Free Serpent and Storm by Marella Sands Page B

to?” Sky Knife waited while Whiskers-of-Rat shook his head. “All right, Lord Priest, I will tell you what I want. But not in the street, eh?”
    â€œAll right.”
    Whiskers-of-Rat gestured toward the palace patio. Sky Knife entered, wondering if the guards would let a guide through. But Whiskers-of-Rat was admitted without question. Sky Knife wondered suddenly who they were really guarding the palace against.
    Sky Knife went to the eastern end of the patio and sat down on a bench that stood between twin stone sculptures of the Fire God. For some reason, the sculptor had carved a wicked grin on the faces of the god, as if he delighted in the heavy load on his head. Or as if he knew something Sky Knife didn’t. Sky Knife looked away.
    Whiskers-of-Rat sat down beside him. “Everyone knows Mayan priests know magic,” he said. “You will teach me.”
    â€œWhat?” asked Sky Knife. “Only priests can perform magic.”
    â€œIn your city, maybe,” said Whiskers-of-Rat calmly. “But here the merchants may also know some.”
    Sky Knife nodded. “I know. I met one of your sorceror merchants once. So why don’t you go to them?”
    â€œThey would teach me for a price,” said Whiskers-of-Rat, his voice low and angry. “But it is too high.”
    Sky Knife closed his eyes and leaned back against the cold stones. The rough surface felt good against his bare back. Should he agree? He did owe Whiskers-of-Rat something for yesterday, but they hadn’t agreed on anything beforehand. Sky Knife could see now that that had been a mistake.
    Mayan philosophy held that a priest could perform magic only because he was blessed by the gods. Therefore, no matter how much Sky Knife tried to teach magic to Whiskers-of-Rat, it shouldn’t make a difference. Without Itzamna’s blessing, Whiskers-of-Rat should not be able to do priestly magic.
    â€œI can try to teach you,” he said at last. “But what if you can’t learn?”
    Sky Knife opened his eyes and looked at the other man. Whiskers-of-Rat twitched his nose as if considering. “I hadn’t thought about that,” he said. Whiskers-of-Rat turned dark eyes to meet Sky Knife’s. “I’ll guide you around the city today and in return, you will attempt to teach me magic. But you must promise to try to teach me in honor and not just pretend.”
    Sky Knife nodded. “I swear by Itzamna that I will do my honorable best to teach you magic. If Itzamna so wills it, you will learn it. If not, there’s nothing I can do.”
    Whiskers-of-Rat hesitated. “I think I just made a bad deal,” he said under his breath. “Well, it will not be the first time. But maybe it will be the last, eh?”
    Sky Knife bit his lip, concerned. He should have asked what Whiskers-of-Rat wanted the magic for before he swore, but it was too late now. Sky Knife wondered if he should pray that Whiskers-of-Rat could not learn magic.
    It was in Itzamna’s hands now, though. Sky Knife pushed his concern from his mind. He had a task to do and only two days in which to do it.
    â€œShall we go?” asked Whiskers-of-Rat, his manner suddenly cheerier. “You should see the city in the morning while the day is new. This is the center of the world, you know. Everyone comes here.” Whiskers-of-Rat stood as he talked and gestured for Sky Knife to follow him. “Not too many Maya come here—for some reason, your people don’t like to leave their cities. But the Zapotec, Huastec, Totonac, Mixtec—everyone else comes here. And the place to find them all is in the market.”
    Whiskers-of-Rat slipped into the masses on the street easily. Sky Knife kept his eyes glued to Whiskers-of-Rat’s back and plunged in after him.
    Today the confused jumble of colors and people passed like a blur on the edge of his vision. Only the gaily embroidered back of Whiskers-of-Rat’s