The beginning of May brought great winds blowing in from the coast, and showers falling from the sky. Fine rain drenched the city walls and mercilessly soaked the row of heads hanging high above the city gate. These heads were fresh, only just beginning to rot. Their open mouths seemed to be screaming soundlessly, while their teeth, not badly worn, foretold the uncommon status of the dead.
Under the escort of a squad of Mexica Warriors, the Snake Mother Chieftain Miawa, draped in a black robe, walked out from the deep, shadowed city gate. She raised her head and paused for a moment, looking at the death-unblinking heads she had cut off with her own hands. First the corners of her mouth lifted, then her smile gradually drew back.
"Ilwi, Qiyan... May your souls rest in the Main God's Divine Kingdom! Of course, if you do not wish to rest, and curse me instead... that is only natural... I do not mind..."
Miawa's expression was distant as she whispered a prayer in Totonac. Then she straightened her spine, tightened the royal priest robe around her—one size clearly too large—and, surrounded by Mexica Warriors, walked easily toward the great camp outside the city.
"True power always comes from people. The bonds between people, the trust between people, and where people's hearts turn. And as long as I can move people's hearts, it means I hold power!..."
Miawa knew all this clearly. She knew the essence of power. And so, she had merely asked the revered king for a squad of Mexica personal guards, proving her connection to the Mexica His Highness, and easily gathered the hearts of the remnants of Golden Bay to her side.
And once she held the advantage, when she struck, she did so without the slightest hesitation,