Gods of Jade and Shadow

The night before, Martín arrived in Mexico City and checked into a hotel, where he dreamed about Casiopea laughing while their grandfather beat him. The dream reminds him of the time he called Casiopea a bastard (she was born out of wedlock), and Casiopea hit him with a stick. The memories, combined with the metropolis of Mexico City, leave Martín feeling small and insignificant, which he finds profoundly discomfiting.

Martín finds Casiopea in the city and pulls her aside, begging her to come home and speak with Vucub-Kamé so he won’t bring ruin upon their family. In return, he offers her a place in the family. The words sting Casiopea. All her life, she wanted her family’s recognition, but now that they need her, they offer her something that she should have had all along. She tells Martín, “I do not care about your crumbs” (140) and takes off into the crowd. Martín gives chase, but Casiopea crosses a street as the light changes and escapes.

Back at the hotel, Casiopea tells Hun-Kamé about Martín. While Casiopea paces, Hun-Kamé remains eerily calm. When she snaps at him for not being concerned, he asks why she’s so upset. She realizes that she’s been wondering: “what if I’m only free for a few days?” (144). For a moment, Hun-Kamé appears as a young man, rather than a god, and admits he has the same fear.

Casiopea and Hun-Kamé bring the necklace they purchased to the Xtabay, a spirit who takes the form of a beautiful woman and who is said to seduce mortal men. Hun-Kamé demands the piece of his essence she guards, but Xtabay refuses, using her seductive power to place Hun-Kamé under her spell. Vucub-Kamé offered Xtabay a place at his side, but she is willing to give it up if Hun-Kamé makes her his queen in exchange for his left index finger. As Hun-Kamé falls deeper under the spell, the potted plants twine around Casiopea, covering her mouth and binding her limbs.

Casiopea bites down on the plant, causing teeth marks to appear on Lady Xtabay’s arm. When Casiopea yells Hun-Kamé’s name, Xtabay’s spell breaks. Xtabay returns Hun-Kamé’s finger and directs him and Casiopea to El Paso, where his eye is located. She warns him to give up the quest because Vucub- Kamé means to kill him. Hun-Kamé is not worried because gods cannot die. He fails to see the reflection of Casiopea in his eye, which is the true reason Xtabay’s spell broke. When Casiopea called his name, “his pupil reflected her and washed away the rest of the room” because he has become even more mortal, possibly beyond the point of return (159).

Martín searches for Casiopea but eventually gives up and finds a place to drink. The more intoxicated he gets, the more he blames Casiopea for everything in his life. When he returns to his hotel, he summons Vucub-Kamé and tells the god Casiopea refused to speak with him. Vucub-Kamé sends Martín to Baja California to await Casiopea and to learn to walk the road of Xibalba so he will have an advantage over Casiopea in the coming battle. He leaves Martín with a threat: “fail me and I will grind your bones into dust” (165).