Cowboy Showdown

“Hush, slave!” said the high priest, Acalan, his face hidden by a jade mask. “The ceremony is about to begin.” He raised his knife in the air.

“Shame I’ll be missing it,” said Zuma. “Tell Tlaloc I’d like to take a rain check.” As the priest lowered the knife, she pulled up her knees and kicked him hard in the stomach with both feet.

“Oof!” The priest doubled over, clutching his belly. The blade clattered to the floor.

Zuma rolled off the altar, dodging the other priests, who fell over each other in their attempts to catch her. One priest jumped into her path, but the little Chihuahua dog sank his teeth into the man’s ankle. As the priest howled in pain, Zuma whistled to the dog.

“Nice work, doggie!” she said. “I’m getting out of here and you’re coming with me!” She scooped him up and dashed down the steps of the pyramid.

“Grab her!” groaned the high priest from above.

Many hands reached out to catch the slave girl, but Zuma was fast and determined. She bolted towards the jungle bordering the pyramid. Charging into the cool green leaves, she ran until she could no longer hear the shouts of the crowd.

“We did it,” she said to the dog. “We’re free!”

As she spoke, the sky erupted in a loud rumble of thunder, making the dog yelp. “Thunder’s nothing to be scared of,” said Zuma.

“Don’t be so sure about that!” came a deep voice above her.

Zuma looked up to see a creature with blue skin and long, sharp fangs, like a jaguar. He carried a wooden drum and wore a feathered headdress, just like Zuma’s.

She knew at once who it was. “Tlaloc!” she gasped.

The rain god’s bulging eyes glared down at her. “You have dishonoured me!” he bellowed. “No sacrifice has ever escaped before!”

“Really? I’m the first?” Zuma beamed with pride, but the feeling didn’t last long. Tlaloc’s scowl was too scary.

“I’m sorry!” she said quietly. “I just wanted to be free.”

“You will never be free!” Tlaloc hissed. “Unless you can escape again …”

Tlaloc banged his drum, and thunder rolled through the jungle.

He pounded the drum a second time, and thick black clouds gathered high above the treetops.

“This isn’t looking good,” Zuma whispered. Holding the dog tight, she closed her eyes.

On the third deafening drum roll, the jungle floor began to shake and a powerful force tugged at Zuma. She felt her whole body being swallowed up inside … the drum!

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Tom Sullivan hurried ahead of his dad. He was never able to just walk through the museum where his dad worked. Tom was a history fanatic and he loved being at the museum – there was always so much to see!

“C’mon, Dad,” he urged. “I want to look at the ‘Treasures of the Aztec World’ exhibition before it opens next week.”

“It’s not quite finished yet,” Dad warned. “There are still lots of artefacts in shipping crates.”

“I don’t mind,” said Tom. “I can help you unpack.”

Tom loved helping his dad at the museum, especially when it was closed to the public. Then he could make as much noise as he wanted, and study the displays without the crowds.

As they reached the Egyptian hall, Tom felt a rush of excitement. Not long ago, in this very place, he’d accidentally broken an ancient statue and freed the princess Isis from a curse. Together, they had travelled through time to find the six lost amulets Isis needed to enter the Afterlife. They’d met pirates and Vikings and Roman gladiators. But even though they’d faced fearsome opponents, Tom and Isis had managed to collect all six jewels.

It had been the most amazing experience of Tom’s life.

Weeks had passed since he and Isis had had their last adventure, and life was much quieter now. Actually, Tom was surprised to find it was a little too quiet.

Finally, they reached the Aztec room. As soon as they entered the hall, Tom gasped. He felt as though he’d just stepped back in time to Ancient Mexico. There were still several unpacked crates and boxes, but the things that had been unloaded were amazing.

“The Aztecs created a truly great empire,” his father explained. “It reached its peak around 1500 AD. But in my opinion, their most brilliant contribution was discovering something we could not live without.”

“What’s that?” asked Tom.

“Chocolate!”

“Chocolate?” Tom laughed. “Well, I guess we really owe them then!” He pointed to a model of a twin pyramid with a squared-off top. “What’s this?”

“That’s the Great Temple in Tenochtitlan,” said Dad. “It was dedicated to the gods Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli.”

“Hoo-zee whatsy?”

Before Dad could reply, a woman appeared in the doorway. “Dr Sullivan, there’s a call for you,” she said.

“I’ll be right back,” said Dad, heading to his office. “Take a look round, but be careful and don’t touch anything.”

Tom studied the displays. He saw clay statues with wide mouths and big ears, sword-like weapons and documents written in a strange language. There was even a carved wooden box that looked like a treasure chest.

In a corner he found a wooden cylinder carved with strange symbols. The label explained it was a drum that belonged to the rain god, Tlaloc, who would bang it to create thunder! Beside it lay two mallets.

This I’ve got to hear! thought Tom. He reached for one of the mallets, then quickly drew back his hand. Tom knew the rules, but his fingers were itching. It was as if the drum were begging him to play it. He knew he shouldn’t, but he was just too curious.

Tom glanced round to be sure there was nobody else in the room. Then he picked up a mallet and gently swung it down.

To his shock, an enormous roll of thunder exploded from the drum. Aztec objects shook on their shelves as the sound echoed through the room.

Suddenly, Tom wasn’t alone any more.

Standing in front of him was a girl about his age. At least he thought she was a girl. But he’d never seen a blue girl wearing a feathered headdress before.

“You freed me from that drum!” the girl exclaimed, throwing her arms round Tom. “Thank you!”

Tom stepped back and nearly tripped over something scampering beneath his feet. A little dog was wildly wagging its tail and nipping at Tom’s trainers.

“Don’t mind him,” said the girl. “He’s just showing you how grateful he is. He was trapped in the drum too.”

“I didn’t mean to do anything,” said Tom, reaching down to pat the tiny dog.

The girl frowned as she looked round the Aztec hall. “Some of these things look familiar,” she said, pointing to a shelf full of pottery. “But you don’t.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you my new master?”