After leaving the sewer system—which was nothing more than a network of enormous, endless red-brick walls—they climbed a staircase and passed through a door. The goddesses found themselves inside a vast palace of ochre and crimson, with enormous windows and men and women strolling through its sumptuous halls. The palace clearly had two floors, and the walls were decorated with images of hawks, while the entire place was adorned with statues made of copper.
Soldiers guarded every corner of the compound. Tania assumed it must have been some sort of guest residence.
At the center of the hall stood a spiral staircase leading to the second floor. The guard motioned for them to go up, so the goddesses nodded and began climbing with difficulty, for both were still very weak, and the restraints on their hands did little to help.
The upper floor was a completely red corridor, its walls painted with images of hawk-men and birds, lined with several doors. One of them bore a red circle, which Tania recognized as being similar to the circle where she had been imprisoned in Onondaga.
The guard removed their bindings and told them to go inside. The goddesses nodded and entered. Within stood a large stone bed layered with palm fibers and covered by a great cotton sheet. There was a small cistern with water and a bucket for bathing, as well as a table laden with fruit.
In front of the bed was a great window through which they could see a gigantic pyramid, much larger than the one they had seen in the previous town. The window was draped with cotton curtains embroidered with images of beasts and buffalo.
“How pretty!” Tul cried excitedly, hopping up and down with delight. She had not been out of prison for months, and now she felt as though she had been born anew.
“I owe you an apology. Your plan worked perfectly,” Tania said.
“I told you so, ch’úupal,” Tul replied, then hurried to the table to inspect the fruit. But just as she was about to take one, she turned to Tania with an embarrassed look.
“Can I?” she asked.
“You need not ask me such a thing, Tul. Go ahead and take whatever you like,” Tania replied.
“Thank you, ch’úupal!” the rabbit goddess cried joyfully, and began eating the berries there with very little grace.
Tania then sat down on the floor and touched her side. She could feel that three of her ribs were broken, and she winced in pain, but she was glad to have gotten Tul out of that prison.
“Mmf you not gon' bed?” Tul asked while continuing to eat. Tania guessed she meant to ask why she had not lain down on the bed.
“I am covered in filth. I shall bathe first,” Tania said, though she could not stop Tul from noticing the pain from her broken ribs.
“Wait, ch’úupal. Let me check you,” the rabbit goddess said, stopping her eating and approaching Tania to touch the right side of her abdomen. Tania flinched in pain.
“You’ve got three broken ribs,” Tul said. Then she took her bag and began rummaging through it.
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From within, she pulled out a mortar made of black volcanic stone, with the face of a little bunny carved into it. She also took out several herbs and seeds and began grinding them together.
“Are you a herbalist?” Tania asked.
“Yes. I used to make medicine for Ixchel and her people,” the rabbit goddess replied while crushing the herbs with tremendous vigor. “Even if I can’t use my divine powers here, I can still make a little medicine.”
Once it had become powder, she poured it into one of the cups on the table, then filled it with water.
“Now I just need something to heat it with,” said the goddess.
Tania raised a finger and created a flame.
“It seems the anti-divinity barrier is not as strong here as it was in the prison,” she said, and with that flame she quickly heated the clay cup Tul was holding.
“Now drink this potion,” said the rabbit goddess, handing the cup to Tania. It smelled dreadful, but Tania took a deep breath and drank it in one swallow.
At once, Tania felt her ribs begin to mend, and the pain in her side eased. The tooth she had lost had also been restored. The effect was similar to ambrosia, though not nearly as strong. Even so, she could also feel some of her ichor returning. Then she understood how Tul had managed to survive in that prison for so long.
“Did it work? Yay! I’m so happy, ch’úupal!” the rabbit goddess cried excitedly. Then her ears drooped a little and she put on a wide smile with her eyes closed.
At first Tania did not understand what she wanted, but then she realized Tul wanted to be patted on the head and praised for it.
The Punic goddess reached out and began stroking Tul’s head.
“You are a very good girl, Tul. Your medicine was wonderful. Thank you,” Tania said, while Tul purred with happiness.
After patting her, the fire-haired goddess rose from the floor and peered out the window at the gigantic pyramid that seemed to stand at the center of the city.
“I assume this is the capital, Cahokia, and that is the great temple of this place,” she said.
Tul came to look as well.
“Yes. Human sacrifices must be made in that temple, just like in Tula or Mayapán. Though the number of human sacrifices made in Tula pales in comparison to those in my homeland,” Tul said.
“I think this place must be very similar to Tula, just as you say,” Tania replied.
“Why do you say that?” the rabbit goddess asked.
“The stench of that man... he is addicted to human blood,” Tania answered.
The Punic goddess turned and looked Tul in the eyes.
“Filth and dampness are normal enough in a sewer system, but not blood,” Tania said.
“You mean great amounts of blood from human sacrifices end up in this city’s sewers?” Tul asked.
Tania looked back at the great pyramid and felt a wave of discomfort as memories of her past returned.
“Yes. I am certain of it,” she said.
“Have you tasted human blood before, ch’úupal?” Tul asked in surprise.
Tania took a deep breath and kept her eyes on the massive pyramid before her.
“I did, a long time ago. That is why I recognize its effects,” she said.
“In Mayapán they started treating it like a health problem, so they’ve limited it as much as they can. But there are still gods who demand great quantities of blood from humans. Since we aren’t a kingdom ruled by a single king, there are lots of rebel and enemy factions among us,” Tul explained.
“Quite a problem,” Tania replied, tearing down the sheets that covered the large window and climbing onto its ledge.
“Are you going to escape already, ch’úupal?” Tul asked.
“Yes, Tul. I must go find my friends, and then I shall come back for you,” the Punic goddess said.
But at that moment, a crushing wave of exhaustion struck Tania, and she fell backward onto the floor. Then she realized there was an anti-divinity seal on the window, one that drained her strength. If she jumped, she would surely hit the ground and break her bones.
Tul quickly rushed over to check whether Tania was all right, but the goddess got back up at once and ground her teeth.
“Damn it. We are like two princesses trapped in this room,” she muttered.
“Let’s think about this better, ch’úupal. But I think maybe we should take a bath first and wash this yucky poop smell off our bodies,” the rabbit goddess said.
Tania turned to look at her with a melancholy expression, but Tul’s pure, innocent smile made her agree at once.