Five Time

I

Altulay was stylish and quite clear; it was obvious that she was not exposed to the sun or to the burning cold of the puna. If she were to confess that she was forty years old, she would receive notable signs of admiration, additionally she knew perfectly well that if Saba Tamac was absent, at the end of the funeral, she would receive more than one orchid flower showing her future intentions, restrained by the presence of her husband. Altulay represented a younger age, she had a very good body in spite of her childbirths. She raised comments among the ambassadors about her serene beauty, which she shared by being proudly accompanied by her two daughters, the Inca princesses Xixata and Marutta.

In his nineteen years of marriage, he devoted himself to the upbringing of his daughters with the strict rules of the Cuzco court. He had allowed them to speak the language of the Chibchas, for the convenience of understanding their father; but he communicated always with them and in no other way in the language of the mighty empire.

Last night, in his room of polished black granite, while he slept on his bed of equally black Tourmaline, to give his spirit protection and knowledge, a small woman's hand had rested on his mouth and with the other immobilized his right hand, which had automatically gone to the mantelpiece looking for his silver dagger. She was wearing gloves, which indicated someone familiar, for by the feel of her hands she would have easily identified her. Altulay in the darkness had tried to distinguish the face, but it was useless, she was hidden with a ceremonial mask, which changed her tone when she spoke. The woman spoke in the forbidden and religious language, typical of the royal palace of Cuzco.

---Your beloved father, sends you his blessings and expresses that his heart suffers for the worry that gives him the danger that runs your life and that of his granddaughters, Saba Tamac in his ignorance and stubbornness is leading the Chibchas people to the cliff. It is necessary to save the Chibcha Empire with the urgent marriages of Xixata and Marutta. Your father knows about the other wife of Saba Tamac who talks a lot with the subaltern caciques. She deserves death, but needs your approval.