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A young reporter in 1923, Alma Reed accompanies archaeologists to the ruins of Chichen Itza, where a fortune in Mayan artifacts has been stolen from a sacrificial well. It's believed a curse was unleashed by the theft—yet the career-making story it offers the ambitious journalist seems a godsend. It also leads her to a passionate love affair with revolutionary governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto. But when fate darkens their lives and damns them as doomed political pawns, Alma can't help but wonder if the curse is not, in fact, very real. In another century, another writer is fascinated by Alma's tragic story. Drawn restlessly to Yucat?n—and away from the stifling needs of her desperately ill partner—Sage Sanborn is tempted by her growing feelings for David, a scientist who encourages her to delve deeper into Alma's history. And in this ancient place of mystery and spirits, Sage must make an impossible decision that will forever change the course of her life.
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The Sacr ed W ell A Novel Antoinette May To my husband, Charles Herndon, whose patience and practicality made The Sacred Well a reality. En lak ech. You are the other me. —A Mayan saying Contents Epigraph iii 1 A Storm Warning 1 2 Dos Peregrinas? 10 3 My Destino 27 4 Mouth of the Well of the Wizards 41 5 The Red Devil with Green Eyes 53 6 The Temple of Kukulkan 69 7 Hunac Ceel’s Legacy 80 8 Secrets 89 9 The View from the Top 98 10 Another Life 107 11 Encounter with Kukulkan 120 12 The Case for Simón Ruiz 129 13 A Perfect Martini 144 14 The Cenote Gives Up Its Secrets 155 15 The Palace of the Governor 166 16 Into the Abyss 179 17 A Final Farewell 186 18 If You’re Going to Kill Me 194 19 Making Headlines 203 20 My Next Assignment 211 21 A Pair of Risk-Takers 225 22 Forgetting Felipe 241 23 The Good Life 253 24 The Nature of an Affair 261 25 La Peregrina’s Journey 274 26 Valencia’s Advice 285 27 Day of the Dead 298 28 Pixan-Halal 313 29 Home Again 325 30 Again Yucatán 337 31 A Good Life? 354 Epilogue 372 Author’s Note 377 Timeline 379 Acknowledgments 381 About the Author Other Books by Antoinette May Credits Cover Copyright About the Publisher 1 SAGE Yucatán, the present day érida is an ancient city, sensual and sophisticated. I loved it on sight and dreamed of getting lost there, a fantasy that haunts me still. As special guests, our wooden chairs had been placed on a small dais in the center of tiny Parque Santa Lucía. Sitting in the front row, making notes, I watched couples dance on an improvised stage. Dark-suited men darted like moths. Women in white whirled coquettishly, trays of champagne glasses delicately balanced on their heads. I knew about balancing acts, have gotten good at them. Not now, not tonight, I pleaded to—to whom? Ixchel; this was her territory. I want to have fun tonight, I told the Mayan moon goddess. This is my time. M A ntoi net t e May Leaning back, I fluttered a sandalwood fan against the sultry night, savoring the quaint old park with its graceful archways and lush plantings. The mariachi band sounded great: horns, violins, lots of guitars. When lightning sliced the sky I sat up with a start. A low roar echoed in the distance