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“Where does this corridor exit?” Suki asked Angélica.
“On the front face of the pyramid, near the bottom of the main stairs. We’ll be above the crowd. The sacrificial victims will be brought to the altar at the top of the main stairs.”
More stairs to climb. Suki swallowed and steadied herself.
“I’ll go up with Suki,” Jordan said. “You three keep up cover fire to slow them coming after us but come up the steps too.” Looking at Suki, he added, “Once we get to the top, you can teleport us back to Cozumel, right?”
“That’s the plan,” Suki said. “I think I’ll be able to see the moon from the top of the pyramid.”
“That’s the plan,” he repeated. “Up and away. Got it?”
“Roger,” said a soldier. “Lock and load.”
“Lock and load, rock and roll, create and improvise,” Jordan said. “Let’s do it.”
When they reached the top of the stone steps, there was a corroded metal door blocking their path. A square piece of it was open, like a spyhole—about eight inches tall and six inches wide. The door was discolored with rust and moss and looked like it had been a recent addition, not by the original Maya who had built Calakmul.
Jordan reached it first and gazed outside. He held up two fingers and then pointed to the right and left. The other soldiers nodded.
Angélica pressed her fingers to her lips. The noise of a crowd outside could be heard through the open partition embedded in the door. Suki saw the moonlight outside, which was a comforting sign.
Jordan examined the doorframe and then pointed at the latch. The door would swing outward, which meant they’d likely be spotted immediately. Suki’s heart was racing. None of the people out there had kem äm shields activated. She sensed the power, but it was more like a force field over the entire area. No one was individually protected. Of course, that could change in the space of a moment. They had to hurry.
“No one is shielded,” she whispered to Jordan.
Then she heard a cry of exultation coming from the crowd. Jacob’s voice radiated as if from a loudspeaker. He was speaking Mayan, but she understood the words.
“To thee, god of the night sky, god of the hurricane, of hostility, discord, and rulership. To the god of jaguars and sorcery, of beauty and war, I offer this next sacrifice! Your enemy Jonathon Roth!”
Jordan’s head turned.
“Dad!” Suki groaned. They were too late.
Jordan frowned with determination and shoved the latch up. Slamming his body into the door, he threw it open, knocking down one of the warriors guarding it. Another soldier shot down the other with his rifle.
“Move, move, move!” Jordan screamed as they all spilled out into the night sky.
Suki didn’t wait for the others. She rushed past them, to the narrow steps in the center of the pyramid. A huge glowing stela was planted on the base of it, shimmering with magic. It was taller than her, a formidable obelisk. She ran toward it, knowing it was in front of the stairs she needed to climb. The army guys would follow. She had to get to her dad. Her mind connected with the stela instantly, like a Wi-Fi signal infused in her DNA. She saw the glowing symbol of a king and queen embedded in its design. It looked . . . strangely familiar. As if she recognized it, and it recognized her.
Her bracelet started to glow, awakened by the magic of the place. She’d never stood there before, hadn’t been allowed to climb the temple when she was a prisoner. Now she knew why.
Her ancestors had been from this place. Their magic was in her blood. The bracelet she wore belonged to her family. The stelae throughout the temple grounds would obey her. She was part of the royal house.
Welcome, Daughter. Welcome home.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
JAGUAR TEMPLE
CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE
January 10
Jacob stared down at the corpse sprawled halfway down the pyramid steps. Blood dripped from the obsidian blade clenched in his hand. Gazing down from the crest of the pyramid, before the temple, he felt a surge of vindication. Although his victim hadn’t been the true president of the United States, for the crowd assembled below, this was a sign of his triumph. None could stay the jaguar priests. They would trample through the sheep unopposed. Helicopters and drones and military inventions had failed against the ancient technology of the Maya. The pharmaceutical companies would fail against the plague spreading faster and faster across the world. Blood sacrifices would be performed throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
In a few years, every knee would bend to Huracán through the power of the Calakmul family. Just as the Jaguar Prophecies had said they would.
Jacob motioned for the warriors to bring Mr. Roth to the bloody altar. He faced the crowd gathered below and lifted his voice, using the magic of his ring to amplify it throughout the stelae. He wanted every soul to hear it proclaimed as he brandished the blade once again.
