Page 114 of Empire of Shadows

Ellie narrowed her eyes.

“That is something I hope to change, Padre Kuyoc,” she asserted sharply.

The priest cocked an eyebrow.

“You think it will all be better if Englishwomen also write books?” he challenged.

“Oh boy…” Adam muttered from beside her.

Ellie ignored him, meeting the priest’s eyes.

“I think it will be better when the purview of academic knowledge is open to the entire globe instead of just a single class and gender in a tiny corner of it,” she declared firmly.

“Probably,” Kuyoc agreed with a playful shrug. “And who knows? Maybe we will even see it.”

“Icertainly mean to, Padre,” Ellie returned forcefully.

Kuyoc gave her a quietly considering gaze.

“I wish you well in that endeavor,” he finally said. “God be with you both.”

?

With much waving and a great deal of shouted Mopan from Feliciana’s horde of grandchildren, Ellie and Adam made their way back down the road through the village.

“The padre said if we’re heading to the river, we should follow this trail for the next two miles—then cut west and make our way overland,” Adam explained as they left the cheerful clusters of houses behind and followed a pale track into the dense green of the forest. “And Cruzita packed this full of tamales before she sent us off.”

He patted his rucksack, obviously pleased by the idea.

“Won’t that mean extra weight?” Ellie pointed out.

“Worth it,” Adam declared.

The day was still early. The air wasn’t yet as thick and humid as it would become by midday. Well-fed and rested, Ellie found the pace comfortable as Adam wove them through the bush, occasionally consulting his compass.

“Were you able to learn anything about our city?” Ellie asked.

“Just that the padre thinks it’s a cursed realm full of the hungry spirits of the damned,” Adam replied as he shouldered though a stand of wild plantains.

Ellie stopped short.

“Sorry—what?”

Adam flashed her a grin.

“Didn’t take you for the type to get spooked by a few ghost stories,” he challenged.

Ellie frowned at him.

“I am hardly one to indulge in gross superstition,” she countered. “But there are times when local folklore can reveal clues about lost portions of the oral historical record.”

“He said there are monsters that bite people’s skulls,” Adam cheerfully elaborated.

“Wonderful,” Ellie grumbled crossly. “What did you think of the old fellow, anyway?”

“I’m pretty sure he’s a revolutionary,” Adam replied with a swing of his machete.

“He did seem to be a tad iconoclastic,” Ellie acknowledged.

---