“I speak of the one incident to which all others are miniscule in comparison, and of which you are fully aware—the overt act of cowardice by Lord Tizoc.”
“If I remember it correctly, Tizoc did not run by himself. His advisors and the priests were next to him the entire way, so if you will condemn the Revered Speaker, then condemn them along with him.”
“In compliance with his orders, Lord!” fumed the minister. “Am I hearing correctly? Of all our lords, the one I would have sworn to be most outraged, who would have deemed Tizoc’s flight as most intolerable, is you! Did I err in my judgment?”
“Not necessarily, Cihuacoatl, but what exactly did you expect I would do? Storm the palace with my Order of the Eagles and throw him out?”
“You are being impertinent, Lord.”
“Then explain what you want.”
“Action! But not the kind you insult me with. Tizoc can no longer remain our Revered Speaker. He has disgraced the office and is not worthy of it. Men of influence, myself among them, are resolved to bring this matter to a close, but we need a commitment from you.”
“What sort of commitment?”
“Approval for what we propose to do.”
“Do what you like. I’ll not stand in your way.”
“Listen to me, Lord!” Cihuacoatl’s comportment turned so serious that Ahuitzotl felt himself becoming taut. “We intend to terminate Tizoc’s reign. Because you stand to gain most by this, for in all probability the council will select you as his successor, it is crucial that we have your consent to this. Indeed, without it there will be no measures taken at all.”
“Why is my consent so important?”
“As a guarantee you will seek no retribution against us for having slain your brother.”
“Slain?” Ahuitzotl winced. “You mean to slay him?”
“We have explored all the possibilities and see no other option. We do not take this task lightly. It is under the dread of our very lives that we conspire such a drastic step—many of the priests, not to mention the gods, will denounce us or punish us severely for it. Despite this, we are uniformly in accord that the deed, however foul, must be done.”
Ahuitzotl had expected a startling proposal, but was nevertheless stung by the extreme action being precipitated. But then, when all things were taken into account, this stood as the only solution possible and had to be eventually faced, even if he sought to avoid it. Yet it constituted a heinous crime in the eyes of the gods and entailed enormous risks.
“There’s no other way?”
“No. Believe me, Lord, we have exhausted the question.”
“What assurance have I of being named his successor? Is that why you need my approval?”
“No. If perchance you were not appointed, you could, as supreme commander, be capable of avenging Tizoc’s death. Be certain I will do my part to secure your succession, but, like it or not, you are intrinsically connected to this effort and hold its implementation in your grasp.”
“How will it be done?”
“Poison. It must be an unseeing death that comes upon him; we have to take precautions so as not to arouse the suspicions of the priests. A number drugs function in this manner, making it appear as though he is suffering from but a common ailment. We haven’t decided which one to use, but we’ll make it as painless as possible.”
“When?”
“Assuming we have your consent, after the Tlaloc festivals. Tizoc has immersed himself too deeply in arranging these rites with the priests to permit it any earlier.”
“So I have time to think on it.”
“Are you mad?” Cihuacoatl shouted out, jumping to his feet in agitation, “Everything we talked about—the disillusionment!—the declining prestige of the realm! A chance to finally do something about it is offered—and you hesitate? What is holding you back?”
“He’s my brother!” Ahuitzotl declared. “We are speaking of murdering him. A horrendous crime!—certainly not what I had in mind. I need time to digest this unsavory proposition.”
“Fine!” Cihuacoatl said, still fuming, “But be warned. Do not delay for long. The problem is one of giving support to those committed to our deed. A long wait will cause them to reconsider and, if they think you are wavering in your backing, affect their resolution.”
Ahuitzotl understood. A hazardous venture involving great personal dedication towards its completion had to be seized upon at its rising moment, when all conditions favored success, or otherwise it would disintegrate if its inertia was not maintained. Tomorrow’s planned meeting with Tizoc, he told himself, would help make up his mind, affording him one more opportunity to ascertain the need for his elimination. Maybe Tizoc will give some evidence that he will reform the manner in which he has ruled and thereby prevent this horrible measure from being implemented. But why hope for this? He was only deceiving himself; after all, is this not what he had long wished for? The nation was within his grasp; all he had to do was let others act, with nothing more than his assent. The throne was never closer. Still, there remained the gods—what if they should disapprove?
“Give me one week,” Ahuitzotl answered, “and I will know.”
While highly disappointed by this postponement, Cihuacoatl decided not to aggravate his demands. “I take my leave then,” he said as he proceeded for the door, “assured that I shall hear from you.”
“You will,” Ahuitzotl reaffirmed. “In one week.”
XVII
Tizoc, accompanied by his court sycophants, stood by watching an enormous ceremonial stone rumbling over log rollers toward its permanent emplacement in in the central square behind the tow of thirty-some workmen. A huge circular slab of volcanic rock, eight feet across and weighing several tons, meant to be centered about fifty paces in front of the steps to the Great Temple and replace a similar but smaller stone already there; its purpose was to provide a base platform for warriors engaged in gladiatorial combat. Sculptors walked alongside the monolith, for they still had some finishing touches to complete on the frieze chiseled into the block’s lateral surface. The carvings depicted a superbly engraved scene which saw the Revered Speaker Tizoc holding a number of captives by their hair, each symbolizing a conquered city identified by its respective glyph. To Tizoc it had special signification as it commemorated his triumphs and, like the Great Temple when completed, would stand as an enduring monument to his reign.
The stone represented one of two gigantic sculptures advanced by Tizoc. In addition to this combat piece, there existed an even more massive calendar, already finished, which would be housed in Huitzilopochtli’s shrine atop the Great Temple. Tizoc felt justly proud of these accomplishments, not only for their important functional roles in the many rituals, but also as works of art. The stones were exquisitely carved out by the finest artisans in the realm who were specially recruited for the task and, to any observer, they instilled a sense of awe by their overwhelming crushing energy and epitomized the most magnificent examples of Mexica creativity.
With extreme pride, Tizoc
