Words of Love - By Hazel Hunter Page 0,29

he climbed the last step up and looked down at the floor. The rectangular hole was dark and impenetrable. As Brett stepped forward, he felt Jesse behind him. He passed the opening and picked up the lantern he’d left near the back wall. As he raised it over the hole, a series of steps was revealed, the first of which was the slab that had once been the floor.

“Oh my god,” Jesse whispered.

The steps fell away in darkness with no way to tell how deep they would go. Then, something on the second step caught Brett’s attention. He lowered the lantern over it and froze.

“The Jester God,” he whispered.

There, laying on the second step, was a carved stone. It was darker than the surrounding material and had looked like a shadow but Brett could see now that it was dark blue and ornately carved. Carefully, he knelt next to the opening, reached down and picked it up.

It was the image of the Jester God, seated cross-legged on his stool. He wore the distinctive headdress with the tassel of three loops dangling at its end. The Jester God was the earliest symbol of Maya rulership and they were always connected with the burial of a king–always. And it was carved in Olmec Blue Jade, once thought to have but a single source in all of Central America.

“You did it, Jesse,” he said, turning to her. His heart began to pound. “You did it!” he yelled, picking her up around the waist, the lantern and stone tablet behind her. “You did it!”

“We did it,” she said, smiling down at him.

He quickly set her down and held the lantern over the stone so they both could see it. Its edges were perfectly carved and yet they were irregular. Often, elite Maya masks and armor were carved from this rare jade. But the stone that he held didn’t resemble any of those. Its irregular edges weren’t symmetric and it wasn’t quite a rectangle, and yet it was perfectly whole, not broken. As he stared at it, he realized what it had to be.

“It’s a puzzle piece,” he said. “Look at the contours. It has to fit someplace.” He looked back down the stairs. “He has to be close,” Brett said. “He has to be down there.”

“Oh no,” Jesse whispered.

He suddenly turned to her.

“The glyphs,” she said, sliding her fingers over the stone tablet. “Another test,” she whispered. She began to brush her fingers lightly over the tiny and intricate glyphs. “Believe in my word. It hangs over the rulers of the city. They shall be destroyed and their blood gathered. On this day the end shall come.” She sucked in a breath as she stared hard at the stone. “My son, bring me your…” She frowned. “…confession of sin.”

She stopped, still staring at it as her eyebrows knit together. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

“Jesse?” he said, still holding the stone and the lantern. “Jesse, what does it mean?”

She blinked at it and then looked up at his face.

“I don’t know,” she breathed, as her eyes closed and she swayed.

“Jesse!” he said, as he quickly grabbed her, dropping the lantern.

It smashed on the floor behind her but he had both his arms around her as she started to sink. He scooped her up from behind, still gripping the stone and held her draped in his arms.

“Brett?” she murmured.

Her eyes were closed and she was drenched with sweat.

“I’ve got you,” he said, watching her face.

Slowly her eyes opened but they were unfocused.

“Just dizzy,” she whispered, putting a hand to her forehead. “Just need a minute.”

“I don’t think so,” he said, heading to the stairs.

“No, Brett,” she said, trying to put her feet down. “We’re so close.”

“He’ll have to wait,” he said looking down at her. “You’re in no condition for this. Not now.”

“But–”

“And I dropped the lantern,” he said. “So he has to wait.” He smiled down at her. “But we’ll be back. We have the Jester God.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Jesse had actually walked the last bit through the main plaza near camp.

“Really, Brett,” she pleaded. “Please. We can do this now. Let’s just grab a couple of lanterns and go back.”

Again, she watched him shake his head but he was all smiles. It was infectious. As they entered the camp, she saw a lantern near the camp stove and picked it up.

“Look,” she said.

But, as he swept by her, he put an arm around her waist and pulled her toward the tent.

“You can bring