Tlacotzin was nervous. He was shaking like a corn leaf. He was dressed in a simple outfit, not made of agave as usual, but instead of expensive cotton. His amulet was hung around his neck.
Xilonen touched his shoulders.
"Calm down, Tlacotzin. You're not the one who will be judged."
"The king... so close…"
That explained his tension. He – an ordinary plebeian, a lowly temple assistant and street musician, who had only admired the king and the grandeur of the palace from afar – was in the palace and was soon to approach the king... It was obvious that he felt pressure.
Cuathli placed his hand on Tlacotzin's head.
"Easy, Tlacotzin. I'll be the one talking. You just stand with a straight back and try to act natural."
Tlacotzin nodded shyly. When they entered the main hall, he heard a familiar scream. It was Texoc. He was led by two guards.
"If it weren't for you, damn busker…"
With these words he brought upon himself the wrath that could easily compete with the wrath of gods. Xilonen approached him, and suddenly, before anyone could stop her, she kicked Texoc in the balls with all her might.
"Shut up, trash."
It wasn't over. Izel approached him next and who slapped him hard, calling him a filthy worm. On the other cheek fell Meya's slap. The guards leading Texoc laughed. Yohuali was scared; she wanted to say something, but a blow to the back of her head effectively stopped her. Then, Nenetzi approached one of the soldiers, looking at the knife he was carrying.
"Can I borrow this knife? I have to peel off the skin of this reptile. I'll make a fancy bag from it, and maybe there'll be enough left for sandals."
Everyone laughed even more when they saw Texoc's face. They knew what he had done. There was no place for pity for him in their hearts. No one felt sorry for him. Many of them smiled, and others laughed.
Itzcoatl was smiling too, but he was really far from letting go of his anger.
"Nenetzi, this is a great idea, but we can't show the king something so hideous. I'm afraid that even showing him... this is an affront."
Tlacotzin didn't know what was going on. He was mad at Texoc and Yohualli, but he didn't expect this. He let go of most of his negative emotions when he got his amulet back. Suddenly, a snake-like voice said:
"I see you're having fun."
A man appeared in the room. Instead of a face, he had a skull decorated with black feathers. His body was painted black and he wore a black maxtlatl, cloak and shoes. He was accompanied by two jaguars. The atmosphere changed immediately after he entered. It became tense as a bowstring. Cuathli stepped forward.
"Cuathli, the great servant of Xochipilli, who brings joy and beauty to the mortal realm, greets Tlahcoatl, the servant of Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the Smoking Mirror, patron of the night sky, who sees every sin."
"Tlahcoatl, the servant of Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the Smoking Mirror who sees every sin, greets Cuathli, the great servant of Xochipilli who brings joy and beauty to the mortal realm."
The two priests exchanged bows.
"The king awaits you. Follow me."
***
Soon they found themselves in the wealthily decorated throne room. The king sat on a high throne. Tlacotzin swallowed when he saw him. The king was a muscular man with a scarred body. He wore an ornate maxtlatl, a cloak, many ornaments made of gold and jade, and his head was decorated with a huge quetzal feather headdress. But it was all just decorations. More important was something else. His gaze was powerful and immovable as a mountain. He spread an aura of power that seemed to extend to the borders of the divine kingdom. Tlacotzin had already seen him from a distance, but seeing the king up close was something else.
"Here is the king Tlacohueyotl, supreme servant of the gods and guardian of cosmic order."
Everyone stood before him. Tlacotzin stood beside Cuathli, tense like a bowstring. With the corner of his eye, he saw that Texoc and Yohualli were not the only defendants. There were a few more people. He wondered why when the king spoke. His voice was loud and powerful. Tlacotzin felt the need to kneel.
"Before we begin the official meeting... Servants of Xochipilli, who brings joy to the mortal realm: Xilonen, Izel, Meya and Nenetzi – step forward."
The girls stepped forward with anxious faces and bowed to the king. Tlacotzin was scared, too. However, he stayed quiet, afraid that his reckless words could bring harm to the girls.
"Girls, the palace is not a place for impulsivity. Even if the target of these actions does deserve them. Do you understand?"
The girls bowed even harder, trembling slightly.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The king seemed pleased.
"Think about your actions. You can go back."
They stepped back and breathed with relief. And so did Tlacotzin. The king only warned them. They were afraid that something much worse would happen.
The king said:
"We shall begin the formal session. Tlahcoatl, the servant of Tezcatlipoca, Lord of the Smoking Mirror who sees every sin, present the case."
Tezcatlipoca's priest stepped forward and bowed to the king.
"The man named Texoc is charged with the theft of an amulet belonging to Tlacotzin and with blasphemy and perjury as well as multiple abuses of his position and the use of verbal and physical threats to gain material benefits. A woman named Yohualli was helping him by deceiving many people. The men: Tlecuani, Cuitlapan and Oquichtli, are accused of participation in these crimes through intimidation, beatings, spreading lies and sexual offences. Guard officer Mahuiztlan covered up their crimes for financial gain. He was the one who received the amulet as a bribe. We managed to recover the amulet and return it to the owner."
Here the priest pointed to Tlacotzin, who immediately bowed to him.
"Unfortunately, we could not help other victims, of which we learnt during the interrogation."
The priest bowed again to the king, ending his speech. The councillors looked at the accused with disgust.
"I call to witness Cuathli, the great servant of Xochipilli, who brings joy to the mortal realm."
Cuathli stepped forward. He was worried. Not about the process itself, but the fact that he had to reveal the truth about the vision about Tlacotzin. He hoped he would have some more time to think about it, or maybe he was deliberately putting it off. He didn't know. His feelings were in a mess. What role will Tlacotzin have to play during Xochi Huetzi? The uncertainty that was sown the day of his conversation with Itzcoatl grew and grew with each passing day. Right now he had another task, however. He stepped forward and bowed to the king.
"Your Majesty, supreme servant of the gods."
"It was Xochipilli's great servant who discovered the case."
"Tell us, Cuathli, the great servant of Xochipilli, how did you discover this matter?"
Cuathli took a deep breath. He didn't want to say it, but he had to.
"Your Majesty, honourable councillors, let me start from the beginning. A few nights ago I received a vision in my sleep. In this vision, Xochipilli revealed to me that what he desires for Xochi Huetzi, I will find on the steps of his temple, and it will be connected with the music of the flute and pulque. When I woke up, I immediately summoned guards and went to his temple. That's where I found Tlacotzin."
The young man bowed when Cuathli pointed at him.
"He slept on the steps of the temple, with a flute by his side, and I smelt pulque in his breath."
In that moment someone unceremoniously pointed to Tlacotzin and yelled:
"He's a drunkard, our law…"
Before Texoc could finish, he received a blow to his head from a guard behind him.
"Shut up! You will have the right to speak, but only if His Majesty allows it."
The king nodded and let Cuathli speak.
"I placed the sleeping Tlacotzin in a ritual prison under the care of the acolyte – Meya – and went to prepare for my duties."
At the sound of her name, the girl bowed.
"When I returned to the ritual prison, I heard beautiful music, and I swear to the gods that I had never heard such beautiful music before... At first I thought the temple musicians started practising. However, the one who played was Tlacotzin. His music was so beautiful that it captivated the maidservants of Xochipilli and the warrior on the watch. The beauty of his music captivated them so fully that they paid no attention to anything else."
Tlacotzin blushed when Cuathli praised him so much. It wasn't just him; the girls were blushing too. Some of the nobles looked interested; a young man with supposedly great musical talent chosen by the patron of music. They wondered how well he played.
"I asked Tlacotzin how he ended up on the temple grounds, not revealing to him where I found him. Unfortunately, he was unable to give me the answer. The reason for this was a hole in the memory caused by pulque. According to his testimony, he drank for the first time in his life. It happened at a party his friend, Itzcoatl. had arranged for him to comfort him after his proposal was rejected by a girl he liked. However, something that I did not expect happened. The boy, who had just been playing a joyful melody, suddenly fell into despair right before my eyes. He was even willing to accept death if I decided to give him the highest punishment for drunkenness. When I asked him about himself, he told me how he lost his family. His father, a warrior, went to the War of the Flowers a few years ago and never came back. His mother fell ill and died a year ago. Soon after, the house he inherited from his parents burnt down in a fire, leaving him with hardly anything. He was convinced that his life had no value or meaning. He was completely broken."
Cuathli was heartbroken. He didn't want to remind the boy of these terrible events, but he had to. This was about something much greater than his feelings.
"I told him that his life had meaning, although he did not believe my words – so great was the despair in his heart. It was only when I told him that I had found him on the temple steps, guided by a vision, that he seemed to recover a bit. I decided to keep him close to the temple, and since he was poorly dressed, I offered him a job as a temple assistant. He gladly accepted my offer. I decided that I would take him to his home to help him move to the ritual prison. Tlacotzin seemed reluctant and told me he could take care of it himself. But I persisted until he backed down, and I went with him and the twelve warriors to the place where the boy lived."
The high priest took a deep breath. He observed the faces around him. The king seemed unmoved, like a god sitting in heaven and watching the world of mortals. Nothing could be read from his face. There was compassion on the nobles' faces. Tlacotzin had his head bowed.
"When we got there, I realised why he was reluctant. Tlacotzin lived in a small miserable hut built next to a brick house. To quote my warriors, it was a hovel where they would not even keep turkeys. I left the soldiers a little behind, and together with the young man I entered his home. The interior was even more modest than what I saw from outside. After a while, I realised that something terrible had happened. Tlacotzin's amulet that was his father's engagement gift to his mother, made of skilfully carved jade, gold and quetzal feathers, was missing."
He pointed angrily at Texoc.
"It was then when he came in. At the very beginning, he insulted Tlacotzin by calling him a busker. A moment later he confessed to stealing the amulet. He justified his action with unpaid rent. When Tlacotzin said he paid his rent, this man grabbed his throat and told him that the price had gone up. He threatened to evict him, demanding more beans, and threatened to destroy his flute, thanks to which he could earn his living. When I warned him, he threw Tlacotzin to the ground, calling him a whore and demanding money from me. When I ordered him to reveal the information about the amulet, he swung his fist at me, but I easily grabbed it and pushed him away from me. Then he grabbed a weapon and tried to attack me. However, I was faster and threw him out of the hut, where my warriors arrested him. It was not until he saw me in the light that he realised who he was dealing with. He started accusing Tlacotzin of being behind on the rent and destroying the fence that morning. He swore that what he was saying was true, and he was swearing for Xochipilli. I need to remind you, honourable councillors, that Tlacotzin was at my residence since the late night."
The high priest looked at them and felt vindictive satisfaction in his heart. Those evil glares directed at that coyote pleased him like honey mixed with chilli. He pointed to Yohualli.
"Then this woman showed up. At Texoc's warning, she started to run. However, by skilfully throwing my spear between her legs, I stopped her from escaping, and my warriors arrested her. Tlacotzin revealed that she was the one who rejected his confession. I sent Tlacotzin with two warriors to my residence, and I brought the arrested to Tlayohulla with the rest of the warriors."
The high priest paused for a moment to enjoy the anger of those gathered. He didn't understand why he was so pleased with it. It wasn't like him. What happened to him? He continued his testimony:
"For a few days after this event, Tlacotzin diligently worked in the temple of Xochipilli. It is what gave him a purpose to live. At this time his friend, Itzcoatl, visited us and informed us of rumours in the city that portrayed Tlacotzin in a bad light. I was sure that Texoc or someone connected with him started them, so I notified the priests from Tlayohulla. That is all I can say about this case."
Cuathli looked at the gathered. He saw their anger written all over their faces. Only the king seemed above these simple emotions. However, if you looked closely at him, he had slightly, almost invisibly, frowned and clenched his fists.
"We give voice to Tlahcoatl, the servant of Tezcatlipoca, the Lord of the Smoking Mirror who sees all sin. Priest Tlahcoatl mentioned other victims."
The priest bowed to the king.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Texoc used his position to deceive many people, dragging them into debt and forcing them into prostitution and working for free. I am sorry to say that a lot of these people have committed suicide. Those we have found are safe. People who supervised their work are currently being questioned."
The king sat as still as a mountain. But if one looked closely at his face, one could see that he frowned in anger, that there was a fire burning in his eyes that could turn everything to ashes. His hands tightened with such force that he could crush stones into fine sand.
"You may return to your place, Tezcatlipoca's servant."
Tlahcoatl bowed to the king and stepped back.
"We are calling Tlacotzin and Itzcoatl as witnesses."
Tlacotzin, shaking like a corn leaf, stepped forward. Itzcoatl walked calmly beside him. The presence of a friend gave him courage. When he stopped, he felt that he was standing far too close to the king than he deserved. He immediately bowed deeply and lowered his head.
"Stand up, Tlacotzin, and lift your head."
He slowly obeyed the king's order. He looked into his eyes. Though he saw them from afar, he could feel the power inside them.
"Tlacotzin, is what Xochipilli's great servant Cuathli said true?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, it is all true."
The king leaned forward and looked into his and Itzcoatl's eyes.
"We know when it is hard for someone, it is hard to not drink. However, the hardships of life do not justify drinking without moderation."
"I understand, Your Majesty."
Itzcoatl wanted to say something, but the king turned to him.
"As a party host, you are responsible for your guests. Especially for those who have no drinking experience."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
They both bowed and waited for the king's next words. Tlacotzin felt ashamed, and it was hard for him to look at the king. Itzcoatl, on the other hand, was as tense as a bowstring.
"We command you to reconsider your approach to pulque and its consumption and to offer a propitiatory sacrifice. You shall discuss it with Cuathli, the great servant of Xochipilli. You can step back."
"We understand, Your Majesty."
The two young men bowed.
"Bring in the defendants."
All six defendants were dragged before the king.
They were shaking and struggling. They were too afraid to look at the king, whose glare was sharper than an obsidian blade.
"How do you justify your actions?"
That's when it started. They talked through each other. They shouted at each other and accused each other. It created an extremely disgusting cacophony that repulsed everyone who listened to it.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent; I did not steal anything. They are trying to frame me."
Texoc was screaming like a possessed man and pointing with his head to the left and right. However, he didn't seem to point out anyone in particular, just tossed in random directions.
"I am innocent. I did not know anything."
Yohualli was shaking and tossing in all directions.
"We never said a bad word about anyone. We just said what we were told."
"We did not rape anyone; they did not oppose."
"We did not hit anyone; they just would not listen."
Three thugs. They didn't seem to understand the situation at all. They spoke calmly, and there was no trace of intellect on their faces, much less remorse.
"It is a slander, Your Majesty. I have always served the community faithfully for this modest amount of beans…"
The guard officer shook and stuttered. He fell silent, froze and turned pale when he realised that he had said too much.
The king looked at them. His fists clenched so tightly they turned red. He was sitting with a straight back but seemed to be shaking with rage. His face twisted in anger. He no longer looked like a mountain. He was like a volcano ready to erupt to make mortals realise that the gods are angry at them. He finally said:
"I have heard enough."
Everyone looked at the king. Those who knew him knew that he put in much work and effort so the city could prosper. Their ruler hated injustice. Especially fraudsters, proud people, people who abused their position and fools who couldn't understand their actions and didn't care about their image as authorities. Now all of them stood together in front of him. He couldn't change the past; he couldn't help all the victims. However, he could, in a very exemplary way, remove the corruption from the city.
It was time for the sentences. The king's voice sounded like a huehuetl drum.
"Your crimes do not only harm mortals and violate the order of the mortal realm. It is also an insult to the gods. You are guilty, and you will suffer an exemplary punishment."
The accused began to tremble and beg for mercy. They were ready to fall on their knees, but the guards held them tight. Everyone looked at them; there was contempt in their eyes. They considered them guilty and didn't feel any compassion.
"Tlecuani, Cuitlapan and Oquichtli – your names shall be changed to Cuitlatl, Tlatlacualtil and Tlazolli so everyone shall know that you are nothing more than excrement, garbage and dirt. Your heads shall be shaved as a sign of your shame. You shall be castrated so that you can no longer harm any woman. The whole community shall see it. You shall spend the rest of your life as marked slaves, doing the worst and most filthy jobs, with no chance for freedom. But rejoice, for your punishment shall last only until your death."
A murmur of shock passed through the room. It was undoubtedly a harsh sentence. But everyone admitted they deserved it. Now the three of them were cut off from the community, just as a dumpster is cut off from a household.
The king looked at the other three defendants. He seemed to grow, looking like a giant. His eyes were like the deepest depths of the land of the dead.
"Texoc, Yohualli, Mahuiztlan. Your crimes affect people as well as gods. Every mortal who dies in a way that does not connect him to the gods must pass through Mictlan to find peace. This shall not be given to you. You shall be sacrificed to Tezcatlipoca. You shall never find peace. You shall be tested endlessly and suffer for all eternity in the fumes of the Smoking Mirror."
There was a moment of dead silence in the room. The wind blowing through the room seemed to carry someone's satisfied laughter.
Texoc turned pale. He looked like a piece of chalk. Yohualli fainted and slumped into the guards' arms. The guard officer had an absolute horror on his face.
The king clapped his hands. This one sound surpassed all that has been uttered in this room today. Everyone present trembled as if a huge shock had passed through their body. There was fear in many eyes. Could there be any more cruel punishment than this?
However, offending the gods was something that had to be severely punished. Otherwise, their anger could fall on the entire community. The whole room seemed to be quietly expressing its approval of the king's sentences.
"The trial is ended. Take the defendants away. May the Tezcatlipoca's temple double its efforts in the search for corruption. They are to find even the slightest trace of the fraud of which the defendants were part. Erase the corruption so that it no longer harms the honest citizens."
The accused resisted and screamed, begging for mercy, as they were led outside. The other participants left the room quietly, going back to their lives.
Tlacotzin was confused. He knew they deserved punishment. However, their fate was simply cruel. But there was nothing that could justify them. He looked at himself, his friend, and the acolytes. They made mistakes and were reprimanded. However, a mistake is not the same as a deliberate crime, and moreover repeated many times. He also had to admit it. They couldn't be left in the community, because they would not bring it anything good, only harm. They had to be removed.
Cuathli was walking a little behind. He felt satisfied. Too satisfied. He couldn't comprehend it. He didn't understand why. He looked at Tlacotzin's back.
Who was this young man who experienced so many hardships to him?
He knew it was time for a more difficult meeting. He had to face himself. He had to discover Tlacotzin's role in Xochi Huetzi.