Again, this will probably change with edits, edits, and moar edits, but here's a sneak peek anyway:
6 Sky waited at the foot of the temple,
gazing up at its steep sides. The masks carved in to the cliff face at the top
caught the sun each day, the leering faces glowing gold and red in turn. The
humans came out in to the ball court at high noon to play the sacred game,
presenting offerings and tithes to the Lord of the city. Their chanting
reverberated even in to the caves of the Bat wayob, stirring the soulchangers and mundane kin alike.
The human priests wove golden feathers
in to their capes and coats and heaped praises on the Lord and his council,
calling down the light and its blessings. The jungle made it easy to revel in
signs of life. Everything from the bright birds to the chattering monkeys to
the moist, warm air reminded the humans that the days belonged to them.
But at night, the humans hid and cold hung between the trees like
funeral cloth. The mortals sensed that the moon belonged to the wayob and to women, when the path to Xilbaba stood
open. 6 Sky knew that if they won the city from the Jaguar people, she would be
headed to that same Underworld soon enough. She looked up at the White Path,
the trail of stars that made up the branches of the sacred ceiba tree, the Raised Up Sky. She felt no fear. How could she,
when the glory of the gods and goddesses was right there for the naked eye?
She stood straight and proud as her
mother tucked white flowers in to her hair and hung sacred jewelry around her
neck. The gold and jewels felt heavy and cold. Yet, her heart felt hot in her
breast. Already 6 Sky could imagine the void child holding it in her claw,
still beating, ready to be eaten.
