Young Jaguar, The (6 page)

“Don’t!” He took a step back. “I want no favors.
Don’t do it!”

“It might be a good idea,” said the girl as though
he had not spoken at all. “I’m thinking. Don’t interrupt.”

“Stop thinking about that. I want no favors.” He
measured her with a glance, puzzled and almost amused for a heartbeat. “And
anyway, to whom will you be talking? The dead Emperor?”

She raised one delicate brow. “You are not that
bright, are you?  How can I be the Emperor’s daughter? I’m too young for that.
I’m the first daughter of the Emperor’s First Son, the mighty and wise
Xicohtli.”

“Oh.”

“Yes, and my Father is very powerful. He is to rule
Coatepec, but who knows? He may very well end up ruling Azcapotzalco itself.
Will you serve him faithfully when your time comes?”

Atolli frowned, puzzled. “Of course I’ll serve the
Emperor, any emperor.”

“Not any emperor.” She seemed irritated as if
expecting something from him. “You should serve my Father. Promise to serve him
well.” On her feet now, she took a step forward and stood in front of him,
almost as tall as he was. A faint aroma of rosewater reached his nostrils,
raising in his mind pictures of her visiting a steam bath this morning. The
doe-like eyes clung to his, pleading and commanding at the same time.
“Promise!”

“I promise,” he muttered, embarrassed by the pictures
his mind drew too vividly.

She smiled and offered him a small, delicate wrist.
The touch of her cool palm made him shudder. “I’m glad you decided to help. He
may need your services sooner than you expect. I hope we will meet again.”

The aroma of the rosewater lingered after her cloaked
figure disappeared down the twisting path.

Chapter 6

“I don’t like it,” exclaimed Tecpatl. “Why would
Xicohtli ask him by name? It does not make any sense, even if the temple’s
incident had never happened.” He stared at the plate of cooked beans and slices
of rabbit meat spread on a bed of tortillas, not touching the food. “It doesn’t
make sense, and I don’t like it.”

Sakuna reached for another piece of avocado, never
hungry in this early part of the day when Azcapotzalco’s nobles and commoners
were having their main meal. More barbarism on her part.

“I don’t see a problem. Why wouldn’t anyone want
Atolli in his personal forces? And not only this particular ruler, but anyone.
Atolli was one of the best pupils in
calmecac
. His training is still
with him, in spite of this drinking-in-public incident.”

“He did much more than that and you know it. And he
attacked a princess, who - coincidentally - happened to be one of Xicohtli’s
daughters. Now, why would he want to take such a warrior with him to Coatepec?
Unless it has something to do with Atolli being my son.”

The avocado stopped in midair. “Why? What might he
want from you and why through your son?”

“I don’t know, and that is what worries me.”

She could see he was not telling her all of it. His
eyes indicated that he withheld something. She knew him so well by now, reading
his moods as if drawn on a bark-paper.

But it didn’t matter, she thought. He would tell her
in good time. Oh, how lucky she was. Since their early marriage he had fallen
into the habit of talking to her, recounting his battles, his travels, sharing
his thoughts, even listening to her opinions.

No civilized person would do this, she knew. A
noblewoman’s job was to run a household and bear children – a difficult,
strenuous, thankless job. Wives were to see and not be seen, to be there when
the need for them would arise, to make sure the family functioned perfectly, to
provide the warrior with a correct background to shine against.

Yet, once upon a time, when they were attacked on
their way to Great Houses, running and fighting and doing their best to
survive, Tecpatl had told her she was worth twenty warriors, and he did not
change his opinion of her ever since. He would never do this in public, but in
the relative privacy of their spacious dwelling he had treated her almost like
an equal. Well, not an equal, but at least as one of his most prized
subordinates.

She smiled to herself and forced her mind back to
their current dilemma. “Do you think Atolli would like this?” she asked
carefully.

“I’m not sure I’m about to tell him.”

“Why not?”

“He has not enough life experience to judge such
matters.”

“He may do well in Coatepec.”

And it would be a thousand folds safer than to
enlist as a commoner. As a regular warrior he had so many chances to die; or
even worse. She had been horrified ever since Tecpatl had informed her of her
son’s idea of clearing his name, bursting with pride and satisfaction at the
youth’s decision. She hadn’t been able to say a word for a little while, afraid
she might not be able to control her voice.

But as a personal guard of the Emperor’s brother,
the ruler of Coatepec? Oh, she liked that idea very much, whatever the
political implications. Not that she would sound such thoughts aloud; she knew
better than that.

“How is the new Emperor?” she asked, changing the
subject.

Tecpatl shrugged absently, still deep in thoughts.

“Did he talk to you?”

“Actually, yes.” He looked up, surprised. “He graced
me with a short audience, startling everyone. He told me he appreciates the
success of my campaigns. He said he would love to see me finish Culhuacan once
and for all. He even told me he knows how I feel about it, that I would prefer
to wage a war against the Mayans. He promised to see what could be done about
it. He really surprised me.”

She beamed at him. “See how appreciated you are!”

He shrugged once again. “We’ll see if he means it.”

“Of course he means it. Why wouldn’t he? He will
carry on his father’s policies and edicts. And he will appreciate his faithful
leaders and advisers, most of all - his Chief Warlord.”

“And that’s why I don’t want my son serving Xicohtli
in Coatepec.” He measured her with a glance. “I’ll talk to you later about it.”
His fleeting smile made her understand he didn’t think their main set of rooms
was private enough.     

 Satisfied, she busied herself with rearranging the
plates. “Your meal is getting cold,” she said finally, having nothing else to
move about. “You can think and eat at the same time, can’t you?”

He smiled and swallowed a spoonful of beans. “They
are hot this morning,” he commented, smiling. “The cook must be fond of the
spiciest of our chili sauces. Is it someone new?”

She tore off a piece of tortilla. “Yes, the previous
cook got sick and died. Not that I let him near our kitchens when he was ill,”
she added.

“What? Your potions didn’t work on him?”

“The stupid man wouldn’t try any. He said my herbs
were good for savages. He said a civilized man should seek his medicine among
the temple’s priests and not among uncivilized witches.” She tried to sound
light, but her anger was difficult to contain.

“Most stupid of him.” Tecpatl shrugged, not noticing
any of it.

“Nopalli asked me to come over this afternoon,” she
said, changing the subject once again.

“Umm, another of those chocolate-drinking women
parties?”

“Her youngest son is feverish since yesterday
morning. She tried everything, but he remains hot and sleepy all the time. She
fears for him and asked me to come and see what can be done to cure him.”

He frowned. “Why would she drag you there in person?
You are not a healer or some other working commoner. Why don’t you just send
her a potion or a relevant herb?”

She looked at him, surprised. “She wants me to help
her. As a friend. We women also form friendships, you know. She fears for her
son, and she appreciates my skills. There is nothing wrong with that.”

He smiled with half of his mouth and raised his
eyebrows, looking skeptical and suddenly unbearably arrogant. “Your skills may
be wonderful, but don’t make a mistake of thinking that this woman values your
friendship in any genuine way. Not this one. The members of my Uncle’s family,
all of them, are snobbish frog-eaters who think they are better than the
Emperor himself. Nopalli is no different. If she is nice to you now, she wants
something from you. Maybe it’s really because of your healing skills, but don’t
make the mistake of thinking that she feels you are her
e
qual and don’t trust her too much.”

She glared at him, her fingers crushing the remnants
of the half-eaten tortilla.

“Oh, don’t take it personally,” he said, eyes still
twinkling, still amused. “I know you’re good with those herbs and all. I
appreciate your skills myself, when I get sick. Didn’t I take a whole pack of
those herbs with me last time when heading for Culhuacan? Send her a similar
pack with a slave. But don’t go yourself like a common healer. You are better
than this.”

Her fingers crushed the last of the tortilla as she
watched him resuming his eating, amused and elevated from his previous gloomy
mood.

You are the arrogant frog-eater yourself,
she
thought hotly.
You are not taking me seriously, but I’m not a girl anymore,
and I’m not just a wife. My skills matter to people!

Unperturbed, he finished his meal and beamed at her.
“I love when you get that angry. I loved arguing with you even before I fell in
love with you, you know? It’s good you didn’t lose any of your fighting
spirit.” He laughed into her eyes, making the matter worse.

“I hated the way you argued, even if I loved you
otherwise,” she said through her clenched teeth. “And you didn’t change. You
are more arrogant than the people you are accusing of arrogance. Don’t you ever
mistake that!”

He was still laughing as he got up. “I wish we could
go on, but I have to be back at the Palace. The rituals for anointing our new
Emperor will be resumed at high noon.” He winked at her, smiling innocently.
“Tonight we’ll discuss my arrogance further if you wish it to. And if you
decide to poison me with some of your herbs, make sure it is something that
would not affect my virility.”

He was gone, laughing to himself, happy about his
last joke.

I really should put something in his food
,
she thought, half amused now. Something that would make him have to sit over
the chamber pot for a whole night long. In the public latrine would be even
better.

***

Climbing over the low walls of his friend’s house
was a much easier task than scaling the high, well guarded wall surrounding the
Palace. It took Atolli a long time to slink around the marketplace and the
adjacent grounds, trying to locate the relatively deserted parts of the royal
enclosure behind the Great Pyramid.

Panting, he climbed it as swiftly and soundlessly as
he could, landing on the swept grounds of the tropical garden, sweating and
scratched. 

The elegant pathways between the densely planted
trees and flowerbeds looked deserted by the last of the sunlight. He brushed
the dust off his loincloth. Now what?

He looked around. Had Mecatl been right, telling him
it was a crazy idea? How many walls had he climbed since overhearing his father
this morning?

Well, the stone partitions of his parents’ spacious
dwelling were not really a challenge. He had had no difficulty jumping over it.

Then, sneaking onto Mecatl’s parents’ gardens –
another easy feat, familiar from his childhood. He had climbed onto the roof
right above his friend’s room, relieved to discover the bulky figure sprawling
on the floor, playing a bean game with one of his numerous younger half brothers.

“What’s your news?” Mecatl did not make an attempt
to get up, his voice empty and indifferent.

“Lots of things. Take a break from the game.”

“All right.” Atolli’s friend glanced at his sibling.
“Get out.”

The boy pulled a face, but went away without an
argument.

“A nice cub,” commented Mecatl thoughtfully. “Keeps
me company while the rest of the family hates my guts.”

“When did they let you out?”

“Only this morning, curse their stinking eyes. Would
you believe that? The gall!”

“Listen, I may have a solution for us. Even better
than enlisting as commoners.”

“Well, I really would like that. My father just beat
me and said he would not help me out. Although he can, you know? How difficult
is it to ask some of his friends to take me as a shield bearer?”

“My father was not happy about doing this either. It
hurts their pride, you know. But listen, how would you like to get into
fighting with no shield bearing at all?”

“Impossible!”

“I know, unless it is not in Azcapotzalco itself.”
He related his meeting with the haughty princess. “She is so full of herself, I
could strangle her. Yet, she may be able, and
willing
, to help us. Her
father seems somewhat anxious to get as many promising warriors as he can,
before being kicked out of the capital, you see? So he wouldn’t care for our
troubles as long as he gets our loyalty and skills. I guess he foresees enough
wars in that part of the world.” He paused, letting the information sink in.
“And now I overhear my father telling my mother that the mighty Xicohtli
himself asked for me by name. She was fast, this princess, wasn’t she?”

Mecatl was sitting upright now. “Well, yes. She
actually kept her word. Unbelievable! After making so much trouble for us, the
filthy
cihua
did actually try to amend the matters.”

Atolli winced, embarrassed by his own irritation.
“She is all right, I guess. She probably just panicked back in the temple.”

One pointed eyebrow rose. “She is all right, eh? Do
I notice some feeling in there?”

“Shut up! I would never touch her, even if promised
to be made a jaguar warrior on the spot. She is annoying and unbearably
arrogant. She tried to tell me to talk to her nice or else. What a thought!” He
snorted. “But we can let her get us out of this mess, can't we?”    

Mecatl chuckled. “All right, all right, you can relax
now.” He frowned. “Coatepec is such a hole though. For how long will we have to
stay there?”

“I don’t know. Would you rather go along with the
common warriors plan?”

“Well, I wasn’t offered Coatepec yet, you know? You
were the one who was asked for by name.”

“That’s the thing. I thought about it when I heard
my father this morning. I have to find a way to talk to her again, to let her
know we are coming together or not at all.”

“And how do we do that?”

“We try to talk to her.”

Mecatl’s laughter rolled between the plastered
walls. “Just send her word, eh?
Hello princess, would you care to meet us
somewhere around the marketplace, so we won’t have to walk too far? It’s been a
long day
.”

“She may be back at her temple by now.”

“Not likely. She’ll be preparing for the journey.
The royal folk don’t travel as lightly as a simple troublemaker like yourself.”

He hadn’t thought of that possibility.
So, she
will be leaving for Coatepec too.
Aware of a twinge of excitement, he
frowned, saying hurriedly, “Then we’ll have to try to find her in the Palace.”

“Just walk in there and ask for an audience with the
First Daughter of the First Son of the deceased Emperor. Why didn’t we think of
that right away?”

But he was already full of ideas, picturing her by
the same secluded pond, throwing flower petals in the water, waiting idly.

“We can get into the Palace; it’s very secluded
around the gardens and ponds. No one will notice. Then, if she is not there,
I’ll find that slave of hers… the one she sent to call for me yesterday. It can
be done.”