"No wonder the Mayas thought this place was hell."
I left the bunk and walked under a large tarp. A frenzied atmosphere hung over the area. Graham, Tum, and Renau stood on the east side. Graham kept a lookout while the other two men carefully removed dirt from the wall and placed it into wheeled containers. Dora, Rigoberta, Miranda, and Emily took the containers to a separate station. Then they labeled them, noted their position, and covered them with small tarps.
It wasn't a perfect excavation. But it was exceedingly fast. Plus, the dirt, debris, and artifacts were being kept in good condition for later study. All things considered, it was a decent piece of work.
My heart pounded against my chest as I turned toward the pyramid. Behind some dirt, I saw a large stone block, adorned with ornamentation. A mural rested on its surface. Although the elements had laid waste to the colors, I could still make out what appeared to be a skeleton.
A strange hat topped the skeleton's head and he wore a long skirt attached to a basket. In one hand, he carried a stick. People lay at his feet. Blood poured from their faces. Fires consumed their bodies as they reached up to him. I didn't have to be a Maya expert to know I was looking at an image of one of the death gods.
For a moment, I listened to the telltale sounds of excavation. Soft grunts. Low voices. Shovels striking the soil. Pens scribbling notes.
The Maneros took a break. Adopting a leisurely pace, they walked back to camp. I grabbed a shovel and took Renau's place. Beverly put a container on the ground and I slid some dirt into it.
I worked for fifteen minutes. My shovel started to clink against the cement basin as I helped remove the final section of soil. Then Rigoberta got down on all fours. Gently, she cleared the remaining dirt from the area and our entire group stared at the sealed entrance.
Graham twisted around from the jungle. "Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to see where that thing leads?"
Rigoberta climbed into the tractor. The rest of us secured steel cables to the block. She turned on the engine and reversed the vehicle. The block resisted for a minute. Then it slowly slid out of the pyramid and onto the ancient cement basin. A black void appeared.
Blades beat at the air. I ran to the edge of the overhanging blue tarps and stared into the sky. A large black helicopter appeared. It cut through the thick mist and hovered above the dry marsh.
"Oh my God." Beverly appeared at my side. "It's …"
"Votan," I replied tightly. "He found us."
P
ART
IV
The Library of the Mayas
Chapter 82
I twisted toward the others. They stared back at me, utterly dumbfounded. "Get to the jungle or we're all dead."
Emily ran across the cement basin. Miranda, Tum, Rigoberta, and Graham were close behind her.
I twisted west, but a hand grabbed my arm.
"Where are you going?" Beverly asked.
"Dr. Wu and the Maneros are back at camp. I need to warn them."
"I'm going with you."
I shook my head.
She frowned. "Didn't I tell you to stop trying to protect me?"
"I need you to do something else. Gather everyone east of the pyramid, just inside the jungle. Keep them together. I'll be there shortly."
She gave me a long look. "Okay."
As she darted after the others, I ran west and climbed out of the basin. Then I hustled toward camp.
Helicopter blades beat at the air. Powerful winds swirled. The heavy rain shifted course and began to circle me until it felt like I was standing in the middle of a maelstrom.
"Cy?" Dr. Wu ran outside his clinic. "What's going on?"
"Votan is here." I slid to a stop. "Where are the Maneros?"
"I thought they were with you."
"Dora." I cupped my hands around my mouth. "Renau."
There was no response. I ran to the dome tent. It was empty. I darted to their personal tent and checked it as well. It was also empty.
"They must be hiding in the jungle." I watched the helicopter descend into the now-dry marsh. "Follow me."
"But—"
"Now."
Yanking his arm, I sprinted toward the jungle, zigzagging along the way. I was surprised to hear no gunfire. During my last encounter with Votan, he'd started shooting almost immediately.
I cleared past the tree line and sprinted east. I ran past the pyramid. Then I veered north. "Where is everyone?" I called out softly.
Leaves rustled to the northeast. "Over here," Beverly called back.
We ran a little further until we reached Beverly. She stood with the others behind a couple of tall trees. "Have you seen the Maneros?" I asked.
She shook her head.
Emily stared at me with uncertain eyes. "Are you sure that's Votan?"
"The helicopter is an exact match for the one that attacked us in the Maya Mountains."
"But how'd he find us?"
I avoided looking at Miranda. But deep down, I had a feeling she was responsible for his appearance. It made sense in a twisted sort of way. She had a motive to get rid of the library. And Votan had the means to do it.
"I don't know," I replied.
The blades grew louder, chopping at the air. Leaning out, I watched the helicopter land in the marsh, not far from our camp. Its blades slowed to a halt. Masked men streamed out of its metal belly.
"What are we going to do?" Miranda asked.
"We're outnumbered. Outgunned too." I thought hard. "Does anyone have a phone?"
Emily shook her head. "I left mine back at camp."
I turned toward Rigoberta. "Didn't you and Pacho have one?"
"Yeah." She licked her lips. "Unfortunately, I think it's still in his tent."
"Without a phone, we can't call for help." Beverly pulled her revolver from her belt. "And without a working helicopter, we can't leave."
"Maybe we can hide." Emily looked around. "This place is pretty big."
"Good idea," Tum said. "How about that old wall? Maybe we can fit through one of the holes."
"They're too small," Graham replied. "And we don't have the tools to widen them."
The jungle offered a myriad of hiding places. But I knew we couldn't hide forever. Eventually, Votan would track us down.
A soft scream rang out.
Beverly plastered her back against a tree trunk and peered out into the marsh. "It's Dora," she said tightly. "Renau too."
"Where are they?" I asked.
"They're running this way. They're …" A horrified look came over her face. "Oh no."
"What is it?" Graham asked.
"They've been captured." She turned to face us. "Votan's got them."
Chapter 83
"How'd he find us?" Emily's face was flushed. "No one—not even the rescue crew—knows our location."
"It doesn't matter how he found us," Miranda said in an exacerbated tone. "All that matters is that he's here."
All heads turned toward her.
"We have to assume he came for the library," Miranda continued. "If we give it to him, he might spare us."
"He won't." Graham took a deep breath. "Trust me. Beverly, Cy, and I have dealt with this maniac before."
"I know. But he might cut us a break if we convince him we're stranded here. After all, our helicopter is busted. Plus, the crater is sealed off."
"It's worth a shot," I said. "How do you feel about approaching him?"
"By myself?"
"It's your idea. Anyway you're famous. He's more likely to pay attention to you."
Miranda looked uncertain. "Okay."
"We'll stay here," Beverly added. "If anything happens, drop to the ground and we'll cover you."
"Does anyone have a piece of white cloth?"
I reached into my satchel and removed one of the rags I used to clean my hands while working in the soil. Quickly, I tied it to a long branch.
Miranda took the impromptu white flag from me. Then she stood up and took a few deep breaths. "Wish me luck."
Slowly, she picked her way through the jungle. Moments later, she walked past the tree line and skirted around the edge of the ancient cement basin.
"Good riddance," Beverly said. "Now, what's the real plan?"
"Real plan?" Emily frowned. "What are you talking about?"
I gathered the group into a tight circle. "Miranda's a fraud. She fabricated at least one of her most famous papers. Probably many others too. I won't go into the details. But she trimmed and massaged the evidence to fit her thesis about climate change causing the Classic Maya Collapse."
"That's impossible." Rigoberta's voice sounded hollow. "I've read all her works. They're heavily footnoted. Anyway if she'd been lying for that long, someone would've noticed."
"Pacho noticed. After he died, I searched his tent. I found one of her papers along with others she'd used as references. On the surface, her work looks good. Her apparatus is massive. Her data sets are enormous. Her methodologies appear comprehensive. But Pacho wasn't fooled. He was systematically checking every footnote, every citation. Unfortunately, many of them were fabricated or altered."
Dr. Wu stared at me, wide-eyed. "How could she get away with that?"
"I think I know," Tum said. "Academics love Miranda. But they love her conclusions even more. Most of them believe climate change is a real threat to humanity. So, they probably never even stopped to consider the possibility she was conning them."
"I also found lots of empty duffel bags in Pacho's tent," I said. "I think he brought other papers with them. I'm fairly certain Miranda disposed of them after she killed him."
"Wait." The doc's eyes opened even wider. "You think she killed him?"
"I'm almost positive. And not only that. I think she's the one who brought Votan here."
"But why would she do that?" Emily asked. "She's an archaeologist. She should want to see the Library of the Mayas more than anyone."
"She's built her entire reputation on a single theory," Graham explained. "Namely, that manmade climate change caused the Classic Maya Collapse. If the library backs that up, it doesn't really help her, especially since so many of her peers are convinced of it anyway. But if it doesn't back her theory, people will start taking a closer look at her work."
"Let's say you're right." Emily glanced at me. "Let's say she's trying to lead us into a trap. What can we do about it?"
"I don't know." I looked across the marsh and caught sight of Dora and Renau. They stood near Votan's helicopter. Their hands were raised high in the air. Numerous guns were pointed in their direction. "But whatever we do, we'd better do it fast."
Chapter 84
The makeshift white flag ruffled fiercely in the wind as Miranda walked forward. On the surface, she appeared calm and collected. But inside, she was a mess of frazzled nerves.
Sixteen individuals stood around Votan's helicopter. They wore black shirts and black pants. Black ski masks adorned their faces.
Miranda felt slightly emboldened upon seeing the masks. They wanted to protect their identities. Clearly, Votan intended to spare her life.
Dora and Renau stood several feet in front of Votan's men. Their knees trembled gently. Their hands were behind their backs, presumably tied in tight knots. Black drawstring bags covered their heads.
A man stepped forward. He was tall and skinny. He possessed broad shoulders and giant hands. "Hello Miranda," he said in a disembodied voice.
Miranda swallowed hard. It was difficult to believe she was actually standing in front of Votan.
"The prisoners are gagged," he continued. "They can't alert your friends."
Miranda's gaze flitted to the Maneros. They were about to learn of her betrayal. They'd probably hate her for it. Unfortunately, the greater good sometimes called for sacrifices. "Good," she replied. "The others are waiting in the east jungle, near the pyramid. There are seven of them all together, including Cy Reed."
Dora and Renau squirmed. Tiny noises escaped their gagged lips.
"I'll hand them over to you," Miranda said. "In exchange, you spare my life. Then I'll help you retrieve the library and melt it down."
"How will you leave here?" the man asked.
"I'm going with you. You're taking the corpses too."
The man cocked his head.
"No one knows I'm here and I'd like to keep it that way. So, I'll have you drop me off in the jungle with the bodies. We'll stage a massacre. Then I'll call for help. When a rescue crew arrives, I'll tell them a band of Maya savages raided our camp. They stole our supplies, executed the other expedition members, and escaped via Emily's helicopter." She shrugged. "I'll say I managed to hide in the jungle until they were gone."
"You're going to blame it on Mayas?"
"I have to blame it on someone."
"And once you return to civilization?"
"As promised, I'll continue to feed you information on dig sites."
"I still don't see how this benefits you." The man shrugged. "But that's your business."
Miranda twisted eastward. She raised the white flag high over her head. "Hey everyone," she shouted at the top of her lungs. "I worked out a deal with Votan."
A minute passed. The Maneros continued to squirm.
Miranda cupped a hand around her mouth. "It's okay," she yelled. "You can come out now."
Another minute passed. And yet, no one emerged from the jungle.
A frown creased Miranda's face. "I guess they can't hear me."
"More likely, they just don't trust you."
Ice crept down Miranda's spine. Slowly, she turned around. "I … I don't understand."
Renau and Dora stood in the exact same spots. But bags no longer covered their faces. Matching pistols filled their hands.
Dora gave her a condescending look. "It's rather simple, really."
Miranda slowly turned toward the tall man. "He isn't Votan."
"That's right." Renau smiled as he raised his pistol. "I'm Votan."
Chapter 85
The gunshot reverberated in the crater. My jaw slowly unhinged as Miranda jolted backward. Seconds later, she sagged into the marsh.