children learned history, dancing, and the rules of Aztec society, a society and a city that were alive and pulsing with creativity, but one also marked by constant death and destruction. It was a knot of ironies that Gabriel struggled to untangle.
Within a few minutes, they passed through the snake wall , a large stone wall surrounding the city center and adorned with serpent heads. The city center was entirely paved and Gabriel saw a courtyard where the Aztecs played tlachtli , a game in which players battled to pass a rubber ball through a stone circle using their hips. Not surprisingly, the losers were often sacrificed to the gods. Beyond the ball court, Gabriel could see the palace of the king. Several pyramids, in addition to the Great Temple, sat at the heart of the city. The smaller temple in front of the Templo Mayor was that of Quetzalcoatl, the wind and sky god, often depicted as a feathered serpent.
As they approached the foot of the Templo Mayor, Gabriel could see that the bodies had been cleared away, some to be eaten, he seemed to remember. He pushed that out of his mind. Two guards with spears stood at the base of the temple stairs, but they did not seem to notice anyone walking past them. There was also a large stone carving of a woman with her head, arms, and legs chopped off. The Coyolxauhqui Stone . Coyolxauhqui was an Aztec moon goddess and the stone depicted the method of sacrifice. Gabriel wondered why it was her image when the sanctuaries at the top were dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of the sun and war, and Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility. Although there were no bodies, there were plenty of heads. Thousands adorned the skull racks that surrounded the base of the temple. He had been trying to ignore them by staring at the carved Coyolxauhqui Stone.
“Do we have to walk past all of those?” Gabriel asked, indicating the rows of severed heads.
“Never mind the heads,” Marcus said, looking at Ohin. “Are you going to make us walk up all those stairs?”
“I have no intention of making you do either,” Ohin said as he came to a stop. Gabriel’s time-sense told him what was coming, but the others seemed to be expecting it as well. The blackness surrounded them, the white light came, and then they stood on the flat top of the pyramid. Gabriel looked around. Everyone was there. He wondered how many people Ohin could take through space without touching them. It must take a great deal of power and experience. He also wondered how long it would take before he could manage it.
Two guards stood at the top of the temple. Between them burned a large fire near a stone altar where the victims of the sacrifices would be held down by the priests as their hearts were cut out of their chests. The guards both briefly moved their heads in the direction of the mages, but Sema touched the glass pendant at her neck and they turned away in unison, lying down where they stood and falling asleep.
“The dagger is in there,” Ohin said, pointing to one of the stone sanctuaries on the top of the temple. “The sanctuary of Huitzilopochtli, the sun god.” The two sanctuaries had angular walls and flat roofs so they almost looked like miniature pyramids themselves. The one on the right was covered in red and black paint and decorated with human skulls. This was the sanctuary of the sun god, Huitzilopochtli. The sanctuary on the left belonged to the rain god, Tlaloc, and was painted in blue in white.
“They aren’t the only tainted artifacts in there,” Sema said. Gabriel tried to sense the dagger and any other artifacts, but he couldn’t. That too must come with experience and power, he thought. However, he did feel something. Something strong. Then he realized what it was.
“The entire temple is imprinted, isn’t it?” Gabriel said as they walked behind Ohin to the sanctuary of Huitzilopochtli.
“Yes,” Teresa said. “Any place with this much murder would have to be.”
“But then
Within a few minutes, they passed through the snake wall , a large stone wall surrounding the city center and adorned with serpent heads. The city center was entirely paved and Gabriel saw a courtyard where the Aztecs played tlachtli , a game in which players battled to pass a rubber ball through a stone circle using their hips. Not surprisingly, the losers were often sacrificed to the gods. Beyond the ball court, Gabriel could see the palace of the king. Several pyramids, in addition to the Great Temple, sat at the heart of the city. The smaller temple in front of the Templo Mayor was that of Quetzalcoatl, the wind and sky god, often depicted as a feathered serpent.
As they approached the foot of the Templo Mayor, Gabriel could see that the bodies had been cleared away, some to be eaten, he seemed to remember. He pushed that out of his mind. Two guards with spears stood at the base of the temple stairs, but they did not seem to notice anyone walking past them. There was also a large stone carving of a woman with her head, arms, and legs chopped off. The Coyolxauhqui Stone . Coyolxauhqui was an Aztec moon goddess and the stone depicted the method of sacrifice. Gabriel wondered why it was her image when the sanctuaries at the top were dedicated to Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of the sun and war, and Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility. Although there were no bodies, there were plenty of heads. Thousands adorned the skull racks that surrounded the base of the temple. He had been trying to ignore them by staring at the carved Coyolxauhqui Stone.
“Do we have to walk past all of those?” Gabriel asked, indicating the rows of severed heads.
“Never mind the heads,” Marcus said, looking at Ohin. “Are you going to make us walk up all those stairs?”
“I have no intention of making you do either,” Ohin said as he came to a stop. Gabriel’s time-sense told him what was coming, but the others seemed to be expecting it as well. The blackness surrounded them, the white light came, and then they stood on the flat top of the pyramid. Gabriel looked around. Everyone was there. He wondered how many people Ohin could take through space without touching them. It must take a great deal of power and experience. He also wondered how long it would take before he could manage it.
Two guards stood at the top of the temple. Between them burned a large fire near a stone altar where the victims of the sacrifices would be held down by the priests as their hearts were cut out of their chests. The guards both briefly moved their heads in the direction of the mages, but Sema touched the glass pendant at her neck and they turned away in unison, lying down where they stood and falling asleep.
“The dagger is in there,” Ohin said, pointing to one of the stone sanctuaries on the top of the temple. “The sanctuary of Huitzilopochtli, the sun god.” The two sanctuaries had angular walls and flat roofs so they almost looked like miniature pyramids themselves. The one on the right was covered in red and black paint and decorated with human skulls. This was the sanctuary of the sun god, Huitzilopochtli. The sanctuary on the left belonged to the rain god, Tlaloc, and was painted in blue in white.
“They aren’t the only tainted artifacts in there,” Sema said. Gabriel tried to sense the dagger and any other artifacts, but he couldn’t. That too must come with experience and power, he thought. However, he did feel something. Something strong. Then he realized what it was.
“The entire temple is imprinted, isn’t it?” Gabriel said as they walked behind Ohin to the sanctuary of Huitzilopochtli.
“Yes,” Teresa said. “Any place with this much murder would have to be.”
“But then
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