To Cast Heaven Aside
The announcement swept over the crowd and they cheered; Tzhelk'khann preened from where he stood on the temple steps. The gods would bring certain favor to the city with this sacrifice. Miguel just sat stunned and listened to the litany of what was to occur the next morning at dawn. Tulio would be ritually killed, his heart torn from his chest and held aloft in the hands of the temple priest; than he'd magical come back to life (using his godly powers) and bring good luck to El Dorado.
There just was one small problem; they'd gotten way over their heads with this god thing. If only's spun through his mind, but none could stop the chain of events million wouldn't halt the death of his best friend and lover. He'd give anything for it to be otherwise but the horrible fact remaind; by dawn the next morning Tulio would be dead with a knife stuck in his chest. Hearing a groan he glanced over at Tulio as he hauled himself back onto his throne, his eyes went wide when he caught the last of the priest's speech. Miguel just nodded sadly and the two friends cut a hastey retreat to their rooms; once inside Tulio began doing the only thing he could think of, bang his head against the wall. But Miguel saw the affects of too much acali and the frightening news were impairing his thought process; Tulio was fading fast.
Miguel helped him out of his elaborate costume and into bed before settling in after him. The two sat in the dark, Tulio dozing restlessly and Miguel prying his brain for a way to save his friend. The hours crept slowly by and Miguel fought back the hopelessness welling from within, usually thinking off the cuff was his friend's best trait. But tonight fate had cruelly turned the tables; now it was up to him to save the day and play the ultimate con; winning wouldn't gain him a bag of gold but something infinitely more precious. The life of the man he held in his arms, he glanced down at the blue-black head resting on his shoulder, he wondered if Tulio even realized how cherished he was. Sitting there would accomplish nothing thought Miguel darkly, he gently disengaged himself from his partner and eased out of the bed; tucking Tulio further under the covers.
Bibo scampered up and sensing the dire situation at hand instinctively snuggled under Tulios chin. The little armadillo swiveled his ears cautiously around when Miguel leaned over to ruffle his partners' hair and instruct Bibo to watch Tulio in his absents. Bibo flattened his ears back and stuck his snout in Tulio's ear; squirming a little, Tulio burrowed further into the pillow and went on sleeping.
Soon Miguel began pacing the room back and forth, but nothing would come! Just when he was about to start praying an idea slowly crept into his mind, he'd create a smoke screen when the sacrifice started, and Tulio would appear to 'die' and be reborn. Granted it would be risky but it was the only thing he had to work with and time was running out; Miguel felt it was the shortest night of his life. Settling down on one of the stone window ledges he began thinking about all that had brought the pair to the city.
When he first arrived El Dorado seemed the answer to all his dreams, a utopian city brimming with excitement and wealth; he'd never imagined how quickly that image would tarnish. The reality was, though splendid the city was; it had been shown to be just as cruel and petty as his home back in Spain. And utterly alien, with laws and customs he'd never imagined; but for all its failings; El Dorado was still enchanting. In this case deathly enchanting; looking over at a sleeping Tulio he realized that he'd never have expected to loose his lover in such a glorious place; the gilded image of heaven that had led them through so much hardship on the sea and the trackless jungle; had in this one night been cast aside, in its place a nightmarish hell. Stealing him to do every thing in his power to save his friend at dawn, Miguel returned to the bed and settled down with a weary sigh.
Immediately Tuilo shot up and began failing around, mumbling incoherently, Bibo scampered out of the way and sat eyeing him warily from the foot of the bed; gingerly Miguel reached over and eased Tulio back down, all the while keeping up a steady litanies of endearments to sooth him. Slowly Tulio calmed and even Bibo came back up to tuck under his chin. Letting his mind wander Miguel remembered he still wore the jadestone necklace around his kneck, he also remembered a story the old shopkeeper had told him about It.. With Tulio still shifting uneasily in his arms, Miguel began to retell the tale, hoping it would give his partner some comfort. Before he began, he removed the necklace and slipped it over his lovers head; the beads were pleasantly warm to the touch. Than he began to spin the tale, almost immeaditly Tuilo calmed and settled back to sleep.
Jadestone was the most sacred mineral in all the One World, it was sometimes called heart stone because a person could pass their love and courage onto whom ever they wished through the green stone beads; also it was said to bring great luck to the wearer and grant the giver his or her hearts desire. As Miguel finished the fable he wished that the legend where true, but he had given up in believing in luck and fate that night.
The two then settled into a uneasy sleep and Miguel was shocked how soon the night was over, before he could even say good-bye; a temple attendant was lifting Tuilo from his grasp and ushering him out the door into the cold, grey pre-dawn. Bibo sat in Miguel's lap and gazed up at him with sad eyes; he was startled when he felt something cold and wet drip onto his snout; Miguel was crying like his heart had broken, Bibo scurried up to his shoulder and stuck his nose in Miguel's ear for sympathy. The two friends sat in dejected silence for a few minutes before Miguel regained himself and set about gathering the supplies for the con.
All too soon he was being ushered out the door and up to the top of the pyramid; there stood a immense stone alter. Tzhel-khann watched his approach with a shifty glint in his eye; slowly Miguel took up his position at the left side of the altar. Accompanied by the sound of conch shells and drum beats the sacrifice was lead out, Tulio was alert, coherent and utterly frightned; Miguel got his eye and gave him a encouraging wink. The attendants laid Tulio out spread eagle on the altar, each one tying down a hand or foot; as Khan intoned a blessing and unsheathed his massive ceremonial dagger. It was double edged and tipped with razor sharp obsdian; Miguel screwed up his courage and made himself wait, timing was now everything. He saw the fear in Tulio's eyes, a drop of sweat rain down his forehead, smudging the white face paint; Miguel reached down and ran his fingers through the dark hair. Then Khan walked over and stood poised above Tulio, raised the dagger high over head; the sun was just cresting the horizon. It would have been a beautiful sight but Miguel's world; his whole existence had shrunk to the macabre and alien tableau that was playing out in front of him. With his spare hand Khan drew aside Tulio's shirt, baring his chest for the killing blow; suddnely he stopped the swift decent of the knife, pulling back his hand as if burnt. He stumbled away and turned to the crowd, Miguel couldn't believe what he was seeing, while listening to Khan chastise the attendees Miguel began slowly untying his friend.
Voice thundering, Khann rebuked his staff; apparently the gods forbade the acceptance of a sacrificial victim, if that person was wearing Jadestone; it would defile the sacred heart stone and insure bad luck for the city; Looking down at a dazed Tuilo, Miguel realized that he was still wearing the bead necklace, he'd never been so grateful of small gifts. That single token had just saved his lovers life and he wasn't going to stick around for a re-sacrifice; Miguel scooped up Tulio, bowed to the attendants and headed back down to their rooms.
Once inside, he dumped his partner into the hot tub and began scrubbing the white body paint off; Tulio remained passed out for the rest of the day and well into that evening; when he did come around, the first thought that crossed his mind was; how odd that all of his friends had made it to heaven. Sitting up slowly he glanced at a smiling Miguel, Altivo greeted him with a huge sloppy kiss and Bibo affectingly stuck his snout in Tulios ear.
He just smiled, flopped back into Miguel's arms and started asking exactly how he'd missed the past day and a half, he didn't remember anything. Except for someone giving him a jadestone necklace and telling him an ancient legend. Miguel just smiled.
The End
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