Sulekha crouched behind the effigy. The hissing resounded in the chamber. Its resplendent walls bounced back the echoes of promised violence. Every cohuatl in this room had surely noticed her presence. They were loudmouthed pests, insisting on distracting her from her prayer. She continued chanting the familiar words as she carried the lamp along in its gentle circle through the air. Her thoughts drifted away from the flame which flickered so near her, warming her slightly, and towards the winged beasts that had infested this place. Could there be no place free of them? What food were they finding here? The temple was kept clean; there were no lizards, insects, or whatever else the snakes sought out. They wanted something besides physical nourishment.
Others complained of the cohuatl, but Sulekha had not heard anyone mention seeing them at the temple. It was the highest arrogance to assume- but why had no one said anything? Why were the cohuatl looking at her? That must mean something. Still, she kept her eyes shut as she prayed silently over the flame. If the cohuatl were here for her, they would draw her attention. She put them out of her mind. She completed the ritual, placing the oil lamp gently at the feet of the effigy. From her hair, she removed the flower she had brought with her, and tossed it at the figure of Cor-Nilka. It landed atop a pile of flowers, which had been left during the prayers of others. She smiled, a warm, hopeful thing, which was when the cohuatl hiding within the flowers bit her ankle.
