Chapter 24: Mixcoatl
‘What’s up with those people anyway? Aren’t they also natives? Why aren’t THEY locked up in a cage?’
Percy felt his features twist into a grimace.
‘They are… They’re just too dumb to see it…’
Once more, Micky reached for the kik’lit. With a trembling grip, he moved it to his beak, exhaling a soft breath into the instrument. The sound was off tune. He tried again but his fingers shook, unable to close the holes properly. His lungs hurt with every attempt too. After a few more failures, he let his arm fall, the intricate piece of bone rolling half a circle away.
‘When it became obvious we were going to lose the war, some of our ancestors switched sides. They volunteered the technique and our resources to the enemies, helping them accelerate their conquest.’
‘So, the spectators… the guards… the wardens…?’ Percy could already guess the answer.
‘Their descendants.’ Micky nodded.
The young man pondered over the implications. This certainly explained the bad blood between the two sides. Still…
‘Why would that guy agree to a fight? Can you challenge the wardens whenever you want?’