Page 41 of Queen Takes Blood
Seti stepped aside and swept his hand toward the alpha. “Welcome to House Tocatl.”
I hesitated, trying to decide if this was a test. I didn’t want to insult their hospitality. I hadn’t been to any other queens’ nests in my short life, but the queen’s blood circle would keep anyone not of her blood outside the nest. Had Mama fed from the queen’s own throat when she was here? I wasn’t sure that would be enough to gain us entry without a physical touch from one of the Tocatl Blood.
Itztli brushed past my shoulder and strode after the alpha with easy confidence. He didn’t strike any barrier.:I don’t feel the tingle of magic either.:
I followed him, still braced to feel the slap of angry blood magic but nothing happened. Seti winked at me and leaned closer to whisper, “The blood circle is tied to the stairs. That’s why it was so hard to cross on your own. But it verifies you are who you say you are.”
I couldn’t imagine how much blood the queen must have laid down over the centuries to cover all of those stairs. Was it a true circle around the entire palace? “That’s truly astounding. I didn’t know that was possible. Your queen must be very powerful.”
He shrugged. “The blood circle was laid long before she was born. She simply had to tie her own blood to her ancestors’ circle.”
Still no minor feat. I also couldn’t help but notice he didn’t confirm or deny that his queen was extremely powerful. Though given her alpha’s diminutive size, I had to wonder. Alphas didn’t have to be the biggest Blood, but they possessed the intense strength of will to bend other powerful Aima to their will. Perhaps I was biased, but Itztli vibrated with way more intensity than Tecuani. My brother’s strength of will radiated from him. He was a natural leader and a born warrior.
I’d certainly follow him anywhere. Even unto death.
* * *
ITZTLI
I could take him.Now. Kill the alpha and the rest will follow.
It was tempting. My fingers brushed over the hilt of the blade I wore on my hip. But I didn’t unsheathe the knife. Something in my gut told me to wait. We still didn’t know the truth about what had happened to Mama while she was here. I couldn’t imagine that this so-called alpha had sired me or Tlacel.
Grandmama’s alpha had more intimidation in his smallest toe than this fool.
:Perhaps it’s all a show,:Tlacel said in our bond.:He could be a decoy to protect the true alpha. Or maybe a formal hierarchy isn’t important to them.:
:No true alpha would be willing to let a decoy take his place. Though I agree, something smells off.:I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was. There was a sense of wrongness about everything we’d seen and everyone we’d encountered so far. Even the blood circle had been nothing like I’d ever heard of.
I found it utterly revolting that the queen’s blood magic had recognized me. I didn’t want to belong to this horrible place, though I couldn’t help but admire its beauty. The walls of this temple were brightly painted with jaguars, birds, and butterflies. We passed through a small entry room to a larger courtyard surrounded with more apartments. The inner courtyard was also framed by columns, though these were thicker and covered with carvings, set off by a red-painted roof. The stones were all hand cut and varied in color and even texture, though everything fit together perfectly.
A large cast-iron pan sat over a fire, with several wooden stumps carved into seats positioned around it. Four seats, all empty except one. A brooding man sat with his legs stretched out before him, his arms crossed, his chin down on his chest. Tecuani sat beside him without a word.
“This is Itzcoatl,” Seti said as he sat on the man’s other side.
My heartbeat quickened. At least his name was close to mine, though I wasn’t sure whether Mama or Grandmama had chosen our names.
The third man lifted his head, scanned both of us, and then dropped his head with a grunt.
Seti let out a sharp-edged cackle. “We saved the best for last, lads. He’ll be along soon. He’s hunting for tonight’s entertainment.” He waved his hand at the remaining seat . “We have pulque if you’d like a drink.”
The last thing I wanted to do was cloud my thinking with alcohol. Let alone sit around a fire with these strangers, when there was a queen nearby. Who’d allowed my mother to be harmed.
I shook my head, but Tlacel took the offered seat. He waved off the cup Seti offered him. “Could you tell us more about House Tocatl?”
Seti grinned, a sly curve of his lips that set my teeth on edge. “Itzcoatl’s the storyteller. Why don’t you tell the lads about their heritage?”
The man’s upper lip curled with disdain. “These children know nothing.”
I wanted to slit the man’s throat simply for his bad attitude. My brother had more tolerance. “Sadly, you’re correct. We know very little about Teotihuacan or House Tocatl, other than the founding queen had four daughters.”
“Queen Oxomo was cursed by her success.” Itzcoatl sighed. “Some believe she nursed from the Great Goddess Herself as Her first heir, and her daughters were sired by the oldest, most powerful gods. Gods so old we don’t know their names any longer, though remnants of their power live on in Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, Tlaloc, and Xipe Totec.”
“Our ancestors too,” Seti said. “Four gods. Four Blood. So it has been in House Tocatl since the beginning of Teotihuacan.”
Four queens, sired by the sun god, the feathered serpent god, the rain god, and the life-death-rebirth god. I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like the rest of this story. At all.
“I’m descended from the sun god,” Seti continued. “From his name, you can probably guess that Itzcoatl is descended from the feathered serpent god. Tecuani’s line is blurred. Tlaloc is a rain god, but Tecuani’s sweet personality definitely comes from a predator. Specifically, a jaguar. Evidently his ancestor had elements of both Tlaloc and Tezcatlipoca.”
