Dr. Smith was still marching up and down muttering to himself when a warrior came into the antechamber and beckoned them to follow him up the candle-lit stairs to the temple. Once there, the warrior drew back the brocade curtain and stood to one side to let them pass. The temple had been transformed. The entire back wall, behind which was Nenetl's tomb, had been covered with a clear sea-blue curtain filigreed in gold and silver threads with fish, sea-shells and crabs, symbols of Tlaloc, the God of Water. In front of the curtain was a stone dais studded with pieces of jade, turquoise and emerald. On the dais stood a golden throne whose delicately worked trellis back was surmounted by a golden eagle with a coiled snake caught up in its beak. But the most remarkable transformation of all was Ann. She was seated on the throne, dressed in a knee-length silk skirt patterned with multicolored zig-zags. Her green lace blouse was decorated with sheave of corn and leaves woven in gold thread. Around her waist she wore a leather belt with an emerald buckle. Her necklace was jade, as were the bracelets she wore on her left arm; on her right wrist she wore the coiled snake from Nenetl's tomb and she held a posy of flowers. Her head-dress was a gold crown decked with brilliantly colored plumes, and her sandals were laced with gold thread. The Doctor, Penny and Don gaped at her in shock and awe.286Please respect copyright.PENANAWzNZSl2wQM
Ann glanced at the warrior who stood beside the brocade curtain. "Leave us," she commanded.286Please respect copyright.PENANAYfrq0PcFUr
The warrior bowed and removed himself from the temple.286Please respect copyright.PENANAwUajRdEazy
"Ann, what on earth are you doing there?" Don's voice echoed his incredulity.286Please respect copyright.PENANAKoWDNSrDay
Ann leaned her right elbow on the arm of the throne, held up her hand and shook her wrist, the posy and the snake.286Please respect copyright.PENANASjdmaAPrgH
"They think I'm the reincarnation of the High Priest in the tomb."286Please respect copyright.PENANALqH8SdpXpQ
"Because you had put on that bracelet and were caught wearing it by the High Priest of Knowledge," Dr. Smith concluded for her.286Please respect copyright.PENANAZhD3DhZ2Zv
"That's right, Dr. Smith," said Ann. "Tetzal know that I had come out of Nenetl's tomb."286Please respect copyright.PENANAth3xoIqHVw
Penny looked puzzled. "But if Nenetl was a man," she asked, "how can they believe you are a reincarnation of him?"286Please respect copyright.PENANAUx22V2iSBQ
"The form his spirit takes isn't important to them, Penny," Ann pointed to the bracelet. "This is what counted."286Please respect copyright.PENANATrpiy7yyyU
"Tetzal called us Nentl's servants," Don said. "Is that who they think we are---your servants?"286Please respect copyright.PENANAxaZd8qd2XW
Ann nodded apologetically.286Please respect copyright.PENANA9LXjeyyIAL
"Oh, the pain!" Dr. Smith snorted.286Please respect copyright.PENANAaH0YS025D3
Ann turned on him. "But it's ideal, Dr. Smith. We can enter the tomb as soon as we like, get into the TARDIS and be on our way."286Please respect copyright.PENANAKbGh2Sp3YQ
Dr. Smith drily observed that although re-incarnations could come out of the tomb, human beings couldn't go into one.286Please respect copyright.PENANASyPra2vKcD
"You're a god, Ann," Don said with a smile. "Find out how it opens."286Please respect copyright.PENANAmWOD51DY0A
Ann replied that she would ask, but Dr. Smith tut-tutted testily.286Please respect copyright.PENANAG23zewMJN2
"That's the one thing you must not do." His voice was severe. "As Nenetl's spirit, you'll be expected to know everything. But if you go around asking questions and the Aztecs were to decide that you're not whom they think you are," Dr. Smith paused for effect, "then we won't last long." Dr. Smith sighed and walked around the throne. Penny and Don didn't move. They all realized there was an impenetrable wall between them and the solution to their problem.286Please respect copyright.PENANARB9BxUk8zw
The two High Priests came into the temple and bowed to Ann.286Please respect copyright.PENANAdIjluTqvA5
"Great Spirit of Nenetl," Ollin said, "the High Priest of Sacrifice salutes you."286Please respect copyright.PENANAnFucNJt99t
Dr. Smith and Don exchanged a glance.286Please respect copyright.PENANARXa9JBhYQT
"I acknowledge the High Priest's greeting," Ann replied.286Please respect copyright.PENANAHqxvDQNUoW
Tetzal approached the throne. "For many days and many nights Tlaloc has looked away from us," he began, but Ann interrupted him.286Please respect copyright.PENANARunrPasWP8
"The God of Water and Vegetation?"286Please respect copyright.PENANAW584MX50cc
Tetzal nodded. "Our land withers and the people groan."286Please respect copyright.PENANAbImSws8ZXz
Ollin limped closer to Ann. "Those who serve the temple have prayed that the land may again be bountified," he said, "and this day we shall honor Tlaloc's name."286Please respect copyright.PENANAVqRVZ5JNli
"When the sun's fire touches the horizon to the west," the people will stand before the temple in obedience to our commands," said Tetzal and bowed again. "We humbly beg you, Great Spirit, at that time, to show yourself before the people so that they may know their suffering draws to an end."286Please respect copyright.PENANAbtTWRsbnFS
Dr. Smith leaned over to Don and muttered gleefully that Ann would appear and down would fall the rain.286Please respect copyright.PENANA1KyqBRwMoE
"How can he be so sure?" Don asked out of the corner of his mouth.286Please respect copyright.PENANAeIG04rCcMh
"He's not the High Priest of Knowledge for nothing, West," Dr. Smith replied.286Please respect copyright.PENANAEUPfIqiVWn
Ollin was watching them.286Please respect copyright.PENANAhNzSnxIUh8
"I shall do as the High Priest requests," Ann said.286Please respect copyright.PENANAOZaEa5jcaL
"We also entreat you, Great Spirit, to permit your handmaiden and servants to perambulate among our people," Tetzal continued.286Please respect copyright.PENANAamqLJe6nvj
Dr. Smith saw the flicker of doubt in Ann's eyes. He stepped forward.286Please respect copyright.PENANAf6ClXMRwaK
"O' Great Spirit, grant this request." He pointed to Ann and himself. "Thus may we be your eyes and ears and learn how best to serve all our interests."286Please respect copyright.PENANAVmUobMFwHj
"The aged servant of Nenetl speaks with wisdom," Tetzal remarked, looking at Dr. Smith with interest.286Please respect copyright.PENANA1eFTuuV7Lg
Dr. Smith bristled. Aged indeed, he thought.286Please respect copyright.PENANAsgzVTCYr2P
Ann pointed to Penny. "My handmaiden remains with me." She waved her hand at Don and Dr. Smith. "But they may do as you request."286Please respect copyright.PENANACB0z6frXjC
The High Priests bowed again to Ann, then Tetzal turned to Don and Dr. Smith. "We shall await you," he said, and they left the temple.286Please respect copyright.PENANAvqQ9tyxfft
Once they had vanished behind the curtain, Dr. Smith rubbed his hands in delight.286Please respect copyright.PENANA4pSMeJ426G
"A beautiful performance, my dear," he enthused. "We've got exactly what we want. You and Penny here in perfect safety, West and myself out and about, trying to find a way to get back behind that wall, into the TARDIS, and off into the great darkness of space."286Please respect copyright.PENANAkYbp0eSOl4
Don wasn't convinced. "It sounds all right," he said, "but I don't think we should take our eyes off those two High Priests for a second."286Please respect copyright.PENANAFSLKHuo4Fk
"Oh, don't worry about them, West," Dr. Smith replied airily, "they'll be too busy timing their miracle."286Please respect copyright.PENANANxHfmmACB4
"What miracle?" Penny asked.286Please respect copyright.PENANAqGJ6FxrVrZ
Dr. Smith turned to her. "Presenting the great spirit of Nenetl to the people, one second before there is a flash of lightning, a clap of thunder, and it buckets down."286Please respect copyright.PENANAYe3WqM65gV
"I still don't see how they can be as accurate as that," Don said, shaking his head.286Please respect copyright.PENANAHEwtgUtdUc
Dr. Smith wagged a forefinger at him. "You mustn't underestimate the Aztecs, West. They were a very civilized, cultured people."286Please respect copyright.PENANA1mzPeoYBTt
"Not were----are, as far as we're concerned, anyway," Don interjected.286Please respect copyright.PENANAD3Fc2dQdaa
Dr. Smith cleared his throat. "They know all about astronomy and the constellations, each of which has its own minor god; their agricultural policies and practices are centuries ahead of their time; and look a the workmanship on Ann's throne," he pointed dramatically to it. "A very advanced people, apart from one or two glaring shortcomings."286Please respect copyright.PENANAI6UnOR6hRY
"Like cutting out people's hearts, or chucking them off the temple steps," Penny suggested.286Please respect copyright.PENANAcrtvtB1haZ
Dr. Smith dismissed her with a look. "I was speaking scientifically," he said haughtily. "For example, they've never heard of the wheel....."286Please respect copyright.PENANAxqCxSOcG4N
The two High Priests waited for Don and Dr. Smith in the antechamber below the temple. Tetzel was studying his posy of flowers while Ollin toyed with the obsidian knife he had extracted form under his priestly robe.286Please respect copyright.PENANAq1BZRsHgrQ
"Mr. Tetzel?" Smith asked suddenly. "You do serve Nenetl, don't you?"286Please respect copyright.PENANAS2RNVRsh17
"We do, as High Priests of the temple," Tetzel replied.286Please respect copyright.PENANAqdIqFq6jwj
"How interesting. So, what purpose do the others serve?"286Please respect copyright.PENANA0aW8emtano
"Nenetl has said that the...."286Please respect copyright.PENANAjWnwB3PnVR
Before Tetzel had finished speaking, Ollin pointed the knife at him and asked if it would not be better that one of the strangers should lead their force of arms. 286Please respect copyright.PENANAl6RUV8zdKA
"Nentl's young servant should enjoy this honor. A warrior favored by the Gods."286Please respect copyright.PENANAhD4BbL7LZs
Tetzel considered this proposal for a moment, trying to guess what Ollin's ulterior motive might be. "But Yaotl is our chosen warrior," he replied finally.286Please respect copyright.PENANAN5VsLAGSrQ
Ollin limped over to Tetzel's side. "Let Yaotl prove himself more worthy of command than the servant of Nenetl," he murmured, touching the tip of the knife with his finger.286Please respect copyright.PENANA4szHEvAkaz
"But were the servant to lose the contest, it would bring down Nenetl's wrath upon us," Tetzel countered.286Please respect copyright.PENANAbq5evYP7K1
Ollin almost smiled as he hinted that Nenetl would ensure that no harm came to her servant, as the Gods were all-powerful.286Please respect copyright.PENANALw9hPBiRDZ
Tetzel was disquieted and tugged at a petal of a flower as he wondered again what Ollin's purpose really was.286Please respect copyright.PENANA8tCAKIDqG6
Dr. Smith and Don entered the antechamber.286Please respect copyright.PENANA5SKFEBhxVB
Ollin sheathed the obsidian knife. "It has been decided that the aged servant may walk abroad," he announced, "but you," he said, turning to Don, "will train to command our armies."286Please respect copyright.PENANAOEVz4jy5ZV
Don and Dr. Smith looked anxiously at each other. Don't argue with him, said the look on Dr. Smith's face.286Please respect copyright.PENANAbaDKnxcnYl
"The Great Spirit of Nenetl would not deny me such an honor," Don replied.286Please respect copyright.PENANABGoXZe50s8
Ollin turned to Tetzal and asked him to conduct Dr. Smith to the garden at the temple's base. "There you may sit in comfort with others of advanced years," he added to an inwardly fuming Dr. Smith, whom Tetzal beckoned to follow him down the flights of stairs that would lead them to the ground level of the pyramid.286Please respect copyright.PENANAiEumsX0BqF
Then Ollin pointed to the jug of wine and one of the goblets. Don shook his head, but the High Priest picked up the jug, filled a goblet and drank the wine in a single draught. He put the goblet back on the table and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his robe. He looked at Don for a few seconds with his intense, dark eyes.286Please respect copyright.PENANAwC7kLIp2BH
"Come now with me to the barracks," he said, "where you shall encounter Yaotl."286Please respect copyright.PENANAQtEtllqeUv
"Yaotl? Is that someone's name?" Don asked.286Please respect copyright.PENANARZkuGPNHrO
"Yes. He is your rival for command," Ollin replied and limped toward the stairs.286Please respect copyright.PENANAJxH00mS50N
Considerably taken aback, Don followed, rather wishing that he had accepted the proffered glass of wine.286Please respect copyright.PENANAhyfgq5146T
Dr. Smith was slightly out of breath when he and Tetzel came out of the temple. He looked up at the pyramid rising like Mt. Olympus above him and recalled Penny's remark concerning the faster way down and decided he was more than content to pant a bit. Tetzel led the way to the high-walled garden behind the temple. In one wall was a wooden door which Tetzel opened and let the two of them into the garden. It was enormous and beautifully laid out. The inside of the walls was trellised and covered with the rose and purple hues of bougainvillea vines. In the middle of the garden was a lake with an island of multicolored rocks in the middle. A mosaic path encircled the lake, with small paths radiating form it to the walls, and another three concentric paths divided the garden into segments, each one of them a trimmed lawn with beds of flowers and shrubs. There were stone benches along the edges of the lawns where older Aztecs sat. They bowed their heads respectfully to Tetzel, looked curiously at Dr. Smith's clothes and whispered amongst themselves.286Please respect copyright.PENANA1Ibq7TnJnB
Dr. Smith surveyed the scene around him. Color abounded. "Ah! Such a pleasant venue for a reflective afternoon," he observed.286Please respect copyright.PENANAqs9wEmFKyi
"Many years ago, after the body of the High Priest Nenetl was sealed in the tomb, a law was introduced that all who attain their fifty-second year should pleasurably pass the remainder of their years, free from responsibility and care," Tetzel explained.286Please respect copyright.PENANAFg7GLnmeR3
"That is highly commendable. But don't they sometimes become bored?"286Please respect copyright.PENANArfJEC8B1k2
"Often we seek the accumulated wisdom of their years."286Please respect copyright.PENANAnRryG764qz
"What about?"286Please respect copyright.PENANAtleNMj3ciF
"All manner of things. Each person here served the community in one way or another." Tetzel began pointing them out. "He was a weaver of priestly robes; she was a woman of medicines; he, an artisan of gold and silver; she, a sculptress in obsidian stone; and that man, a leading architect in the modernization of our city."286Please respect copyright.PENANAi7gshubkyh
Dr. Smith noticed a gray-haired, pleasant-faced plumpish woman in her mid-fifties who was using a knife to prune a rose bush. "That lady was, and still is, a gardener, I can safely assume?" Dr. Smith asked.286Please respect copyright.PENANAO96woGQ7DA
Tetzel laughed. "Zuma's advice, of all those here, is the most sought after. She sold vegetables in the marketplace but her eyes were everywhere, missing nothing. You will find in her a companion of great wit and interest."286Please respect copyright.PENANA6vWjQbSyul
"Er, what did you say her name was? I must admit, names have never been my forte."286Please respect copyright.PENANAd6QSzrkwnx
"Zuma," Tetzel replied and begged Dr. Smith's permission to return to the temple. 286Please respect copyright.PENANATRNYFk3J76
Dr. Smith acquiesced and Tetzel strode away.286Please respect copyright.PENANAnGKfhi2bIZ
"Oh, yes---Zuma," Dr. Smith muttered to himself. He had already noticed her glancing furtively at him. He wandered along the path, holding a lapel of his jacket, and stopped beside her. Zuma concentrated on her pruning.286Please respect copyright.PENANA74gK9S3sMV
"Despite the drought, there is water for flowers," he observed.286Please respect copyright.PENANAEkQWYv6ScX
"It is better to go hungry than starve for beauty," Zuma replied and snipped off two roses which she handed to Dr. Smith.286Please respect copyright.PENANAtSRSGzV34n
"Thank you, my dear." He sniffed them appreciatively. "An aroma worthy of the gods." He looked around the garden. "Such a delightful place, this garden, though I imagine it must be quite a task to water it."286Please respect copyright.PENANAlUTSLjPBB1
Zuma smiled. "There is a tunnel under the garden," she explained, "and from it run small pipes which lead to the lawns and flower-beds." She pointed to a nozzle with a watering rose on it which stuck up just above the ground. "Water from the city's irrigation aqueducts fills a reservoir with a sluicegate near the back wall. When the sluicegate is opened the whole garden can be sprayed."286Please respect copyright.PENANATQ3rmp0OAc
"How ingenious," Dr. Smith remarked as he sat down on a stone bench. "I find it so restful here," he said, "so very restful."286Please respect copyright.PENANAybh8Nrj3pF
"It is the garden of peace."286Please respect copyright.PENANAc06VfZqlWK
"Aptly named."286Please respect copyright.PENANAJDFvLkb52V
"You speak the words of Atl."286Please respect copyright.PENANA3135rJQjZr
"Atl?"286Please respect copyright.PENANAEocqtMdgmE
"He built the temple."286Please respect copyright.PENANAFNqUjkhJST
"And set out the garden as well?" But Dr. Smith's mind was clicking over in another direction.286Please respect copyright.PENANA2LDR9BtfdK
"As a labor of love," Zuma replied.286Please respect copyright.PENANAKA8XXFhIvY
"One senses that immediately. Does he ever come here?" Dr. Smith was all innocence.286Please respect copyright.PENANA2YYk84gV24
"He watches over the garden constantly."286Please respect copyright.PENANAjg5q71aWUb
"Really?" Dr. Smith's face lit up.286Please respect copyright.PENANAADWuzowkNd
"In spirit."286Please respect copyright.PENANACydpIRVA6O
Dr. Smith's face fell.286Please respect copyright.PENANAMwCzPDTxXP
"As does his son," Zuma continued."286Please respect copyright.PENANAp5qbN1ub4u
"Dead as well, I suppose." Dr. Smith was despondent.286Please respect copyright.PENANAYSr8mrsawk
"His son still lives."286Please respect copyright.PENANA2rIVFRPqYr
Dr. Smith cheered up a mite. "He's a builder?"286Please respect copyright.PENANAvtrLzExOhy
"No. A warrior."286Please respect copyright.PENANAinppKLzKN8
"But maybe he knows something of his grandfather's work." Dr. Smith looked up at the pyramid. "I find the temple fascinating: the interior, the steps, the stairs, the antechambers." He stopped short of mentioning the tomb.286Please respect copyright.PENANAwxEKONd3V3
"A meeting between you can be arranged," Zuma said.286Please respect copyright.PENANA8otfJ7XDNX
Holding his roses, Dr. Smith stood up and bowed over her hand. "Dear lady, I would be eternally grateful," he said.286Please respect copyright.PENANAdfAWMsmOk6