For the rest of the week, Malinali spent most days in Chapultepec with Cuauhtemoc. He trained her in various new horseback riding skills, showing exceptional patience as she muddled through her mistakes. Pialoni proved equally patient, and by the end of the week, Malinali could ride her at a gallop and even do some minor jumping.
But she wasn't entirely comfortable on the horse and wished she had still more time to refine her skills. The stiffness wasn't as bad as the first day, but she was so exhausted at the end of each night that she slept the soundest she ever had in her life. Hopefully this wasn't a taste of what to expect on this trip to Tlaxcala.
A pleasant change came of all this though: Malinali now ate most of her meals with Cuauhtemoc. She still ate her morning tortilla in the slave quarters when she got up, but they ate an afternoon meal together at the usual place in Chapultepec then dined in the evening in Cuauhtemoc's quarters when they got back for the night.
"I have this idea," Cuauhtemoc told her as they settled in for some chili soup and rabbit the last night before leaving for Texcoco.
She'd been distracted by the lack of a food taster at their private meal and so blushed when he repeated his statement. "What do you have in mind?" She poured the chocolate to avoid his gaze and hide her embarrassment.
"I think, when we get to Tlaxcala, you should pose as my new candidate for Cihuacoatl."
She paused mid-motion and nearly made his cup overflow before regaining her wits. "Your Cihuacoatl?"
He nodded. "I saw how well you swayed Ixtlil, and I anticipate needing that exact skill with the Tlaxcalan lords, but men can be...well, to be blunt, we often dismiss women; I've done it myself in the past, but you have shown me my errors. And if they know that I take your opinions seriously enough to grant you the power of the Cihuacoatl, it will be easier for them to take you seriously, too." He took his cup and sipped before adding, "And I must admit, I relish the idea of rattling Acxotecatl. He'll be our biggest obstacle, so the more we push him off-balance, the stronger our position. I want him wondering what you've told me about him."
"I have no objections."
Cuauhtemoc focused on his dinner as he added, "I think it will help ensure that he behaves appropriately towards you. He'll be less likely to act impulsively if he thinks it will land him in serious trouble, even spark war with the Triple Alliance. Best to discourage him altogether."
She hadn't thought about any possible threat Acxotecatl might pose. She hadn't yet told Cuauhtemoc about her son, or how Acxotecatl had stolen their boy and tried to have her killed, but now wasn't the time to fell entirely new trees across their path towards peace. He might not let her go if he knew how deep the hostility ran.
Besides, she loathed to stay behind, what with Tayanna's gloating. Everyone had noticed her changed demeanor, and several whispered that she must have met a man, but Tayanna smiled and said nothing, unexpected from the woman who'd vowed to crow her triumph from the roof of the palace. Malinali avoided her, and Tayanna seemed content with that. Didn't she know Malinali was going to Tlaxcala with Cuauhtemoc and she would be left behind? And without you sneaking to his bed every night, I can make him forget you completely, especially now that he trusts me enough to not bother with food tasters when I bring the meal.
But that too bothered her. He trusted her, and yet she was plotting to bewitch him. It's for his own good. Tayanna is using him whereas I genuinely care for him.
"Are you not hungry?" Cuauhtemoc asked, breaking through her thoughts. "You've hardly touched your food."
Malinali blinked away the unsettled feeling. "I'm fine, just nervous about the trip. I never thought I'd ever go back to Tlaxcala again."
He nodded. "I'm a bit nervous myself. The last time I was at the Tlaxcalan border, I nearly died from a snake bite."
"Things will certainly go much better this time, for both of us." After a few bites, she asked, "Are we to leave in the morning?"
"Ixtlil and I will take the royal barge to Texcoco tonight, so I can get Achicatl settled there. It will take a day to get all our supplies organized, so we'll leave for Tlaxcala in two days. Would you mind going to Chapultepec in the morning, to see our horses safely onto the barge to Texcoco? That way you needn't ride over with the other slaves, and the horses will be well cared for."
"I can do that."
"I'll leave your orders with the head steward. You'll need to be in Chapultepec by sunrise, so I'll let you get to bed." He walked her to the door but stood there, looking strangely indecisive, before saying, "I'll see you in Texcoco."
"Tomorrow," she agreed. But as she started to leave, he called out to her again. Her heart jumped, excitement flowing over her. Maybe he'll ask me to stay the night! The thought was complete lunacy, but her every nerve crackled anyway. "Yes?"
"Do you have a friend...among the slaves, who could serve as your handmaiden on this trip? Someone trustworthy?"
Her shoulders sagged but only a fraction. "Of course. My friend Xochitli. She works at the metlatl stones in the kitchen."
"I'll pass her name on to the head steward before I leave, so let her know she needs to gather with the other slaves at the docks in the morning."
¤
Sleep didn't sweep away Malinali's misery, and she arrived at the docks in Chapultepec feeling surly and hopeless. This was to be her life, making other people happy, whether it was watching their children or their possessions. Until you give Cuauhtemoc that love potion, then he'll devote his every breath to making you happy. But that thought left her feeling worse than before.
The horses awaited her at the docks. Tlazocozcatl greeted her with a warm nuzzle, so she stroked his face and set her cheek against his nose. "Do you ever wish you could run the hills without carrying someone on your back, going to the places you want to go instead of where they want you to go?" He snorted and peered back at her with inky black eyes.
The sun was approaching noontime when they reached the docks at Texcoco, and Malinali's stomach rumbled. But with so much unloading to do, it would be a while before she got to eat anything, and she and one of the soldiers still needed to ride the horses to the royal stable.
The afternoon turned into early evening before the barge was completely unloaded. One of the soldiers helped Malinali up onto Pialoni's saddle then he mounted Tlazocozcatl himself, smoothing out the ruffled green feathers on the xicolli before taking the reins in both hands and setting off into the city.
As Malinali followed him through the crowds, an uneasy sense of familiarity settled over her. It took a few moments but eventually she placed him: he was the guard who'd taken her to Chapultepec when she tried to flee; the one who'd dragged her around and made her dizzy with fear. That same feeling crept up on her now. He was a big man—bigger than Cuauhtemoc even—and his face looked as if it had never known a smile. He didn't seem to recognize her, though. Perhaps he intimidated slaves all the time, so she was just one more blank face to him.
Most people stepped aside to let them pass, though a bold few reached out and tried to touch the horses. Tlazocozcatl shied from the outstretched hands, tossing his head, and the soldier shouted at the crowd to get back. Pialoni continued moving forward, calm as ever despite the curious hands brushing her sides. Malinali borrowed some of the beast's serenity to ease her own anxiousness.
In the distance, the palace of Texcoco stood above everything else, at the edge of town, built on the side of a hill. The last time she'd been here six years ago, the slave caravan didn't go anywhere near the palace, for if any of them broke free, they needed only run to the courtyard and present themselves to the chief of the guards to gain their freedom. The guards avoided the possibility by tying everyone together with ropes that tightened around everyone's neck if anyone attempted to run.
There was no such barrier to flight this time. The only thing between her and the palace was the streets, the crowds, and that one surly soldier. But he isn't even watching me, is he? she noted. He was instead focused on the curious crowds. She looked towards the palace again, a strange sense of fate settling over her. He's not worried about me at all. I could sneak off down a side alley and he probably wouldn't even notice. The thought set her heart racing with new excitement. She pulled on the reins to slow Pialoni's pace.
But if he catches me, Cuauhtemoc can put me to death. Do I really want to take that chance?
But when will I ever get another chance such as this?
The soldier slipped around the curve ahead, disappearing from sight.
It's now, or I accept being a slave for the rest of my life.
Malinali yanked Pialoni's reins to the left and back. The horse tossed her head and rear up before turning sideways. The crowd blocking a nearby alleyway hurried aside, though many people stopped to stare as she spurred the horse into the shadows. "Out of the way, lest you want to become a slave yourself!" she growled, reminding them of the penalty for impeding her escape. Only Cuauhtemoc and his men could legally stop her now. The stragglers scurried out of her way, and several people hooted encouragement as Pialoni pounded down the dirt street.
But soon shouts and commotion rose back on the main street. Malinali urged Pialoni forward more insistently. She scattered crowds of people as she wove through the streets, shouting with increasing urgency to make them hurry, but to her horror, when she looked around for the palace, trying to get her bearings, she found she was heading back towards the docks instead.
The soldier came out of one of the side roads, Tlazocozcatl mouthing his bit as he pulled him to a stop. He shot a pointed glare at her as he rode up beside her, his horse facing the opposite direction. "Did you get lost again?" He recognized her after all. People stopped to watch as the soldier reached for Pialoni's reins.
Numbness settled over her. The soldier wouldn't buy any excuse this time. There's only one thing to do.
She dug her heels in hard and Pialoni shot off like an arrow, sending people scattering with screams and yells. Malinali held on tight, her heart pounding like a war drum. She'd never ridden so fast, and with so many people in the way, but it was too late to stop now.
"Halt!" the soldier shouted.
Malinali glanced back to see him wrangling Tlazocozcatl around while the horse fought him, foam dripping from his open mouth. She looked forward again in time to see Pialoni three steps from two men carrying a dead deer hanging on a post by its feet.
"Gods no!" she cried, hunkering down and burying her face in the horse's mane, holding on tight. She imagined Pialoni plowing headlong into the carcass and flipping around, pinning her rider to the ground under her immense weight. The men cried out too.
But there came no cracking wood or whinnying screams; instead Malinali's stomach lurched and she felt suspended in midair. The feeling lasted for several ragged breaths, but then her whole body jostled, rattling her teeth as she landed hard in the saddle again. She finally opened her eyes again.
The palace entrance still lay ahead, at the top of the street. Behind her, the men had dropped their load and the soldier thundered up the street after her. Tlazocozcatl leaped over the abandoned deer carcass. "Stop! In the name of the huey tlatoani!" the soldier shouted.
Malinali turned back, determination replacing the fear coursing through her veins. "Faster!" she yelled into the wind, snapping the reins to urge her steed onward. Pialoni wasn't a powerful warhorse, but what she lacked in size, she made up for in speed.
But the soldier still caught up. As they thundered through the courtyard gates, he tried again to grab the reins, but Malinali yanked back, forcing Pialoni to skid her hooves in the dirt, tossing her head high. Tlazocozcatl continued on but slowed. Malinali leaped from Pialoni's back and ran for the palace steps.
"Stop this foolishness now!" The soldier grabbed her by the arm as she tried to fly by and yanked her back, taking her off her feet. "Don't make me turn you in to the huey tlatoani as an incorrigible slave!"
Malinali turned her panicked gaze to the guards gathered at the palace entrance, watching the spectacle with interest. One of the soldiers disappeared into the palace at a run. Perhaps to fetch the chief of the guards, to witness my victory? Or to see me fail?
I've come too far to give up now, she decided. Forgive me, Tlazocozcatl. She pulled as hard as she could, stretching her free arm towards the horse's flank. For a breath she thought her shoulder might dislocate, but when she slapped Tlazocozcatl hard on the rump, the horse reared. The soldier let go to grab his reins, to keep from spilling from his saddle.
Heart hammering harder than ever, Malinali sprinted for the palace entrance, not looking back. Tears flew from her eyes as she took the steps two at a time, sure as ever that she'd feel the soldier's stone grip on her arm before she could reach that final step. That was how her luck had been all her life, and the gods wouldn't choose now, of all times, to finally smile upon her.
But then she collided with the outspread arms of the guards. "That's far enough!" one of them said with a laugh.
"In the name of Tezcatlipoca, protector of slaves, I demand to speak to the chief of the guards!" she panted. She darted a look back into the courtyard, not quite trusting her good fortune.
But the soldier had finally calmed Tlazocozcatl. He swore loudly as he dismounted.
One of the guards grabbed Malinali's collar and squinted at it. "She's one of the huey tlatoani's," he told the other guards. A moment later, they parted as the chief of the guards came to the entrance and the man repeated what he'd told the others. "She made the top of the stairs without a hand on her," he added.
I made it! I actually made it! She thought she might fall over from sheer joy.
The chief of the guards turned to Malinali. "This way." He motioned inside.
Malinali looked back at the soldier again, and a bit of the joy melted away. He climbed the stairs as if he carried a limestone block on his shoulders. What would Cuauhtemoc do to him for losing her?
¤
"You spoke to everyone?" Cuauhtemoc asked Ixtlil as they sat waiting in the garden for the delegates and Malinali to arrive for the feast.
"I said I would." Ixtlil drained his cup and motioned to the servant to refill it. "There was much laughing, but everyone agreed to follow along, so long as she doesn't make a fool of the Triple Alliance."
"She'll do fine." Cuauhtemoc watched their daughters play hide and seek among the copal trees while Ixtlil's eldest son stalked them as if they were deer. When a guard came out of the palace at a determined pace, Cuauhtemoc expected Malinali to follow him out, but he was alone.
The guard bowed before Ixtlil and waited to be acknowledged before standing up straight again. "My Lord, the chief of the guards requires your presence in the throne room." He cast a nervous glance at Cuauhtemoc.
"Is something the matter?" Cuauhtemoc asked.
The guard bowed again and this time didn't look up. "One of your slaves won their freedom by reaching the palace entrance on their own, Revered Speaker."
"One of my slaves?" He rose to his feet, confused.
The guard nodded. "She's in the throne room right now with the chief of the guards."
His heart skipped a beat. She? Cuauhtemoc exchanged glances with Ixtlil, then followed his friend inside, his trepidation growing with every step. It might not be Malinali, he tried to convince himself. But what if it is? What if she leaves and you never get to see her again? His throat tightened. It would serve you right, for not having the backbone to free her yourself when you had the chance.
But when he saw her standing with the chief of the guards in the throne room, filthy with dust and her hair windswept, but with unabashed exhilaration on her face, his fear gave way to unfiltered joy. She's never looked more beautiful and strong!
Ixtlil sat on his reed-woven throne and folded his hands over his lap. "Why have you brought this woman before me today?" he asked, using his seldom-heard regal tone.
The chief of the guards stepped forward and bowed. "In accordance with our traditions, this slave won her freedom today, Your Majesty. She reached the sanctuary of the palace without being legally captured."
"Oh?" Ixtlil motioned Malinali forward and she obeyed, bowing low. "This must be a joyous day for you. Please tell us the tale of your flight to freedom."
She kept her eyes downcast. "There isn't much to tell, Your Majesty. I fled for the palace and Lord Tezcatlipoca was on my side, for I made it."
"Then you were not pursued?"
A soldier dressed in a green-feathered xicolli stepped forward too, and bowed. "I pursued her, My Lord, acting as an agent of my master, the Lord of Tenochtitlan. She fled on horseback and I chased her through the streets of Texcoco, but she outmaneuvered me at the last moment and earned her freedom."
Ixtlil nodded. "I trust none of my citizens were injured in this sport?"
"We showed diligence in the chase, My Lord," the soldier assured him. He then went to his knees before Cuauhtemoc. "I have failed you in my duties, Revered Speaker. I place myself in your hands for the appropriate consequences."
Ordinarily, Cuauhtemoc would be furious about one of his men failing him, yet he couldn't imagine being anything but grateful for this man's failure right now. Malinali flinched when the soldier spoke of punishments, so Cuauhtemoc quickly replied, "Let us not speak of such things now. I wish to grant this woman her hard-won—and much-deserved—freedom." He looked to Ixtlil for permission: this was his palace, after all.
Ixtlil nodded. "As you wish."
Cuauhtemoc stepped up to Malinali. She hunkered down more, not meeting his gaze, so he whispered, "Don’t be afraid. Rise and let me free you of your bondage."
After the briefest of hesitation, Malinali stood then met his gaze. She watched him with a curiously melancholy expression as he worked out the wooden dowel that held the collar together at the back of her neck. When he finally finished, he set it in her hand first, followed by the rest of the collar. Finally he could see the neck he'd spent hours daydreaming about.
But what he saw made his gut clench. Years of wearing that collar had left her skin callused and dark with tiny splinters. "You're now your own woman, free to go as you wish." He tried to smile but his facial muscles refused to work right.
She blinked back tears and tried to speak, but it came out as a choked hiss. She swallowed hard then finally managed, "May I have a private audience, My Lord? I'll only take a few moments of your time."
"Of course." To Ixtlil, he said, "I'll be along soon."
Ixtlil nodded then dismissed everyone, leaving Cuauhtemoc alone with Malinali in the throne room. Cuauhtemoc's guards lingered outside the back door.
Malinali stared at the remnants of her slave collar. "I didn't do this to spite you."
"I didn't think you did." Luckily his voice didn't break.
"It's just...I've spent my entire life seeing to the needs of everyone else, sacrificing my own happiness, so when I saw my opportunity, I couldn't let it pass—"
"You don't have to explain. I'm glad you did it."
"You are?"
He set his hands on her shoulders, but when his gaze fell to the mess on her neck, he closed his eyes. "I should have freed you myself, Malinali, but I wasn't strong enough. I'm glad that you seized your freedom instead of waiting for me to do the right thing." Feeling a tremor welling up inside him, he stepped away from her. "Will you go back home now, to Paynala, and demand your throne back?"
She shook her head. "Maybe someday, but I made a promise."
"Promise?"
"To help you in Tlaxcala, of course."
Cuauhtemoc shook his head. "I won't hold you to that."
Malinali looked away, crestfallen. "I understand if you don't want me to come with you now—"
"Of course I want you with me, Malinali. I can't do this without you."
"That's flattering, but I have every confidence that you'd get along fine without me."
"No, I wouldn't." This time, his voice cracked and he had to clear his throat before continuing. "I hesitated to free you not because I feared for the peace with Tlaxcala. I was...afraid you would leave me."
"Oh?" She sounded genuinely surprised, yet a spark of excitement burned in her eyes. "You really thought I would?"
He nodded.
"Well...I'm not going anywhere, My Lord."
He wanted to pull her to him and hug her fiercely, but he got only as far as moving closer to her. It still troubled him that he might step over an unspoken boundary by pressing further, but then she turned her chin up to meet his gaze. She parted her lips, as if wanting to say something, but she hesitated too. Just do it! Finally abandoning all caution, he leaned in to kiss her.
She met him halfway, rising to tiptoes, and when he offered her his tongue, she freely met it with her own. Her eager acceptance stoked his desire like a brisk wind on a wildfire and he pulled her to him in a crushing hug. She ran her hands up over his shoulders and bunched the feathers between her fingers, pulling him still closer to her. He imagined backing her up against the wall across the great hall and making love to her until she cried out in pleasure. But the image of them stumbling blindly past the mats and pillows littering the floor, and tripping over the jagged stone statues of the gods brought a laugh bubbling to his lips, making him break off the kiss.
His bemusement cooled though when he looked down at her callused neck again. "Can you ever forgive me for being too weak to see past my own selfishness?"
"If you can forgive me for thinking you were ever anything but an honorable man," she said and inhaled deep when he ran his tongue up to her ear, scraping his front teeth against her lobe. "Though this last week, I'd started hoping that maybe...possibly...."
He smiled. "That I might want you?" He kissed her again until they were both breathless. "I do want you; I want the brilliant woman who will win us peace, the woman who warns me when I'm acting stupid, and I especially want the woman who's not afraid to grab her freedom."
"I want you too." She kissed him this time, knotting her fists in his cape.
He gathered her into his arms again, the desire growing, but when her stomach rumbled, he laughed. It was always something getting in the way.... "Sounds as if food is what you really want, my dear," he teased.
She grinned, her face dark with embarrassment. "I haven't eaten since before sunrise."
"Then let's take care of your loud stomach." He offered her his arm.
"But I'm a complete mess," she protested.
"Then you can wash up first."
¤
Cuauhtemoc's Texcocan quarters were more impressive than the ones back in Tenochtitlan. Eleven large rooms clustered around a central courtyard filled with flowers and small trees, and statues of the goggle-eyed rain god Tlaloc hid among the bushes. The front wall of Cuauhtemoc's personal quarters took up one entire end of the courtyard, and he led Malinali over to one of the doorways closest to it, on the left side. "These are your quarters." He held open the red curtain emblazoned with his royal crest.
The room itself was twice the size of Tenochtitlan's royal slave dormitories, and was divided up into smaller rooms, much like the royal quarters at home. Decorative spears and swords hung on the walls, accenting murals of battle and war.
"These are my Cihuacoatl's quarters when he stays here," Cuauhtemoc offered in explanation when she looked around with a frown. "It's just for one night." He directed her to a large wicker chest sitting at the foot of the bed, and he pulled off the lid to reveal it full of fine dresses. "You can find something in here to wear. I had the royal seamstress make these for you."
Malinali peered into the chest. "For me? Really?"
He nodded. "So you would look the part of a future Cihuacoatl." He motioned for her to follow him and they went back out into the courtyard and down a side passage. "Your friend is waiting for you in the women's bath yard. She'll help you bathe and dress."
"I can bathe and dress myself," Malinali said with a sardonic smile.
"I know, but we must keep up appearances." When they reached the end of the hallway, he glanced back the way they'd come. "You never know who is watching. That's why I put you in the Cihuacoatl's quarters." He stole another kiss, leaving her feeling pleasantly intoxicated. "Take your time, and enjoy a little luxury." He winked then left her feeling overwhelmingly hot.
"I'm in a dream," she murmured, but as she turned to leave, she remembered her herb pouch tied under her dress. Don't need any stupid love potion anymore. But she didn't want Xochitli finding it; she trusted her to keep her secrets, no matter how stupid they were, but if she were caught with the powder, best not to involve her friend. She returned to her room and stuffed the pouch down the side of the large wicker basket, making certain it was underneath everything. She would find a private moment to dispose of the potion later.
One couldn't see the bath yard from the passageway thanks to the row of tall hedges a handful of steps past the hall's end, forming an open-air passageway leading both right and left. Two small, knee-high statues—one of the war god Huitzilopochtli, the other of his mother Coatlicue—designated which direction to go depending on one's gender, so Malinali followed the passage to the left. Around the corner, she found Xochitli sitting at a gap in the hedges that marked the women's bath yard entrance. Xochitli scrambled to her feet when she saw her. "They took your collar off already?"
Malinali let slip a nervous laugh. "And I never have to wear it again!" Xochitli stared, confused, so she added, "I ran!"
Xochitli gasped. "You did?"
"And I made it to the palace without getting caught!"
Xochitli shrieked in delight and hugged her, but then she moved away, smoothing her dress as if she'd forgotten her place. When Malinali cast her a questioning gaze, she whispered, "I have strict orders to treat you as a noblewoman at all times, in case we're being watched."
"Cuauhtemoc did say something about that."
"Was he angry? About you winning your freedom?"
"Not the slightest. In fact...." She looked around then grabbed Xochitli's hand and pulled her into the hedge-enclosed bath yard.
A tall adobe steam bath sat off to one side and a deep pool of water filled a large stone basin buried in the ground. A small fire burned in a pit off to the side with a kettle of water over it, already steaming. Malinali couldn't remember the last time she'd had a hot bath. The water in the slave quarters was always cold, for wood fuel couldn't be wasted on frivolities such as hot water for slaves.
"What happened?" Xochitli asked as she helped Malinali out of her clothes for the bath.
"I was all wrong about him." She thought back to his embrace and the exciting mix of joy and desire his touch brought bubbling to the surface. "And we finally kissed." She sighed, but then blushed, realizing just how ridiculous she must sound, giddy as a young girl in love for the first time.
Xochitli smiled. "I told you everything would work out."
"You did. I should always trust your judgment, because it's always spot-on." Fully undressed, Malinali toed the water in the basin then eased her way into it. The luxurious heat sent a frenzy of shivers through her flesh as she sank slowly into the steaming water.
"Well, most of the time," Xochitli said with a laugh. She secured sea sponges onto her hands with leather bindings then dipped them into the water and wrung them over Malinali's head, to wet her hair. "But in this case, I knew he wasn't truly interested in Tayanna. With a little coaxing, Tayanna spilled the truth on the way over here this morning. She bedded the King of Texcoco and he's taken her into his household, as a concubine."
Malinali sat gape-mouthed before saying, "But I saw Cuauhtemoc with her—"
"And maybe it was merely sex; an itch in need of scratching."
Malinali knew all this, and maybe this budding affair was just more scratching. He did say I wanted you, not I love you.
But it's a start, she decided with a smile. We'll see where it goes from here.