More liquid splashed against my leg. It felt cool against my skin.
"Any pain?" Dr. Wu's voice was slightly slurred and he appeared disoriented.
"No," I replied.
"Then you're good to go."
Graham released me. Beverly did the same. I sat up. My body felt dehydrated. My throat was parched.
I looked at my lower half. My right pants leg had been cut off at the thigh. The area just above my boot was red. Fortunately, there were no blisters or other signs of second-degree burns.
The doc handed me a small canteen. It was almost empty. I took a few greedy sips and gave it back to him. Then I stood up and tested my leg. "So, I guess that was Hot House."
Tum nodded. "That leaves Razor House and possibly two other levels."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" As I stared down another steep stretch of tunnel, I forgot the fire and my aching leg. All I could think about was the library. "Let's go."
Chapter 102
"This looks simple enough." Graham studied the cave. "We just need to stay away from those blades."
The cave was shaped like a rectangle with a length and width of fifty feet and ten feet, respectively. A yawning void — the exit — called out to me from the opposite end.
Dozens of blades had been cemented into the walls, floor, and ceiling. As far as I could tell, they'd been harvested from old weapons. While rust had taken its toll, they still looked sharp as hell.
"Razor House was filled with sharp blades," Tum said. "They were able to move around on their own accord. Sort of like they were living entities."
My eyes lingered on the cement that held the blades in place. "Well, I don't think that'll be a problem."
My gaze drifted back to the exit and I felt a gust of cool air. We'd passed through the scorpion river and five of six houses. After Razor House, two other levels likely awaited us. What sort of traps would they contain? Would we find the Library of the Mayas on one of them?
What about the death gods?
I turned the question over in my mind a few times as I inched into the cave. The pyramid had been specifically designed to keep Hun-Came and Vucub-Came imprisoned. All evidence pointed to the strong possibility that the death gods were actually caches of highly radioactive metal left over from an ancient extrasolar meteor.
And that worried me. Two weeks of radiation had been enough to harm Pacho and kill a severely weakened Rigoberta. And they'd lived above ground, far away from where I thought the source was located. What would happen to us as we neared the so-called death gods?
I kept a wary eye on the blades as I walked forward. What was the point of Razor House anyway? As far as I could tell, it was exactly the same concept as Jaguar House, only with blades instead of teeth.
I slowed a bit. There had to be something to those old legends. Blades might not be able to move on their own accord. But the cave could contain hidden projectiles. If I stepped on the wrong rock, it might release a spring mechanism and …
I shook my head. The idea was ridiculous. Spring-loaded darts wouldn't last a year without maintenance, let alone a dozen centuries. And all of Hunahpu's traps had been simple, yet durable enough to last for the long haul. There was no reason to think he would've changed his strategy so close to the finish line.
The ground shifted strangely under my feet. I veered to the right.
Looking ahead, I saw a dozen sharp points. Quickly, I planted my boot on a safe spot. But the awkward movement forced me to stumble again.
I shot even further to the right, coming dangerously close to the blades mounted on the wall. Planting my left foot, I forced myself away from the ancient metal objects.
I stumbled into the middle of the cavern. I tried to slow my momentum, but I found myself being forced to the left. The ground groaned loudly. Rock crunched against rock.
What the hell?
I looked down. Substantial cracks lined the ground. They separated the area on which I stood from the rest of the limestone.
This isn't ordinary rock. It's an artificial platform.
Sweat poured from my brow as I felt myself propelled closer to the left wall. My nerves went haywire as I threw my hands up in front of me.
It's not just a platform. It's a pivoting platform. And it's pivoting me right into those blades.
Chapter 103
"Get out of there," Graham shouted. "It's—"
The crunching rock drowned him out. I twisted my neck around. Lurched backward. My right foot hit a safe spot, free of blades. My left foot slammed down just a foot away.
Think, Cy, think.
The platform shifted again, pivoting me toward the right wall. I reeled back and nearly lost my balance.
Five or six blades pricked my skin at the same time. I clenched my teeth, knowing impalement was mere moments away.
I planted my right foot. Then I struggled in the opposite direction. The pricks vanished.
It's using my momentum against me.
The platform beneath me consisted of a limestone block. Hunahpu had evidently carved it out of the floor. Then he'd inserted some kind of object, most likely a large rolling pin, directly underneath it. Effectively, the platform was equivalent to an ancient seesaw.
I swung toward the left wall. Shifting my feet, I brought myself to a halt. The platform paused for a brief second as I neared its center of gravity. My body relaxed just a bit.
Abruptly, the platform tilted. To my surprise, it pitched forward.
It's not mounted on a rolling pin. It's mounted on a ball.
Embracing the momentum, I ran forward.
The platform tilted with me.
I ran faster.
The platform continued to tilt as I ran down it. Abruptly, it slammed into rock. My body jolted.
I was now running several feet beneath the platform's original position. Looking ahead, I saw a short rock wall. Tiny glints of metal caught my eye.
I groaned inwardly. Hunahpu had, as always, thought of everything. He'd left the top section of wall completely clear, which gave the platform plenty of room to tilt downward. But he'd cemented blades of increasing length onto the lower section of wall.
And I was running right toward them.
My brain screamed at me to stop. But I ran faster. Then I jumped.
My fingers touched limestone. My feet kicked to the side as I propelled myself upward. Moments later, I rolled onto solid ground.
I bent over to catch my breath, nearly oblivious to the congratulatory shouts coming from the other end of the cave. "Seven levels down, Hunahpu," I whispered between breaths. "Two to go."
Chapter 104
"Amazing." Tum's voice dropped to a low hush. "It's a miniature ballcourt."
Dr. Wu rubbed his forehead. "What's a ballcourt?"
"It's a common feature in ancient Mesoamerican sites. More than thirteen hundred of them have been found throughout Central America."
"What were they used for?"
"They were probably multi-functional, used for everything from wrestling matches to giant feasts. But their most famous use was for the Mesoamerican ballgame."
The cavern was roughly one hundred feet long by fifty feet wide. I estimated the height at about twenty feet. Identical structures jutted out from both sides. A tight alley ran through the middle of them.
I walked into the alley and focused my gaze on the structure to my right. It looked a bit like an ancient dugout topped with elaborate walls. A three-foot vertical wall stood nearest to my position. It gave way to a two-foot wide horizontal bench. Behind the bench, a second wall sloped gently toward the ceiling. This in, turn gave way to a second vertical wall. Small rings, maybe three feet in diameter, were mounted near the top of that wall.