Ironhelm - Douglas Niles [76]
The girl spoke, her voice smooth and quick. He could not understand her words, but suddenly the meaning entered his mind.
"Chitikas! Why have you brought us here? Who are these men?"
The serpent, Hal realized, not only communicated its own thoughts to him, but it also translated and passed along the words of the native girl.
"I don't like this," growled Daggrande, his voice a coarse whisper. "Let's get out of here!"
"We must stay here and listen." The white-robed man rose to his feet and turned toward Daggrande and Halloran. He, too, spoke his own language for telepathic translation. "The couatl is the sign of ultimate good, disciple of Qotal himself. I, Kachin, priest of Qotal, beseech you to listen."
The cleric nodded at the carved visage, and Hal understood that the serpentine face, with its mane of feathers, depicted this god, Qotal.
"Priest?" spat the legionnaire. "A priest such as the one who tore the heart from a defenseless woman? What kind of priest is that? What kind of god is that?" Halloran trembled with rage as the memory of that event came back to him in all its horror.
Kachin sighed. "No, not such a priest, though you have seen this face of the gods of Maztica."
"What possessed that monster? Why was she killed?" Hal-loran demanded.
"The tale is unpleasant, and complicated. That cleric is a patriarch of Zaltec, god of war-and night, and death, and other incidental things, but mainly war." Kachin spoke quickly, his words becoming thoughts in Hal's mind with equal speed.
"Across the land of Maztica are many who worship Zaltec, and all of them seek hearts to feed to their god. The priests take these hearts, usually at sunrise or sunset, in great numbers."
"That's barbaric!" snarled Halloran, appalled. "What kind of a god would demand such a thing? And what kind of people would obey?"
"Do not make judgments too sweeping," urged Kachin. "Though the creed of Zaltec spreads far across the land, here in Payit are many who hearken to the call of Qotal."
Erix spoke suddenly, surprising both Kachin and Hal. "Qotal is the source of pluma, the feathermagic that broke your bonds," she told Hal. "A god who thrives on life and beauty, not blood."
The girl turned and explained many things to the cleric. The serpent did not translate her words, but Hal understood the basic message: She had fled from the priest who killed Marline and had been captured by Daggrande's men.
"All right," Hal growled, interrupting her. "We'll stay here and listen, as you suggest. But I want some explanations!"
"I don't like this," grumbled Daggrande softly, but he remained beside his comrade.
"Remember, stranger? hissed the serpent, "/ could have left you to die at the pyramid. There was no escape for you there" Halloran winced at the power, and the underlying sense of menace, in the message thrumming into his brain. For a moment, he wondered if the snake intended to attack him.
At the same time, Halloran realized that the creature spoke the truth. The battle at the pyramid had been lost. He thought of the legionnaires of Daggrande's detachment, all of them probably dead now. How many times this day must he stand helpless as companions died?
"I have told you that I am Kachin," said the rotund priest, suddenly nodding. His words were translated even as the snake held its unblinking gaze upon Halloran. "And this is Erixitl."
Hal nodded curtly, still staring at the snake. Abruptly a wave of power knocked him backward. Something had struck his mind, a blow that was not physical but nonetheless stunning.
"Speak!" commanded the serpent. "Doyou strangers have no manners? Speak your names.'"
Hal bit back a sharp reply and nodded stiffly. "I am Captain Halloran. My companion is Captain Daggrande."
"And I am Chitikas Couatl, devoted servant of Qotal, and the one who has just saved your Jives" The serpent undulated through the room.