centimetres long. ‘What is it?’ I asked, still queasy after the mask episode.
‘A labret,’ he told me. ‘Hold it. Feel how heavy it is.’
I saw what he meant – the ornament was solid, smooth and heavy, cold in my palm.
‘An Aztec ruler would wear it through his lower lip. This one belonged to Mochtezuma in the year 1519, the year of disaster when the Spanish came to Mexico.’
‘This is almost five centuries old!’ I whispered. The thing was ugly but held some kind of fascination – maybe in the fact that those people would voluntarily mutilate their faces to wear them. Face piercings go way back, it seems.
‘They believed in omens – a comet blazing across the sky at noon, a temple destroyed by lightning and flames.’ Zoran paused and studied my reaction. ‘What’s your take on omens, Tania? I know your opinion of miracles, but do you believe in supernatural warnings?’
‘I never thought about it,’ I murmured, wondering why Zoran’s attention was once more focused on deep subjects. The snake’s eyes were made of the same sparkling stones – probably emeralds. They seemed alive in the gold head, following you as you moved.
‘The year 1519 was the year Mochtezuma saw a huge tongue of flame burning in the night sky above Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. That’s when he knew that his empire was at an end. Look here.’ Opening another drawer, Zoran lifted out a rolled parchment. ‘Not the original, of course,’ he told me. ‘It’s a facsimile. Actually, this is a translation from the Spanish describing what the invaders found when they seized the city: “A land rich in gold, pearls and other things … There are in the city many large and beautiful houses … along one of the causeways run two aqueducts made of mortar … the citizens are dressed with elegance. Considering that these people are barbarous, lacking knowledge of God, it is remarkable to see all that they have.” What do you think of that?’
‘Amazing, totally. Is it OK if I take a picture of the snake?’
‘I’d prefer it if you didn’t,’ Zoran objected, seeing me slide my hand into my pocket for my camera.
And here was something else weird – suddenly I couldn’t move my fingers. They stiffened up and started to tingle, like a bad case of pins and needles.
Zoran took the parchment and the gold snake and put them back into their shallow drawers. ‘My insurers are pretty strict over how this stuff is stored,’ he explained, staring hard at the pocket where I kept my camera. ‘One of the clauses states absolutely no photographic imagery.’
‘Sure.’ I felt a shiver of fear then my hand stopped hurting and my normal movement returned. ‘Now I really have to leave.’
This time Zoran didn’t stop me. ‘Cristal will show you out,’ he said abruptly.
His beautiful sound recordist showed up right on cue. She arrived silently, smiled at me and beckoned for me to follow.
I left feeling that I’d just undergone some kind of test and wondering if I’d passed. I don’t know how I got that impression – maybe in the way Zoran seemed to have stage-managed everything; the meeting on Black Rock, the presence of Aaron at the house, the presentation of horse-whisperer Daniel in the best possible light. And now his sudden and total fading of interest in me as Cristal led me from the house.
‘I’ll find Aaron, check if he wants a ride back to town,’ I told her as we said goodbye.
‘Sure. Try the arena,’ she said, turning back through the sliding doors without showing the slightest reaction. Had she really been dating him, or had Aaron made the whole thing up just to make Holly jealous?
I made my way across to the round pen to find Daniel alone with the mustangs.
‘Aaron left,’ he said, flashing me a warm smile. ‘He had things to do.’
‘Me too.’ Straight away forgetting the topic of Aaron, I felt my heart rate speed out of control. The dust-covered horses milled around Daniel, who stood calm
‘A labret,’ he told me. ‘Hold it. Feel how heavy it is.’
I saw what he meant – the ornament was solid, smooth and heavy, cold in my palm.
‘An Aztec ruler would wear it through his lower lip. This one belonged to Mochtezuma in the year 1519, the year of disaster when the Spanish came to Mexico.’
‘This is almost five centuries old!’ I whispered. The thing was ugly but held some kind of fascination – maybe in the fact that those people would voluntarily mutilate their faces to wear them. Face piercings go way back, it seems.
‘They believed in omens – a comet blazing across the sky at noon, a temple destroyed by lightning and flames.’ Zoran paused and studied my reaction. ‘What’s your take on omens, Tania? I know your opinion of miracles, but do you believe in supernatural warnings?’
‘I never thought about it,’ I murmured, wondering why Zoran’s attention was once more focused on deep subjects. The snake’s eyes were made of the same sparkling stones – probably emeralds. They seemed alive in the gold head, following you as you moved.
‘The year 1519 was the year Mochtezuma saw a huge tongue of flame burning in the night sky above Tenochtitlan, the Aztec capital. That’s when he knew that his empire was at an end. Look here.’ Opening another drawer, Zoran lifted out a rolled parchment. ‘Not the original, of course,’ he told me. ‘It’s a facsimile. Actually, this is a translation from the Spanish describing what the invaders found when they seized the city: “A land rich in gold, pearls and other things … There are in the city many large and beautiful houses … along one of the causeways run two aqueducts made of mortar … the citizens are dressed with elegance. Considering that these people are barbarous, lacking knowledge of God, it is remarkable to see all that they have.” What do you think of that?’
‘Amazing, totally. Is it OK if I take a picture of the snake?’
‘I’d prefer it if you didn’t,’ Zoran objected, seeing me slide my hand into my pocket for my camera.
And here was something else weird – suddenly I couldn’t move my fingers. They stiffened up and started to tingle, like a bad case of pins and needles.
Zoran took the parchment and the gold snake and put them back into their shallow drawers. ‘My insurers are pretty strict over how this stuff is stored,’ he explained, staring hard at the pocket where I kept my camera. ‘One of the clauses states absolutely no photographic imagery.’
‘Sure.’ I felt a shiver of fear then my hand stopped hurting and my normal movement returned. ‘Now I really have to leave.’
This time Zoran didn’t stop me. ‘Cristal will show you out,’ he said abruptly.
His beautiful sound recordist showed up right on cue. She arrived silently, smiled at me and beckoned for me to follow.
I left feeling that I’d just undergone some kind of test and wondering if I’d passed. I don’t know how I got that impression – maybe in the way Zoran seemed to have stage-managed everything; the meeting on Black Rock, the presence of Aaron at the house, the presentation of horse-whisperer Daniel in the best possible light. And now his sudden and total fading of interest in me as Cristal led me from the house.
‘I’ll find Aaron, check if he wants a ride back to town,’ I told her as we said goodbye.
‘Sure. Try the arena,’ she said, turning back through the sliding doors without showing the slightest reaction. Had she really been dating him, or had Aaron made the whole thing up just to make Holly jealous?
I made my way across to the round pen to find Daniel alone with the mustangs.
‘Aaron left,’ he said, flashing me a warm smile. ‘He had things to do.’
‘Me too.’ Straight away forgetting the topic of Aaron, I felt my heart rate speed out of control. The dust-covered horses milled around Daniel, who stood calm
Similar Books
