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Lauren lay gazing up at the glistening stars. It took her a moment to realize she was awake. She ran her hand over the soft fur bedding, feeling how comfortable and warm she was.
She yawned and rolled her head to one side. A white-furred creature sat across from the fire, mixing what appeared to be flowers into a cup of steaming liquid. She sat up as everything came flooding back. She found herself in a massive cavern, part of the volcanic underground. She glanced up. Those weren’t stars dancing overhead ... but what were they? Diamonds?
The beast appeared oblivious to Lauren’s eyes on her as she took a long moment to study the softer features of this specimen. It was a female, perhaps older than Tsul’Kalu? The creature looked up suddenly, as if she’d sensed she was being watched and Lauren realized the creature’s eyes were blue. She sat looking at her, wondering if she could talk to her like she did Tsul’Kalu. The female returned to her work for a moment then rose, setting what looked like a turtle-shell beside Rowan’s sleeping form.
“Truth Seeker, do you remember the story I told you about the Rabbit?” She realized Tsul’Kalu was sitting nearby. He rose and came to sit beside her, crossing his legs. He spoke without speaking, his hands moving in symbolic gesture. She heard his words in her ears. Perhaps it was all in her head?
“Yes.” Lauren pulled the fur blanket around her shoulders. “You told me how he was the leader of them in the mischief and that he would be brought to be judged for his misdeeds.”
“The time has come for the rabbit to be judged.”
“Tell me, what has he done this time to offend The People?”
“He comes to take the stars from the sky.” The creature waved his hand above his head. Lauren’s eyes went up. “He does not ask or come with respect for the People.” Lauren looked at him again. She realized he had white streaks in his beard, heavy wrinkles around his dark, deep-set eyes. He was no monster, but a kind old teacher. A shaman perhaps. “He must be judged. But you must rest.” Tsul’Kalu rose and returned to his spot by the fire.
Lauren laid back down and gazed up. Those were raw diamonds; she was sure of it. The female returned to tend to Rowan. She lifted his head and coaxed him to drink from the turtle shell. The she-beast waved a twist of some smoking herbs over him like a fan. In her mind she knew the herbs would ease his breathing. Was she Tsul’Kalu’s wife?
Rowan’s shirt had been removed, and beneath the fur blankets she could see his ribs had been wrapped in some kind of fur cloth. A poultice of some kind was tucked into the wrapping.
“He is doing well,” Tsul’Kalu said in her head. He nodded at the female with a gesture. “She will bring you food, if you are hungry.”
“Please,” Lauren realized her stomach was growling.
The female rose and left Rowan to rest, returning a moment later with a tray of food.
“Wa-do,” Lauren smiled, thanking her. The female looked at her blankly, but nodded slightly.
“Not all the People speak the ancient All-Language,” the shaman said. “She is not of the same clan as you. This is a gift from the gods that we share.”
“But how is that possible?”
“I was chosen by the ancient gods who taught me the All-Language. You were similarly blessed,” his voice reverberated in her head.
“I was? Wait. What?”
“You were chosen by the ancient gods, Truth Seeker. Chosen to find the resting place of the infant god-child. The infant was given as a gift to the ancient men.” Lauren sat up, cross-legged. She watched him as the story filled her head. “He was meant to be a teacher; a leader of men. But the ancient men were afraid of the god-child and what men fear, they must destroy. The child was slain; beheaded to prevent him from being restored by the gods. Fearing their wrath, they buried him in a dark place where the gods would not find him. But the gods exacted their vengeance on those who had betrayed them. The ancient men were slaughtered, wiped from the face of the earth. Only their temples and cities remained, empty and surrendered to the earth. The remains of their cities were devoured by the jungles.” Lauren could see a vision of the tale in her mind’s eye. She wasn’t sure how. She could see the fire raining from the sky. She could smell the acrid smoke and aroma of death. Bodies rotted where they fell, and death came to all the ancient people. She could see the step pyramids entwined in vines and consumed by vegetation. “The ancient gods know you. They have been watching you. You, Truth Seeker, found the god-child; you held his body in your hands. You directed the ancient gods to his resting place. You were repaid with the gift of the All Language.”
Lauren was having a hard time processing the whole thing. She had a vision of the headless chicken man from the cavern in Peru ... but the body of an ancient god? An infant? The god-child. She gasped as she realized what she had held in her hands.
“Yes, Truth Seeker.” The beast had a beatific expression on his face. “The god-child was defiled and abandoned. It was hidden from the ancient gods, who brought down their wrath upon the men who betrayed their trust.”
“I still don’t understand how you know this. You’re a ... a ...”
He nodded. “Our people are an ancient race as well. When the Gods handed down their fury on the ancient men, they came to my father and gave the People warning. We were instructed to flee to the four corners of the world. Our people left the land of destruction and came to settle here, far away from ancient men.” He continued, “I was born in the same b’ak’tun and recall these events as a child.”
“But ...” Lauren hesitated. “That was a long time ago. You were alive then? Centuries ago?”
“For the People, it wasn’t so very long ago, Little One.” He seemed to smile, but it quickly faded. “Our peace was short-lived, though. Even as our race made its home here, far from the jungles to the south, other men came ... men with yellow hair and eyes like the afternoon sky. They came and made their home in the valleys. For decades, they left us in peace. They came first for the forest, cutting down trees and taking our game. Now, they come for the stars in our sky.” He glanced up at the ceiling of the cave and its sparkling gemstones.
Lauren was no geologist, but she knew volcanic processes were responsible for the creation of many kinds of precious gemstones, including emeralds, obsidianite, and even diamonds. Gold and copper were not uncommon either.
“I have so many questions.” Lauren was having a hard time taking all of it in. Her head spun and throbbed in her temples. She put a hand to her forehead, turning to examine the cavern, rising unsteadily. There were carvings on the walls that reminded her more of Mayan pictographs than any of the North American glyphs she’d studied. “When the volcano exploded twenty years ago, how did your people survive?”
He understood her curiosity and her confusion as well. “The gods protect us and give us warning. We had time to flee to a safer time place.”
She studied his calm expression. “Tell me more...” She sat down across from him, wishing she had her camera. She wished Rowan would wake up. She needed someone else to witness all these wonders — to convince her she wasn’t dreaming, or lying comatose in some injured hallucination.
“The Rabbit has been a constant thorn in our toe for the past few years. We could not scare him away as we have the others. Then we found the Rabbit lured others into his deception, using our image to frighten away those who might come in reverence. The People have asked for intercession. I believe this is why the gods brought you to us. I am compelled to bring the Rabbit to judgement. He is of your ilk, but it will be mine who determine his fate; as the ancient gods punished man, so will we.”
Lauren took a moment to process the information. Ancient knowledge was hard for her modern brain to take in. She understood that the Sasquatch meant to capture the men who had kidnapped her. Perhaps even kill them.
“So, these men, they have been coming into your home and taking these stones?”
“Yes, Truth Seeker,” he said. “They have greed in their hearts. Greed will be their undoing.”
“And these are the same men who hurt me several months back.”
“I was certain they would kill you. I knew the ancient gods would be furious. I feared their vengeance for all men. I saved you from the Rabbit and would have kept you here to be mended, but there wasn’t time. Your own people were putting themselves at great risk, seeking you. I could tell Asi-sde-li-sgi was desperate. I could not keep you from him. It pained my heart to feel the hurt in his.”
She looked toward Rowan and managed a smile. “We are grateful for your intervention, Ancient One.” She bowed, and he returned the gesture.
“You should rest, Truth Seeker. Your quest is not yet done.”
“But I have so many questions, Tsul’Kalu. You are so ancient and wise. I want to know ... know the mysteries of the universe ... the meaning of life.”
The beast seemed to smile again. “The meaning of life is a simple one, Truth Seeker. The purpose of life ... is living. Do not wait for life to happen. Live it as it comes.” Lauren felt the words sinking in. She realized now how wrong she had been. She thought she had been living, but she’d been putting off life for the sake of her job. She’d put off Rowan. Oh! How foolish I’ve been. She glanced over at him, feeling sorry for every single time she’d told him no. “Eat now,” Tsul’Kalu said. “We can talk more later.”
“But ...” Lauren seemed desperate. “I still have questions.”
“Of course, you do, Truth Seeker. You always will.”