In the southern reaches of Vinland’s northern lands—beyond stretches of snowfields, marshy ground, and desert wastes—there rose a valley framed by lovely mountains and thick forests. The air was cool, and deer, hummingbirds, raccoons, ducks, and eagles could be seen throughout the region.

  A valley blessed by nature—filled with waterfalls, lakes, and splendid woodland—was where, at the very heart of this paradise, a vast city stood: Tollan, or Tula.

  Tula was divided in two. The southern quarter—where human homes and markets clustered—was called Tula. But in the north, where a great esplanade opened out, crowned by white stepped pyramids and sumptuous palaces, it was called Tollan: the domain where the gods lived among men. These deities had ruled the city since its founding, when they abandoned the city of Puh (Currently, the ruins of Teotihuacan in central Mexico) after military disputes and invasions.

  Though Tula had kings—tlatoanis—they were little more than intermediaries for the inhabitants of Tollan. It was rare for one of those gods to descend into the southern districts of Tula to manage human affairs. Their involvement in war, however—especially against the kingdoms of Mayapán to the east, the Zapotec Empire to the south, or the warrior Chichimec tribes to the north—was anything but unusual.

  The current anunnaki of Tollan—known in that region by the title “Tezcatlipoca”—was Yayauhqui. He painted his skin black and wore an enormous headdress of red and green feathers, rising from a demon’s skull set upon his head. He draped himself in a great jaguar mantle, and upon his chest he bound a large obsidian mirror. It was also plain that he lacked a leg; he always walked with a staff.

  Across his eyes ran a painted green band. His eyes were entirely black, and there was terror in them. From his mouth protruded dreadful fangs. He sat proudly upon a stone throne shaped like a grotesque jaguar-man lying back with its knees raised (Chac-mool).

  The complex of Tollan stood upon a broad esplanade: a cluster of buildings and pyramids to the north, and—on the eastern side—a pyramid dedicated to human sacrifice.

  Yayauhqui—more commonly called Tezcatlipoca by his title—sat atop the central stepped pyramid, white and red, whose roof was jealously upheld by columns of warriors in the same colors. The upper murals depicted the Toltec empire’s glory: Zapotec, Mixtec, and Maya kingdoms paying tribute to the great king-god of that vast dominion.

  The king-god sat at ease, drinking a chocolate beverage from a ceramic cup shaped like a jaguar, while women danced before him in suggestive motions—when a loud commotion sounded outside.

  “Lord Tezcatlipoca! Lord Tezcatlipoca! Someone has come to see you!” cried a messenger in Nahuatl.

  Tezcatlipoca—who could not help but feel the power of whoever had entered his realm—rose at once and hurried to the pyramid’s entrance. Outside, he found two of his fellow deities at the doorway: Xipe Tótec and Tláloc, both wearing expressions of fear and strain.

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  “It can’t be… Is that bitch back in these lands again?” Tezcatlipoca demanded, angry and frightened.

  “We already did what she demanded—what does she want now? To take these lands too?” Tláloc asked, equally grim.

  “Either way, it won’t be anything good,” Xipe Tótec added.

  Far across the esplanade, where crowds parted as though a king had arrived, Anat advanced toward the pyramid, followed by a retinue of malakim armed with swords of fire. The daughter of Lord El wore a face of open displeasure.

  “Great Anat of Lel! To what do we owe the honor of your visit to these humble lands of Tula?” Tezcatlipoca called in the divine tongue, as she continued her approach.

  Anat halted and lifted her gaze toward the Toltec king. She smiled—an expression of satisfied amusement.

  “I have come to visit a friendly kingdom, great Tezcatlipoca, and to wish peace and prosperity upon this nation,” she said, the smile still on her lips.

  “She’s lying,” Tláloc muttered in Nahuatl.

  “I know,” Tezcatlipoca replied in Nahuatl, scowling. “But it’d be stupid to face her or try to ambush her. Even with the atlantes limiting divine power, that damned bitch could wipe this land out in a blink.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Xipe Tótec snapped in Nahuatl. “Shut the gates and kill her. We can’t keep waiting while that fucking bitch keeps trying to pull our kingdom around.”

  “Haven’t you heard?” Tláloc hissed, frightened. “She slaughtered thousands of gods in seconds just because they insulted her brother. She’s not just a killing machine—she’s absurdly powerful. She’d turn us into pulque with a finger.”

  “Fuck that—now,” Xipe Tótec said, drawing an bloody obsidian knife from his side—but Tezcatlipoca struck him hard at once.

  “Put that away, idiot!” Tezcatlipoca growled. “If we’re going to kill her, it’ll be when she’s distracted.”

  Anat signaled her angels to form ranks at the foot of the pyramid, while she began to climb the stairs.

  “I do not understand what you are whispering,” Anat said, her smile sharpening into something colder, “but I do not seem to be welcomed as the daughter of Lord El that I am, great king of Tula.”

  “Not at all, my lady! We are delighted to receive you in this humble palace,” the Toltec king replied in the divine tongue, forcing a smile.

  Tláloc and Xipe Tótec did the same, nodding along with Tezcatlipoca’s words.

  Tláloc was short, his skin painted blue. His head was covered by a horrifying helm shaped like an aquatic beast; only his mouth was visible, set within the mask’s lower jaw. His eyes peered out through greenish goggle-like lenses that seemed part of the sea-creature’s face. A diagonal headdress adorned with green feathers rose above it. He wore a greenish loincloth and marine ornaments across his chest—sea snails and shells.

  Xipe Tótec, by contrast, was quite tall—yet his attire alone could intimidate, for it was fashioned from another human’s skin. His face was painted red. He wore a large red conical helm with green feathers, elaborate blue-and-red earrings, and a skirt of white-and-green feathers.

  Anat was not especially tall—indeed, she was shorter than Tezcatlipoca and Xipe Tótec—yet her golden armor with its demonic visage upon the chest, and her Egyptian-style helm with plumes, were enough to chill the spine.

  When she reached the top and stopped before Tezcatlipoca, Anat removed her helm. Her terrible pink eyes and hair—both the same hue—whipped in the valley’s cool wind. Red horns rose from her brow, and she kept that malevolent smile.

  “Why not come inside and drink some pulque and warm chocolatl, while you tell us your business in Tula, Lady Anat?” Tezcatlipoca said, offering a show of reverence.

  “I will accept your courtesy,” Anat replied, stepping into the palace.

  Tula are believed to be located in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico.

  Teotihuacan, they refer to it as "Puh." This is a possible name for such city according to some Mayan stelae. This is merely a hypothesis.

  Mayapan is the collective name for the region where the Mayan culture flourished, encompassing southern Mexico, Guatemala, and northern Honduras.

  Zapotec and Mixtec cultures were located in southern Mexico.

  The Chichimecas, rather than kingdoms, were nomadic warrior tribes located in central and northern Mexico. Their name was essentially a way of referring to barbarians during the time of the Aztec Empire.

  Nahuatl is a language that was spoken in the central region of what is now known as Mexico and was spoken by the Nahua peoples. It is still used by indigenous peoples in much of that country.

  Chac-Mool, an anthropomorphic jaguar-like creature reclining on the ground. It was widely used by the Mayan and Toltec civilizations.

  Chocolatl is the Nahuatl name for chocolate.

  Canaanite mythology, where the goddess, alone, slaughtered all the guests at a feast held in the palace of Baal Hadad. The only exit was a small window, which she used to her advantage, leaving no one alive.

  Elyon — The Name of the Void!

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