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Invisible Touch (standard:Suspense, 3370 words) | |||
Author: TJC | Added: Feb 23 2006 | Views/Reads: 4212/2517 | Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes) |
In 1510, a Spanish ship arrives off the Mayan City of Tulum. The crew aboard her are all found dead, except for one mysterious woman who stowed away.... | |||
INVISIBLE TOUCH The Mayan City of Tulum, 1510 AD Kanutzu was in his eighteenth year on the morning that the great ship appeared on the horizon. As the only son of the great priest and king of Tulum, Chaluta, he was heir to the throne and as he was now in adulthood it was time he began to perform duties of a more senior nature. So it was that when the ship on the blue sea appeared lifeless, it was he who led the four canoes out to investigate. It was quite obviously a vessel of the Spanish fleet, bringing more of the cursed men who were overrunning and destroying their culture, but he was just a young man and his father wanted peace with the visitors and thus far that had meant prosperity for their village. The canoes raced out, led by Kanutzu's in the front. As he got closer to the huge vessel, it was apparent something was terribly wrong. There weren't any voices to be heard and nobody was moving about. It was as if the ship simply appeared out of the sea during the night. When all four of the boats were alongside the massive wooden hull, he stood up and struck his most regal posture as a future Mayan King, taking great pride in his muscled physique and shoulder length mane of dark curled locks. He wore a clean white robe with a brightly embroidered collar and was every bit the son of the great Chaluta. “Hello,” he called. There was a language barrier, but it was a simple greeting. No response came, however, and so he called out again and again. Finally he nodded to the men in his canoe. “We'll board her. Throw the ropes.” As the fifteen men in the other three canoes watched, Kanutzu and his four mates climbed up into the giant galleon. Within seconds, two of his men were sick, throwing up over the side, while he and two others walked around, gathering in a scene of horrific violence. There were men all over the ship, all dead. Some just staring out with lifeless eyes, but others hacked up from broad swords. It was evident that they'd killed each other. Some terrible war had broken out on the ship and murdered the crew who had sailed her. He walked into the cabins and found two men naked, on their backs, their eyes staring out in surprise and gaping holes in their chests. When he found the Captain's cabin, the Captain was inside, his throat cut seemingly by his own hand. The last thing he appeared to have done was to write an entry in his log. Kanutzu couldn't read what it said, but he would bring the book back and perhaps someone could decipher it later. He ordered the men to the boats but then heard something. “Quiet,” he ordered. “Listen.” A woman was crying. He followed the sound to a closet in the outer room of the Captain's cabin. The door was locked so he tried pulling it open. As he fought to open the door, the crying became the loud screams of a terrified woman. Finally he and his mates smashed the door through and on the floor, huddled and shaking with fear, was a young white woman of stunning beauty. The filthy, white gauzy dress and the layer of dust and dirt on her did nothing to hide that fact. She was crying and speaking in the visitor's language, so Kanutzu held up his hands in an open gesture and tried to assure the young woman that they meant her no harm. After a few moments she slowly came out of the closet with him and they helped her down the ship's ladder and into the canoe. “You will be fine,” Kanutzu assured the woman who managed a weak smile as he covered her in a blanket. “I just wish you could tell me what happened up there. Was the Captain hiding you? Keeping you prisoner?” “Sir, she doesn't understand,” said one of his mates. Kanutzu just nodded. It was in the great castle, El Castillo, that Kanutzu stood with his father overlooking the blue Caribbean, the ship still sitting out there silently. The castle was the prominent building in Tulum, towering above the main square and it was here that the great priests and warriors developed policy and laws for the Mayans of Tulum to live by. Kanutzu felt in his heart that he would be a good ruler, even better Click here to read the rest of this story (281 more lines)
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