Feathered Dragon - Douglas Niles [43]
Erixitl recognized the place, for her knowledge of the True World was the most complete of the four. More to the point, the place triggered a deep sense of reverence in her soul, and she felt that the object of their quest lay before them.
“This is Tewahca,” she said- “The City of the Gods.”
* * * * *
Zaltec lumbered southward. The monstrous stone figure covered twenty human paces with each step. Yet some profound sense of urgency caused the god to increase his pace until the earth thundered under each crushing footstep.
The god of war marched inexorably across the desert, taking no note of the parched land, the complete lack of life, The mountainous form stood out like some jagged, natural bluff, worn by wind and water into the crude resemblance of monstrous features. Yet in its motion, it belied the explanation, for it became a menacing, monstrous object of impossible scale.
Zaltec moved in a straight line, not veering for mountain or canyon. His eyes always remained fixed before him, as if he searched for a place he remembered from a long time ago.
A place where, finally, his destiny compelled him to return.
The companions approached the pyramid of Tewahca with an unconquerable sense of awe. Though it had seemed to loom, huge and near, from the ridgetop, its very size made that proximity an illusion. Each step they took toward it made it grow even larger, until they could only believe that the thing had been made by the gods themselves.
It had been midday as they recovered from the shock of the teleportation. Yet the sun had neared the crest of the western ridge by the time they had descended and crossed the valley floor before the pyramid. The structure stood in
pristine beauty, shining over the wasteland of the valley
On top of the mountainous edifice stood a tall stone temple. Unlike the sides of the pyramid, which were decorated \w detailed mosaics and murals etched in vivid color, the temple walls were barren of symbology. Its door, huge and open, gaped like a black mouth awaiting nourishment.
As the companions walked, they noticed other shapes around them. Here was a square framework of stone, visible at the base of a dune. There stood a series of stone arches, surrounded by waste now, but once they must have supported a grand structure. A much smaller pyramid, now broken and eroded, with sand dunes drifting around its base, squatted off to the side. Gradually they realized that they walked among the skeletal remains of a once massive
city
“Tewahca,” Erixitl breathed softly so that her voice did not break the thrall of awe that bound them. “Built by humans as a battleground for the gods.”
Always the great edifice loomed above them, but now they identified a second, smaller pyramid off to the side. As they neared the base of the huge structure, they saw that they walked down what had once been a wide avenue, leading directly to the pyramid.
What had first appeared to be shapeless mounds of sand now assumed regular, evenly spaced forms-the remains of old buildings. Palaces, perhaps, or great temples.
“Look at this one,” Daggrande indicated as they passed a wide, flat plaza, like the porch of some great structure. Square, blocky columns stood in long rows, like silent sentinels guarding a ghostly abode. Behind the columns, dark doorways, framed by partially collapsed stone mantels, gaped like dead, silent eyes.
Shadows lengthened among the many stone columns, and the companions shuddered, sensing the lingering presence of ancient lives.
“This place must be centuries old,” Halloran whispered, as if he worried that the gods could hear.
“Many centuries,” Erixitl agreed. “I can feel the age in the dust under