"Hola, my young friend, how are you this fine morning? You are here very early. Are we not leaving at 10:30?" he asked. "No, you're right Pakal," he admitted. I just wanted to come down and ask you about El Diablo Grotto. I was wondering if you ever took anyone there? My friends and I heard about it and we'd like to take a break from the site, you know," he hedged.

"Yes, Max, I have not actually taken the turistico myself, but my brother Ahmok has escorted them to the cave. It is not a secret. Many people have visited the famous caves. Would you like me to arrange a visit for your group?"

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks!" he enthused."Well. I guess I'd better get back....they're probably wondering what happened to me. See ya later, Pakal," he called, as he waved.

Pakal waved goodbye and he frowned as he thought about the young teens. Something was not right. He and his brother had discussed the falling slab incident yesterday and it was now thought that the slab was intentionally pushed, possibly to harm the kids. Some guides had found the burnt carcasses of 6 caiman this morning, floating in the river near the ruins and the old volcano erupting near Mexico City just spoke of some evil lurking. He feared for their safety.

------------------------------------------

Max returned to the hotel in a happy mood, stepping lively as he entered the lobby. He ran into Brody who was in an awful state.

"Max, thank God I found you! 'We've been looking for you everywhere. Liz has taken ill! Maria found her lying on the bathroom floor and she cal................"

Max was already flying up the stairs two at a time as he raced down the hall towards his room. When he got there, he found his friends inside, the girls clustered around the bed while the guys hung back, feeling awkward.

He rushed to the bed as Isabel moved aside for him.

"Liz, Babe, I'm here," he soothed as he knelt down beside her. "What's wrong, baby?" he asked with concern.

"Oh, Max " she groaned. "It hurts so bad," she cried, as she turned her flushed face towards him.

"What hurts, baby," he asked.

"My foot," she said, pointing to the offending body part. "I was standing in the bathroom, getting ready. I didn't have anything on my feet, and then I felt this sharp pain," she admitted.

He lifted the covers and peered at her foot. It was red and swollen.

"Max, it looks like she was bitten by something," Isabel offered. "We've called the doctor and he's on his way."

"Oh, M..max," Maria wailed, as she came over to him. "I came in to borrow some l...lipgloss and I f..found her on the f....floor. I was so s....scared and we couldn't find you!" she cried.

"Sssh, it's okay," he soothed her. "I'm so glad you did find her!" he said as he hugged her. "Where is that doctor?!" he asked, annoyed.

Just then, the doctor swept into the room and pushed them all aside. He asked them what had happened and Max gave him their opinion. He bent down to examine her foot and verified their suspicions.

"Yes, it appears that she has been bitten by a scorpion.....a common occurence around here. Most people do not react so severely but there are exceptions." He reached for his bag and pulled out a small case into which were tucked some vials. He pulled one out. "I will give her an injection.....this should take care of the swelling and redness. He rubbed her foot with alcohol and pumped the antitoxin into her system.

"I will also give you some painkillers. Give her no more than two every four hours. They are very powerful, and should take effect very quickly. If she does not improve by mid-afternoon, contact me, and we will admit her to hospital. Do not worry," he said as he saw Max's alarmed expression. "I do not anticipate any complications," he smiled, as he touched his shoulder. "Make sure she drinks plenty of water to flush her system." He shook hands with Max and then Brody pulled him aside to settle his bill.

Max quickly retrieved a glass from the bathroom and poured some bottled water in it. Then he gave Liz two of her pills, sitting her up and supporting her weight as she swallowed the pills with difficulty. He lay her back down gently on her pillows and smoothed her hair from her face. His eyes didn't leave her the whole time.

"Max," Isabel whispered, "we'll leave you guys alone now, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks Iz," he said squeezing her hand. "Look," he turned to his friends, "I don't want you guys to miss out on anything today. Go on to the site. We'll be fine, here."

They were reluctant to leave them, but he insisted. Brody also hesitated about going, but Max assured him that he could handle everything. Brody said he would call around 1:00 to check up on them and Max said that would be fine. When he was finally left alone with Liz, he kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed, next to her.

She had already drifted off to sleep and he was determined to watch her just in case her conditon worsened. They lay quietly for two hours, as she dozed from the medication. She stirred around Noon and said she wanted to use the bathroom.He lifted her carefully and carried her there. When she had finished, he carried her back to the bed. He checked her foot.

The swelling had subsided a little, but it was still red and puffy. He asked her if she were in any pain and she shook her head. Then he asked if she were hungry and she said she could probably eat something , so he called room service and ordered a light lunch.When it arrived, he placed the bed tray over her lap and she picked at the food on her plate.

However, the painkillers had reduced her appetite, and she couldn't eat much at all. They had also increased her thirst so Max got her some more water. He asked her if she wanted to sit outside for awhile and she nodded, so he carried her out to the chaise and made sure she was in the shade. He pulled up one of the table chairs and sat beside her holding her hand.

They talked quietly for awhile and then they heard a light tap on the door. Max went to answer it and was met by the smiling face of Balam. Max didn't try to disguise his disappointment. Balam realized that his presence was not be welcomed, but he forged on.

"I came here to offer my condolences for the young lady's unfortunate accident," he said.

Liz called from the balcony as she heard voices. "Max, who is it?"

Max informed her and she told him to bring Balam out to see her. Max reluctantly obeyed and led Balam through the bedroom and outside. Liz beamed when she saw him and he bent down to kiss he hand. Max turned away in disgust at his unctuous display.

"Please, have a seat Balam," Liz gestured to the remaining chair. "Max, why don't you order some coffee from room service, please," she asked politely.

Max went in to make the call. Just as he hung up the phone, it rang. He picked it up and it was Brody on the line.

"Max, how is Liz feeling?" he asked anxiously.

"Well, the swelling's gone down a bit, and she's able to sit outside. The painkillers are really working."

"Oh, thank God," he breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are the guys doing?" Max asked.

"Well, they've been hanging around that silly wall all morning!" he said. "I can't imagine what you guys find so fascinating about that anyway! I'll let them know that Liz is on the mend. I'll give you a call later on, okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Max laughed as he pictured Brody questioning his friends motives. By this time, the coffee had arrived and Max wheeled the cart out to the balcony. He poured the beverage and passed a cup to Liz and then to Balam, who accepted it graciously. He and Liz had been chatting amicably while they waited for Max to return.

Now he turned to Max and said. "My young friend, I know that I upset you yesterday. That was not my intention, I assure you. But it is very important that I speak with you on this issue. It is not going to go away and as I said before, I think we can be of help to one another."

Max sat there rigidly, his jaw clenched as he stared at the floor. Liz reached out to him, and spoke softly.

"Max, look at me."

His face softened immediately as he heard her voice and he looked into her beautiful brown eyes.He knew he couldn't deny her anything, so he waited for her request.

"Max, I think you should listen to what Balam has to say. If you don't like what you hear, then that will be the end of it, okay?" she smiled into his handsome face.

He melted under her warm expression and nodded as he turned to face Balam to wait for the shoe to drop.

Balam smiled at him tentatively and said, "Perhaps I should begin with my story. Then maybe you will not feel so relucatnt to reveal yours," he suggested.

Max nodded for Balam to continue.

------------------------------------------------

"Well," he began,"my story begins 1200 years ago. I have told you of my ascendency from the last known high priest of Palenque. His name was AHKAL and he was high priest to WAK KIMI JANAHB' PAKAL, the last ruler of Palenque."

Max and Liz nodded as they recognized the name.

"Good, you are familiar with this king. Well, because of Ahkal's superior status, he was permitted to marry into the royal family and he fell in love with and married the LADY YOHL, the king's youngest daughter. They were devoted to each other and their union produced a son whom they named NAHB'. "

"Soon after their son was born, Ahkal became very ill and he died. Lady Yohl was inconsolable and a short time later she took her own life. Even the love for her young son could not sustain her. She longed to be reunited with her true love and this was the only way she knew how. A few months after her death, her father was killed in battle and there ended the final rule of Palenque."

"Nahb' was raised by relatives, his grandmother the LADY SAC being his primary caregiver. When his mother died, she took the infant to the altar at Temple XX-A, otherwise known as the Temple of Chac, the rain god. She raised him in the air and chanted these words:

WUK 'AJAW WAXAK'-TE K'ANASIY WUK-UL TUN

Roughly translated it means:

On day seven, eight visitors come, seven stones fall.

"What does that mean, Balam?" Liz asked perplexed.

"As I said, it is a rough translation. The viejos language was more subjective than our modern one. We know that *wuk* means seven and *waxak* means eight and the word *tun* means stone. But depending in which context it was being used, it could have a number of more subtle meanings. It is the same with the bible, is it not? Scholars today agree that the word *day* in Genesis, may refer to millenia or longer, and so it is with the language of the viejos. I can tell you this. It is the same phrase that Max was chanting yesterday," he added with conviction.

Max and Liz looked at each other as they digested this last piece of information. She reached out instinctively for his hand and held it tightly.

"Please permit me to continue. Lady Chac began Nahb's instruction concerning his ancestors very early on. She was determined to continue the heritage of the viejos even if there were no more rulers. Every day, the boy received special teaching from either his grandmother or some one of equal authority. As the boy grew, he admitted that he would often receive visits from his ancestors as they encouraged his studies."

"When he was old enough, he married a beautiful village girl whose name was Ohl. When their son was born, Nahb's grandmother, who was still alive, made sure that he was instructed in the same way, and before she died, she made Nahb' promise that he would continue this tradition, passing it on to the next son of each generation."

"Nahb' had only one son and when his son married, he in turn had only one son, and it has continued in this way ever since. Only one son has been born in each successive generation. I am the only son born in this generation and my father has taught me in the ways of the viejos just as I have taught my son."

Balam sat back as he finished his tale, satisfied that he had made himself understood.

"Now, if you would be so kind, perhaps you can tell me what prompted your visit to Mexico?"

"Well." Max admitted, "it was my grandmother really. Not my earth grandmother, my alien one," he said quietly, sneaking a peak at Balam from under his brows.

"Please, go on," Balam encouraged.

"Well," Max continued," she came to me where I was working, at the UFO centre in Roswell, New Mexico and told me about this cave she had visited here and she said she'd seen the same alien symbols on an exhibit we had at the centre as she did when she visited a cave in Mexico."

"Excuse me," Balam said in confusion. "Did you say you worked at a UFO centre?"

Max nodded.

"Do you not find that a little odd?" asked Balam.

"No, not really," Max denied. "I mean, it's kind of like *get to know your enemy*. I get to hear about all the latest so-called sightings and whenever I get the chance I can scan the files for any information."

"Yes, I suppose when you put it that way, it is probably a very good place for you to work," he agreed. "I'm sorry, please continue."

"Well, as I was saying, she gave me a brochure and it gave us an idea where she was talking about and so we just took it fom there and started doing research. We amassed a lot of information and the more we found out, the more reason we had to visit here."

"Was this the only time you received a visit from your grandmother?" Balam inquired.

"No, actually, she had visited Liz a couple of times in dreams before I saw her, really."

"Could you tell me about these Liz?"

Liz explained her first visit and how it led them to the cave in the Sierra Andres Mountains.

"What was the significance of this dream?" he asked.

"Well," she gulped, not sure how to go on, "she told me that if Max and I didn't make love before the Fall Equinox, he would die. He was exhibiting symptoms already," she defended themselves, " so we took her advice," she added in a whisper.

"I see," he continued calmly. 'And what of this other visit?"

"Well, that one came the next day when I fell from a ledge and was knocked unconscious," she said, as she avoided giving the reason for the altercation that led to the fall. "She came to help me wake up so that Max could heal me."

Balam raised his eyebrows at Max.

"That's my specialty," Max admitted, matter of factly.

"Yes, I see," Balam regarded him curiously. "And was that the extent of the visits?"

"No, she came a week later to me, in a dream again, to tell me I wasn't pregnant. Max and I had a little slip up, and I thought I might be pregnant," she added in a low voice, barely able to look Balam in the eye. "But then she told me I couldn't get pregnant for another three years at least, because Max's sperm wouldn't be viable until then. It's kind of like a built in birth control system the males of his planet have engineered into them," she shrugged.

Max could barely keep the smirk off his face at his good fortune.

"And she came to us Sunday night while we were here," Max added, "and told us to be wary of a dark stranger. And that was the last time we saw her."

"When you say us, I am to assume that you received a joint dream visit this time?" Balam asked.

"Yes," Liz confirmed.

"Did anything odd happen after these visits?"

"Well, the only really odd thing happened during the first week after Max and I first made love. We both started having these weird symptoms. I had an aversion to dairy and Max.....well Max,"...... and here Liz hesitated as she looked to Max for help.

"I was having these dizzy spells if I went longer than 24 hours without sex," he blurted out. They stared at each other mortified as Liz giggled helplessly.

"Hmmm, that is interesting. And when did these symptoms subside?"

"Like I said, they lasted about a week. Grandma told us it was like a transition period until our bodies adjusted to each other," Liz stated. She winced in pain as her foot started throbbing again.

Max jumped up immediately, glancing at his watch. "It's time for some more painkillers, Babe," and he ran to fetch water and her pills.

He came back and handed her the pills and she swallowed them obediently. She smiled up at him, as she thanked him and he leaned down to kiss her cheek. Balam was impressed by their degree of devotion to one another, especially in two so young.

"Well. I must be going," he said. "I did not mean to keep you so long. Would you mind if I returned tonight? Maybe I will be able to find some answers in what you have told me so far."

Max and Liz agreed to the request.

Balam started to leave, when he turned back suddenly, as if he had forgotten something.