The heat in the audience chamber was not great, compared to that in the plazas below the palace...yet still the dim light of the interior was welcome to Pacal's eyes. He leaned back into the gaily colored cushions of his stone bench, and allowed his attendants to fan him with the great quetzal fans he received in tribute from the sahal of Sian-Kan. His dwarf stood beside him, providing the sweet kakaw drink he favored. To his left, sat his lady wife Sak Kuk, her robes as brightly colored as his, feathers adorning her headdress, as they did his own.

The ending of his first katun as lord of the kingdom of Bak was nearing, and the flow of tribute from his provinces had increased, as had the numbers of foreign dignitaries filling the sleeping rooms of the palace. I must send an envoy to the ruler of the Toltecae--an exchange of gifts to continue the profitable trading links between our peoples...Nacoxoc was a good leader in the land of Puh, as the True People called the land of Creation near Snake Mountain...and the two kingdoms had profited greatly in the years since the trade had begun. The Tenochca loved their kakaw, and Pacal was pleased to give it to them for their tools of metal and blue stones. It had been a good twenty years, and he could look forward to more of the same, provided some upstart didn't start a ritual war!

A blare of trumpets announced the arrival of another tribute delegation...this one from Mutul...not exactly a client--more like a brother, for Mutul's power was as great as his own, in their opinion. This was the rival to be wary of...so Janab Pacal smiled his widest smile, and bade the ambassador sit next to him on his bench. One must always be careful with friends...and more so with allies!