Page 142 of Empire of Shadows

The olive fabric of his pants began to turn slightly darker in one perfect, round spot.

Mendez jolted with pain and whirled around.

“¡Ay! ¿Qué pedo?” he exclaimed.

Ellie had already dismounted. She darted up the line.

She heard another curse from Mendez behind her, followed by a chuckle from Flowers, as she pushed her way through the caravan.

“Pardon me, Aditya. Hello, Ram,” she noted as she darted between a trio of mules and the four East Indian fellows.

“Miss Mallory,” Ram replied with a glint of amusement in his eyes.

“Good morning, Mr. Fajardo,” she added as she flashed a smile at the taciturn muleteer, who waved her on with an air of impatient indulgence.

She gave a cheerful wave to Nigel Reneau, the cook, and the two charming young builders from Caulker Caye, Pacheco and Lopez.

Finally, she skidded to a halt at the front of the line where Dawson and the others were clustered around something thickly veiled by greenery.

“I can’t be entirely certain…” Dawson began—and then Adam’s well-muscled forearm grasped hold of one of the vines and ripped it out of the way.

A rustling pile of foliage collapsed with a hiss and revealed what had brought the expedition to a halt.

It was another stela. The block stood perhaps five feet tall. It was carved in elegant bas relief from the same night-black stone as the monument that she and Adam had found by the waterfall.

The stela was dominated by an imposing, handsome figure ornamented with beaded necklaces, calf bands, and bracelets. His head was crowned with a spectacular headdress.

Smaller figures knelt at his feet. Their bodies were bent in supplication as their hands rose with offerings of tribute. There were seven of them.

“Ah—yes. Very helpful, Mr. Bates,” Dawson said uncomfortably.

Ellie realized that she had stopped just behind Adam’s shadow, Staines. The shorter, slightly fussy-looking guard seemed like the sort who would try to show off for the ladies when he wasn’t out in the middle of nowhere. Right now, he appeared sweaty and unhappy as he shifted his rifle awkwardly in his grip. He startled as he realized that Ellie lurked at his back.

Ellie took that as an invitation to move closer. She peered over his shoulder and studied the carving more closely.

“It is obviously a tribute to some ruler of great importance,” Dawson announced authoritatively.

“No, it isn’t,” Ellie countered. “It’s Kukulkan.”

The professor startled and nearly dropped his pencil.

Jacobs turned more slowly and pinned Ellie with a curious gaze.

It made her distinctly uncomfortable. She looked away from it to where Adam stood instead.

He grinned at her.

It felt like a vote of confidence. Ellie squeezed past Staines to point at the stone.

“See?” she prompted. “Feathered cloak, snake mask… and yet there’s a throne here. There are symbols here for both a godanda ruler. Oh!”

The exclamation escaped her as Velegas, the grandfatherly tracker, stood from where he crouched at the base of the monument. His movement revealed what lay beneath the pillar.

Like most Mayan stelae, a flat stone had been set in the ground before it to serve as an altar… and it held an offering.

The golden pelt of the jaguar was smooth and beautiful—where it hadn’t been ripped to shreds. The animal was brutally mutilated. Torn flesh revealed pieces of cracked bone.

Ellie uncomfortably recalled what Adam had told her of Padre Kuyoc’s warnings back in Santa Dolores.

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