Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Two

Every night, the comet must pass over the mysterious valley. Every evening, as the sun went down, Anna Maya walked through the palace, around the temple, and down the stone steps that led to the square and all the way to the rapids. Every night she "sees" Atahualpa being crowned king, and her heart trembles with fear at knowing this secret, too afraid to tell the dwarf or the wise man. Anamaya was worried that sleep would take away this wish, so she sat quietly in a corner, burying herself in the night, stars and uneasiness.In addition to being old and difficult to fall asleep, Kela Topak also had a special affection for the young Kamakenkoya. He felt that she seemed to have troubles in her heart, so he quietly walked forward.

With the appearance of a capable veteran officer who has experienced hundreds of battles, he told her about his past military career for several consecutive nights.His wrinkled face looked like cracked desert land in the clear light of Kira's moon. "The day after tomorrow, we will leave Shimak Toho," he said that night, "and it is time for the mummy of the One and Only King to complete his journey." The old crown prince pointed to the steep canyon to the southeast with a finger that was shrunk and bent due to rheumatism.There is an imperial road in the grass of the canyon, like a catapult parabola, passing straight through the mountain pass.

"Soon," said the Crown Prince in a weak but firm tone, "you'll see that puma in a moment..." "A cougar?" "That is the home of the American lion. Cusco, the capital of our country, the sun shines on the Temple of Coricancha with its myriad rays... that was built in ancient times by Manco Capac and Mama Oque Luo built the capital according to the will of God Viracocha. One day they came to the top of the mountain near Cusco and saw a large grassland surrounded by a river. On this grassland, a bird appeared. Cougar..." Then, he repeated it again.

Anna Maya let herself be intoxicated in his musical narration, imagining the majestic quadrilateral empire built by the joint efforts of gods and humans. He was silent for a while, his mouth was dry, so he put his old hand on Anna Maya's delicate hand, he smiled and stroked her hand, as if he could absorb some nutrients from it, and then he continued... As soon as the sky was clear and it was raining heavily, the troops sent by Huascar had arrived. At dawn, just like every morning in the past, the priests slaughtered a white alpaca, and then gathered all the princes who buried the king's mummy to hold a morning worship ceremony.They poured alpaca blood on the sacred stone, sprinkled chicha wine on the holy place, and burned some corn at the feet of the king's mummy.Then the horn and the conch blew the funeral song, and the mournful music resounded through the valley.

The moment Ana Maya looked up at the cloudy sky, she saw them cross the mountain pass to the north, and there were about a dozen soldiers in cloaks, bright red figures against the heavy rain, among the green mountains. As soon as they entered the village, Anna Maya found that they all carried swords, slings, javelins, and even the terrible mace.No, there was nothing solemn and calm about their expressions.They stopped in front of the square like a group of strangers, keeping a distance from each other, not talking to people, not saying hello, and indifferent to the ongoing ceremony. Vera Omar changed his usual attitude and pretended to be very polite, walked towards them, bowed to them first and said:

"Welcome to the special envoys of Grand Prince Huascar!" "The one and only King Huaskar." The officer corrected. This man was young and rough, his eyes were sunken in the eye sockets, and his eyes seemed to be covered with a shadow, which made people elusive. "We're here to find them." He spoke again, pointing rudely at the crown princes who were kneeling in front of the mummy. Vera Omar was also furious at this time: "What do you mean by that, Captain?" "Our one and only king ordered that all the old crown princes go to see him before his father's mummy arrives in Cusco..."

"Before? Why?" Vera Omar asked in surprise, "This is not in line with the king's law..." "How dare they refuse the orders of the only king, Huaskar?" The captain retorted with a smile. "Well, I don't know..." Vera Omar murmured, "I want to ask them what they mean. They are representatives of the king's law and know the law very well. Now, please have dinner with us..." The officer flatly refused. He also refused to wait. Since their arrival, the tension in the funeral procession has continued to rise, and the women dare not speak but look at each other.Dwarves are closer to Ana Maya.

"Are they coming after us?" he asked uneasily. She shook her head. "No...it's for those crown princes." "Are they crazy?" the dwarf muttered. Cora Topak, looking haughty and invincible, approached the officer and asked: "When the royal law requires us to stay with his father, why does the eldest prince Huaskar insist on seeing us?" "The only king, Crown Prince," the officer corrected again, in a tone of dry politeness. "His reason, I don't know. He ordered that you must come with me, you and all other old crown princes."

Cora Topak turned to face Vera Omar and the other crown princes.He saw horror and bewilderment in their eyes. "You are armed, Captain," the Crown Prince pointed out. "Is Huascal afraid of us?" "The One and Only King wants you to come to him at once," replied the officer, evidently softening his tone. "I think he was just anxious to know something about his father." "Ah...in the last few nights, has he seen the comet that streaked across the night sky?" This time, it was the officer's turn to bow his head and not speak. "Huascar's request is inconsistent with the king's law." The crown prince said loudly, wanting everyone present to hear clearly. "I don't want to provoke him. He knows that we came with good intentions. I will prove it to him. If he is still afraid, maybe I can prove to him how brave his father Wanya Kapac is!"

As if slapped, the officer puffed up his chest again and stared at the crown prince's face.Despite the sarcasm, Cora Topak's voice is calm and firm.The officer neither refuted nor showed his face.He simply ordered his men to go to the palanquins of the old crown princes. In this way, the ceremony was interrupted in the downpour.The steep slopes in the distance disappeared behind the gray mountain mist, and the valley was also covered with layers of mist. Anna Maya noticed that everyone's eyes were panic-stricken.Almost everyone closed their eyes, and Vera Omar was biting the coca leaf in his mouth.He turned his head away when he realized the little girl's blue eyes were staring at him.

Anamaya then walked forward to Cora Topak, and fell to the ground before he stepped into the litter. "Crown Prince, I want to say thank you for telling me so many things." Cora Topak took her by the hand, pulled her up from the ground, and said with a smile: "It's good to be by your side when I can't sleep at night, Kamaken Keya!" Anna Maya felt the old man's hand pressing heavily on her own. "Take care, Crown Prince," she whispered, "be careful on the road." Cora Topak clicked her tongue in the direction of the officer watching them: "At my current age, fear can't bother me at all. I'm already old, little girl Annamaya, the underworld will be the last journey I've been waiting for in this life..." When she was about to bow to him again, he pulled her towards him, pretending to lean his shoulders back, and was about to sit in the palanquin. "Watch what happens to that comet tonight, Kamakenkoya!" he gasped. "I know what's been going on in your mind these nights, but you dare not say it. Watch that comet, And continue to support Atahualpa, as you have done before. Support him, he needs your support. Remember, he who is responsible for enforcing the king's law asked you to do so." Before night fell, a strong wind arose, and the sound of the wind howled like a trumpet and thunder, echoing in the valley, spreading the lightning and the wrath of Irapa, the god of thunder, from mountain to mountain. Only the temple was peaceful.Gently, resisting the fear that has gnawed at her chest since the crown princes left, remembering Cora Topak's last exhortation, Annamaya placed corn and quinoa in front of the stele dedicated to her twin brothers, and then, in the statue of the god Sprinkle a ring of chicha all around. Then, as usual, she knelt on the ground and knelt silently and long before the only king in the golden mask. The air in the temple was so humid that all the lamps flickered on and off barely burning. She heard a voice behind her and knew it was Vera Omar's light footsteps.He too, felt that he needed to meditate in the presence of the only king in the golden mask.His profile has never been so serious, and his tired back reveals that he has not slept well for several nights and is busy studying the oracle with the priests in order to understand the divine intention of the comet.As usual, green coca leaf juice still oozes from his lips. Today, however, Anna Maya saw his powerless embarrassment for the first time.The scowl that lingered on his face was actually an expression of shame. "What did the oracle say?" she asked. "Atahuallpa should tie the Bohr scarf." The wise man said bluntly. "I knew it!" said Ana Maya. "Why didn't you tell me..." "I don't think you would have believed me then." Vera Omar showed a disappointed expression. "It doesn't matter. Now, the North and the South will obviously go to war! Huascal has no kingly law in his eyes. Although he called all the crown princes to his side, it is too late! He wants to force them to agree and let him succeed his father the throne of..." "Kora Topak won't say yes!" Anamaya retorted. "Then Huaskar will definitely humiliate him further, and finally he will finally agree!" "Prince Atahualpa should be told that the comet has signaled his succession as sole king," Annamaya emphasized, "and he should be told, Vera Omar the Wise." "This will detonate war!" the wise man shouted. "You don't know what war is, Kamaken Keya! It may tear the empire apart, I have a hunch!" "I know what war is, Wira Omar," Annamaya retorted softly, "Have you forgotten that Captain Sikanshara invaded the village where I grew up in my childhood and set fire to it? All my dearest people were killed that day. My mother was still holding my hand when the stone from the catapult hit her!" For the first time, the wise man was speechless. Ana Maya looked at the faint magic lamps illuminating the statues of the golden twin brothers, and continued in a calm voice: "I know what war is. I know you are afraid of war. But you once told me that there is only one kind of imperial decree of Andi in the world. I am very happy, I am happy from the bottom of my heart, he appointed Prince Atahuallpa to succeed the throne. Now , I must go to him, let him know that his father once said to me, show me the ball of fire; let him know that he should no longer hide behind the silence, and know that all the ancestors in the underworld put their hopes on him; And let him know that all the oracles point to his ascension to the throne of the only king, and that it is the will of Andi. If I must return alone to Atahualpa to support him, please Let me go alone!" This time, the reason Vera Omar was speechless was because of excessive fright. "No!" he finally gasped. "You must escort the twins to Cuzco. This is the law of the king!" "From now on the royal law will not recognize all that happened in Cusco, wise man," Ana Maya retorted, standing up. "This is what the Crown Prince himself said." Vera Omar watched her leave the temple as if she were a stranger. After walking out of the temple, Ana Maya let the bean-sized raindrops whip her face.Strangely, despite her uncertainty about the future, she felt relieved and calmer, even happier.She was finally sure that she had said what she had to say. She was shivering all over as she crossed the temple square, because the shawl on her body was too thin to keep out the wind and cold.Instinctively, she raised a hand to block the wind and rain, then glanced in the direction of the valley, and she saw the comet streak across the sky again. Alas, the sky was clouded, and the fireball was covered under the clouds and disappeared.The sky over the south where the crown princes left is also a haze... Just as she was remembering the old crown prince Cora Topak, she heard some footsteps in the rain-stained haystack behind her, she immediately turned her head to check, but there was nothing. Just before she had time to make a sound, Kong Wu's big and powerful hand covered her mouth.After that, a body leaned closer and hugged her like a fake doll.