Breath of the Feathered Serpent Read online

  “It shall be done, my King,” Atl said. “What of the other priests?”

  “Round them all up. They may face me and Yolotli. Those who remain loyal to Eztli will be sacrificed to our god. Those who offer their loyalty and serve me will live.”

  “It shall be done, my King.” Atl bowed low and ordered several warriors to start rounding up the priests.

  Tupac gazed at Yolotli, expecting an objection that didn’t come. Instead, Yolotli’s soft hands framed his face, and Tupac leaned into the caress.

  “If only my life had been threatened, I would plead for clemency. But they tried to kill you. No one can do that and live.” Yolotli rested his head on Tupac’s shoulder.

  “If you had been hurt, I would have torn out their hearts with my bare hands,” Tupac said. “My finest goldsmiths will craft a suitable receptacle for the Breath of Quetzalcoatl. You and I will have matching necklaces inset with the smaller stones. They will be passed on to my successors to guarantee Quetzalcoatl’s favor, and from this day on, they will be free to choose a queen or a consort at their side, as may any man in this kingdom.”

  Tupac claimed Yolotli’s lips, eager for the familiar feel and taste of his beloved.

  “Once again you show yourself to be a wise and benevolent ruler, Tupac,” Yolotli whispered against Tupac’s lips.

  “The love Eztli tried to kill will live on long after his hatred has been destroyed,” Tupac murmured as he eased back from his love’s sweet mouth. “From this day forth, my kingdom will be under the protection of Quetzalcoatl and the Breath of the Feathered Serpent.”

  Chapter Two

  Adam ambled down the wooden-floored corridor. His polished copper spurs jingled with every step. They didn’t look out of place on his heeled boots, which in turn kept with his well-worn denim pants. He’d selected a smart black and silver shirt rather than one of his more conservative shirts.

  He’d noticed more than the just the occasional disapproving glance that he was used to receiving from the few suited city slickers he passed, but he didn’t care. He dressed to suit himself, not them. You could take the man out of the cowboy and stick him in a suit, but you couldn’t take the cowboy out of the man.

  And he was a cowboy through and through, even if he was employed by a government agency. As a Federal Marshal, results counted for more than mere appearances.

  As he approached the room, he adjusted his gun belt. It had been especially made to his specifications, wider and a little thicker than normal with several copper studs either side of the belt buckle. He fingered them out of habit and then tapped on the solid oak door, opening it as a disembodied voice reached his ears.

  He grinned at the man sitting on his side of the huge desk. “Madison, good to see you,” he drawled.

  “You too, Adam.”

  The man rose, and they hugged hard, slapping each other on the back. Adam took a step back to look at Madison closely. They were as tight as brothers from a different mother and as different as chalk and cheese. Madison’s lean silhouette cut quite a figure in his brown suit. His blond hair was cut short, and his blue eyes glinted with pleasure and anticipation. If they’d been cold and flat, Adam would have known there’d be hell to pay for someone.

  “Good afternoon, Adam.” The other man in the room spoke.

  At the deep baritone, Adam turned his attention to the man behind the desk. He nodded, pulling off his Stetson and throwing it expertly onto a nearby hat stand. “Afternoon, William.”

  “Show off,” Madison muttered with a chuckle, and Adam laughed with him.

  Almost three weeks had passed since their last assignment, and Adam was ready for action. He and Madison had an excellent partnership. Madison might be lean, but he was all muscle, quick on his feet, and knew some of that strange Chinese fighting. It’d proven useful more than once. Despite being nearly eight years Adam’s junior, Madison would be Adam’s first choice for a partner every time.

  Adam knew that he tended to attract more attention. Tall and powerful, he relied on his boxing skills and the speed by which he could draw. Madison was a fast trigger, but he was faster still. They’d been partners for approaching two years and had the reputation of being the best team in the department.

  “What are we facing, Chief?” Adam asked the portly man behind the desk as he sat in the chair next to Madison. William had been an operative once, but now he was bound to his desk. That experience made him a good man to work for. He understood what it was like to be out in the field.

  “You’ve got something for us?” Madison’s voice sounded as eager as Adam felt, and he leaned forward.

  William sat back in his chair and looked from Madison to Adam. “Have either of you heard of an artifact called The Breath of Quetzalcoatl?”

  Adam shook his head and glanced over at Madison when his friend cleared his throat. A sure sign he knew something and was gathering his thoughts.

  “It’s some kind of symbol of power that belongs to one of the minor Aztec kings?” Madison said. “It’s also known as the Breath of the Feathered Serpent and dates back to the late fourteen hundreds and a king called Tupac.”

  William nodded. “Very good. King Xipil is the current ruler of Chimalli province and a direct descendent of Tupac. The artifact has been in his family for four hundred years now. The legend is that the god Quetzalcoatl himself sent down the blue stone now set in a solid gold statue of the feathered serpent. The story is that the stone saved the lives of King Tupac and his royal consort, Yolotli, when they were ambushed by the high priest and Tupac’s disaffected wife. Each generation, whether a king with his queen or a king and his male consort, have venerated the statue and the stone it contains. They believe it’s the key to their region’s prosperity. It’s also missing. Stolen.”

  “And we have to find it?” Adam asked. He wasn’t too enthused at the idea of locating a stolen treasure.

  “King Xipil’s people don’t know it’s missing. He fears his people would turn against him if they think he’s lost the favor of Quetzalcoatl. He was trying to create a copy, but in three weeks, the emperor is visiting. He has to produce the statue for that visit.” William ran a hand through his hair and then rubbed at his chin.

  The gesture was one Adam recognized. It reflected William’s frustration.

  “He won’t have a copy in time?” Madison asked.

  William shook his head. “Not when it will be so closely examined. The emperor would insist upon it. If he just needed something to be seen from a distance, he’d get away with it.”

  “Do we have any suspects?” Adam asked and leaned forward, excitement thrumming through his veins.

  “We suspect that King Numa is behind the theft,” William said, his voice somber. “He’s Xipil’s nearest neighbor and a warmonger. Xipil and Numa’s regions are on our border. Numa has already stated that on the day of the emperor’s visit, he will show that the feathered serpent has abandoned Xipil and given favor to him. Word is that he’s ready to step in and take over Xipil’s state as its ruler. Once he has both provinces under his rule, he’ll whip the people into a frenzy, and then we face the prospect of war. We need to find the statue and return it to Xipil in time for the visit.”

  War. Suddenly, the statue had far more value than some kind of a mere symbol. Adam rubbed his chin. “Do we have any leads?”

  William moved from his desk and pulled down a screen holding a map of the southern part of the state of Texas. It showed mountains, a river, three ranches, and a town. William picked up a stick and pointed at the ranches in turn.

  “This one is the Lazy E. It’s owned by a brother and sister and currently managed by their uncle. The twins don’t come into their inheritance for another couple of months, when the boy reaches twenty-five. This ranch here...” William tapped the second ranch on the map. “Is the Big A and owned by the wealthiest man in the area. Goes by the name of Carter, and as I hear tell, he blows his own trumpet long and loud. This third one is currently unoccupied. Our lead
took us here, and then nothing. It’s all we’ve got. I need you two in there, mixing, looking, and hopefully turning something up.”

  “Why is this ranch unoccupied? This land looks good.” Adam peered at the map. “Ideal grazing for cattle or horses.”

  “The rancher died. Bad water, or so it’s reported.” William sat back, his gaze leveling with Adam’s.

  “Basically bullshit, then,” Adam said. “So no one’s made any attempt to snap it up?”

  “Actually Abel Carter, the rancher here, has made several high bids for it. So far no sale.” William rubbed at his chin. “Apparently the deceased rancher has family out East. It’s theirs now. They probably have an overinflated view of its size and worth.”

  “But Carter is still offering high dollar?” Madison pointed at the other ranch. “This one, with the twins, they’re not interested in buying it then?”

  “If they’ve made any approaches, they haven’t done it openly,” William said. “Which doesn’t mean they haven’t. We’re interested only if it sells, or if someone takes up sudden, illegal residence. It’s the pinnacle of the triangle.”

  “What’s the name of this town?” Adam asked.

  “Buzzard Hill,” William said.

  “Sounds delightful,” Madison said, with a snort.

  “So what’s our cover?” Adam asked.

  “No time to do anything that would need much background. So a couple of drifters looking for work will have to do.” William smirked along with Adam as Madison’s face fell.

  “That uninhabited ranch is probably the best place for us to start then,” Adam said. “As drifters, we’re not aware that it’s empty. We can check the place over and then head into town.”

  Adam laughed as Madison grimaced. The cover suited him down to the ground, but Madison was far more fastidious. He hated living rough. “You’ll need to muss up that fancy hair of yours and grow some stubble, Madison.” Adam laughed louder as Madison glowered at him.

  “Yeah and you don’t need to do anything. You fit the bill just as you are,” Madison muttered.

  “Sure do,” Adam said. “When do you want us riding out, Chief?”

  “Next day or so. Come to the ranches over the mountain. By the time you get there you’ll be a bit weather beaten. It’ll help you fit your roles better. Keep in touch, boys, and keep your wits about you. This isn’t just about a priceless gold statue.” William came from behind his desk and shook their hands in turn. “Good luck, boys.”

  “Just another day at the office,” Adam said as he led the way out.

  Chapter Three

  Madison rode on Adam’s left as the horses carefully climbed their way through the mountains toward the ranches that were the initial focus of their investigation. Breath of Quetzalcoatl. Nice story, and a good way to deter would-be thieves. Until the statue was stolen. “Hey, Madison, an ice cold beer would be good about now,” he said.

  “Sure would. I didn’t realize how difficult this mountain trail was going to prove. It’s taken us a whole day longer than I thought.” Madison wiped his brow with his neckerchief.

  “Yeah. The map for this was a little misleading. Still, we should be at the unoccupied ranch by early afternoon, gives us time to poke around a bit.” Adam reined in his horse and reached for his canteen. He gave it a shake. The hollow sound confirmed how little water was left. “How’s your canteen?” He turned to look at Madison as the other man shook his.

  “Some, but not much. Should be able to refill it once we reach the ranch. There was a well on the property.” Madison scrunched up his face. “Although if I remember rightly, there’s a river down there. That’d be better.”

  Adam grunted. If the place was unoccupied, the well wouldn’t have been used for a while, and left untouched meant anything might have fallen in it and died. However, his body protested the thought of riding into town just to get a drink. Replacing his canteen, he took a deep breath and readied himself to keep going, his thirst temporarily abating. If Madison was right, they’d find water aplenty within a couple of hours.

  He urged his horse on. Cinnamon was his favorite mare, good-natured, sure-footed, and fast when she needed to be. He petted her neck as they continued picking their way along the trail. The sooner they got off the mountains and onto some flat ground, the happier he’d be. “Let’s keep going. Not worth stopping up here.”

  They continued to ride and kept talk to a minimum. At points, the track narrowed to barely one horse width, slowing them down even more. Adam made sure to keep his frustration to himself. This was an isolated part of the state. Maps were sketchy for areas like this. At least there’d been something to follow.

  Finally, the trail descended and widened. A steam appeared from a waterfall halfway up the mountain, and while Adam and Madison filled their canteens, the horses drank and nibbled at grass. Adam grinned and slapped Madison’s back.

  “Good to see your mood has improved.” Madison winked at him. “You were getting more ornery than a mule, my friend.”

  “I hate the closed-in feeling up in mountains like that,” Adam replied. “You get to feeling they’re trying to crush you.” His eyes followed the flow of water. “Looks like the stream becomes a river farther down. You were right, my friend. I can see it in the distance. Good grazing land, too. Nice and green.”

  “Yep. The two occupied ranches deal in cattle. Seems like there’s plenty of good land for the herds.” Madison wiped his face and finger-combed his hair, which already looked like it hadn’t seen a barber in weeks rather than days.

  Adam ran a hand though his own thick, dark hair which he never cut shorter than just above shoulder-length. Despite regular trips to the barber, his hair always appeared untamed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d worn it short like Madison preferred. Then he rubbed his chin. His stubble was obvious, where Madison’s was barely visible. That much was the advantage of being dark rather than blond when they wanted to look like drifters.

  “I’ll be glad when we find somewhere to settle so I can shave this off,” Madison said, copying Adam and rubbing his hand over his chin. “I hate stubble. Hate beards even more.”

  “That because the ladies love your pretty, clean-shaven face.” Adam laughed as he slapped his friend on the back. “I’m more the dark and silent, rough and ready type.”

  “I see the way the men look at you,” Madison said. “Some look envious, others...well we know about those.”

  Adam nodded. It wasn’t exactly illegal for two men to seek companionship, so long as they did it behind closed doors. Things were a lot easier these days if you lived in one of the big cities, but he was far from one of those. Out here, he was likely to end up in a jail cell, or risk a beating, if his true preference for a bedmate was known.

  Fortunately, there were codes men like him followed and visual clues to guide him. Plus, given that they were on a mission, there would be no time for indulging, unless a seduction was necessary of course. Another reason Madison and I make such a good team. It’s rare I have to charm the ladies. Thankfully.

  “Yep.” Adam squeezed Madison’s shoulder. His friend hadn’t cared about Adam’s preference from day one. It was a good feeling to know your partner had your back one hundred percent. “Come on. Let’s find us a place that’ll take in a couple of drifters so you can get yourself all prettied up.”

  Madison joined in Adam’s laughter as they mounted their horses. Adam continued to grin as they rode forward.

  Chapter Four

  The ranch came into view. Even knowing it was deserted, it was a welcome sight for Adam. Although a seasoned rider, his body ached, and he was more than ready to get off his horse and rest. There was no rush once they reached it. They could poke around the ranch, sleep indoors for the first time in a few nights, and then head into town the next day.

  Buzzard Hill hardly sounded the most welcoming of towns, given its name, but he’d heard worse. He and Madison would make it known they were looking for wrangling work before head
ing out to the occupied ranches. He licked his lips. A beer would be good, too.

  They passed through a dilapidated gate and rode into the ranch proper. Dismounting, Adam stretched his aching muscles and bones while Madison tethered both horses to a rail next to a stable that looked in as bad of repair as the main house.

  “Don’t think we’re gonna find much here,” Adam said as Madison came up alongside him.

  “I’ll check the house and stable if you want to look around the rest of the property. Stretch your weary bones a spell.” Madison winked and grinned.

  Adam glowered at Madison, but that only earned a hearty laugh from his friend. “Any more sass like that and I’ll whup your skinny ass, whippersnapper.” Adam dropped his voice to a deep, throaty rumble.

  Madison laughed louder as he headed for the house, and Adam turned toward the corral still smiling. He found nothing out of place there, but as he rounded towards the back of the house, he saw...something. He squinted, trying to see more clearly. There was a dark shape lying on the ground by the water trough, and it piqued his instincts.

  He approached cautiously, gun in hand. As soon as he recognized what it was, he yelled for Madison. As his friend came running from the house, Adam continued to advance.

  It was a man lying beside the trough. He was curled into a partial ball and unmoving, but Adam knew better than to take any chances.

  “Hey. Mister. Mister, you all right?” It was a stupid question, but Adam wanted to see if the shout elicited any response. It didn’t. He glanced over at Madison who circled from the other direction, keeping low, his gun in his hand.

  Dropping to his haunches, Adam reached out with his gun and nudged the body. Nothing happened. No sound or movement. He got a little closer and rolled the man over. He grimaced at the distorted features and looked accusingly at the water trough.

  His immediate thought was how grateful he was that they had come through the mountains and filled up on water at the stream. If they’d come across the desert, they might have been keen to drink the same tainted water that had killed the unknown man.