“We need to clear this area out more first. Chase away the snakes,” she said.
Quint groaned, shuddering visibly. “Those damned fangs give me the heebie-jeebies.”
“Dad will want to check out the structural safety on those side walls before we go down very far. You see the way they’re bulging inward?”
“Yeah. Those are just one small earthquake from crashing down and burying that whole stairway. Unlike you, boss lady, there is not one part of that stairway to Hell that makes me want to see what’s waiting at the bottom.”
She nodded. “But I’m going down there anyway.”
He growled. “Fine, but I’m leading the way. Me Tarzan, you Jane.”
“Aww.” She caught his hand in hers. “Aren’t you just the sweetest little good demon?”
“Little? Quit insulting my manliness. Now, come on.” He led the way back to where Fernando, Raul, and her father stood waiting.
“Well? What did you see?” Raul asked.
“A pit viper,” Quint told him.
Raul grinned. “Wow! Danger and adventure at every turn. This place has it all.”
Her dad shuddered. “From now on,gatita, nobody goes rushing into the jungle without someone else by their side.”
“Agreed.” It was easier just to go along than resist when he had that fatherly tone.
Angélica looked at Fernando. “In addition to the snake and the tree growing in the middle of the steps, the bottom of the stairway looks blocked with debris. We need to clear it out, see if there is another cache at the bottom of the steps, or if that leads to anunderground passageway.”
“A passageway to where?” her father asked.
She thumbed toward the bigger structure. “Maybe next door.”
“Or under the big wall,” Quint added.
“That would explain the lack of gate in the wall,” her dad said. “But it also leads to more questions.”
She nodded slowly, staring up at the barrier. “Have you ever seen a fortification like this before, Dad?”
“I’ve seen plenty of walls, including high ones lining ballcourts,” he said. “But nothing like this. Not at Mesoamerican sites, anyway.”
“This wall reminds me of some of the fortifications over in Europe and Asia,” Quint said. “They built high to keep their enemies out, standing on the top and shooting down.” He turned to her. “Could this place be evidence of another civilization somehow making their way here long before the Europeans crossed the ocean?”
She shrugged. “That seems a little far-fetched, but who knows? Until we find something that shows us what was going on here, we can only guess.”
This place was not typical of other Maya religious centers, though. She felt that deep in her gut. For one thing, from what she could see on Dr. Fernel’s map, there were no structures that looked like possible observatories of the heavens, which was important in the Maya traditions and beliefs. No large temples, either, where the monarchy and the shaman would hold court above their people, maybe even perform bloodletting ceremonies or sacrifices. Something felt very off here from the get-go, and it had nothing to do with KuTu’s warning about non-singing rocks.
This feeling of hers was all the more reason she needed to go back down that stairway and clear off the blocks lining the steps. There might be answers there, or at least some clues.
“Show us how?” Raul asked her.
“Glyphs,stelae, protected wall paintings that depict life here, burial vases or other carvings that give us clues to what people were here last and when. I think I found some—”
“Dr. García? Juan?” Daisy hurried over to where they all stood, her sketchbook in hand. She smiled at everyone before focusing on Angélica. “Dr. Fernel is looking for you.” She turned to Juan. “You,too.”
“Lead the way, Ms. Walker,” her father said, following Daisy toward where Fernel was waiting.
As soon as her father was out of earshot, she turned to Fernando. “Keep clearing this area, please, but be very careful. There may be more than one snake hanging around. It seems like I read that pit vipers are not territorial.”
“That is true,” Raul confirmed. “The males tend to fight only when there is a female around.”
