[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
old quarters where two warriors stood at either side of the
entrance. He went inside and Susan. guarded by another
warrior, threw herself into his arms.
‘What’s to happen to us, Ian?’ she asked in desperation.
‘We’re to be taken to the temple,’ Ian replied, ‘and you
know what that means, don’t you?’
‘Horrible things!’ She sounded terrified.
‘No, the four of us will be together again,’ Ian said
reassuringly, ‘and thinking about it overnight I’ve come to
the conclusion that Tlotoxl and his friends are no match
for the Doctor.’
Across the courtyard in Ixla’s quarters the Perfect
Victim waited in impatient, drugged euphoria for his
deification. His body had been washed and perfumed, his
garments were radiantly white, his plumed helmet
extravagantly colourful and in his hands he held an exotic
posy of flowers and a fly-swatter.
Ixta came from his bedroom wearing the Chosen
Warrior’s full ceremonial dress. ‘It will be my privilege as
leader of our armies to escort you, O Perfect Victim, to
your glory; he intoned.
The Perfect Victim smiled. ‘May victory always sit upon
your shoulders,’ he replied.
Tonila waddled in. ‘Let the procession begin, he said.
‘The avenues are lined.’
Ixta looked at Tonila sharply. ‘And what of the girl and
my challenger?’ he asked.
‘They will follow at a distance and by another way so
that the Perfect Victim’s path to the temple is not defiled
before the sacrifice,’ Tonila replied.
‘They should go first,’ Ixta argued.
‘The High Priest of Sacrifice does not wish it,’ Tonila
said. ‘They follow the Perfect Victim, but will be punished
first. I shall instruct the guard,’ he added and made his way
across the courtyard to give explicit instructions to the
warrior accompanying Susan and Ian about the route he
should take to the temple. Then Tonila hurried away so as
not to miss his moment of reflected glory.
The Aztecs watched in awed silence as the Perfect
Victim walked slowly along the broad, warrior-lined
avenue towards the pyramid and the temple. On one side
of him was Tonila, supposedly gazing intently at his posy
but his eyes flicked from side to side at the crowd as he
tried to gauge the impression he was making. On the other
side of the Perfect Victim was Ixta, proudly carrying a
gold-studded cudgel, the insignia of the commander of the
Aztec armies. But despite the solemnity of the moment,
every few seconds someone in the crowd would shield their
eyes and look up apprehensively at the sun blazing down
on them.
Cameca hurried across the deserted barracks courtyard
and went through the passageway. The two warriors
outside Ian’s quarters saluted her as she passed them as did
the third one inside.
‘What brings you here, Cameca?’ he asked.
‘I have been instructed by the High Priests to escort
Yetaxa’s handmaiden to the temple,’ she answered.
The warrior glanced at Ian.’What of him?’
‘You, alone, will escort him. So dismiss the others,’ she
replied.
‘I cannot do that,’ the warrior said warily. ‘It would
exceed my authority.’
Cameca explained that on the day of a perfect sacrifice
the High Priests wanted as little attention as possible
drawn to them on the streets. The warrior conceded that
Tonila had ordered him to take a different route to the
temple. Cameca held up the medallion.
‘Autloc himself told me to give you this proof that I
express his wishes.’
The warrior took it from her and studied both sides. ‘It
is the title to his dwelling and all his possessions,’ he
exclaimed.
‘Who holds it, owns them,’ Cameca hesitated and then
pointed at Ian.‘ Well, until you deliver him to the temple.’
The warrior chuckled, went outside and sent the other two
warriors off to watch the sacrifice. Ian gave Cameca a
thumbs-up sign and had the impression that she
understood.
‘Mine until we reach the temple,’ the warrior repeated,
shaking his head in amusement as he came back inside. It
was the last coherent thought he was to have for some
considerable time, as Ian laid him out cold with a
devastating chop on the base of his neck.
‘I shall escort you to the temple,’ Ian said. He went into
the bedroom, took a warriors half-mask and put it on his
head ‘We overheard the route to take, didn’t we, Susan,’ he
added as he came back to them.
Susan picked up the medallion. ‘We must take this back
to Autloc.’
‘Leave it,’ said Cameca, ‘Autloc has gone.’
The Doctor had placed his pulley-wheel beside the strip of
silk behind the curtain and made Barbara stand on the
throne, her arms stretched up above her head with the
coiled snake bracelet held between her hands. He made a
few mental calculations.
‘Exemplary, my dear,’ he said. ‘You may come down
now’
Barbara, with less than God-like grace, clambered off
the throne, though in the final stages the Doctor did offer
her his hand. ‘As soon as Susan and Ian are here’ he
said,’you must insist that Autloc has them released.’
‘Doctor, this temple will soon be lined with warriors
and Tlotoxl will be present,’ Barbara replied. ‘Do you
believe Autloc will be on our side?’
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]