Sail With Me (A Discovery Series Book) (16 page)

Sunlight shimmered off water as I peered down from the hill. A vast lake
stretched across the land below us and a great stepped pyramid rose in its
center. Smaller buildings and streams of water spiderwebbed out in all
directions. Lush greenery added splashes of color among the golden city built
upon islands and marshlands within the lake. Curls of smoke spiraled up from
some of the buildings, and movement swelled in the streets as log canoes dotted
the waterways around the city.  

“This is Ezenoch,” Tizoc announced. “My home.”

The faces of the tribesmen all beamed with pride along with Tizoc. Sheer
awe and amazement washed across the faces of the rest of us.

“It’s beautiful.” I squatted onto my knees as if lowering myself would
allow me to be closer to the city.

“Amazing.” Daniel’s eyes widened as he took in the details.

“Are those canals?” Captain Finley asked, impressed with the ingenious
design of the city.

“Yes,” Tizoc replied. “They allow us to bring water from the lake into
the temple center and to the farms farther inland.”

“Excellent,” the captain said, more to himself than to anyone else. He rummaged
around in his sack and extracted a leather-bound book, a quill, and ink.
“Charlie, are you an artist, boy?”

“Umm…” I could draw well, but did not have a special prowess for it.

“I want you to draw a quick map of what we’re seeing right now,” he said.
Not taking his eyes off the view, he pressed the book, quill, and ink bottle into
my hands. “We want to make sure we document what we see.”

I took the materials and sat on the grassy hilltop with my legs crossed
in front of me. Tons of words, sketches, diagrams, and the like filled the
small book. I found an empty page and fussed with the quill and ink long enough
to dirty my hands.

Looking to the city every once in a while, I sketched what I saw. Captain
Finley stood by my side, mumbling affirmations as I drew. Daniel came over to
stand on the other side of me, and the shadow of Tizoc behind me fell across
the page. He stepped to the side so the sun once again illuminated my work.

I drew without talking, getting more into the layout of the city. The
stone buildings at the center were detailed with intricate designs. The smaller
ones around the perimeter were nothing more than earthen huts. I focused on the
center where a good deal of the city’s beauty rested. Two stone temples with
enormous lit torches at their tops flanked the central pyramid.

Tizoc’s hand reached over my shoulder as he pointed a finger at the
temples. “Those are dedicated to our most revered gods. Adanitupachi, the Sun
God, and Isidro, the Rain God.”

At the sound of the gods’ names, every tribe member bowed their heads in
homage. I wanted to stop drawing to show respect, but my hands worked under
their own power, sweeping the quill across the page, capturing Tizoc’s
marvelous city.

When I had finished, Daniel let out a whistle and nudged me in the shoulder
with his knee. “Impressive, Charlie.”

“You have done my home justice.” Tizoc bent over to get a closer look at
the drawing. He leaned near my face, and I breathed in his earthy scent, which
made my head spiral. The picture in my lap wavered for a moment as if coming to
life, and I tried to stay still as Tizoc examined my work. He knew the effect
his proximity had on me for when he retreated, a wide grin stretched across his
lips.

Captain Finley reached a hand down indicating he wanted me to turn over
the book. I did so, and Daniel took the quill and ink, preparing to place them
back into his uncle’s sack.

“Wait a minute, Daniel,” the captain said. “Give the quill back to
Charlie.”

“Have I forgotten something, sir?” I rose to my feet.

“Yes. Something very important. Your name, son. You’ve got to sign your
work. How will we know who to give credit to when this sketch is famous?”

I took the book back, and Daniel handed me the quill. The feather point
hovered over the page as I waffled over what name I should write. Charlie
Hamden? Charlotte Denham?

“Come on now, boy,” the captain said. “It’s just your name, and we’ve got
a city to get to.”

I scrawled the letter C and a last name that was somewhat illegible. The
captain took the book back without question and showed it to some of the other
crewmen nearby. Amidst their mumbles of approval, Daniel nodded that I had done
the sensible thing.  

A single point of movement coming toward us garnered my attention. One of
Tizoc’s men scurried up the hill as if it cost him no effort whatsoever. Racing
over, the man bowed and talked rapidly in a foreign tongue. Tizoc responded to
the man in his native language then turned to us Englishmen.

“My cousin has alerted my father of our arrival. He is an official in the
emperor’s court. Several canoes wait at the edge of the lake to take us to the
temple center. My father will act as liaison to the emperor. You all will be
welcomed to Ezenoch.”

A cheer rose up from the men as Daniel and I gazed at each other for a
long moment. We had traveled so far to see this new land, and now we were mere
steps away from a beautiful city. Steps away from settling in and carrying out
any orders Captain Finley may have for us.

Steps away from telling the captain who I really was.            

****

As we began our descent down the hill toward Ezenoch, it grew more
magnificent with each step we took. Log canoes lined the edge of the lake, each
with a Sunal guide. Our group piled into the canoes, and we were ferried to the
temple center of the city.

I leaned over the wooden edge of the simple canoe and studied the water
below. It teemed with colorful fish unlike any I had ever seen back in
Southampton. Had Eric and Riley seen fish like this in Florida?

“Tizoc?” I turned to my left where he sat next to me. “Is Florida near
here?

“Florida? Why do you want to know about Florida?
            “My brothers and father have been to Florida.”

“I see.” He tugged on my shirtsleeve—my brother’s shirtsleeve. “The land
called Florida is not far from here. To the northeast.” He pointed an arm out
in that general direction.

I gazed to the northeast as if I could see Florida from here.

“Is that where you will go next?” Tizoc asked.

“I don’t know.” I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet. I hadn’t thought
that far ahead for most of this venture and things had gone better than
expected. “Maybe.”

“Maybe you will love Ezenoch so much you will decide to stay here,” Tizoc
whispered in my ear. His eyes were golden flames setting something deep inside
me on fire.

“Maybe,” I repeated, not able to subdue the smile that played at my lips.

Tizoc returned the smile then focused his attention to the city ahead. I
did the same, but now my mind
was
wandering to where I would go next.
Daniel said he’d go wherever I wanted.

What if I did decide to stay in Ezenoch? Would Daniel be all right with
that notion? I found the back of Daniel’s head among the crewmen in front of
me. He was laughing with George Fairwell, his profile revealing a pleasant
smile—a smile a girl could spend hours smiling back at. His laughter wafted
back to me on a soft breeze as the canoe slid through the water toward the
city. It was the sound that had drawn me to Daniel. His laughter had allowed me
to see beneath his sour mood. I needed his laughter.

I needed him.

Sitting so far away from Daniel in the small canoe became painful. Though
a comfortable warmth emanated from Tizoc beside me, I still couldn’t wait to
steal another moment alone with Daniel once we were back on land. As if reading
my thoughts, he glanced over his shoulder and winked a sky-blue eye at me. I
looked around at the crewmen beside me, but they were all so focused on Ezenoch
coming into view before us that they didn’t see the exchange.

Tizoc, however, did.

“You will go wherever he goes,” he said.

“No.” I grinned. “He will go wherever
I
go.”

“You have that kind of power over him?” he teased.

“Love is a power
with
someone, not
over
someone.”

“And you are sure it is love you feel for him?”

I shifted at the personal nature of the question.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I… I love Daniel.” I had never said it out loud. I
liked the sound of it. It sounded real and true. I wanted to say it to Daniel.

“Good fortune shines upon him then,” Tizoc said. “Love is the greatest
treasure a man can find.”

Before I could respond, he leaped out of the canoe without disturbing its
balance. He and three of his kin waded in the knee-deep water as the canoes
slid into slips along a thin, wooden dock.

Tizoc’s words bounced around in my mind as Daniel climbed out of the
canoe. He stood next to Captain Finley who clamped a hand on Daniel’s shoulder.
Daniel had considered me a treasure so far. I hoped it would stay that way.

“Come, come,” Tizoc said as I hauled myself out of the canoe and stepped
on the swampy shore.

Tall grasses surrounded me as I stood next to Daniel. Tizoc’s city of
islands stretched out in all directions before us. I had difficulty deciding
where to look first.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Captain Finley said. “Truly magnificent.”

Several of the crewmen mumbled their agreement.

“I am honored that you find it so, Captain,” Tizoc said with a slight
bow. “There is much more to see, but I must warn you again. If any indication
that you mean us harm is detected, my warriors will do what they have been
trained to do.”

“We understand,” Captain Finley said.

“Good. This way.” Tizoc took the lead.

Again, we were walking, but my legs were ready after their short reprieve
in the canoe. The city pulled me forward, gave me energy. Muscles still ached,
but my mind no longer focused on it. Instead, my thoughts revolved around
Ezenoch.

The swampy ground soon turned into a dirt walkway, wide enough for many
English carriages to pass at the same time. I did not see any carriages though.
Instead men, dressed much like Tizoc, and women with long, jet-black hair
wearing shirts with no sleeves and skirts in bright colors that wrapped around
the waist walked on foot up and down the dirt streets. A few small children
played in the streets as well.

They all stopped to stare at our crew as we passed. Each of them had
coal-black eyes—not one set the same color as Tizoc’s. As he led us by,
everyone bowed their heads to him as I had seen people in England do to the
king. Tizoc was clearly in charge of his kin that had greeted us when we first
arrived. They obviously thought him to be the legendary warrior he had told me
about, but was he something more as well?

The buildings we passed on our way to the temple center were works of art
with their soft earthen beige color and detailed stone sculptures. Some
buildings were homes built around open courts. I peeked into other buildings at
the brilliantly colored paintings on the walls, many of them involving animals
of some kind. Women in one of the buildings dyed cloth. In another, beautiful
pottery was being painted with red, white, and black patterned shapes.         

Everything was so clean and crisp. The air about me, the ground beneath
my boots, the voices spiraling around my ears. All of it was perfect. Everything
I had seen so far was flawless and civilized.

Where were the savages my father had warned my brothers about? They
didn’t live here. I felt safe and welcomed despite Tizoc’s warning about his
warriors.

We arrived at the center of Ezenoch where a plaza paved with stone
replaced the dirt streets. Tizoc pointed out several large structures and said they
were government buildings. He showed us the palace of the Sunal ruler,
Dimazuno. It rose two stories high and probably contained hundreds of rooms. I
wanted to see inside, but Tizoc halted our party in front of a terraced pyramid
crowned with two stone temples instead.

“These temples are our most holy places in the city,” he said.

“A ceremony is planned tonight, Tizoc,” one of the natives nearby said.
“They were waiting for your return.”

“Coatl.” Tizoc flashed a warning glare to his kin and said something in
his native language. His facial features contorted into an angry expression,
and his eyes darkened as his lips formed a thin, hard line.

Coatl—I assumed that was the other native’s name—lowered his gaze in apology
and backed away.

“My apologies,” Tizoc said, giving Coatl another narrowed glance. “Do not
concern yourselves with our ceremony.”

“Do you practice sacrifice here?” Captain Finley stepped closer to the
pyramid’s base and Tizoc.

“We do,” Tizoc replied, his entire body tense now. “I know it is not
something Europeans understand or agree with, but my people believe our gods
must be kept strong to prevent evil from destroying all we have.”

“Human sacrifice?” the captain ventured further.

Tizoc’s eyes flicked over to me before he said, “Yes.”

“And where do you get your
volunteers
?” Captain Finley cast a
worried eye over his crew.

“Prisoners of war with neighboring people, mostly. Sometimes one of our
own warriors will accept the duty. I assure you, Captain, that you and your men
are quite safe.”

“If we don’t harm any of you,” Captain Finley said.

“If you don’t harm any of us,” Tizoc agreed.

Again, Tizoc looked at me with a plea in his eyes. I almost heard his
voice in my head, asking me not to be afraid. I shifted closer to Daniel but
gave Tizoc a slight nod. Some of the darkness in his golden eyes simmered away,
but he still appeared uncomfortable about what had been revealed. In the midst
of such beauty, a bloody stain seeped to the surface on what I was learning
about this culture—about Tizoc. It finally hit me just how far away from home
I’d traveled.