The Lost City Read online

  EGMONT

  We bring stories to life

  First published by Egmont Publishing, 2015

  443 Park Avenue South, Suite 806

  New York, NY 10016

  Copyright © J&P Voelkel, 2005, 2015

  All rights reserved

  www.egmontusa.com

  www.jaguarstones.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Voelkel, Jon, author.

  The lost city / J&P Voelkel.

  Summary While awaiting his parents’ release from jail, fourteen-year-old Max Murphy is sucked into yet another scheme of the Maya Death Lords that sends him on a quest to the United States. Failure could mean the end of the world … again.

  ISBN 978-1-60684-377-2 (ebook) — ISBN 978-1-60684-376-5 (hardcover) 1. Mayas—Juvenile fiction. 2. Extinct cities—Juvenile fiction. 3. Revenge—Juvenile fiction. 4. Paranormal fiction. 5. Adventure stories. [1. Mayas—Fiction. 2. Indians of Central America—Fiction. 3. Revenge—Fiction. 4. Supernatural—Fiction. 5. Adventure and adventurers—Fiction.] I. Voelkel, Pamela, author. II. Title.

  PZ7.V861

  [Fic]—dc23

  2014038493

  Illustrations by Jon Voelkel

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher and copyright owner.

  v3.1

  AUTHORS’ NOTE

  The Jaguar Stones are fictional, as are all the characters in this book except for the legendary Boston Red Sox players who saved many a game at Fenway Park, and Friar Diego de Landa, the true-life Spanish priest who made one big bonfire of ancient Maya books and artworks. San Xavier is a fictional country based on present-day Belize.

  To Harry, Charly, and Loulou

  k yahkume’ex

  In remembrance of Thunderclaw Branagan

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Authors’ Note

  Dedication

  Map

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  PREFACE: THE DREAM

  I. REMEMBER TZELEK?

  II. RUNNING SCARED

  III. THE CREATURES OF THE NIGHT

  IV. THE MONSTER PARADE

  V. FREEZE-FRAME

  VI. BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

  VII. INTO THE VOID

  VIII. SUBMERGED

  IX. THE SECRET OF THE ESPADA

  X. THE GULF

  XI. BARON SATURDAY

  XII. ESCAPE IN THE NIGHT

  XIII. THE PHANTOM QUEEN

  XIV. BLUE AND THE BIRDMAN

  XV. THE CHILDREN OF THE STARS

  XVI. GREAT SUN

  XVII. HERE COME THE HERO TWINS

  XVIII. SUNDOWN

  XIX. ALIEN INVASION

  XX. BLASTOFF!

  XXI. STEALING HOME

  XXII. HALLOWEEN

  XXIII. THE LAST PIZZA

  XXIV. WARMING UP

  XXV. THE DREAM TEAM

  XXVI. THE GREATEST GAME

  XXVII. PAYBACK TIME

  XXVIII. THE WORLD TURNED INSIDE OUT

  XXIX. THE FINAL BATTLE

  GLOSSARY OF THE MAYA WORLD

  MAYA MONSTERS

  CAHOKIA MOUNDS

  JOURNEY OF THE PHANTOM QUEEN

  MAX MURPHY’S GUIDE TO BOSTON

  RECIPE

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  CHARACTERS

  In order of appearance

  MAX (Massimo Francis Sylvanus) MURPHY: fourteen years old, only child, video gamer, drummer, pizza connoisseur. (Nickname: Hoop)

  HERMANJILIO (herman-kee-leo) BOL: Maya archaeologist, university professor

  LADY COCO (Ix Kan Kakaw—eesh con caw cow): Maya queen, Lord 6-Dog’s mother

  LORD 6-DOG (Ahaw Wak Ok—uh how walk oak): ancient Maya king

  RAUL: Uncle Ted’s butler at the Villa Isabella

  TZELEK: evil sorcerer, Lord 6-Dog’s adopted brother

  LORD KUY (coo-ee): owl-headed messenger of Xibalba, the Maya underworld

  AH PUKUH: Maya god of violent and unnatural death

  LOLA (aka Lily Theodora Murphy; aka Ix Sak Lol—eesh sock loll): Max’s half-Maya cousin, daughter of Ted and Zia Murphy. (Nickname: Monkey Girl)

  TED MURPHY: Max’s uncle, Lola’s father, banana exporter, and reformed smuggler

  ZIA: Ted’s wife, Lola’s mother, former housekeeper for Max’s family in Boston

  LUCKY, aka Jaime Ben: student teacher, Uncle Ted’s former foreman and bodyguard

  LOUIS: manager of Baron Saturday’s Inn

  BARON SATURDAY, aka BARON SAMEDI: New Orleans boss of the dead

  THUNDERCLAW, aka the CHEE KEN OF DEATH, the FOWL OF FEAR: mangy black rooster (deceased)

  BLUE SKY, RAINBOW, PHOENIX: friendly campers at Old Cahokia

  ANTONIO DE LANDA, aka TOTO: Spanish aristocrat and descendant of Diego de Landa, the priest who burned Maya books

  LADY KOO: Landa’s wife, former beautician at the Grand Hotel Xibalba

  FAY: wardrobe assistant at Old Cahokia, archaeology student

  DR. DOLORES DELGADO: head of Maya Studies at Harvard

  FRANK and CARLA MURPHY: Max’s parents, famous archaeologists

  CHAN KAN: Maya wise man, Lola’s grandfather (deceased)

  NASTY (Anastasia) SMITH-JONES: Max’s friend, Boston music blogger

  PLAGUE RATS: Max’s favorite band

  PUNAK HA: ancient Maya king, Lord 6-Dog’s father

  JADE FROG (Yax Tuun Ah Muuch—yash toon awe mooch): ancient Maya king, founder of the Jaguar Kings dynasty

  IXCHEL (eesh shell): ancient Maya moon goddess

  FACES AT FENWAY

  EUSEBIO, chili farmer and boatman; OCH and little OCH, brothers from Lola’s village; OSCAR POOT, head of the Maya Foundation in San Xavier City; VICTOR, head waiter at Hotel de las Americas in Puerto Muerto; SANTINO GARCIA, Spanish law student; DOÑA CARMELA: Santino’s relative, owner of Casa Carmela guesthouse; FABIO: Venetian gondolier

  MAYA MONSTERS, DEATH LORDS, PADDLER GODS, and BOSTON RED SOX: please see glossary This page–this page

  PREFACE

  THE DREAM

  Most mornings when Lord 6-Dog woke up, it took him a few moments to remember that he was a howler monkey. In his dreams he was still a Maya king, strong, handsome, and ten feet tall in his magnificent feathered headdress.

  But that had been twelve hundred years ago—and a world away from the night he’d been summoned back by a red-haired boy named Max and a Maya girl named Lola, who’d persuaded him to take over the body of a howler monkey.

  Lord 6-Dog stretched his furry arms. It wasn’t so bad, this new life, he thought. If only he could understand the crazy dreams that played in his head every night.

  Like all his people, he viewed dreams as messages from the gods and mulled them over carefully. For example, when he dreamed about his former life in the royal palace, he took it as a reminder to behave like a king even though he looked like a monkey.

  But recently, his dreams had defied all interpretation.

  Night after night, why did he see himself hurtling along with little wheels on his feet and a red cape streaming out behind him?

  What could it mean?

  What, he wondered nervously, did the gods have in store for him next?

  CHAPTER ONE

  REMEMBER TZELEK?

  Deep in the jungle, something roared. It was loud enough to make Max Murphy, who was focused on battling a zombie horde, pause his game and look up uneasily.

  The creature roared again.

  Whatever it was, it was close.

  Even though he was safe inside, Max sudde
nly felt very small and very edible.

  He couldn’t help remembering the scariest night of his life, when he’d first come to this place a few months ago and found himself lost and alone in the jungle, surrounded by things that wanted to prick him or bite him or eat him.

  A third roar, even closer.

  Calm down, he told himself. It was probably just a howler monkey proclaiming its territory or a wild pig squaring up for a fight.

  A smell of mold and rotting vegetation wafted in through the window screens, underlaid by something pungent and musky.

  Definitely wild pig, then.

  Max wrinkled his nose and thought about the skunk that frequented his backyard in Boston, and how they’d have to close the windows on summer nights to keep out its skunky odors. Once, a girl from school who’d come over to work on a project had thought the smell was Max’s feet. He still cringed at the memory.

  He supposed the windows were all closed in Boston now. The weather would be getting cooler, the leaves would be turning red, the kids would be planning their Halloween costumes, the stores would be stocking up on pumpkins and orange marshmallows.

  He missed Boston.

  But until his archaeologist parents were released from jail, where they currently languished on suspicion of looting, he was stuck here in the Villa Isabella, his uncle’s house in the Central American country of San Xavier.

  A huge hairy spider skittered out from under the couch. Max watched it contemptuously. In Boston, he reflected, spiders knew how to go about their business silently.

  He returned to his zombie game and groaned in outrage—his foe had disappeared. Before he was distracted by the creature outside, the living dead had been lurking by some trash cans. Now, they were nowhere to be seen on the frozen screen. How was that even possible?

  Indignantly, he pressed play and directed his avatar to crouch behind a wall to wait for the zombies to show themselves again.

  A hand on his shoulder made him jump out of his skin.

  “Hi, Max. Is Lola around?”

  He turned to see Hermanjilio Bol, an archaeologist and local university professor, standing behind the couch, clutching a pile of books.

  Max shook his head. “She’s gone out with her parents. Again.”

  “No problem,” said Hermanjilio. “I was just dropping these off for her. I’ll leave them with you, if that’s okay.”

  “Sure. But I never see her anymore.”

  “I thought you two were best friends?”

  “So did I. But since she found out we’re cousins, it’s like she hates me, or something.”

  “What? I can’t believe that! After all you’ve been through together? Going down to the Maya underworld, battling the Lords of Death …?”

  Max shrugged. “It’s like it never happened.”

  Hermanjilio set the books down. “I guess she’s got a lot on her mind. Think about it, Max. All her life, she thought she was an orphan. Now, suddenly, she discovers she has parents and a family. That’s a lot for anyone to deal with.”

  “It’s a lot for me, too. I have to get my head around the fact that her father is Uncle Ted, my dad’s brother, and her mom is Zia, our housekeeper from Boston. I didn’t even know they knew each other, and it turns out they’re married.”

  “You should be happy for Lola. Besides, don’t you have more important things to think about?”

  “Like what?”

  Hermanjilio pulled a crumpled card out of his back pocket. “Like this.”

  Max didn’t need to look to know what it was.

  Hermanjilio began to read out loud. “ ‘Memorial service for Massimo Francis Sylvanus Murphy. To take place on 13-Water, the coming day of no hope, no escape, and no happy endings. All welcome.’ ” He waved the card at Max. “It’s an invitation to your funeral. Doesn’t that bother you?”

  Max tried to look nonchalant. “It’s from the Death Lords. You know what they’re like. They have a twisted sense of humor. I’m pretty sure it’s a joke.”

  “A joke?” With his beaky nose, long black hair, and imposing profile, Hermanjilio had always reminded Max of a Maya king in an old stone carving. But right now, the way he was screwing up his face in distaste, he looked like a Maya king who’d just stepped in monkey dung. “After everything you’ve been through, how can you talk about jokes? You know very well that the Death Lords are plotting the funerals of every man, woman, and child on this planet. There’s nothing funny about that.”

  “You’re a university professor. Surely you don’t believe that some ancient Maya ghouls could bring about the end of the world?”

  “They have all five Jaguar Stones. They can do anything they want.”

  Max shrugged. “Anyway, 13-Water’s at the end of December. I’ll be back in Boston by then.”

  “I’m impressed that you know your Maya calendar, at any rate.”

  “Uncle Ted’s got an app for it on his phone.”

  “I might have known. So when do you fly back to Boston?”

  “As soon as my parents get out of jail.”

  “Jail? I thought they were in police custody?”

  “Same thing. They’re locked up, no visitors allowed. All they did was try to report a looting.”

  Hermanjilio nodded sympathetically. “The authorities in San Xavier like their paperwork.”

  “Yeah, well. I just wish they’d hurry up and get it figured out, so we can go home and things can go back to normal.”

  Hermanjilio put a hand on Max’s arm. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but it might not be that easy. Like it or not, you have unfinished business with the ancient Maya Lords of Death. Wherever you are—here, Boston or Timbuktu—they’ll find you. And when they’re done with you, they’ll start on the rest of us. The truth is that until somebody puts a stop to their evil plans, nothing will ever be normal again.”

  A howler monkey wearing oven gloves and an apron walked into the room, carrying a tray of food.

  “Hello, Lord Hermanjilio,” she said.

  “How nice to see you, Lady Coco,” he replied. “And what delicious concoction do you have there?”

  Lady Coco loved compliments on her cooking and she rewarded him with a toothy monkey grin. “Something special. It’s a delicacy from the old days.”

  Max didn’t think twice about the fact that their hostess was an ancient Maya queen who was currently residing in the body of a small reddish-brown howler monkey. Nor did he bat an eye when her son, Lord 6-Dog—an ancient Maya king who was now a large black howler monkey—bounded in and sat next to him on the couch.

  What he did find alarming was the pale brown porridgy paste in the dish set before him.

  “What. Is. That?” he asked.

  “It’s called ‘eek’,’ ” said Lady Coco, pronouncing it in Mayan as eh-ek. “It was 6-Dog’s favorite when he was your age.”

  “Roasted wasp larvae.” Lord 6-Dog licked his monkey lips and nudged Max with his monkey elbow. “Thou art in for a treat, young lord.”

  Lady Coco smiled proudly. “I found the nest myself.”

  “They call it the caviar of the rainforest.” Hermanjilio spread a little paste on a piece of tortilla and offered it to Max. “Try some.”

  “Thanks.” Max chewed glumly. It wasn’t what he was eating that depressed him—the wasp paste wasn’t actually that bad—but Hermanjilio’s grim predictions for the future. The funeral invitation still sat on the table taunting him. No matter how much he tried to downplay the gravity of the situation in his own mind, he knew that what Hermanjilio had said was true. The Death Lords were on the warpath. Long ago, at the start of creation, they’d been defeated by two human brothers who were known forever after as the Hero Twins. But now the balance of power had shifted. With a little (unwitting) help from Max and Lola, the Death Lords had acquired the Jaguar Stones, the five legendary stones of the Maya kings. Now, with the power of the stones behind them, the Death Lords could do anything they wanted. And what they wanted was to take revenge
on the Hero Twins by destroying the entire human race.

  Starting with Massimo Francis Sylvanus Murphy. Otherwise known as Max.

  “A cacao bean for your thoughts,” said Lady Coco.

  “I … I …” Max cast around for another subject. “I wonder where Lola went?”

  In Uncle Ted’s office, a phone rang.

  Max watched Raul, Uncle Ted’s butler, scurry from the kitchen to answer it.

  “I think they went out to eat. Lord Ted mentioned something called won ton soup,” said Lady Coco dreamily. “There are so many foods I have yet to try. It was all corn, beans, and squash in my day.”

  “And wasp larvae,” added Lord 6-Dog happily.

  Now Raul was walking toward them, the leather soles of his shoes rasping on the stone-tiled floor as he made his way slowly across Uncle Ted’s sitting room, a huge vaulted chamber the size of a great hall in a medieval castle.

  He stopped in front of Max and gave a little bow. “That was a lawyer from San Xavier City on the telephone, sir.”

  “What did he say? Have Mom and Dad been released? Can I talk to him?”

  Raul shook his head. “I’m sorry. It was not a conversation. He said his piece and hung up. He merely wished to serve notice that you are a person of interest in your parents’ case.”

  “What case? Why me? What have I done?”

  “They are considering bringing charges against your parents. Your name has been entered as a potential witness. He said to warn you that you will be arrested if you try to leave San Xavier.”

  “So I can’t go home until the police say so?” Max put down his tortilla and stared at his plate.

  “It’s just red tape,” Hermanjilio consoled him.

  “Have courage, young lord,” urged Lord 6-Dog.

  “We made your favorite pineapple cake for dessert,” said Raul.

  “With mango frosting,” added Lady Coco.

  As Raul and Lady Coco went back to the kitchen, Hermanjilio patted Max on the shoulder. “It’s just until the case is heard. Your parents will be free soon. I’m sure of it.”