Chapter 67: Sunset and Sunrise

The sun set obliquely to the west, leaving behind the last of its afterglow and warmth. The golden rays of sunlight fell and refracted across the shimmering hills, painting a magnificent wilderness.

This was the boundary between the Otomi woodlands and the edge of the Mexican Valley. Southward from here, the trees gradually thinned, and the mountains flattened progressively.

Hundreds of warriors with longbows and copper spears marched south with steady, unquestioning strides.

A young commander wearing a helmet to cover his face was walking at the center of the troop. He was of a smaller stature, holding a shield, carrying a war club on his back, and draped in a commander's Sun Stone cloak with a greatbow painted on the back. An exquisite obsidian necklace wrapped around his neck, symbolizing the status of a high priest.

As the solemn warriors advanced, flocks of birds sporadically took flight, and the swirling cries of eagles echoed by their ears.