[dojango]

Tepeyollotl stared into the dancing bonfire. The smell of incense and burnt offerings and the swirling smoke made his eyes water. He dropped the empty shells of the fire gems to the ground. Once again the fires revealed nothing. Exhausted, the old man slumped wearily to the ground. A servant materialized by his side.

"Bring me pulque. And something to eat," said Tepeyollotl.

The servant bowed. "Master. Some... people have been asking to see you. I told them you were not to be disturbed during your rituals, but they insisted on waiting."

"Are they from the capital?"

"No. They claim to be from Arcoscephale."

"What? Send them in, now!" Tepeyollotl snapped.

The servant quickly fled. Moments later he ushered in two dishelved and ragged men. Other servants brought in bowls of pulque and chicken stew.

"Sit, eat," said Tepeyollotl. The men quickly fell on the food and drink. Tepeyollotl examined them. One of them had a bloody bandage covering his head and eye, while the other had discarded a crutch when he sat. Their clothes were torn and filthy, not even fit for rags. "Just the two of you?" asked Tepeyollotl.

"The others didn't make it," said one of the men.

Tepeyollotl tried to remember the man's name. Mixcoatl? Omacoatl? Not even the leader of the twelve-man delegation he had sent to Arcoscephale a year ago. "Did you get it?" he asked.

The man handed him a small packet. Tepeyollotl snatched it from him and opened it, staring inside. The loss of so many promising young priests, the money and resources he had spent, it had not been in vain.

"It was bad. They kept guarding it until the bitter end. The ponymans were inside the walls before we could make our move. Xochipilli and Amimitl were cut down distracting the guards and Mixcoatl was killed by one of those... oreid women while we ran for it."

"What happened to Xolollotl?" asked Tepeyollotl distractedly. His nephew had been in charge of the operation.

"Uh, I think he was killed during the riots? They started attacking anyone foreign as the ponymans closed in on the capital. And then they burned the warehouse we were hiding in because they thought he was hoarding food. Diogenes, that is. He was a philospher we made friends with. He was hiding us, but the mob killed him. And a few others they caught with us. Still, once we got out..." the man trailed off as he saw that Tepeyollotl wasn't paying attention.

"Hmm? You may go now. Rest, we'll get you back into the field tomorrow," said Tepeyollotl, dismissing them. The high priest held the sacred acorn in his cupped hands. He could feel the vitality, the life radiating from the powerful object. He had served his god well.