants? Are you afraid to speak up? Are you ashamed of your
opinions? Or were you just repeating someone else’s words like the last of the
commoners at the marketplace, blabbering with no consequence, ready to follow
whoever bothered to talk them into this or that mischief? Are these the elite
warriors I’m facing?”

He stood there on the low podium, feet apart, his
brilliant blue cloak flowing smoothly down his wide shoulders, arms stretched.

“My warriors! Veterans of so many battles. People
responsible for destroying Culhuacan. The bravest, the noblest, the best of the
Tepanecs. Men who struck fear in the hearts of even the fierce Mayans. Are
those the same men that I hear now, suddenly gossipy like old women, murmuring
with discontent, disputing edicts of their Emperor, the old and the new one.”
His raised hands shook, clenched. “This will not do, you hear me! You will
serve our new Emperor with all the loyalty your lawful ruler deserves! You will
die for him gladly, upon the marches of Culhuacan or in the forests of the
Mayans. You will never, never, doubt his right to rule! Do you hear me?”

They were afraid now, all of them. And shamed. He
could see that. The ones who had been approached shifted uneasily. He could see
their sagging shoulders, their blushing faces. More than a few. Oh, he had been
right to confront them.