The cell Penny occupied at the seminary was one of several which opened onto a cloister. It was a small room with only a woven straw mattress, a wicker-work trunk and a cushion for furniture. She wore a full-length simple gray robe with short sleeves, and a multi-colored sash tied around her waist. She sat on the cushion looking up at Tetzal, who stood in front of her.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0U4pSK9Yr1
"You have been taught the code of the good housewife and committed it to memory?" the High Priest asked.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNE1rCPeekt
"I have," Penny replied.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkh3TsiV4X
"Let me hear it."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡel2cY8hV63
"Tend well your nurseries and your flowerbeds. Keep clean your pot and stewpan," she recited. "Do not spend recklessly, do not destroy or cheapen yourself." She hesitated, thinking about the word 'destroy' and Ollin.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBJBR2yEXm
"You will never have..." Tetzal prompted as Tlaqui came into the cell.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtZfQHAY7TZ
"Oh yes. You will never have a house or a home of your own if you live like that," she rattled off. Tlaqui nodded approvingly and remarked that Penny had learned it diligently. Penny wondered if the Priest of Knowledge would like to know about Einstein's theory of relativity.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EnCpGTUGm
Tetzal praised her as a good pupil who used her intelligence and then introduced Tlaqui. Penny stood up and went to shake hands.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡafvNMv009g
"You do not greet your elders in such a manner," Tetzal reproached her, "you stand still, not looking around. Your eyes see only the person to whom you are being introduced," he made a small gesture with his posy. "Unless you are meeting for the first time your prospective husband, in which case you keep your eyes downcast."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRoUsh2jgR8
"But how will I know?" Penny was intrigued.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLgDl8M3V5
"Know what, child?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKT8W4XSHlg
"That he's to be my husband."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmILrDGWQ5u
"You will be told," Tetzal stated very matter-of-factly.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOZo5itdNT
"Told!" Penny exploded. "No one's going to tell me who to marry."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmOvLuUTS3
Tlaqui was taken aback. "What say have you in the matter?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvAIjJrWJc
"It's my life," Penny's voice was full of indignation, "and I'll spend it with whom I choose, not someone picked out for me."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB39qxjaXWy
Tetzal was perturbed by her outburst. Young Aztec women accepted arranged marriages without question, but if, as Nenetl's handmaiden, Penny refused, that meant that their traditional behavior was contrary to the god's wishes. If this were so, then in how many other ways might they also be so acting? The seed of doubt was sown!269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxXqUYMm2y
Dr. Smith was weeding a flowerbed when Yaotl came into the garden. He strode over to Dr. Smith and identified himself as the grandson of Atl, the man who built the temple. Dr. Smith straightened and looked at Yoatl, who wore an ordinary warrior's loin-cloth and cloak, as well as a plumed battle-mask which concealed the upper half of his face.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSK3XhQmTG
"Ah!" Dr. Smith said, and expressed his admiration of the pyramid. "The entrance to the tomb of the High Priest Nenetl is particularly fine piece of work."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqH54Ha8xRy
"Only the temples my father's father built have similar vaults," Yaotl replied.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMN1BRO7JtY
"A secret design. All the best architects have one," Dr. Smith remarked.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQWbzgSvpcM
"A drawing exists," Yaotl said, adding that as his father and his grandfather were with the gods it was in his possession.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzAJCBDhrs
"Would it be possible for me to see it?" Dr. Smith enquired.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrOZWJW0ihX
"Can a humble warrior deny the request of Nenetl's aged servant? I shall show it to you after sunset if the gods are willing."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfWLb9W5bMg
"Why shouldn't they be?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrLruPBQ0s
Dr. Smith was curious and Yaotl explained that he had to meet another warrior in combat just before the sun set.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR0UmHh4q3G
"Not to the death, I trust?" Dr. Smith asked anxiously.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeMWLLPji26
"No, but defeat would mean disgrace," Yaotl replied, "and I would be confined to my quarters and no one might look upon me or speak to me for many days."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEqkvWC5ccz
Dr. Smith gave the problem his consideration.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6oN11Q5bg
"My opponent has been selected," Yaotl continued. "I know his name and I fear defeat."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv68hXP00vc
Dr. Smith asked what weapons would be used.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe50ccbIO0f
Yaotl spread out his hands. "These alone, and my skills like with a spear, sword or club."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ2Bt8gctv0
"Oh dear," Dr. Smith sighed. "And I really wanted to see the drawing."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ei6NURY20
"No more than I desire a victory."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvOCKkX1gN
Dr. Smith studied the scratch on the back of his hand. "Then let us assist each other," he said, and led Yaotl to he maguey cactus plant. Dr. Smith broke off a thorn and then a shoot from the herb beside it. He began squeezing the sap from the stem onto the tip of the thorn.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiD1USOlLZ
"With this I shall win?" Yaotl asked.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vSgDlrRYp
"Take care not to scratch yourself with it," Dr. Smith advised.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHDr9EIF50
"The aged servant of Nenetl proffers poison?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdwAMwxqeS
"Not to kill." Dr. Smith squeezed the last drop of sap onto the thorn. "But if used properly it will drain away your opponent's strength and he will sleep. Scratch here." Dr. Smith drew it across the inside of his wrist and then handed the thorn to the Chosen Warrior.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvD3VfNp8Nl
"I thank you," Yaotl smiled.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJycGLgmuyN
"You won't forget the drawing, will you?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4daN8k6ZPD
"I shall be here after sunset."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVulPD3GG8i
"So shall I."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdFjauFErx
Yaotl strode away and Dr.Smith sat on a bench thinking that a little knowledge of horticulture could, on occasion, take one a very long way.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1NRtp4qog
Under Ollin's supervising eyes, Don stood in the middle of the courtyard swinging a cudgel in circles around his head and alongside his body, shifting it from hand to hand. It reminded him of working out with Indian clubs in a gymnasium---only this time he was not simply toning up his muscles but readying himself for a battle that would mean life or death. Under Aztec law, he had defeated Yaotl, but he knew that neither Ollin nor the Chosen Warrior would accept it. He realized he was no match for Yaotl with a spear----fighting with them he would be on the defensive, using his shield for protection. With cudgels he thought he stood a chance, but with his bare hands he knew he could win. He needed a strategy, a battle plan which would never give Yaotl the advantage. The problem was to bring the contest to a wrestling match as quickly as possible so that he could use a mixture of techniques---all-in, judo and karate----of which he was sure the Aztecs knew nothing. He paused to consider the problem.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtCgzWhoto
"Does fatigue affect the young man in Nenetl's service?" Ollin's voice was sardonic.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKF8JJjSzm4
Don looked at him evenly. "Does the High Priest of Sacrifice scorn my attempts to prove my worthiness to command?" Don picked up a second cudgel and began swinging both of them in a gymnasium routine. As the studded cudgels were heavier than Indian clubs his wrists soon began to ache but he was determined not to let Ollin see any sign of it. Yaotl came onto the courtyard and went to Ollin's side as Don stepped up his pace.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgguY6nHiVG
"Can you conquer him, Yaotl?" Ollin murmured.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFRfPvDzGS
"I know it," Yaotl grinned and called to Don, who stopped, secretly grateful, and turned to face him.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQyviA5BeO
"Yes, Yaotl?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Un8vzeG0X
"I challenge you to a contest of strength!"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsEzfLbQR0
"A fight?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO98fv06zG6
"Without weapons. Your hands defeated me. Now let mine strive for victory over you."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ec8pGzZXA
Don was suspicious. He could not understand why Yaotl would throw down the gauntlet where he had the least likelihood of success.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYkm1Em3ep
"Will you refuse him?" Ollin's voice rasped.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlbPeHGEYmY
"No," Don replied.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9vZeDbShL
"Then we fight here as the sun sets."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89SxJ1WEtg
"All right." Don began to swing the cudgels again but his brain sought the reason behind the challenge.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQhHIlsvw2
"You are confident of victory?" Ollin's eyes were fixed on Don as he muttered the question to Yaotl.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3flsKQSnC2
"If you wish it, he shall die," Yaotl replied.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMtDYoq3q5
Ollin nodded. "Let him die," he said with a brushing aside movement of his hand.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡop29YIC6z4
Ann and Tetzal were in the temple. She was standing beside the throne and the High Priest of Knowledge had been questioning her about Aztec mythology. Once more Ann owed much to her studies in college.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3w0eikiMrG
"I shall tell the High Priest of Sacrifice that I am satisfied of your divinity," Tetzal said when the questioning was finished.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZO4h9sff8r
"That won't stop Ollin," Ann smiled wryly. "He's out to destroy me."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlqH9Wyt1J
"He cannot. Not while I believe you to be Nenetl," Tetzal said gravely.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpfVAhnbQk
"Then why do you question me at his bidding?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2wg4OvGN7
"We both serve Huitzilopochtli faithfully."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwLWV1Haze
"Do you?" Ann looked at him quizzically. "Were you not angry when I forbade the sacrifice to the Rain God?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zZCzVq4pK
"No."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42O0o9tqTL
"Do you then question the need for human sacrifice?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRJWafAmzx
"I accept it. We send messengers to many gods." Tetzal smiled at her. "So why should the gods not send a messenger to us?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YOnykEcS5
"To say there must be no more human sacrifice," Ann suggested quietly. She walked around the throne running her right forefinger along the arm, over the back and along the other arm.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6VpoD9gdb
"I shall not oppose the gods if it is their will that such sacrifices cease."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwbgMoDvAx
"And Ollin? What of him?"269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcPb9dwdGR
"I have said we both serve Huitzilopochtli faithfully and through him the other gods whose biddings we obey."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqairRdTrSr
Ann smiled at his serious face. "The High Priest of Knowledge speaks with great wisdom."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZlxMSP9qEw
He studied his posy of flowers for a few seconds before replying, "If your words are denied, shall we not be living in defiance of the gods?" he asked.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJk0Om6BnP
Ann went back mentally to her history books again and the end of the Aztec civilization under the Spanish yoke. "Famine, drought, and disaster will come and more and more sacrifices will be made in supplication," she said slowly, measuring out her words. "I see a time to come when ten thousand warriors will die in one day under the obsidian knives of High Priests of Sacrifice."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV9i8yMVPpc
"In one day?" Tetzal was deeply distressed.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpGGK5wyzz
Ann thought about the Aztecs' last desperate bid to turn the tide of battle in their favor, never fully realizing that a loin-cloth, sandals, plumed head-dress, stabbing sword, studded cudgel, arrows and a shield were no match for armored breastplates, boots, steel helmets, cannons, blunderbusses, harquebuses and pistols.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLeTy3JZR0H
"Then where will it end, Nenetl?" Tetzal's voice quavered.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeshHsO8hvz
"In total destruction," Ann replied softly. "Your civilization will pass forever from this land."269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNPu8NBjWt3
"You prophesy our doom!" Tetzal's hands quivered in despair.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTrscUEZj3
Ann stood silently beside the throne and waited.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡptuIVNYkIF
"Let me think on these words, great Spirit," he said finally, bowed to her and hurried from the temple.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0wqfjpR5w0
Ann watched him leave. What are you playing at Ann MacGregor? she asked herself. Still trying to meddle with history? You know it can't be done, didn't Dr. Smith tell you, didn't you ignore him, and fail? So what are you doing quoting facts and statistics out of history books and causing enormous distress to the only Aztec ally you have? She felt ashamed and suddenly very tired. She left the temple and went down to the antechamber to rest.269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4bt8n2ImUc
269Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5V6OVMIXNm
and then Add to home screen.