"The Immortal Sun has set. The great-uncle who shone over me for thirty-seven years, from childhood to manhood, has fallen!"
Sobs echoed through the great tent, grief spreading among everyone present. A moment later, Avet came back to himself. Sorrow surfaced on his face, and tears slipped from his eyes.
Hearing that the Immortal Sun had fallen was like watching God Mountain collapse before his eyes. His heart emptied in an instant, as though he had lost a Divine Tree that had towered up to hold the sky and that he could lean upon. He remembered the stern teachings of his great-uncle Tlacaelel, that voice and smile so like his grandfather Montezuma's, and the reverence he had felt since childhood. He could not stop grief from welling up inside him.
The king in his prime suddenly turned, putting his back to everyone. He wept in furious anguish, like a fierce tiger that had lost a beloved elder!
"Wuwu! Roar! Wuwu!..."
Mournful cries drifted out from the Northern Army's great tent, carrying the low growl of a Jaguar, yet also like the keening of the Eagle Regiment, agonized and majestic!
"Sigh..."
Gilim's eyes flickered, and he sighed silently. He looked toward the capital envoy prostrate on the ground and asked in a deep voice, "What final decree did The Elder leave before he fell?"
"Wuu! The Elder's final decree... Priest elder Uger is to be the new high priest; Tonatiuh, Yazar, and Acap, the three priest elders, are all to be Deputy High Priests. From now on, all major affairs of the High Priest Council are to be decided by lot-casting votes among the high priest, the Deputy High Priests, and the other elders."
"Hmm? Uger as high priest? Three new Deputy High Priests? The High Priest Council deciding by lot-casting