AN EPIC OF FAITH AND LOVE The ancient Mayan amulet opened a door that couldn't be closed at my whim. The visions were frightening - from the Mayan lady at Chichen Itza with her premonition, to the woman and child forced to jump to their deaths into the Sacred Well. I was 17 years old and had just been told about my parents' freak airplane accident in the Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas, Mexico. It devastated me beyond belief. The only bright star was hope that she was alive somewhere, and that I would find her. My other bright star was Dune - a guy who seemed to read me like a book and whose sparkling eyes took me to a special place. It was that place where every girl wanted to go. I lost my breath and grew warm all over at the sight of him. Butterflies and tingling usually followed every time he touched me. He was the only one that seemed to help me overcome the overwhelming grief. My journey to find her would force me to face evil head-on, and I would see the worst in people; but I would also find genuine kindness and love from friends and strangers. The powerful and beautiful spotted jaguar that followed me around would guide me on that journey of self-awareness, love, and knowledge that could save mother earth before it was too late, but to get there I would have to travel back in time and face unspeakable horrors. There was a heavy mist making the visibility difficult as the Lacandon Jungle canopy came up over the horizon. It was damp, green, full of life, sounds and smells. Just over the next mountain were the most precious of Mayan cities and the ruins that had withstood time.

TEMPLES OF THE MIST

Mayan 6th SunBy Julia Maganini

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Julia Maganini
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-2666-0

Contents

1. Profound Loss.................................................12. Amulet........................................................173. Funeral.......................................................354. Temples Of The Mist...........................................415. El Panchal....................................................576. Shaman Jaguar.................................................637. Portal And Reunion............................................738. Basket Weaver.................................................839. Orphanage.....................................................9110. The Scribe....................................................9511. War...........................................................9912. The Skull.....................................................10713. Farewell At Usumacinta River..................................1714. Aluxo And The Escape..........................................13115. Canoe.........................................................13916. Battle........................................................14717. Victory And Ixtab's Revenge...................................15518. Jealousy......................................................16719. Seized........................................................17320. Sacrificial Ceremony..........................................17921. Itzamn & Ixchel - Message Of The 62th Sun.....................189

Chapter One

Profound Loss

The Lacandon jungle canopy came up over the horizon, damp, green, full of life, sounds, and smells. Just over the next mountain were the most precious of Mayan cities and the ruins that had withstood time. There was a heavy mist, making the visibility difficult.

Eria Molinari remembered last time she had visited here many years ago. She had stood in the middle of the plaza and gazed up at the sky wondering what had taken place in this magical place thousands of years ago. The jungle hugging the ancient city from all sides was lush and green - it smelled of musk and dirt. The temples were made of stone and mortar worked by ancient hands when man worked with his hands and there was no heavy machinery. The stones were intricately fit into the building walls of the temples that had lasted for centuries.

She was giddy with anticipation as the little single engine plane sputtered and gurgled like a baby, whirring down toward a clearing in the jungle.

Eria was smiling, beautiful, with long chestnut hair that was tied back in a bandanna. She was wearing sunglasses and a Panama hat to keep the sun from her face. Dressed in Bahama shorts and a light Hawaiian shirt, she was keeping cool from the hot and humid temperature.

"Oh my, it's beautiful!" she marveled leaning forward so that Ruddy could hear her, "more beautiful than I can remember."

"Easy, easy there," he yelled at the pilot, trying to be heard over the roar of the engine. The Mexican pilot was fighting with the steering and straining to see in front of him beyond the mist when unexpectedly things started to spin out of control. The plane's engine took one last sputter and there was silence except for the sounds coming from the canopy of the deep jungle below.

"Ruddy, I love you," she said reaching for the man she had lived with for 20 years - the man who had fathered her children. "Thank you for all these years," she said with a knowing and warm look in her eyes. She clasped his hand in hers.

"Caleana and Marsh, I love you," she said weeping. "I will never forget you my beautiful children."

As the plane took a nose dive, the amulet she had purchased in the town of Villahermosa came sliding off her neck and into her hand.

* * *

I woke up with a start and looked at my clock. It was 8:30 a.m. I was breaking out in a cold sweat, and felt nervous and anxious. I had been jolted awake by a nightmare. Although the dream had faded and I couldn't quite remember the details, I could still feel the remnants of the terror I had felt.

As I looked out the window from my bed and stretched, I noticed the day was overcast. I put on my slippers and headed to the bathroom, when somebody gently knocked on my door. By the look in Aunt Bette's eyes I knew.

"Caleana, your parents, there's been an accident ...," Aunt Bette said with red swollen eyes that gave her away instantly.

She slowly tried to explain the details. After a while, I saw her mouth move, but couldn't hear the words. The room was spinning with the news she had just given me. I was reeling from deep shock and sadness. I felt myself starting to hyperventilate and having a panic attack. I was 17 years old and had just been told about my parents' freak airplane accident in the Lacandon Jungle in Chiapas, Mexico. What's worse, my father's body had been found in the wreckage, but not my mother's.

My reaction was shock, loss, extreme pain; and it was all slow to process - hitting me in waves. I thought I would go mad. I still remember that day as vividly as the realization that my mother's body had not been found, and thinking she could still be alive.

I collapsed from the shock and pain. I remembered lying in my bed and crying into my pillow. I thought about the last few weeks that had led up to this day.

"Caleana," mom had said two weeks ago, "we're planning a special summer vacation."

Two weeks ago, I didn't know the tragedy that would befall my family. I had a one-track mind that last week of school, as me and my friends left school that day. We laughed and talked about what we wanted to do for the summer. We were giddy with anticipation, and oblivious to everything else.

"Finally, free at last!" I said gleefully. "Vacation for the next three months." Nothing could make me happier. I was finally going to be able to sleep in and take a break from my ordinary life in suburbia California. No more books, pain in the butt teachers, alarm clocks - I was liberated!

I lived in Summerland, a little hillside beach town just south of Santa Barbara and Montecito, that over -looked Highway 101 and the deep blue Pacific Ocean. The view was unreal from our house perched on a hillside. On a clear day, you could see the Channel Islands in the clear blue distance. My friends had designated it their favorite hangout, even if my parents were around because they thought my parents were "cool."

"I wish my mom was like yours," was something I heard often. I would just shrug it off with a laugh never fully absorbing and appreciating that statement. I think I was just too close to see it. I actually never wanted my parents around when my friends were over. Why? Don't ask. I really couldn't deny that my parents were super cool. I think it was because I felt they watched my every little move. There was something awesome about being at a friend's house where I had certain anonymity - someone else's parents wouldn't be looking at what I did so closely as my own.

When I got home that afternoon, mom had some travel brochures spread out on the kitchen table and she was on the internet making travel arrangements.

"I'm planning an awesome vacation," she said smiling. She was punching the keyboard furiously and surfing some travel sites like an expert. "I know your fascination right now with the Mexican rainforest and the Mayans. That's your dad's fascination too, so we've decided...