"I think it makes you look very polished."
"Shut up," snappped Lykopis. They had reached the town of Espego. Adem hopped out of the car. "Why is when men grey they look 'polished' while women just look 'haggard'?"
"Maybe because women complain more." Lykopis snapped her head back to to Tommy (who just swtiched from Benedict to Othello). "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Please don't kill me." He motioned to the lizard sitting in the car. "What do we do with Senor Montez?"
Lykopis bit her lip. She really had no idea what to do with the Spanish representative. "He was sent to observe us." She shrugged. "Keep him in your pocket."
Icarus look miserable. It was clear he was forced to hold back a plethora of comments on Lykopis's new hairstyle.
"This is the town?" said Adem. "It looks deserted."
"It does look empty." Lykopis had parked the Bronco outside the city's edge so there wouldn't be too much attention. No it was beginning to look like there was no need. "Come on, everyone. Follow me."
Adem could tell Lykopis was hiding her nervousness. She always walked as though each step was planned far in advance, every movement of her legs full of purpose. It was clear now, in the hot Spanish sun. She led the way, trying to reconcile five hundred year-old memories with acute sounds and sights. She tapped the spot on her belt where the Bowie knife was hanging loosely. She was hoping it wouldn't have to be used.
The town of Espego was mostly a collection of sandy brick houses and alleyways. The streets were made of gravel and made a crunch sound as Icarus's boots stepped over the small stones. A faint breeze blew through the streets, lifting up sand into everyone's eyes. Not that the town was that dry. Several clumps of hardy grass had invaded the gravel roads, and birds -- mostly pigeons -- were flying about a well in the center of a primitive courtyard.
It was the courtyard that attracted most of Lykopis's attention. But it was still a long distance away. She looked behind her. Icarus was right next to her, while Tommy was waiting for Adem to walk faster. Adem was use to taking longer strides, and his new height was posing problems.
"So what else do you know about this guy?" asked Adem. He had finally caught up with Lykopis and Icarus. "Gaunt made it sound like this guy isn't Aztec."
"Technically," said Lykopis, getting back into her 'history teacher' mode, "he is not. He comes from this race of warriors called the Toltecs."
"Never heard of them," said Tommy.
"They were extinct before I ever saw the New World. Anyways, the Aztecs incorperated him into their list of gods and goddesses. No god was more fair in the face, no prince more agressive in his warfare."
Tommy winked at Adem. "Sounds like you kind of man."
Lykopis grinned. "Except for the whole 'not real' part." She resumed her academic tone. "He helped his brother, Quetzalcoatl, create the world and all the people who inhabit it. Apparently, he lost one of his feet in the process. His brother later exiles him on a raft of snakes."
"Why did he exile his own brother?"
The Amazon shrugged. "Gods, as a rule, never get along with relatives. But Tezcatlipoca did trick him into getting drunk and raping a priestess. That nmight have affected their relationship." Lykopis reached back into her extensive history knowledge. "He had a few wives, had a few alter ego -- including one that had orgies in his festivals."
Now Icarus really wished he had a mouth again.
"But there is really not that much too it. I had a run in with sevearl priest from one of his wives' temple."
"I hate to ask..." began Adem.
Lykopis patted her knife again. "The temple was said to be littered from floor to roof with gold. Never, never, never trust a Spainard's estimation of wealth. It will only lead to a pack of angry cannibals chasing you. Oh, and gold? There was none."
Lykopis looked bitter. "Apparently, I had been tricked into raiding the temple because they needed a young virgin to sacrifice to Chicomecoatl. Naturally, I objected to the decapication. I will never forget the high priest. He was wearing the skin of the last year's sacrifice, and his face was painted red, and he was so skinny his bones stuck out. But I have never been more frightened of an old man in all my days. I stole a few necklaces, a few weapons, and hopped on the next boat for France." Lykopis looked thoughtful for a moment. "And you know what? Two hundred years later, they wanted to decapitate me."
They had reached the courtyard. It was exactly where Lykopis wanted to go. "I thought we should head into the church. It seems the idea spot to begin an examination."
"What are we looking for?" asked Tommy.
"Anything. Everything. Check the walls. If there is a list of all the baptisms and funerals, I want that book found." She motioned to Adem, who had a small file of the vitim's names and information in one hand. "And if you see anything strange..."
Lykopis didn't finish her sentence. She walked backwards into the church, as if expecting birds or demons to fly from the sky. Adem shrugged and followed her, Icarus and Tommy going in last. Tommy patted his pocket. Montez was still in his pocket.
It was much cooler inside the church, hidden away from the hot sun. But the bright lights had taken their toll on everyone's eyesight, and Lykopis failed to shut the church door.
