Curse of the Mummy's Uncle (15 page)

The first figure was dressed all in black. A tight-fitting cloak covered him from head to foot. The front of the cloak appeared to be made of clawed pincers snapping open and shut across his chest. The bottom of his cloak moved around him with a life of its own, and Nick realized it was made of squirming black centipedes.

His face was a bone-white skull, and Nick couldn't tell whether it was a mask or not. The skull turned to the boys and spoke. “I am Hun-Came, One Death.”

The second figure was clad only in a fur loincloth and a feathered mask. Bits of bone seemed to have been thrust through the flesh of his arms, legs, and chest. As Nick watched, he split into two figures, then
three, four, five, six, and finally seven.

Each of the seven figures wore a different mask—each made to look like a bloodthirsty beast. Each held a different weapon, ranging from swords to spears to long, curved knives and stone axes. The men all raised their weapons over their heads and spoke as one, “I am Vucub-Came, Seven Death. The living do not belong in Xibalba. Tell me why you trespass here before we make you one of our own.”

Nick stepped up to the archway, legs trembling. “I'm, um, Nick Braithwaite.” He gave a little wave and felt dumb when the men only continued to stare at him. “The thing is, my mom got turned into this, uh, god.”

“Awilix,” Angelo whispered.

“Right, Awilix. Anyway, I need to find her and break the curse.”

“You seek Awilix's chamber?” One Death asked.

Nick nodded. “Yeah, she's my mom.”

All the copies of Seven Death looked at one another and seemed to reach a conclusion. “You may enter.”

Nick breathed a sigh of relief. He started forward with Carter and Angelo.

“But,” One Death shouted, “know that you must first pass by the ten demons—paying a penance to each. Should you fail, you and your friends will be thrust from Xibalba forever.”

Carter stepped forward. “Um, can I get some clarification on the second part? What exactly do you mean by ‘paying a penance'?”

“The ten demons may torture you as they will. But they may not kill you.”

“Okay,” Carter said. “Well, I guess that's kind of good news.”

Nick turned to his friends. “Look, I appreciate you guys coming this far. But I will totally understand if you want to wait here.”

“I've been lost, attacked by bats, and nearly fed to a jaguar,” Carter said. “What's a little torture compared to that?”

Angelo stepped quickly forward and grabbed One Death's hand. “It's a deal.”

The lord of death yanked his hand away in surprise. “Mortals may not touch the lords!” he shouted. Instantly, the figures disappeared and the three boys found themselves in a long passageway. Looking back, Nick could still see the maze beyond the arch, but it was slightly distorted, as though he were seeing it through a thick pane of glass.

He started down the passage and noticed a pair of alcoves set in each side of the hallway. As he reached the openings, two winged creatures flew down from black onyx pedestals. They were, by far, the most disgusting
creatures he'd ever seen. The one on the left looked like someone had been at it with a sanding machine. Open wounds covered its crusty red body and scaly wings. The one on the right was made of dripping, red-black goo.

“We are the demons of sick blood,” the demons shouted in wet gurgling voices.

Suddenly Nick felt as though his entire body was on fire. Pain racked his muscles and doubled him over.

“Ahh!” Angelo screamed, clutching his stomach.

“It hurts so bad,” Carter bellowed, his face bright red. “Make it stop.”

Nick dropped to his knees. The pain was horrendous. “How . . . did . . . the brothers . . . ,” he gasped. He couldn't say any more. It felt like he was going to faint.

Angelo's mouth dropped open and he clawed through the pages of his monster notebook. “You are Xiquiripat, the Flying Scab,” he called to the one on the left. “And you are Cuchumaquic, Gathered Blood.”

Instantly the demons disappeared.

Nick stood up slowly. The pain was gone, but he still felt like he'd just finished three rounds with a black belt. “How did you make them go away?” he finally managed to ask.

“I named them,” Angelo said. “When you speak their names, they have no power over you.”

Carter rubbed his stomach. “No offense, but next time how about you say the names a little quicker.”

Nick agreed. He wasn't sure he could make it through four more pairs of demons like this.

At the next set of openings, two more demons flew down to meet him. The first was covered in weeping sores, and the other had a strange yellowish tint to its bulbous body.

“We are they who cause mortals' bodies to swell up,” the demons announced.

As soon as they spoke the words, Nick's body seemed to double in weight. His hands turned into balloons and his head felt like it was the size of a pumpkin.

“Can't breathe,” Angelo said, clutching his chest.

Carter, who looked like a badly-out-of-shape Oompa-Loompa, turned to Angelo and grunted. “Say their names before I have a heart attack.”

“Ahalpuh, Pus Demon, and Ahalgana, Jaundice Demon,” Angelo panted.

The demons disappeared.

Nick tried to catch his breath. His legs felt wobbly. But he had to keep going.

The next two demons were nothing but bones with ragged bits of flesh hanging off.

“We eat the flesh from your bones until your life is gone,” the demons said, and Nick suddenly felt weak.
His arms and legs were quickly turning into sticks, the muscles and fat seeming to melt away like wax. He turned to see Carter's face shrivel like an old woman's.

“Name them,” Carter screeched in a voice that sounded nothing like him.

“Chamiabac, Bone Staff,” Angelo wheezed like a dying old man. “And Chamiaholom, Skull Staff.”

Nick stumbled forward and nearly fell. “Let's get this over with,” he said. “I can't take much more.”

“I feel like I got sucked through a vacuum cleaner and spit out through the dust bag,” Carter croaked.

The boys limped down the hall. At the next intersection, two ancient-looking hags flew down to meet them. The one on the left held what looked like a witch's broom, while the one on the right clutched a knife nearly long enough to be called a sword.

The hags cackled. “We hide in the unswept areas of people's houses and stab them to death.”

Almost before Nick felt a searing pain in his gut, Angelo shouted, “Ahalmez, the Sweepings Demon, and Ahaltocob, the Stabbing Demon.”

“Good one,” Nick said.

Angelo nodded weakly. “Only two more to go.”

“Look,” Carter said, pointing to the end of the tunnel.

The end of the passage seemed to be covered by some kind of hazy mist, but Nick thought he could just
make out a room filled with treasures. A figure lay on a bed in the middle.

“I think that's your mom,” Carter said.

Nick felt a burst of new energy. “Let's get this done.” He patted Angelo on the shoulder. “You know, you may have been wrong about the aliens. But we couldn't have made it this far without your research. Whatever kind of scientist you end up being, you're gonna be a good one.”

“Thanks,” Angelo said. “Whatever my parents think, that means a lot.”

The last two demons were so small, Nick nearly missed them when they glided down from their pedestals. Their bright red bodies were no bigger than newborn babies—although their sharp horns and bony wings made it clear they were anything but human.

“Let me have it,” Nick said. “Let's get this over with.”

The tiny demons looked at each other with something like amusement. “We're not nearly as powerful as our brothers. In fact, we really don't hurt much at all. As long as you don't mind dying by coughing up blood.”

As soon as the word
blood
left the demons' mouths, Nick felt a gush of liquid heat burst from his nose. Dark red liquid splashed on his shirt and pants. It was the worst nosebleed he'd ever had. His nostrils were running like a faucet.

Beside him, Angelo gave a great hacking cough.

“Name them,” Carter called. His voice was muffled and Nick saw red seeping through the fingers he had plastered over his mouth.

“I can't,” Angelo gagged.

“What do you mean you can't?” Nick turned to find Angelo staring at his monster notebook in horror. The page was covered with red. Angelo tried to wipe it away with the palm of his hand. But he coughed again and more blood gushed down on the paper, so thick the words underneath were unreadable.

Nick's head began to sway. He looked at the floor and couldn't believe how much blood there was. Had that all come from him? “Got. To. Try,” he whispered. The hallway was spinning around him.

Distantly, he heard Angelo try to speak. But the blood was too thick in his throat. All he managed to do was cough out something that sounded like
grok.

“Wrong!” the demons sang together. “You lose.”

Suddenly the blood vanished, and Seven Death appeared before them, raising his arms. “You have chosen the false path and are forever banned from Xibalba.”

Nick pounded on the wall. “I have to get back in there.”

“I'm so sorry,” Angelo said. “I blew it.”

After Angelo had said the wrong name, One Death had returned them to the tunnel under the temple of the moon. But this time, no matter what they did with the mirrors, the door refused to open.

Nick turned around and punched his fist against a mirror, the metal ringing like a gong in the enclosed space. “We were so close. How could I have let us fail?”

“It's not your fault, either of you,” Carter said. “Even if you'd remembered the name, there was no way to say it with your mouth full of blood. The whole thing was rigged. We'll just have to find another way in.”

“There is no other way,” Angelo said. “We failed. I failed.”

Nick dropped to the ground and put his head in his hands. According to his watch, dawn was only an hour or two away. With it, his mother would be a monster forever, and his dad . . . He couldn't even think about that.

“Maybe you could ask the ghosts that were talking to you before for some advice,” Carter suggested.

Nick looked up. “What did you say?”

“It's not like the ghosts are going to tell you how to get in,” Angelo said.

Nick jumped to his feet. “Maybe they did. It says
Death is the beginning
on the door, and that's the same thing I heard one of the voices say.”

“The beginning of a lot of trouble from what I can see,” Carter said.

“Shhh.” Nick held his finger up to his lips. He had to think. “The entrance to the underground says
Death is the beginning
. The beginning of what?”

“The path to Xibalba, I assume,” Angelo said.

“Right. The path my mom's on right now. Which means I have to follow that same path.”

“Dude.” Carter grabbed him by the arm. “Are you saying what I think you're saying?”

“Huh?” Nick had no idea what Carter was talking about.

“You can't kill yourself,” Carter said. “No matter how bad things look.”

“Who said anything about killing myself?” Nick turned to Angelo. “Dr. Lopez said the Mayans believed there were three kinds of entrances to the underworld. Caves, tunnels, and . . .”

“Pools,” Angelo said.

“Exactly. The entrance from this pyramid was a cave leading to a tunnel. But what about the pyramid of the sun? How would they get to the underworld?”

Carter's eyes lit up. “The pool with the waterfall we saw the first night!”

Nick pounded him on the shoulder. “Exactly. I saw a carving in that pyramid, and the voices there said something about the river of the dead. I'd bet anything that pool is connected to it. To get to my mom, all I have to do is dive into the pool and swim down the river of the dead.”

“This could be a problem,” Angelo said.

After sneaking down from the pyramid of the moon and past the camp, the three of them were crouched at the top of the pyramid of the sun. But between them
and the temple with the entrance to the pyramid was an army of creatures that would give anyone nightmares for years. Not to mention some serious counseling bills.

There were at least three or four dozen skeletons, marching around and around the temple. They were wearing ragged pieces of metal and leather armor, and helmets with the remains of moldy feathers sticking out of the top. Even worse, they were all armed with wicked-looking spears.

Closer to the temple, there were eight or ten mummies. Nick thought they must have been executioners when they were alive, because each of them carried an ax Nick wasn't even sure he'd be able to lift. They didn't appear to be as fast as the skeletons. But they were clearly much stronger.

Finally, several shadowy shapes were prowling around just inside the temple. Nick couldn't see what they were. But they definitely weren't anything good.

“Maybe I can sneak by them,” Nick whispered. It was still dark, but it wouldn't be for long.

“Not a chance,” Angelo said. “Even with all the men in camp on our side, I don't think we could fight our way through this army. Someone doesn't want you inside.”

“I have to try,” Nick said. “Wouldn't you guys if it was your mom?”

“I've got an idea,” Carter said. “Angelo, come with me. Nick, wait here until our signal, then run to the temple as fast as you can.”

“What's your signal?” Nick asked.

Carter winked. “You'll know it when you see it.”

Carter and Angelo dropped down a few steps and hurried around the north side of the pyramid. Nick peeked over the eastern hills. How long would it be before the sun came up?

Trying to calm his nerves, he began to count by twos. “Two, four, six . . .” What was Carter's plan? It wouldn't be something crazy like dynamite, would it? Although now that he thought about it, he wished they actually had dynamite. Because that would definitely do some damage.

“Fourteen, sixteen, eighteen . . .” What if they panicked and took off? He could wait here until the sun came up, never realizing that there would be no signal. That was nuts. His friends would never abandon him.

He was up to 180, and thinking about going on his own, when a bloodcurdling scream split the air. Angelo jumped up from the east side of the pyramid and ran straight past the temple. Nick blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing. Angelo was waving his hands in the air, and he was wearing only his boxers.

“Awilix stole my clothes!” he screamed. “Somebody help me. The moon goddess is a clothes thief!”

Nick shook his head. This was an even crazier plan than dynamite.

But it seemed to be working. The skeletons and mummies immediately broke ranks and began to chase after Angelo, who zigzagged back and forth across the pyramid, drawing them farther and farther away from the temple.

At the same time, Carter jumped up from the north side of the pyramid and yelled at a nearby skeleton warrior, “Hey, you, your femur is showing!”

The guards that hadn't chased after Angelo started toward Carter. Carter froze in place, and for a panicked moment, Nick thought they were going to catch him. At the last minute, Carter sprinted to his left and looped around the skeletons and mummies. He ran a complete circle around them, then started another.

Nick couldn't understand what he was doing until one of the skeletons suddenly tripped and fell. Carter tightened his circle and another skeleton collided with a mummy.

Nick burst into surprised laughter. It was the yarn. Carter was wrapping the guards with layer after layer of yarn. Suddenly he realized the way was clear to the
temple. Leaping to his feet, he raced across the top of the pyramid. A few of the guards spotted him halfway to the temple. But they were too late. He'd reach the entrance well before they did.

Sprinting like a halfback heading for the end zone, he charged around the temple and into the entrance. He was almost to the wall that opened into the underground passage when a pair of four-legged shapes slipped out of the shadows.

Nick skidded to a halt. Jaguars. “Good kitties,” he said softly, trying to edge around them. But the cats weren't having any of it. They closed in on him from both sides. Where could he go? It was too late to turn back, and he couldn't get past them to the underground entrance.

The only thing he could think of was pictures he'd seen of jaguars curled at the feet of Mayan kings. Holding out his hand and trying to keep his voice from trembling, he said, “I am of royal blood, and I command you to let me pass.”

It wasn't working. The jaguars snarled and started toward him. He thought about saying he was the son of Awilix. But he couldn't. Even though the Queen of the Night might have his mother's body, she wasn't his mom.

Instead, he tried shouting one more time, with as much authority as he could, “My mother is a direct descendant of your queen, and I am her son. In the name of my great-whatever grandmother, I command you to let me pass.”

Amazingly, it worked. The jaguars turned and stalked off. He didn't have any time to celebrate though, because just then Carter shouted, “Hurry! They're coming.”

Nick ran to the wall. He pushed on the tooth in the floor, shot though the doorway before it was completely open, and pushed the rock closed again. As the door slammed in place, he realized he'd forgotten to bring a light. He might be inside, but he couldn't see a thing.