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“Where are we going?” Suki whispered.
Jane Louise smiled. “Back to her island.”
Ix Chel’s island, she meant. Cozumel.
CHAPTER SIX
JAGUAR TEMPLE
CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE
January 8
Nervous anticipation wriggled inside Suki’s stomach as she waited. Nightfall brought the magical illumination of the ruins. From the windows of the palace, she could see the hidden city spread out beneath her. The jungle surrounding the land was black, but the interior was lit by stelae carved with figures of ancient Maya—warriors, priests, queens, and the various gods and goddesses. Through gaps in the jungle trees overhead, stars twinkled brightly. But the moon hadn’t risen above the trees yet.
The interior of the palace was mazelike in design. She’d gotten lost easily at first, but now she knew the layout and could easily get from the patios to the housing structures. There was a pyramid on the northern block of the royal quarters that she wasn’t allowed to explore, along with underground tunnels that led to a private cenote. Again, strictly off-limits.
How would they leave?
A servant offered her a drink of xocolatl, which she declined as she kept walking the grounds outside the palace, trying to quell her nervous energy. The noises from the jungle were familiar to her now, and she recognized the distinctive screech of howler monkeys in the distance.
Then, finally, she spied the moon high above the courtyard, in the gap between the trees. It was a full moon—or nearly one. It appeared through the gaps in the leaves, a brilliant silver ball. As soon as she saw it, Suki felt the magic stir inside her.
Ix Chel was the moon goddess of the Maya. The moon was a symbol of her power, and now it was also a symbol of escape.
Suki bit her lip and hurried back to her room to find Jane Louise. She parted the bead curtain of the doorway and saw the Beasley girl kneeling on the floor picking up fallen flower petals.
“It’s time—” Suki started to say, then cut herself off when she noticed Angélica was in the room.
She and Jacob had been together, off doing who knows what. The two of them were always together now. While Angélica had been his employee at the resort on Cozumel, the two couldn’t keep their hands off each other now. It was pretty gross.
Jacob wasn’t supposed to come back until tomorrow, though. Had they returned early?
“Time for what?” Angélica asked, cocking her head.
Suki’s mind went blank. Crap. “We were going to . . . play . . . ,” she stammered.
The woman’s brow furrowed. “Play what?”
Panic sizzled in Suki’s chest. She felt her cheeks flush.
“Hide-and-seek,” Jane Louise said, lifting her head and smiling innocently.
Angélica looked from the little girl to Suki and then back again.
“I know I’m a little old for it,” Suki offered. “But the palace has so many twists and turns. I promised her we’d play tonight after the sun went down. She’s just a little girl, and she works so hard all day.”
Angélica stepped forward, shaking her head. “It isn’t a good night for that, Suki. I’m sorry. Jacob wishes to meet with you.”
Nervous anxiety tightened its hold on her. “Wait . . . tonight?”
“Yes. He wants to see you.”
“Oh . . . I guess . . .” Suki’s mind raced as she tried to think of a way out of it.
“Are you all right?” Angélica asked, stroking a finger along Suki’s cheek.
She didn’t like being touched by people she hardly knew, and sometimes even by people she did know. “I worked hard today and got beaten for it. In high school, you just get grades.”