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VII

Pelaxilla stood nervously and by herself before Tlalalca and Xoyo. She had been earlier summoned by the empress and was now obediently in her presence expecting the worst that could befall anyone who evoked her displeasure. Her moment had come, she fretted; she was about to receive sentence that she would suffer expulsion from the court. It meant she would probably return to the city of her parents and live with them in utter disgrace. She was but a child of nine years when she was taken from them, upon the recommendation of a high priestess who, noticing her and taking a liking to her, wanted her for servitude to the goddess Coatlicue. Then the Revered Speaker Axayacatl, also drawn to her, removed her from the temple and brought her into the royal house—being herself the daughter of nobility made this transition simple—to serve as a future concubine and she became a mistress of Tizoc when he acceded to the throne. Her seven years in the court had been an enriching experience, rewarding and enjoyable, and she knew that she would never be able to readjust to the mundane existence facing her in the place of her childhood. Perhaps, if the empress chose to be kind, she would be transferred back to one of the many temples to again be trained in the duties of a priestess. This was preferable. She could then stay in Tenochtitlan and spare her parents the humiliation they surely would suffer from their peers over having a daughter evicted from the Revered Speaker’s palace.

Tlalalca was seated in her royal chair, appearing altogether elegant in her attire and tenor, while Xoyo stood next to her unsmiling as was her usual comportment.

“So, my dear,” began Tlalalca in a cheerful tone, “How are you today?”

“Uh, well enough I suppose, my Lady,” answered Pelaxilla.

“You are horribly tense, child. One so young should not be burdened with such stress—it will untimely age you and detract from your beauty. And there’s no reason for it. I called for you because I need your help.”

“My help?” Pelaxilla was bewildered. “You are not angry with me?”

“Of course not. How could you believe such a thing?” Tlalalca smiled brightly and glanced at Xoyo who remained stone-faced.

“I was told I had offended my lady.”

“You did—but that was yesterday. Now I give you a chance to redeem your transgressions. I strongly urge you to take advantage of it.”

“I will, my Lady,” replied Pelaxilla greatly relieved.

“It pleases me to hear that. Now as to my reasons for having summoned you. We know your sentiments for our kinsman, Lord Ahuitzotl, but tell me, dear, how does he feel about you?”

“Oh, he is quite seriously in love with me—I have no doubt.”

“Are you that certain about it?”

“Yes, my Lady. He’s told me this, and I can see it in his eyes. The signs are unmistakable.”

“How sweet. I presume he would do whatever you asked then.”

“I believe so,” Pelaxilla replied, becoming suspicious of Tlalalca’s intentions.

“Now listen to me, Pelaxilla,” said Tlalalca, “Whether you have knowledge of the things I tell you is of no consequence to me, but you must accept I have ample basis for saying it, else I should not trouble myself with this affair at all. I must add what I say is of a private nature and is not to be discussed with anyone. Is this understood?”

“Yes, my Lady,” answered Pelaxilla, sensing a strain in her intuition over what would come next.

“We have sufficient cause to believe that the long-standing animosity between Lord Ahuitzotl and my Lord Tizoc has reached a point where we must give it serious consideration. Truthfully, we should have anticipated this. We all remember his bitterness when the interclan council named Lord Tizoc as ruler. That this hostility should attain a new and dangerous direction seems natural enough considering the circumstances.”

Tlalalca gave herself a short respite in order to assess Pelaxilla’s reaction to her allegations; she deemed her expression of disbelief to be sincere. “Does this surprise you, dear?” she asked.

“Yes, my Lady. I would never have guessed it.”

“Ahuitzotl does not speak to you about Lord Tizoc?”

“He does,” admitted Pelaxilla, “but nothing that’s bad. I have never heard him speak words I would consider disrespectful, and I could not conclude this from his behavior.”

“It needn’t be obvious, dear. There are contrived actions which, while not in themselves a direct confrontation, speak of a derogatory intention—a surliness of manner for example. It does not have to be an open declaration, but in its subtleness still is damaging. Bearing this in mind, do you still believe Ahuitzotl to be innocent of any malicious intent?”

“I do, my Lady.”

“That is puzzling,” said Tlalalca, not satisfied with what she was hearing, “It contradicts evidence we have received from other sources. Indeed some actually assert that he—the gods forgive my saying it!—schemes to overthrow Lord Tizoc and rule in his place.”

“It cannot be true!” exclaimed Pelaxilla, shocked. “These are flagrant lies! Ahuitzotl honors Lord Tizoc. He could never be involved in anything so treacherous.”

“Has he ever discussed his ambitions with you?”

“No, my Lady.”

“I thought not. What about things political in nature?”

“No, there’s been no occasion to.”

“It’s quite apparent, my dear, that you are as much in the dark about this as I am—even more so since you do not receive the reports that come to me—which brings us to the reason I require your assistance. You will find out for me if there is any factual basis to these allegations. I want to know what he conspires, if anything, against Lord Tizoc.”

“You want that I should be an informant on the man I love?” Pelaxilla replied indignantly, announcing her obvious aversion.

“You needn’t make it sound so despicable. You are not the first person to be placed in such a predicament, I’m sure. And really, dear, would you not do as your empress asked?”

“But it’s unfair to me. Why not get one of the other ladies to do this?” squirmed Pelaxilla in her attempt to extricate herself from her quandary.

“Don’t be so naive, child!” snapped Tlalalca, “Who else should I get? It’s precisely because he loves you that only you will do. He trusts you and will confide in you what he would never impart on anyone else. So let us cease this foolishness and do what is required.”

“But if he hasn’t mentioned such things before, why should he start now?”

“You’ll have to be very convincing, won’t you? Surely you need no lessons in directing your conversations toward the objectives we seek. I’m certain you will manage it nicely.”

“It’s so devious,” Pelaxilla moaned.

“You do try my patience!” Tlalalca retorted so angrily she startled Pelaxilla. “I do not see myself offering you an alternative. If you will not cooperate, I shall this very day address your further presence here with Lord Tizoc. I can guarantee he will not be kind towards you.”

“No! Please don’t!” Pelaxilla pleaded as the fear of expulsion hounded her again.

“Then you agree to help us?”

“It seems I must, my Lady,” Pelaxilla frowned in resignation, “I am coerced into this.”

“The audacity!” fumed Tlalalca. “Did you hear that, Xoyo? You are an impertinent young lady! If it displeases you so much to do something for your empress, then let us forget all that’s been said. I’ll be able to get the information I need—perhaps not as quickly, although I shall still get it—but I will not have a minor palace courtesan insult me!”

Pelaxilla shook with fright, never before having seen the empress so offended or been so angrily rebuked by her. Tlalalca, perceiving her duress, decided to aggravate her tribulations. “We have nothing more to discuss,” she declared, “so leave me now! Begone! I do not wish to see you again and will arrange that I do not!”

Completely shattered now, Pelaxilla sank to her knees sobbing and entreated for Tlalalca’s pardon. “Forgive me, my Lady,” she wept. “I beg you relent your severity. It’s out of fear I was reluctant to do as you asked—not because I want to displease you.”

Tlalalca was both astonished and gratified by her effectiveness. “Out of fear? From what?”

“I’m afraid I will lose his love for me if he ever found out what I was doing,” lamented Pelaxilla, still trembling. “What will happen if what I discover offends Lord Tizoc? How could I live with myself if I brought harm to him?”

Her sentiment touched Tlalalca who had failed to grasp the extent of Pelaxilla’s devotion, and she pondered if perhaps she had been too adamant in her demands. “This is not meant to bring punishment on anyone,” she said, “but to learn what I should caution Lord Tizoc against. Why, you may not discover anything at all. The reports could well be false. Lord Ahuitzotl could be entirely guiltless of any conduct prejudicial to our Revered Speaker. Regardless, I give you my personal assurance that no harm will come him.”

Pelaxilla was not comforted by this. Her impulse was to press for more guarantees on Ahuitzotl’s safety, but her previous fearful encounter, combined with her years of training in the courtesies, made her aware of its imprudence. She felt herself persecuted to the extreme and now longed only to be away from Tlalalca’s dominating presence.

“I hope you can sympathize with my doing this,” Tlalalca continued. “Had these reports not come to me, there would be no need for this intrigue. But we would be remiss if we did not determine their accuracy. We owe that much to the Revered Speaker, don’t you think?”

“Yes, my Lady.”

“Then I shall depend on you. Be skillful, my dear. Try not to extract everything out of him in one meeting and give yourself time so it will all seem natural enough. Convince him you wish to share in his aspirations. That should do it.”

“I will do my best, my Lady.”

“Very well, I shall call on you again. You may go now, dear.”

Pelaxilla, still teary-eyed, stood back up and rendered a small but respectful bow and then hurriedly left the chamber while Tlalalca, although sensing a degree of compassion for Pelaxilla’s dilemma, nevertheless beamed over her success. Her smile vanished in an instant when she noted the hard, penetrating gaze of Xoyo.

“Why do you look at me like that?” she demanded to know.

“I fear for my lady if she did not tell the truth,” answered the old woman.

“You stood quiet. Your conscience should be clear.”

“You said much to Pelaxilla that I know was false. She trusts you and yet you will deceive her. I shall remain silent out of my loyalty to you, my Lady, but do not tell me that my conscience should be clear.”

“There is more at stake here than the sensitivities of a mere child, Xoyo—I’ll thank you not to lose sight of that. It’s Tizoc’s safety I am speaking of. That in itself should mitigate any trespasses you adjudge me of.”

“It is not I who judges you, my Lady. The goddess Tlazolteotl heard what you said and knows what you will do. All my life I have been taught to be truthful lest I offend her—that she could afflict us with unspeakable suffering if we made false statements or contrived false purposes. I never imagined we could predispose her into agreeing that our misdeeds can be justified.”

Tlalalca grew worried. What Xoyo had stated was consistent with her own convictions and she could not recall any previous circumstance in which she had deliberately misrepresented her intentions. Yet now, with Pelaxilla, she set upon such a course, and she had no confidence her path was not fraught with hazards. Still, she strongly felt her cause was just and that she could not be faulted for pursuing it. However, there remained an element of concern. Who could say for certain what thoughts possessed the gods?

“We must see,” Tlalalca somberly concluded. “I cannot undo what I have already begun. My intentions are beneficent, and Tlazelteotl, in her wisdom, will know this. She will not hold this against me.”

Xoyo did not answer. She sensed Tlalalca’s disquietude and correctly deduced the empress preferred to dwell on her possible transgressions in silence rather than having attention drawn to these and thereby affirming them as such. Xoyo knew her lady well.