Sulfur particles ignited in the electrified air. They shot in all directions. A few of them singed my skin. But the vast majority careened into the blankets.
Oxygen flew out of my mouth as the cave burst into flames. A burning blanket dropped from the ceiling, nearly striking my head. It hit the ground, lighting a blanket at my feet. The fire quickly consumed the dry cotton and jumped to my clothes. I felt the heat, the burning.
Tum started to lag behind. I grabbed his arm and we staggered through the fire. Smoke curled into the air. I couldn't see anything.
Through the crackling flames, I heard distant shouts. I angled myself toward them. But I'd swallowed far too much smoke. My footsteps grew heavier. My body sagged.
Somehow his foot slipped under my own. Our legs got tangled up. With my last bit of strength, I shoved Tum toward the shouts. Then I fell. More dust shot into the air. Brilliant fire erupted around me.
And then my mind slipped into darkness.
Chapter 100
The blast reverberated through the eastern end of the crater. Rubble shot into the air. Chunks of limestone crumbled to dust.
Votan waited for the smoke to clear. Then he darted to the ancient wall. "It worked," he called out. "We're through."
Dora snapped her fingers. "Bring them here."
A couple of men strode out of the jungle. They carried two deflated rubber rafts, two outboard engines, and several toolboxes between them.
Dora quickly inspected the equipment. "Okay, wait here. We're going to check out the river."
She crossed over the debris and vanished into darkness. Votan followed her to a steep walkway. It was smooth and covered with dried red flakes left over from the juice concoction.
As he descended the walkway, a cool mist appeared. The sound of rushing water grew louder.
Dora lifted her beam. A massive river flowed in front of them. It moved at a rapid pace, weaving an intricate course through large stalagmites.
Even from a distance, Votan felt its mighty power. The river was truly a force of nature. He felt absolutely certain it would take him to where he needed to go. "Bring the rafts," he shouted. "I want to be on the water in five minutes."
Chapter 101
Flames smacked against my cheek. My face shot to the side. A stinging sensation ran down my spine. Desperately, I tried to stand up. But something pinned my arms down.
"Cy."
I tried to pinpoint the voice's location. But my mind felt foggy and I couldn't concentrate.
"It's me." Beverly voice, soft yet firm, floated into my ears. "You'd better wake up. I'd hate to have to slap you."
I wrenched my eyelids open. My vision—like my mind—was a blur. I blinked a few times and noticed varying shades of flickering light. I struggled to stand up, to get away. But I couldn't move.
"Calm down," she said. "You're going to be okay."
I blinked a few more times and saw she was holding one of my arms. Graham held the other one. I twisted my head from side to side, searching for the flames. "The fire. It's—"
"Out." She tried to look nonchalant, but I saw deep concern etched in her eyes. "The blankets were bone dry. They burned away in less than two minutes."
I tried to sit up. She pushed me back down again.
"You're burnt," Graham said. "Let the doc treat you. You're lucky to be alive, you know."
Agonizing pain ripped through my right leg as cool liquid washed over it. I bit my tongue to keep from screaming. "How's …" I clenched my fists as the pain intensified. "How's Tum?"
"I'm fine." Tum grinned. "Just a little shaken up. You saved me."
"Is everyone else okay?"
"Yes. You're the only one who got burnt."
"Lucky me." I gritted my teeth. "What happened?"
"You passed out in the middle of the flames, that's what happened. Craziest thing I've ever seen." Graham shook his head. "Beverly and I dragged you here."
More liquid splashed against my leg. It felt cool against my skin.
"Any pain?" Dr. Wu's voice was slightly slurred and he appeared disoriented.
"No," I replied.
"Then you're good to go."
Graham released me. Beverly did the same. I sat up. My body felt dehydrated. My throat was parched.
I looked at my lower half. My right pants leg had been cut off at the thigh. The area just above my boot was red. Fortunately, there were no blisters or other signs of second-degree burns.
The doc handed me a small canteen. It was almost empty. I took a few greedy sips and gave it back to him. Then I stood up and tested my leg. "So, I guess that was Hot House."
Tum nodded. "That leaves Razor House and possibly two other levels."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" As I stared down another steep stretch of tunnel, I forgot the fire and my aching leg. All I could think about was the library. "Let's go."
Chapter 102
"This looks simple enough." Graham studied the cave. "We just need to stay away from those blades."
The cave was shaped like a rectangle with a length and width of fifty feet and ten feet, respectively. A yawning void—the exit—called out to me from the opposite end.
Dozens of blades had been cemented into the walls, floor, and ceiling. As far as I could tell, they'd been harvested from old weapons. While rust had taken its toll, they still looked sharp as hell.
"Razor House was filled with sharp blades," Tum said. "They were able to move around on their own accord. Sort of like they were living entities."
My eyes lingered on the cement that held the blades in place. "Well, I don't think that'll be a problem."
My gaze drifted back to the exit and I felt a gust of cool air. We'd passed through the scorpion river and five of six houses. After Razor House, two other levels likely awaited us. What sort of traps would they contain? Would we find the Library of the Mayas on one of them?
What about the death gods?
I turned the question over in my mind a few times as I inched into the cave. The pyramid had been specifically designed to keep Hun-Came and Vucub-Came imprisoned. All evidence pointed to the strong possibility that the death gods were actually caches of highly radioactive metal left over from an ancient extrasolar meteor.
And that worried me. Two weeks of radiation had been enough to harm Pacho and kill a severely weakened Rigoberta. And they'd lived above ground, far away from where I thought the source was located. What would happen to us as we neared the so-called death gods?
I kept a wary eye on the blades as I walked forward. What was the point of Razor House anyway? As far as I could tell, it was exactly the same concept as Jaguar House, only with blades instead of teeth.
I slowed a bit. There had to be something to those old legends. Blades might not be able to move on their own accord. But the cave could contain hidden projectiles. If I stepped on the wrong rock, it might release a spring mechanism and …
I shook my head. The idea was ridiculous. Spring-loaded darts wouldn't last a year without maintenance, let alone a dozen centuries. And all of Hunahpu's traps had been simple, yet durable enough to last for the long haul. There was no reason to think he would've changed his strategy so close to the finish line.
The ground shifted strangely under my feet. I veered to the right.
Looking ahead, I saw a dozen sharp points. Quickly, I planted my boot on a safe spot. But the awkward movement forced me to stumble again.
I shot even further to the right, coming dangerously close to the blades mounted on the wall. Planting my left foot, I forced myself away from the ancient metal objects.
I stumbled into the middle of the cavern. I tried to slow my momentum, but I found myself being forced to the left. The ground groaned loudly. Rock crunched against rock.
What the hell?
I looked down. Substantial cracks lined the ground. They separated the area on which I stood from the rest of the limestone.
This isn't ordinary rock. It's an artificial platform.
Sweat poured from my brow as I felt myself propelled closer to the left wall. My nerves went haywire as I threw my hands up in front of me.
It's not just a platform. It's a pivoting platform. And it's pivoting me right into those blades.
Chapter 103
"Get out of there," Graham shouted. "It's—"
The crunching rock drowned him out. I twisted my neck around. Lurched backward. My right foot hit a safe spot, free of blades. My left foot slammed down just a foot away.
Think, Cy, think.
The platform shifted again, pivoting me toward the right wall. I reeled back and nearly lost my balance.
Five or six blades pricked my skin at the same time. I clenched my teeth, knowing impalement was mere moments away.
I planted my right foot. Then I struggled in the opposite direction. The pricks vanished.
It's using my momentum against me.
The platform beneath me consisted of a limestone block. Hunahpu had evidently carved it out of the floor. Then he'd inserted some kind of object, most likely a large rolling pin, directly underneath it. Effectively, the platform was equivalent to an ancient seesaw.
I swung toward the left wall. Shifting my feet, I brought myself to a halt. The platform paused for a brief second as I neared its center of gravity. My body relaxed just a bit.
Abruptly, the platform tilted. To my surprise, it pitched forward.
It's not mounted on a rolling pin. It's mounted on a ball.
Embracing the momentum, I ran forward.
The platform tilted with me.
I ran faster.
The platform continued to tilt as I ran down it. Abruptly, it slammed into rock. My body jolted.
I was now running several feet beneath the platform's original position. Looking ahead, I saw a short rock wall. Tiny glints of metal caught my eye.
I groaned inwardly. Hunahpu had, as always, thought of everything. He'd left the top section of wall completely clear, which gave the platform plenty of room to tilt downward. But he'd cemented blades of increasing length onto the lower section of wall.
And I was running right toward them.
My brain screamed at me to stop. But I ran faster. Then I jumped.
My fingers touched limestone. My feet kicked to the side as I propelled myself upward. Moments later, I rolled onto solid ground.
I bent over to catch my breath, nearly oblivious to the congratulatory shouts coming from the other end of the cave. "Seven levels down, Hunahpu," I whispered between breaths. "Two to go."
Chapter 104
"Amazing." Tum's voice dropped to a low hush. "It's a miniature ballcourt."
Dr. Wu rubbed his forehead. "What's a ballcourt?"
"It's a common feature in ancient Mesoamerican sites. More than thirteen hundred of them have been found throughout Central America."
"What were they used for?"
"They were probably multi-functional, used for everything from wrestling matches to giant feasts. But their most famous use was for the Mesoamerican ballgame."
The cavern was roughly one hundred feet long by fifty feet wide. I estimated the height at about twenty feet. Identical structures jutted out from both sides. A tight alley ran through the middle of them.
I walked into the alley and focused my gaze on the structure to my right. It looked a bit like an ancient dugout topped with elaborate walls. A three-foot vertical wall stood nearest to my position. It gave way to a two-foot wide horizontal bench. Behind the bench, a second wall sloped gently toward the ceiling. This in, turn gave way to a second vertical wall. Small rings, maybe three feet in diameter, were mounted near the top of that wall.
"So, how do we play this ballgame?" Beverly asked.
"No one knows," Tum replied. "In fact, there may have been multiple versions of it. But the most popular version is believed to have been a little like volleyball, only using hips instead of hands. Teams would pass a small rubber ball back and forth until one of them hit it out of bounds or let it bounce too many times."
She nodded at the rings. "What about them?"
"Think of them as vertical basketball hoops. Putting a ball through one of them would've been a rare event and likely, instant victory for the team that managed it. But again, this would've been exceedingly rare. Most people figure the vast majority of games were decided by points." Tum rubbed his jaw. "Come to think of it, the Xibalba legend features a ballcourt."
I arched an eyebrow.
"Hunahpu and Xbalanque faced the death gods on a ballcourt," he continued. "The gods tried to use a ball with a blade in it, but Hunahpu stopped them. He and his brother threatened to leave. The gods agreed to use a rubber ball and the game continued until the two men deliberately threw the match."
"Why'd they do that?" I asked.
"Each time they lost, they were sent to a new house. The implication, if memory serves me correctly, is that they had to defeat all the houses in order to fully overcome the gods. The strategy worked until Bat House. They had to spend the night in it, surrounded by circling bats. So, they squeezed themselves into their blowguns. But Hunahpu got impatient and wanted to see if the sun had risen. He stuck his head out a little too early. Camazotz, a horrible bat god, decapitated him."
I was reminded of Dr. Wu slamming his head against the rock ceiling. "Pretty gruesome."
"The next day, Hunahpu's head was hung over the ballcourt. But his brother managed to retrieve it by substituting something else, possibly a turtle, in its place. Hunahpu was brought back to life. Then he and Xbalanque defeated the death gods."
"Odd story." Graham frowned. "How does it help us?"
Tum shrugged. "Beats me."
I edged further into the space. In the middle of the right side structure, I noticed a thin passage, sloping down into the earth. "There's a tunnel over here," I said.
"Be careful," Tum replied. "The death gods were fond of trickery, especially when it came to the ballcourt."