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We rubbed deer feces on our calves-like all Mesoamerican warriors, we dragged along big baskets of the stuff-and silent-marched all night, without audible signals and on new rubber-soled sandals, and camped at dawn under the last stand of trees at the edge of a plain that led down to what I think was later the Rio Mezcalapa. It seemed we hadn’t been followed. At dusk we crept out into the flats and down a long, long incline into marshes of scrub cypress and hyacinths. It seemed like ninety percent of the ground was impassable bog. I couldn’t believe how much you’d have to go the long, long way around, how you’d see a destination hill ahead and have to zig and zag in the opposite direction to get there. I remember mainly wasted time and angst, the pi-r-squared longer everything took. I got the feeling we were avoiding some places because of their bad mojo even though the routes we took were actually more dangerous. I marched or rather jogged myself almost all the time now, building up my lung capacity for the possible ball gig, even though I could still have done the rickshaw thing if I wanted everyone to think I was a total wuss. Dopamine from the exertion kept fogging my head and sometimes I couldn’t even remember who was pla
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And when we get the word to them, they move in, Koh added. The ru
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So what, it wasn’t supposed to be up to them, I thought, if one of the competing clans had room for a lot of guests, that was their business. Fine, fine, I thought, we’ll crash the afterparty.
Hun Xoc stood facing them in the direct sunlight. He took his time about answering, not even flinching at the deerflies biting him. I wondered if their biting meant rain was coming. If it did, Koh’s idea with the earthstar compound was screwed from go.
It was a bit of a tense moment. If we didn’t accept, it would be an insult and an excuse to start a fight right now. We were in the weakest possible position, uncamped and tired. Since we were on settled hostile ground, our scouts hadn’t been able to check out our flanks. If the Ocelots hit us now they’d be dug in with an easy retreat and we’d be way out in the breeze.
Hun Xoc had signaled that he was ready to answer.
“We all accept with thanks,” he said, “but how
Can we desert our children on the road?” he asked.
The Ocelots drew back and conferred. Evidently they didn’t want to wait here while the ru
While that was going on covert ru