Dirk van den Boom - The Emperor's Men 8 - Stormy Heavens

“We’ll take them all to Tayasal. Five hundred men. Who should be governor?”

Achak had apparently not thought about it yet. He frowned and was obviously trying to find a clever answer to the question. Inugami did not push him, took the break to fill a plate with fruit. The battle had made him hungry, and the table was richly covered. He found it remarkable that the old general, although he had every right to do so, did not himself ask for the post equivalent to that of a king – as long as Inugami was not present. Achak was not someone who wanted to rule – his only goal was to create the military basis for such rule.

“We have two options, sir. We elevate someone from here and put a general of ours at his side to keep an eye on him. The other alternative would be to promote one of ours and completely ignore the local nobility. Both options have their risks.”

“What is your advice?”

“You are striving for a new kind of rule, new bonds of loyalty, and a permanent connection between the cities. An empire, as you called it. You must be certain of the loyalty of the people who rule this empire for you.”

“What does Chitam say?”

Achak seemed surprised at the question. During the whole conversation, he obviously hadn’t considered the King of Mutal, who was now actually King of Saclemacal. Inugami thought that was a good sign. It showed how unimportant Chitam was becoming in the eyes of his most important followers. The time was near to depose the King and put an end to this charade. Soon, very soon.

“Chitam hasn’t said anything to me yet. He may think and act like his ancestors, elevating someone from the city who swear allegiance and promises tribute – and then marching off again. Those times are over.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I want to appoint one of our men to be governor.”

“So be it.”

“I need suggestions. Someone with intelligence who knows his limits. Loyal, as far as we can be sure.”

Achak hesitated long enough to arouse Inugami’s suspicions.

“What’s the problem, general?”

“My lord …”

“Speak up.”

“We cannot actually be completely sure of anyone at the moment. There is … not everyone speaks and acts freely, not everyone clearly shows where his loyalty actually lies. Lord, you will find the safest candidates for such an office among those who are personally loyal because they know what treason means to them – and what wonderful reward they can expect if they remain loyal and do what you expect.”

Achak didn’t say anything else and looked at Inugami, who immediately nodded thoughtfully.

The old man was of course absolutely right.

In this situation, his choice was indeed limited. Very limited. But he could make the best of it. He wanted to use his own people as governors, in the larger cities, which were further away and could not be controlled directly. Aritomo would be king one day, though he had no idea yet. But not so close to Mutal. That would be a waste of limited resources. Saclemacal was easy to get to, quick to punish; it was a small town with limited resources, not a potential center of resistance. Basically only important because of its symbolic value as the first building block of the new empire but ultimately as a settlement of negligible importance.

Inugami nodded and stretched.

“Did that fellow Balkun survive the battle? The man who saved Chitam’s family from the fire?”

“He was brave and unharmed,” Achak replied with a knowing smile. The old man seemed to be able to understand and agree with his thoughts. Inugami smiled back.

“Then call him, General.”

Inocoyotl hated waiting, at least as much as he was used to do it. It was one of the prerogatives of great rulers to keep anyone waiting who was not of the same rank, and no matter how many Mayan kings existed, the number of rulers who were actually accepted as equal was not great. If you were king of one of the big cities, not somewhere in the province but of a real center of military, economic and political power, then lower kings had to endure until they were called, and nobody was allowed to show any impatience. In this, a Mayan ruler was no different from a king of Teotihuacán, and so he endured what was to be endured.

K’uk’ Bahlam, King of B’aakal, was one of the great ones. After Inocoyotl arrived in the city and had been received with great respect, he had waited a day for the Lord to address him. During this time, he had been granted the freedom to take a look around this metropolis and quickly learned that there were only a few cities besides B’aakal and Mutal that had achieved this size and wealth. K’uk’ Bahlam was a ruler who was very aware of his dignity and power. At the same time, however, it was he who had invited to this conference, and since he wanted something, he was not half as distant as one would have expected him to be. The King of Popo’ had arrived before Inocoyotl, and he was of roughly the same rank and standing as K’uk’, but the other rulers, although they governed only small spots, were treated with respect and appropriately. Inocoyotl might represent the great Teotihuacán, but he was not a king, and so it was only right that he had to wait.

No problem.

He had used his time.

The rumors about the strange messengers of the gods had been fleshed out during his stay. It was difficult now to dismiss everything as a web of fancies. Inocoyotl became friends with the thought that his gracious divine ruler had sent him here at a time when something very, very strange was happening. He had the greatest respect for his king and had no doubt about his wisdom and foresight. But he would have some questions after his return, if his master was in a good mood. Meztli might even reveal on his own if all of this was indeed mere coincidence or intention. Inocoyotl, at any rate, felt he was in the right place at the right time, and as much as he believed in divine will, he trusted the fact that sometimes a king knew more than his faithful servant.

Maintaining the good humor and mercy of his king depended not least on the success of his mission. Inocoyotl had the problem, however, that he did not know exactly what should be considered a success. He was deep in thought in the waiting room, far from bored when a servant called for him to enter the audience chamber.

He thanked and followed the man.

K’uk Bahlam’s chamber was not large. But the king himself was, a massive man with a nose so dominant that Inocoyotl for a moment forgot his manners and stared at them involuntarily. He was not expected to throw himself on the floor. He represented a power that even the highest Mayan kings had healthy respect for. However, the ambassador was not lacking in deference. He bowed deeply and did not straighten up until Bahlam asked him to sit down.

The king was not alone. A clerk sat next to him and would record the most important aspects of the conversation. B’aakal was known for its carefully kept archive. And next to the king sat a second man of dignified appearance, dressed in similarly magnificent feather headdresses. Inocoyotl couldn’t be sure, but he assumed that this was the king of Popo’, whose name he hadn’t heard yet. It was sometimes difficult to keep track of the Maya. They had so many important rulers.

But if the rumors were true, there were efforts to change this.

“Greetings to the envoy from Teotihuacán,” boomed Bahlam’s deep voice. “Sit down and tell us about your great lord.”

Inocoyotl bowed again and took a seat. Since the Lord of Popo’ didn’t seem to be communicating with him, he turned his attention to the jovial figure of Bahlam. However, he was not fooled by this. Bahlam’s body was large and soft, but his will was harder than the best obsidian.