Chapter 12

My shot was a little high and hit him in the throat. He fell backwards and the knife he was holding fell down from the altar and stuck in a seam in the rocky platform. The high priest shuddered once and died gurgling as he choked on the blood that swiftly drowned him.

There was a loud moan from the crowd and the girl sat up on the altar. She screamed at the sight of the high priest dead beside her and her nude state and position. She tried to cover her body. Another priest grabbed the knife and died as Tayloo's arrow pierced his chest. The girl jumped down and ran toward where Mario was waiting though she couldn't know that. We were still as no one had figured out yet quite where the arrows had originated. I think that the shock of what had happened was also preventing anyone from looking around.

The world, of course, continued on its course around the sun with the sun shining down clearly evidencing that the lost sacrifice hadn't prevented time and life from going on.

According to what I had been told, the town had given the most girls for sacrifice over the many years. As the long minutes went on and everyone processed what had happened and the lack of any ramifications, there was a moaning sound from the men and women gathered and even from a few priests. Other priests began to look concerned. I think the seriousness of their situation was beginning to dawn upon them.

A man and the woman next to him began to walk toward a priest with anger in their eyes. The man drew his knife and plunged into the chest of a priest. The woman took the sacrificial knife and attacked another priest. She screamed, "Two of my daughters died for nothing!" The priest she attacked was dead as she continued to stab him over and over. Another man attacked a priest as he tried to get away back to a stone building that housed the priests. The killing went on until the priests were either dead or in their stone building.

I decided to take a calculated risk that would have angered my mates had they known what I would do.

I jumped from the tree and ran to the platform. I shouted, "People of Manuba! Your worship through the priests has been rejected. Manuba wants you to care for people and give him the fruits of your labors to share! No one should ever die on this altar again! No priests are needed! Help people in need! Treasure life! The sun will rise and now can bless you, too!"

I saw that Tayloo had left the tree and joined Mario. They were looking at me in shock and with some awe. I jumped down and ran to join them waving them to run away also. We ran for most of a mile with the girl. She fell and I carried her to a place where we could defend ourselves. We lay down except for Tayloo who sat on a branch of a tree about ten feet up allowing him to watch our back trail.

As we rested, Mario talked to the girl asking her name and village. She said, "I am Barba from the village of Papua. My parents were dead and my father's brother had raised me for the last year. He was very willing to rid himself of me and the villagers were eager for the seeds that the priests offered for me."

I said, "Barba, where is Papua?"

"It's far up the river. The priests don't come that far very often. There is a village that objects to them and shoots arrows at the canoes. The village needs the seeds and always gives them a girl. I had been saved as a virgin for the priests."