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A Star in the Sky
A Star in the Sky
A Star in the Sky
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A Star in the Sky

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“This is the flower of the night which is demanded of him: a star in the sky...”

The day is 9.9.1.0.18 4 Etz'nab' 16 Sotz', and somewhere in the hills above the great Maya city of Palenque, a man is dying.

Taah Tiwoh, Priest of K'awiil, had not been a particularly likable individual, and few regretted his slow and agonising demise. Nevertheless, having failed to save his life, Royal Physician Lady Tz'unun finds herself struggling to work out what could possibly have caused his death.

Danger lurks among the fog-shrouded mansions of the city's elites, and the more Tz'unun investigates, the more she realises that almost everyone Taah Tiwoh knew had a reason to wish him ill. As Tz'unun works to eliminate suspects from her list before the dreaded City Magistrates take charge of the case, the secrets and lies of the high aristocracy are thrown open to the light of day. In such uncertain times, no one is above suspicion, and the good Doctor is not without secrets of her own...

A Star in the Sky is a magical murder mystery set among the glories of classical Maya civilisation.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherD.Z.C.
Release dateFeb 29, 2016
A Star in the Sky
Author

D.Z.C.

D.Z.C. lives in Paris and Singapore. Like his creation, he is a specialist in Oriental art and classical culture. Unlike his creation, he has not yet murdered anyone. He likes receiving e-mails from readers, especially if they have pictures of cats in them. deng.zichao8@gmail.com

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    A Star in the Sky - D.Z.C.

    Epilogue

    Some useful vocabulary...

    … And little bit of history

    The bit at the end

    1. Palenque

    The great city of Palenque reposes on its stately mountainside like a jade pendant around the neck of a young bride. As polished jade shines against dark skin, so the towering palaces and terraced gardens glow all the brighter against the blackness of the forest that surrounds them. And, like a pendant hanging from tumbling chains of bright jewels, so Palenque is threaded through with the quicksilver streams that fall from the heights through its streets and plazas and out towards the farmland below.

    At dawn, when the mist rises from the jungle into the purple of the morning sky, the streams appear gradually, cascading through and around the clouds. Like the Dream Serpent Och-Kan emerging from the smoke of burnt offerings, so the waterfalls wreathe the flanks of the mountain. Finally, the pale towers, the mansions of the gods and the great noble families, unveil themselves to the waiting watcher: a city and a vision and a chimera.

    The day is 9.9.1.0.18 4 Etz'nab' 16 Sotz', or, alternatively, 20th May 614.

    For now, the dawn is yet to arrive on the horizon. There was a storm the previous evening, and the sounds of the night-time animals seem doubly loud in consequence. Here, on the eastern edge of the city, where the grand villas of the wealthy are laid out in sumptuous gardens, the noise of the insects and the night birds is deafening.

    To all but the most attentive of listeners, the cries and shufflings of the nocturnal world would entirely drown out the sound of hurried feet on the hard-packed earth. The footsteps pause briefly – clearly someone is checking that no city guards are likely to bar his way – before being swallowed by the rumble of the water that flows beneath the vast stones of the Otolum Aqueduct. A few seconds later the quick feet are followed by more: a group this time, shuffling awkwardly on the steep ground, clearly carrying something cumbersome but important...

    2. In darkness

    The raiding party, as Three Rabbit insisted on calling it, made its way through the silent avenues of eastern Palenque. Three Rabbit was only thirteen, and excited by the prospect of clandestine deeds done at night.

    For the moment, first light was still some hours away. Elsewhere in the city, in more boisterous neighbourhoods, the last clients of the brothels and wine shops would be stumbling out into the cresset-lit darkness. Here, however, all was still. These roads were lined with the great estates of the high nobility, each house separated from next by lush and artistically manicured gardens. At each gateway a hired watchman dozed by a smouldering brazier. Otherwise, no sign of life broke the severe lines of the high outer walls. No sign of life except, that is, for Three Rabbit.

    Tightening his breech-cloth around his meagre waist, he peered round the corner of a sprawling villa belonging to the Third Yahawk'ahk' Priest. None of the city's Night Guards were patrolling the neighbourhood, which was a blessing, and the Priest's own elderly watchman was snoring loudly. Three Rabbit could afford to relax. In the red glow from the brazier he could see, painted around the gate of the mansion, the twisted forms of the sigils indicating that this home was under the protection of one or more of the city's confraternities of sorcerers and assassins. Three Rabbit's gleaming nocturnal eyes noted this fact with indifference and a certain amount of contempt: the Third Yahawk'ahk' Priest's villa was not his target on this particular outing.

    He glanced behind him, to where the Great Physician, Lady Tz'unun, and her apprentice, Ch'ok K'uk Ek' Muyaal, were waiting. They were standing next to a rather old and shabby litter, looking sheepish and out of place in the shadows next to the wall. Three Rabbit hurried back and nodded to them before grabbing the poles at the back of the litter. Ch'ok Muyaal took the front. Lady Tz'unun, wearing her plainest dress and a wide straw hat, walked sedately beside them. Had any curious observers been present, she would have appeared to be nothing more than a stolid, middle-aged servant. Beneath the brim of the hat hung a shock of untidy braids, and from among the braids a pair of small, round, slightly crossed eyes scrutinised the world carefully. The combination gave her the air of a particularly self-possessed night-time creature, sauntering into the city to inspect the rubbish heaps for interesting leftovers.

    This was not their first such nocturnal expedition, and they had tried several different means of locomotion before settling upon this one. At first it had seemed sensible for one of them to ride in the litter. Unfortunately, if anyone were to occupy this position, it would have to be Three Rabbit. Barely out of childhood, he was still far too small to haul either end of a litter containing a full-grown adult, so the position of passenger would fall to him by default. Ch'ok Muyaal, distant cousin and assistant to the great doctor and midwife Lady Tz'unun, was sixteen summers old, elegant, dark-eyed and of impeccable aristocratic stock. He felt instinctively that for her Ladyship to carry a third-hand Zapotec slave boy around as though he were a prince of the royal blood was not the sort of thing that should be encouraged. Three Rabbit had more than enough ideas above his station as it was.

    In the end, after some experimentation, it was realised that Three Rabbit could just about carry one end of an empty litter, if Ch’ok Muyaal took the other and Lady Tz’unun walked alongside to steady it on the trickier corners. In this way, they could at least manage the half-mile or so between Lady Tz'unun's estate in the East and their destination: the old K'awiil Temple that sat on the steepest part of the slope above the city.

    They had since enjoyed several months' practice, and on this particular night they moved with much more confidence than they had on their first outing. They passed quietly between the looming walls and overhanging roofs, threading their way through the dark labyrinth of the sleeping city by the light of their solitary lantern. The streets grew wider and the braziers more frequent as they approached the Lakamha' Plaza with its palaces and pyramids. There was more traffic in this part of town. Even at this late hour, passers-by could be seen hurrying home from parties or assignations. At one point they had to press against a wall as a small girl with one cloudy-white eye and a walking stick passed by, moving with unflappable dignity in the centre of a flowing pack of hunting dogs.

    The group hurried past the Palace. Its fires were still burning indoors but the guards at the foot of the steps were already half asleep on their spears, the dark plumes of their uniforms swaying slightly. At the foot of the steps a curtained palanquin waited, its retinue of liveried servants shuffling and whispering in the torchlight. They paid no attention Three Rabbit, Muyaal and Lady Tz'unun.

    The last part of the journey was the most difficult. The ground rose sharply beyond the Palace and the towering Chaak Temple, and the road was broken frequently with flights of steep steps. They were heading for the Temple of K'awiil: Lord of the Wind and the Shadows, K'awiil of the Smoking Mirror, the Enemy of Both Sides...

    Patron of Kings and Emperors, K'awiil was nevertheless sufficiently unsettling that no one – not even the Kings and Emperors themselves – wished to reside any closer to him than was strictly necessary. So it was that his Temple had been placed high above the city, enabling the majority of the population to go about their business without an undue risk of attracting his attention.

    To reach it, Tz'unun and her assistants had to head away from the shops and houses of Palenque proper, and through thick stands of uncleared jungle. The trees met overhead, and Three Rabbit could hear the night-time forest breathing around him: the clicks and rustles of the animals and night spirits parting ahead of them and shrinking back just long enough to allow them to pass by. Glancing left and right, Three Rabbit could see their eyes flickering like fireflies in the light from their single small lamp. Ch'ok Muyaal and Lady Tz'unun, for their part, were not afraid: Tz'unun lacked the imagination, and Muyaal had had it drummed into him from infancy that Palenque nobles were afraid of nothing.

    After around fifteen minutes' climb they reached the temple, passing beneath the sacred gate and into the world of spirits. They made only token obeisances before the weathered stone altar, Three Rabbit averting his eyes carefully. He knew that if he looked back, the stone carvings – the twisted and deformed face of K'awiil, and the serpents that sprouted from his crooked body – would have shifted position, ethereal and impermanent beneath the moonlight.

    They made their way around to the back of the building, where the priests and apprentices had their dormitories and the offices from which they administered their holdings. The offices consisted of a large wood-framed warehouse in which tithe gifts and other debts owed to the temple were stored, and a sturdier adobe block in which the priests kept and maintained their paperwork as well as the more valuable donations made by the faithful and the easily intimidated. Despite the late hour, dim light shone from the small windows beneath the eaves.

    Ch'ok Muyaal knocked quietly on the main door, which was usually kept barred. The three waited. Three Rabbit had positioned himself with his back to the wall of the building: you had to keep one eye on the treeline, or the Bad Ones would sneak out and drag you away.

    They're not answering, he hissed after a moment or two. I can hear them talking in there. You didn't knock hard enough. He leant forwards and banged sonorously on the door. This time a young apprentice-priest wrenched it open, staring at Three Rabbit’s sharp, slightly feral features with a mixture of fear and annoyance.

    Could you possibly make more noise? he whispered. "We're being inspected. Get out of here! The three interlopers stared back, showing varying degrees of surprise and indifference to the poor man's plight.

    We had an agreement, Three Rabbit hissed back at him. Despite being the youngest member of the party, Three Rabbit was by far the most street-smart, and generally took the lead in any negotiations. High Priest Taah Tiwoh promised that you would be ready by today. You were late last month as well. This isn't good enough.

    Last month's consignment was of very poor quality too, Tz'unun added righteously, swatting at the mosquitoes that had appeared in the light of the open door. So old as to be next to useless. Ch'ok Muyaal could think of nothing to contribute, and so contented himself with nodding angrily.

    That's nothing to do with me, the apprentice-priest whispered back. "You'll have to talk to the High Priest about it. All I know is that the auditors arrived this evening and they're out for blood. We're all going to get it in the neck – you too if you don't watch out. Come back tomorrow if you really have to. Go on. Xe!" He moved to push the door shut, but Three Rabbit managed to stick his foot in the gap.

    Oh no you don't. We've fulfilled our side of the bargain and-

    Excuse me. A polite voice came from inside the main office. Am I interrupting your discussion? The apprentice-priest slid painfully back, and the door swung fully open.

    Inside, the temple office was being comprehensively dismantled. Junior priests ran back and forth, fetching and carrying documents and – occasionally - trying surreptitiously to feed some of them into one of the fires that lit the large room. Apparently, the audit was not going well: three white-faced, red-eyed servants of K’awiil were already standing in a corner under armed guard, their hands tied behind their backs. The High Priest evidently had no intention of taking the affront lying down. A sleek, well-fed man of middle age, his tones of high-pitched outrage filled the room as he let flow a stream of vicious threats and patrician contempt. His skin was covered with the blue-painted designs that marked him out as one belonging to the gods, and they twisted and billowed like storm clouds in tune with his rage.

    In the middle of the chaos stood the man who had spoken. Clearly the individual in charge of the enterprise, he was also the least extravagantly-dressed person in the room. In contrast with the priests and royal administrators with their heavy embroidered brocades and feathers, he wore a dead white cotton pik cloth kilt, folded and wrapped around his waist, loosely tied so that the hem almost trailed on the floor. His only other adornment was the bundle of writing things which he wore tucked through into his headdress like a scribe. He had clearly been dictating to a subordinate when the raiding party arrived, and the young man stood with his charcoal pencil poised, waiting for instructions to resume.

    Three Rabbit and Ch'ok Muyaal froze in horror. Lady Tz’unun glanced across at them, looking puzzled. The man before them did not, on face value, appear particularly frightening. Of average height, average build, indeterminate age and – as has already been noted – plainly dressed, the chief auditor could have disappeared instantly in any crowd. It was only upon closer inspection that an observant watcher may have noticed a certain inhuman intelligence in those slanting yellow eyes...

    The door swung slowly back into place. To Three Rabbit's horror, the auditor was looking directly at him. He could feel his mind being read and dug his nails into the palms of his hands. Lady Tz'unun remained unmoved. Her interests did not extend much beyond her medical practice, and the life of the city held no attraction for her. She had no idea who the man standing before her was, and did not consider the ignorance a handicap. The lack of recognition was not mutual, however.

    Ah. Doctor, he said politely. Do come in. Finally she deigned to look slightly surprised.

    Excuse me. Do I know you? Tz’unun asked, blinking short-sightedly as she stepped out of the darkness and into the light. Three Rabbit and Ch'ok Muyaal gazed frantically at each other, but the stranger seemed unconcerned. Ch'ok Muyaal finally succeeded in shaking himself out of his horrified trance and stepped forward to perform the introductions, bowing deeply.

    Doctor, this is Lord Siyah Ak'ab', Ti'sakhuun to Her Majesty the Divine Matwiil Lady Sak K'uk' and Sahal of the Eastern Marches. Tz'unun did not look remotely impressed.

    Oh. Yes, I remember. You're some sort of bureaucrat, aren't you? she asked, squinting up at the man. Three Rabbit and Ch'ok Muyaal tensed, but Siyah Ak’ab’ appeared not to have noticed the slight.

    Indeed. Three Rabbit could feel the man's thoughts prowling the room, already bored of the newcomers, sniffing the air for something more entertaining.

    Well, whatever you may be, we're here to see High Priest Taah Tiwoh, Lady Tz'unun announced. We'd like to speak to him in private. Arrange for it.

    His Lordship is occupied, the Ti'sakhuun informed her, stating the obvious in cold, courteous tones. I would advise you and your assistants to return at a more convenient time. He turned to the High Priest, looking cynical. Unless, of course, this is a medical emergency? In fact, Taah Tiwoh did look somewhat queasy, and at this he glanced up.

    Three Rabbit had never been fond of Taah Tiwoh: the man had a taste for young boys and an ability to convince himself, in the face of abundant evidence, that the attraction was reciprocal. Now, however, Three Rabbit felt a slight pang of sympathy for the beleaguered High Priest.

    Taah Tiwoh had been something of an athlete in his younger days, and still made a point of taking care of himself, generally appearing oily and well-fed in all circumstances. Now, however, beneath the blue paint his skin seemed damper and greyer than even an unexpected audit could account for.

    Ah. Yes, he began shakily. He caught on fast. I was... feeling awful, like all the demons of the Cold House were inside me. I sent one of the boys to fetch my doctor and her assistant... I didn't... That is, I wouldn't... As usual, Three Rabbit was the quickest on the uptake, hoping that Tz’unun and Muyaal were not looking too surprised by this unexpected declaration.

    Absolutely, he confirmed, nodding earnestly. We got the message and we rushed straight here to attend upon the High Priest in his time of sickness. Lady Tz'unun is the most dedicated physician in all of the lands of Bakaal. He thought for a second or two more. And the best. And her prices are very reasonable. It never hurt to advertise. Taah Tiwoh nodded. Siyah Ak'ab' looked sceptically from one to the other.

    Very well, he said finally. Ch'ok Muyaal raised a hand to touch the stone amulet he wore hanging from his headdress to ward off the evil eye, but the Ti'sakhuun's glance flickered in his direction, and he thought better of it. But any medicine that you have to provide, you will provide here, where we can see you, Siyah Ak'ab' continued. Lady Tz'unun looked irritated.

    Absolutely not. This is a serious medical matter, not a circus act. We will take him round to his rooms at the back. Clearly Lord Siyah Ak'ab' was clearly not used to being contradicted.

    Your mistress is fortunate that I am a patient individual, he observed to Three Rabbit, who cringed. You will go in the company of Sergeant Maax-

    Sergeant Maax is not- Lady Tz'unun began imperiously.

    Who will, I am confident, the Ti’sakhuun continued without pausing, See nothing to make him suspicious of your intentions. The threat was obvious even to someone with the impenetrable self-absorption of Lady Tz'unun. She inclined her head in a frosty gesture, before sweeping out of the room. Three Rabbit and Ch'ok Muyaal helped the High Priest to his feet and they followed her, with the Sergeant hot on their heels.

    As soon as they were through the door, and while Maax was still out of ear-shot, Three Rabbit turned and hissed at Taah Tiwoh.

    You owe us, pal.

    I know, I know, Taah Tiwoh waved this away as if his miraculous rescue from the auditors were of no consequence. But I really am sick. I would have called for you if you hadn't shown up, I feel absolutely hideous. It's not- He broke off to demonstrate just how hideous he felt by throwing up copiously against the wall of the warehouse.

    What have you been eating? Tz'unun asked briskly.

    Nothing! At least, nothing out of the ordinary. I was at Iki Kuy's birthday dinner earlier. I ate there, of course. Then a runner arrived to tell me that Siyah Ak’ab’ and his hell-hounds were tearing my temple offices apart so I came back here to tell them what I thought of them. Muyaal shoved back the curtain covering the door to the High Priest's living quarters. Two young maids who had been folding cloth in the soft light of a sinking fire looked up, surprised.

    Boil me some water, Lady Tz'unun ordered. Put in it a piece of jade and as much cocoa bark as you can hold in one hand. Bring it to me when you have finished and put some more on the fire to boil. The maids ran to do as they were bid. Lady Tz'unun may not have been able to get her head around the concept of diplomacy, but she was a past master in the art of giving orders. She turned to Taah Tiwoh.

    Where are your mats and cushions? He nodded in the direction of the next room, and Three Rabbit rushed off to find some soft coverings and make up a bed by the fire. Sergeant Maax watched the proceedings curiously. He was not nearly rich enough to afford professional medical care, and was interested to see what sort of outlandish rituals it may involve.

    Sit down... Stick out your tongue... Look left and right. Does this hurt?

    No.

    How about now?

    Ow! Yes, that hurts. Stop it. Surplus to requirements for the time being, Three Rabbit crouched down next to Sergeant Maax, a stocky young man with extensive tattoos and an expression of almost painful conscientiousness.

    So, you're inspecting the temple? he asked. The Sergeant grunted. He was clearly not inviting discussion, but Three Rabbit subscribed to the view that if you don't ask you don't get.

    What for? he asked.

    Defalcations, Sergeant Maax replied shortly.

    Sounds serious, Three Rabbit said, doing his best to appear impressed.

    Dunno, Maax admitted. I don't know what a defalcation is. I just arrest whoever they tell me to arrest.

    So you'd arrest the High Priest?

    I arrest whoever they tell me to arrest, Maax repeated stolidly, with the indifference of a man who would not be obliged to listen to the screams of his captives after they had been handed over to the magistrates for interrogation.

    Even the High Priest? Three Rabbit insisted. If it turned out he was doing these defalcations? Would you arrest him? Clearly Sergeant Maax had never considered the implications of his nominal power up until this point. He swelled visibly.

    Yup.

    But I thought that Taah Tiwoh was Queen Sak K'uk''s half-brother? Three Rabbit asked.

    Yup, Sergeant Maax repeated. Three Rabbit was not a politician himself, but he caught on quickly.

    So your orders to investigate the K'awiil Temple, they must have come from the Queen herself? he asked.

    Yup. The Sergeant was clearly a man of few words, but here he unbent enough to shed a little more light on the situation. We were surprised, I can tell you, but if her Majesty tells you to go and investigate someone, you carry yourself off and investigate him. Sharpish too, if you know what's good for you.

    Really? Three Rabbit asked, awe in his voice, wondering whether or not he was laying it on a bit thick.

    Well, I wouldn't expect a little kid like you to know about it, Maax conceded magnanimously. But we all know what happened to her Majesty's other brothers, don't we?

    By this time the maids had arrived back with the boiled bark and jade, and they set it down next to the patient in the flickering light from the fire.

    Is she going to drink it and see spirit visions? Sergeant Maax asked, nodding in the direction of Lady Tz'unun, the great physician.

    I shouldn't think so, Three Rabbit replied doubtfully. She's not big on visions, Lady Tz’unun. If there are any visions to be had she usually leaves it up to Ch'ok Muyaal. Sergeant Maax looked somewhat disappointed, as though any medical process that did not involve visions was barely worth the name.

    Tz'unun stirred the bark cordial around once or twice before dipping a cup into the pot.

    Drink as much as you can, she instructed. Her tone was that of someone talking to a child or an animal, rather than a representative of the divine powers. The High Priest winced and tried to gulp back a mouthful. Instead he coughed and gagged, and most of the liquid spilled over the blankets. He stared and clawed at his throat. Tz'unun refilled the cup.

    Here, try again. Less this time. Tz'unun showed no emotion. She seldom did. Three Rabbit, on the other hand, was leaning forward, biting his lip. Sergeant Maax turned to watch him curiously.

    What's wrong?

    It's not a good sign... Three Rabbit whispered back hoarsely. When a person can't drink, it usually means that he's going somewhere he'll have no need of water.

    Eh? The Sergeant was clearly surprised now. But I thought he was shamming to get out of being investigated?

    So did I, Three Rabbit admitted, feeling slightly guilty.

    Taah Tiwoh sipped from the cup once more, and this time managed to swallow a little. Reassured, he gulped back the liquid and choked again. He coughed painfully, and his body convulsed. Trying to drag himself back into a sitting position he fell onto his side, gagging again. Lady Tz'unun took hold of his left hand, with which he had grabbed the striped blanket that covered him. Gently but with unmistakable force she attempted to straighten the limb. Taah Tiwoh remained curled up on the floor.

    Three Rabbit, Tz’unun said quietly. Three Rabbit jumped to his feet. "Go to his Lordship the Ti'sakhuun and ask him for any pulque or balché that he can find. Any liquor will do, as long as it is not mixed with any herbs or spices. As well as that, have them bring a skin bag and a clay pipe. When you have done that, run as fast as you can to the house of Eight Death the Hunter, and tell him to come here with some of his peccary darts and a jar of the special mixture he uses with them." Three Rabbit nodded solemnly before disappearing through the door, into the darkness beyond. He did not relish the prospect of travelling back down the mountain path alone in the dark, but an order was an order.

    Sergeant Maax watched closely. Alcohol and poison darts and mysterious mixtures? This sounded much more authentically medicinal. He settled down against the wall to be informed and entertained.

    3. The rabid creation

    Three Rabbit crept past the altar, his whole body alert to the clicks and sighs that filtered through the trees. At the temple gateway he paused, peering out into the circle of non-darkness cast by his flickering torch.

    When he had first arrived in the city, a fresh captive from the distant forests of the far West, the towering buildings and fractious crowds had terrified him. He had crouched in a corner of the slave traders' cage, gasping with frantic, feral claustrophobia as the city closed in around him. If he had been told that one day he would be just as frightened of the once-friendly forest he would have been entirely bewildered... And yet here he was, hesitating to cross the threshold and leave the dubious protection of K'awiil's domain. Finally, he swallowed twice, took his courage in both hands, and set off down the path in a panicked sprint as though all of the demons of the underworld were at his heels.

    Meanwhile, in Taah Tiwoh's quarters, Lady Tz'unun had already returned to her task.

    What's wrong with me? Taah Tiwoh whimpered feebly.

    Some sort of seizures. Tz’unun said. She did not have much of a bedside manner, and had long since abandoned the

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