Chapter 12: Coronation Celebration

''Guys, we need to get out of here.''

Shade was right. Who knew what the Vampyrum were planning to do with us during Goth's coronation ceremony? Judging from our experience with these bats, it probably was not good. At least not for us.

''H-how come they have not eaten us already?" asked Chinook, fidgeting with his thumb claws. ''I thought you said they were cannibals?''

''They are,'' I replied. ''But it seems they want us alive for something.''

''Any idea what that might be?''

''No.''

''Who cares what they want from us,'' Shade said. He examined the large stone that the Vampyrum guards used to contain us. He wondered if there were any gaps we could slip through. But so far, we were not having any luck. The same went for the rest of the chamber, which was a small rectangular room. Kind of like my room at home with my parents. There was no furniture or windows. Everything was covered in moss and ferns that grew on the floor, walls, and even the ceiling.

I estimated that we had been in here for about three to four hours. During that time, Shade, Chinook, and I had tried to find a way out. With moderate success. There was simply no way to tunnel out through all the green stuff. Besides, Shade and Chinook were visibly bothered by their wounds. The tears on their bellies were no longer bleeding but were red and swollen. They needed to be treated as soon as possible. But first, we had to escape.

Although the three of us were dead tired from all the exertion, we could hardly sleep. If anything, at least I was only dozing off for a few minutes.

With a frustrated snort, Shade turned away from the blocked entrance and fluttered back to us, against the opposite wall. He winced as he roosted upside down and crossed his wings.

''It's hopeless,'', he said. ''I have checked this ''door'' over and over again. But there are no cracks or holes big enough for us to fit through. Not even for me.''

''Even if there was a way out. There are Vampyrum guards outside.''

Shade sighed.

''Maybe we should have flown with Orestes?" said Chinook, but I shook my head.

''That would not have changed our situation.''

''Yes, of course, it would have. Because then we'd be out looking for survivors, for my parents, my uncle, and we would not be stuck here in a place full of cannibals.''

''Let's not argue,'' Shade said. ''We should be glad they did not get Orestes too. Maybe he can find some help and get us out of here?''

''You do realize that Orestes has no idea where we are, right?! And by the time he gets that information, we are most likely about to be digested in the stomach of a cannibal bat.''

Chinook swallowed, not liking that thought at all.

''I am just trying to be positive here,'' Shade protested. I was about to say something when a noise at the entrance caught my attention. All three of us turned our gazes to the large stone. At first, it slightly wobbled, then it was pushed aside by two strong Vampyrum Spectrum guards. When the entrance was wide enough, three more Vampyrum came inside. One of them walked straight up to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me with him. ''Hey, what gives?'' I protested, but I got no explanation. My friends tried to help me, but the other two cannibal bats held them back.

Despite my resistance, I got dragged outside the pyramid over to a small lake. There we were awaited by two female Vampyrum. One of them looked at me disapprovingly from top to bottom, with her bright silver-blue eyes, and shook her head. ''No, no, eso no es suficiente,'' she said.

I wondered what she was talking about, but instead of explaining anything, she started pulling at my grass skirt. Protesting, I tried to jump out of the way, but her colleague came to her aid. Together they stripped me out of my self-made clothes until I stood there, naked like a newborn. Never in my life had I been more embarrassed like at that moment. Then they pushed me into the water and mercilessly scrubbed my body from top to bottom with sponge-like objects. It hurt as they cleaned my wounded shoulders, but there was no use to protest. I knew I needed a bath since the last time I cleaned myself was back at the military research center. But was it really necessary to scrub the skin of my body? Why were they even doing this? Eventually, they finished their torture and threw a leaf at me to dry myself up.

My whole body hurt, and I was still confused about why they were doing this to me. Then there came another Vampryum, carrying a bundle of colorful cloths and two bowls in his arms. One filled with red liquid, the other filled with blue.

Wondering what they wanted to do with that stuff, I watched the females rummaging through the fabrics. After a few seconds, they seemed to have found what they were looking for and threw a gold-colored piece into my arms with a dark reddish-brown border and black spiral ornaments.

''Put this one,'' ordered the blue-eyed one.

I did as I was told, but the fabric was not big enough to cover my entire body. I could only wrap it around my hips like a skirt.

''Eh, do you have something for my upper body as well?" I asked cautiously. ''This one seems a bit short.''

''It's enough,'' the other one replied, tossing me a red scarf to wrap around my hips to keep the skirt in place.

''What do you mean it's enough?'' I asked. ''I am still half-naked.'' Both females looked at me uncomprehendingly. ''Your private parts are covered. So what are you whining about?''

I would have liked to tell them that my breasts were part of my private parts, but they seemed uninterested in listening to me. Instead, they now took the two bowls and smeared the contents on my face, neck, and decolletage. I forced myself to stay still and waited impatiently for them to finish whatever they were doing. Minutes later, they put the bowls back down, and I looked down at myself to see that my chest was covered in blue paint, edged with red dots. And on both my arms ran a thick red stripe down my shoulders to the backs of my hands. But that wasn't all.

Looking at my reflection in the water. I could see that they had painted my face with red and blue stripes as well.

''What's all this about?'' I asked.

''Order of the king. You and the two Northerners are to be properly prepared for the coronation ceremony.''

''Huh?'' That didn't explain anything. What was that supposed to mean? ''Prepared for the coronation ceremony.'' Weren't we prisoners? Why on earth would Goth want Shade, Chinook, and me to participate at his coronation? Otherwise, he hadn't had us thrown into the dungeon before either. Besides, didn't that Voxaco guy say that my friends and I would be crucial for the festivities? Honestly, I still didn't feel good thinking about it, but what was the point of the body painting?

Well, I would figure it out soon enough, I thought to myself and reached for the fabrics on the floor. Under no circumstances would I walk around here bare-chested. Unfortunately, one of the females took them away before I could even grab a single one. Then I was once again grabbed and carried back inside the pyramid. I tried my best to cover my breasts with my arms, not wanting anyone to see me half-naked. However, the bats did not seem to care much about my body, and for that, I was grateful. After all, they were animals, not humans. But still, I couldn't help to feel awkward.

They brought me back to the royal chamber at the top of the pyramid, where I reunited with Shade and Chinook. Both had their fur cleaned and the same red and blue markings on their bodies as me. Only their chest areas were free of paint, unlike mine. Maybe the paint didn't stick to the fur of their manes or something.

''Vanessa, you are alright.'' Happy to see me, they rushed to my side. I smiled, feeling glad to see them too, then looked around to see the chamber decorated with flowers and paint. Mostly red and blue like the colors they put on me and my friends. They had used it to paint various symbols on the walls and floor I had never seen before, as well as to emphasize others that had already been there. But even these Hieroglyphs were mysterious to me. Except for a few, which I found several times in the room. A double-headed jaguar, a feathered snake, and a pair of eyes with no pupils. I gulped. Although these eyes were without sight and only carved into the stone, I nonetheless felt being watched. On impulse, I wrapped my arms tighter around my naked chest.

''Do you have any idea what this is all about?'' Chinook asked, referring to both the decorations and our makeup.''

''Beats me'', I admitted with a shrug and glanced more around. As expected, we weren't alone. Several Vampyrum Spectrum were flying around or kept watch at every possible exit. Getting out of here unnoticed would certainly not be easy.

''Say, why are you holding your arms against your chest the whole time?'' Chinooks suddenly asked me. ''Are you cold?''

''Huh? What? No. I...'' I was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps, and Phoenix came over to us.

''Now, how are our three guests of honor? Are you excited for the ceremony to begin?'' Her black teeth briefly flashed as she twisted them into a grin. There was something about her that made me feel more uncomfortable than being with Goth. Her brother was no different. Though, I couldn't see him anywhere.

''Anyway, I wish you a good time. Although, I'm afraid you won't see much of the festivities.'' And with that, she walked off again, snickering over a joke, only she understood.

''What did she mean by that?" Chinook asked quietly. His eyes widened in concern.

''I don't know,'' I whispered back, not wishing to find out.

''We have to get out of here. And we have to do it fast. Whatever they planned for us is certainly not good.''

Shade was right. But how the hell were we supposed to get past all those guards? But it seemed he had an idea. ''Maybe I can distract them with one of my echo projections?'' he said.

Chinook was not convinced ''And you think that will work?''

''It's worth a try.''

''But the question is how you're going to do it without being noticed. Look!'' I nodded over to a huge, circular stone in the middle of the room. There were Voxzaco and some members of the royal family. The old bat was engaged in conversation with Alkaios while Goth stood by, occasionally glancing over at us. He knew about Shade's abilities. It would not be easy to trick him as well, as we did once before. Nevertheless, I would have felt much better if there was something I could use to cover my chest. Unfortunately, there was nothing. At least not in my reach and did not dare to move away from where I stood. Neither did Shade or Chinook. Hence, we had no choice but to wait and see what would happen next.

Time passed, until the moon was shining high in the sky, its rays pouring through the open ceiling into the chamber. Gradually, the busyness around us diminished, and the Vampyrum became quiet and spread around the sacred stone in a respectful distance, where Voxzaco now stood on his own. His face was decorated with color as well, but different from my friends and mine. He briefly cleared his throat and then tapped the stone with his stick a few times so that everyone would be quiet.

''Everyone,'' he began with a fragile yet loud voice, ''in the last few months, we have had to endure a lot of suffering. The humans are penetrating deeper into the jungle through their rage for destruction. They destroy our home and chase away our prey. And on top of that, they also took our beloved king away from us.'' Consenting murmurs rose among those present. ''But now let us no longer despair. For the great Cama Zotz has heard our prayers. He has brought back to us our princes who we believed to be lost forever.'' He looked over to where Goth and Throbb roosted with their family members, and the bats' voices rose momentarily as the room swelled with their cheers and shouts of welcome. Throbb seemed a little abashed by all the commotion, but Goth was undoubtedly enjoying all the attention. Then Voxzaco knocked his stick on the stone once again, and everyone calmed down.

''We want to thank Zotz for what he has done for us, but that's not all,'' he said. ''King Deimos may no longer be with us, but now that his son has returned, he shall take his place as our rightful ruler.'' Voxzaco looked back to the royal family and signaled Goth to come down to him. With majestic grace, he swooped down from his resting place onto the sacred stone.

''Prince Goth, do you solemnly swear to rule your people and your kingdom according to the ancient laws and customs?''

''I do,'' Goth replied.

''And will you do all that is in your power to bring about justice and righteousness, and to stand by your people in all time, be it good or bad?''

''That I will do, so help me Zotz!''

With interest, my friends and I watched the ceremony as Phoenix stepped up, holding a small bowl in her hands.

Close by, I overheard a couple whispering about her performance. Apparently, it was uncommon that strangers were directly involved in such an event. However, I couldn't understand exactly what they were saying, because they were speaking to each other in Spanish and quickly got silenced by a grim-looking Vampyrum.

Meanwhile, Phoenix shortly curtsied before Goth and then handed the bowl to Voxzaco. He dipped his fingers into it and then smeared Goth's face with black paint. But that was not all. Now another bat approached with a second bowl. I followed the ceremony intently that I didn't even notice how his gaze turned in my direction, making me feel quite uncomfortable all of a sudden.

''Guys, what's happening now?'' Chinook moved closer to Shade and me, but unfortunately, none of us had an answer to his question.

Then we were grabbed by the arms and carried up to the holy stone. There we were set down but still held tightly. But at least in a way that enabled me to cover my breasts with my hands.

Voxzaco's lips twisted into a mischievous grin. Then he gestured to the one holding me to step closer. Although I knew it was useless, I tried to resist. But no use. Behind me, I heard Chinook calling my name, while Shade remained silent. Next, I was standing right in front of Phoenix, Voxzaco, and Goth. My cheeks burned with shame as the latter peered at me from top to bottom. I wished I was given a shirt or something.

Again Voxzaco raised his voice to the gathered crowd.''Now it is time to give thanks to our God for the return of the princes. And that he will bless the reign of our new king.''

On cue, the grip around my arms tightened while the priest kept talking.

''May the great Cama Zotz accept these three sacrifices for this purpose.''

Hold it! Sacrifices?

With horror, I looked Goth in the face, who was grinning at me with cold satisfaction.

''This can't be happening,'' I thought. But slowly I realized why Shade, Chinook, and I were so important for the ceremony and why we were styled like this. We were supposed to die. But not in a simple way. No. We had the honor of being ritually murdered.

''Your Highness, whose heart do you wish to be presented to our lord as a gift for a blessed reign?''

Goth's gaze wandered back and forth between me and Shade until it finally lingered on me. ''Hers,'' he said, and the devilish grin on his face grew wider. I shook my head and once again tried to free myself from the other cannibal's grip. Another one joined in, and both tore my arms apart, holding them tightly. Despite my fear, I felt ashamed that now everyone had a clear view on my bare chest.

Caught in the cannibals' iron grasp, I watched how the old high priest stepped toward me, his sharp claws drawn. My heart was beating violently in my chest as if it was trying to escape its fate. Tears burned in my eyes, and my throat tightened in fear. Eventually, Voxzaco raised his claws, ready to strike them into my flesh.

''Wait!''

With a mixture of annoyance and confusion, the old bat turned to Goth. ''What is it, your highness?" he asked.

''I want to make this sacrifice myself.''

Voxzaco was shocked, his face contorted while Phoenix blinking at him curiously, and surprised murmurs spread among the crowd.

''What are you talking about? Only the high priest is allowed to do the rituals. Do you want to anger Cama Zotz with your foolishness?''

''Not at all,'' Goth growled. ''But I have spoken with our God. He has chosen me to be his servant, made me king, and healed my wings. Therefore, I will perform the sacrifice.''

The old priest seemed anything but enthusiastic with this. Nevertheless, he nodded and reluctantly stepped aside. I didn't need to look into Goth's eyes to know the true reason behind his decision. Revenge!

Without another word, Goth walked up to me. A vicious spark, gleaming in his eyes. Everyone fell silent as he raised his claws to put an end to my life. At that moment, a thunderous growl echoed through the air. Confused, Goth stopped in his tracks and looked up. So did I and the others. To our great surprise, a huge jaguar was crouching at the edge of the roof. ''Where did that come from?'' I wondered, but before anyone could do anything, the cat jumped into the chamber, teeth bared. Panic broke out. Parents called for their children. Others looked for their mates. They all screamed and fluttered around blindly while the feline predator made its way through the crowd, leaping over the walls, terrifying everyone.

''¡Cálmate!" Goth commanded. ''There's no need to panic. Go back to your roosts.'' But no one listened. Even the two cannibals who were supposed to be holding me run off.

Unsure what to do, I remained where I was. A stupid idea. I knew that, but I had no idea where to go. Suddenly someone grabbed me by the wrist, causing me to spin around, thinking it was a Vampyrum, but it was only Chinook. His and Shade's guards had also disappeared in the commotion.

''Come on, we have to go,'' he urged me.

''But what about...?''

''Don't worry, Shade has everything under control. Now come.'' Without giving me time to reply, Chinook got airborne, grabbed my hands, and fled with me out through the opening in the roof. Shade already waiting for us there.

''Quick now,'' he said. ''We have to get out of here before they realize what's going on.''

At first, I didn't understand what he meant. But then I got it. The jaguar! It wasn't real. It was just one of Shade's famous echo tricks, which literally saved our butts. What luck. Although, we weren't safe yet. Best we put several miles between us and the Mayan pyramid. And that before Goth realized that we were gone.

Shortly after the friends had fled, the image of the so-called jaguar disappeared into thin air. Gradually, the Vampyrum Spectrum bats regained their composure, only to wonder what just happened.

Goth returned to the sacred stone and inspected the devastation caused by the chaos. The painted symbols on the walls were smudged, and torn and tattered parts of the plant decorations lay all over the place. Fortunately, no one seemed seriously injured, but Goth was seething with anger at this interruption.

''There you have it, your highness,'' Voxzaco spat contemptuously. ''That jaguar was a sign from Zotz. It was not in your right to perform the sacrifice.''

Goth turned to him with glittering eyes. ''That jaguar was not a sign from Zotz,'' he growled. ''That was just an illusion. A sneaky trick from that runt Shade.''

Voxzaco wasn't convinced. But Goth knew the truth. Speaking of Shade... Where were he and his two friends, anyway? Just then, one of the guards who had been holding Vanessa earlier stepped up to him. ''Su majestad,'' he said and bowed deeply. ''I am sorry, but the prisoners have escaped.''

''How could this happen,'' Voxzaco demanded to know.

''Well,'' the guard hesitated. ''There was this jaguar and...''

''And you let them go?''

''B-but no. I-I mean...not on purpose...'' Goth looked at him in a way that didn't please the guard at all. Preferably, he would have flown off immediately, but he didn't dare to leave without an official instruction.

''So you allowed yourselves to be fooled by such a pathetic trick.''

''Well,...''

Goth huffed and turned away from him to raise his voice to everyone in the room. ''Listen up! I demand that those who have escaped being searched and brought back immediately. No matter their condition, just make sure they're alive.'' Several Vampyrum obeyed his command and headed out right away.

''Your Highness,'' Voxzaco said. ''These northerners can wait. We must finish your coronation ceremony. Otherwise, you are not our rightful king.''

''A sacrifice is the only thing missing, right?''

Voxzaco nodded, but before he could say anything else, Goth quickly drilled his claws into the guard's chest, who was still standing beside them. Before he knew what was happening, Goth had his beating heart in his hand and he collapsed to the ground, dead.

''Here!'' Goth handed Voxzaco the bleeding organ, ''Take this blood for the rest of the ceremony so that we can finally get it over with.''

Voxzaco blinked shortly in surprise but then let the heart's blood drip into an empty bowl. ''Let's hope that Zotz will accept this offering,'' he said and then told Goth to follow him. Together they left the royal chamber and flew deep down into the pyramid's catacombs. There, Voxzaco led him through a crevice into a hidden chamber that had long ago been filled in by a landslide. It was completely empty but mostly free of dirt and cobwebs since the high priest had made it his business to check down here regularly. For this was a special place. However, Goth did not know much about it. Only that here was the list of all kings and queens who reigned before and could trace their bloodline back to the very first king Ezekiel. It was located on the east side of the chamber. And several names had already been carved into the stone. Among them Goth's father Deimos and his grandfather Odysseus. All were written in a language that their ancestors had copied from the humans who had lived here before. Nowadays, only a few, apart from the high priests and the members of the royal family, still mastered it.

And now it was time for Goth to put his own name among them. He could hardly wait. Finally, he would be king and could use his power to seek revenge on the humans and the Northern Bats.

With awe, he approached the wall of the kings. At the very top, right below the ceiling, was the name of the very first Vampyrum Spectrum king, Ezekiel. It was said that he was merely a rogue until one-day Zotz himself spoke to him and made him the first king and high priest of his religion. Directly below were two names. Asher and Juan. Ezekiel's twin sons. Under Asher's name ran a long list up to Goth's own father. Under Juan's name, however, ran a much shorter list, with the last name seemingly chiseled out of the stone. Goth wondered what that was about but decided to ask Voxzaco about it later.

The latter now stepped next to him, the bowl with the blood still in his hands. After Goth had scribbled his name under his father's, he dipped his hand into the bowl and then pressed it against the wall next to his name. Briefly, he regretted that it was not Vanessa's blood that was now seeping into the rock. But that didn't matter. Soon her blood and that of Shade Silverwing would be on his hands as he would tear out their hearts. That, he swore by the name of Zotz.

Meanwhile, back in the royal chamber, the others had begun to clean up the mess. Satisfied, Goth watched his busy subjects and searched for his uncle, who was supervising the work. Just then, he heard someone call his name.

''King Goth. The guards are back, and they have a prisoner with them. A northern bat.''

''¡Excelente!'' Goth thought and hoped it would be Shade. And at first, it looked like it. But when he looked more closely at the bat who brought to him, he was disappointed to see that it wasn't Shade. Instead, it was an older Silverwing with a scarred face and a silver ring on his forearm. And yet, he looked so much like that runt.

''Who are you?'' Goth demanded to know but received no answer. Therefore, one of the guards roughly poked the Silverwing in the side. ''The king asked you a question,'' he snapped at him.'' The stranger winced in pain and needed a moment to get back to his feet. The guard was about to strike again to make him talk, but Goth stopped him by raising his hand. Eventually, the Silverwing lifted his head and looked directly at Goth with his soft green eyes.

''My name ... is Cassiel.''

AN:

Yay, a new chapter. ^^
Honestly, I found this one a bit hard to write because I was wondering how Goth's coronation should go. Sure I could have use the original version and say he is the king now just by the death of his father. But I didn't like it. I felt there was something missing if he was just called king like that.

Spanish translation:

- No, no, eso no es suficiente = No, no, that's not good enough

- Cálmate = Calm down

- Su majestad = your majesty