The City of the Gods

As the sun rose the following morning, Kokapedl stirred, flew down and landed on Tao's chest.

"Wake up! Wake up! Tao its day!" In response Tao rolled over, nearly squashing his pet, and continued to sleep. The parrot seemed to decide it was safer to circle around the sleeping children as he continued to try to wake them up. "Tao, Tao, Esteban, Tao!!"

Finally Esteban sat up and rubbed his eyes. Looking around, he realized where they were. "Tao! Zia! Let's go explore the ruins!!"

Standing in front of the strange pyramid again it seemed less threatening, but no less mysterious in the light of morning. A ring of ruined buildings enclosed a vast courtyard surrounding the pyramid. The Temple itself had six platforms, each elaborately decorated with images of water, seashells, and the Winged Serpent. At the front of the structure was a stairway leading to a shrine at the summit.

The children carefully climbed the stone steps, each glancing at the Feathered Serpent heads that lined their path. Reaching the apex, the trio stopped outside the temple and did not move for several minutes. Large pillars framed the opening, each carved to look like a serpent.

Esteban laughed slightly, breaking the silence, "We're acting like were afraid to go inside." The other two children laughed a little and followed him into the pyramid.

As their eyes adjusted to the dimmed light, they gasped in astonishment at the site before them. The walls of the temple were decorated with an elaborate mural. Wound around the panel facing them was an image of the Feathered Serpent. It was surrounded with images of trees, assortments of animals, and at the very center, a golden sun, all painted in vivid detail. Tao frowned in concentration as he stepped forward to examine the mural more closely.

"Do you understand any of it, Tao?" Zia asked, moving to stand beside the Hevan boy while Esteban walked around the perimeter of the room. He didn't answer. "Tao?"

He shook his head and looked at her. "They don't mean anything. They're just pictures!" he said angrily, sinking to the floor.

"Don't be upset, Tao," Zia consoled him. "I'm sure we can learn something here."

As she spoke, Esteban paused to examine the head of the Feathered Serpent. "Hey," he said looking into the eye of the Serpent. "I think there is something here."

"Let me see!" Tao exclaimed jumping to his feet and pushing the other boy aside. "You're right." Reaching up, Tao fingered the edge of the serpent's eye. "Hmm . . . that doesn't seem to do anything," he murmured trying to press the eye in.

"Try pulling on it," Esteban suggested.

"Right," Tao agreed. He worked his fingers into the small seem circling the curious feature. After a moment, he managed to pull it out of the wall slightly. "That's done it!" he exclaimed in triumph. Behind them a small section of the floor slid open to reveal a narrow flight of stairs leading down into the bowels of the temple. The children turned to survey the secret passage.

"It looks dark down there," Zia said standing behind Esteban.

Esteban nodded. "We had better make some torches."

Esteban led the way down the long, stone steps. They were so narrow the trio could only walk carefully in single file. The walls of the passage were decorated much the same way as the chamber above, save the animals here seemed completely foreign. Their small torches did little to light their way in the heavy darkness of the temple.

"We've been walking a long time," Esteban said, wanting to break the silence.

"We must be beneath the temple," Tao replied. As he spoke, Esteban reached the last step and stopped in his tracks. The passage opened into a vast chamber. "Now this is more like it!!" Tao shouted joyfully as the torches lit the walls nearest to them and revealed panel after panel covered with hieroglyphics.

As the Hevan boy examined the panel to the right of the stairway, Esteban and Zia surveyed the other walls. They quickly noticed brackets lining the walls and Esteban touched his torch to the fixture, promptly hopping back as it sparked and flared to life.

"Excellent!" Tao said, glancing up. "Light the rest of them, Esteban. I might be able to work out what these murals say."

"All right."

Zia took Tao's torch and the pair worked their way around opposite walls, lighting the sconces. They met at the center of the wall opposite the stairway . . . and stepped back in amazement. Giant doors of stone stood before them. They were plain save for an image of the Feathered Serpent twined around two sun disks, which gleamed of gold in the light.

"Tao! Come and see!!"

The other boy jumped up and ran to stand next to his friends. For a moment they all stood silently, speechless. At last Esteban steeped forward to examine the wholes at the center of the two suns. He pulled the crescent part of his medallion from under his shirt and aligned it with the openings.

"Its the same size," he said quietly.

"We need the medallions to solve this puzzle," Tao concluded. Esteban and Zia nodded.

"But our medallions were left in the doors of the city of gold when it was destroyed!"

As they try to solve this new mystery, Esteban, Tao and Zia find more they bargained for. Next Time: Chapter Three - Dangerous Discoveries.