I closed my eyes, and seconds later I was on the path in the Guatemalan highlands that I knew so well. I started the walk up the hill. And then I heard them, the screams from my nightmare-memories of the Mayan village. I ran the rest of the way. When I got there, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The scene was almost exactly the same as I’d been seeing it. Only the people were different. I pushed through the crowd that was running with buckets and stopped near the center of the village. Their sacred ceiba was in flames! I ducked behind a tree and gleamed back to the compound.
“It’s him! It’s Akil! He’s doing all of this. He’s bringing chaos all over again!”
“Are you sure?” Adriana asked.
“I’m positive! And I have to stop him before it’s too late!”
“Do you have that kind of power, My?” Matt asked.
“I don’t know. But I just came from the Mayan village. It’s just like it was before. Just like in my memories. I have to help them!”
Nate stood up. “Maya, do you have any way of locating Akil?”
I thought about this for a moment and then nodded. “I think so. I think I can locate him the same way I would anything else.” I closed my eyes and focused my thoughts on Akil. “Yeah, I can see him.” I tried to look more closely. “But I’m not sure where he is.”
I heard Nate respond. “Is there a landmark nearby? Anything at all that stands out?”
“There’s a tall white statue high above a city near the ocean. Wait, is it… Jesus? With his hands wide out?” I opened one eye.
Nate hurried over to the computer and typed in a search. Then he turned the screen so I could see it. “Does it look like this by any chance?”
“Yes! That’s it.”
Adriana gasped. “Christ the Redeemer.”
Nate nodded. “He’s in Rio.”
“I’ve got to go there!”
“I’m going with you,” Matt said.
“No, no way. You don’t know what he’s capable of, Matt.” The protective instinct flared in my gut once again, and I did my best to push it down.
“Neither do you. You’re not going without me.”
“He’ll kill you!”
“No, he won’t.” How could he sound so damn calm? “You won’t let him.”
“Rio is far away,” Cesar said. “Maya, is there some way you can get us all there?”
“Ummm, no, I don’t think so. I’ve gleamed with Akil, but that’s just one other person.”
“There’s no time, Maya. You’ll have to choose,” Richard said.
My hand went immediately to Matt’s. But when I looked at the other people standing around me, I just couldn’t move. Then I remembered how I had pushed Matt and Cesar through portals to stop them from fighting. It seemed like ages ago. “Okay,” I said hesitantly, “but this could be dangerous, and you guys need to know that.” I looked around at my friends and realized that none of them looked the least bit doubtful. I thought for a minute. “Okay, everyone take hands and create a circle. No matter what happens, don’t let go.”
With Matt on one side of me and Cesar on the other, I thought of Rio and pulled as much power from the earth as I dared. They were all human after all, even though they were shifters. And Nate wasn’t even that. I didn’t know exactly how much k’ul their bodies could take. In the few seconds that it took to get to Rio, I knew I had pushed my powers to the limit. I had aimed at the other side of a big mountain I had seen Akil near, but instead we ended up on a pathway near the other end and way too freaking close for comfort. I bent over, panting and trying to catch my breath.
“Are you all right?” Matt asked.
“Yeah. Just out of breath.” I looked up. “You all okay?”
“We’re all fine,” Nate said. “Well done.”
“Where are we?” Cesar asked.
“In Rio,” Richard said. “Sugarloaf Mountain.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The screaming stopped any questions that might have formed in my mind. I turned to see Akil throwing fireballs all the way across the bay at the city.
I turned to Matt. “I can’t do this. There’s no way I can compete with that.”
“Are you sure?”
“I can’t, Matt, I know it. I know what it’s like to be at full power now. Sure, I’ve got some of it back, but I’m just not there yet. I may never be.”
I turned back around and watched my once best friend as he slowly and coldly demolished the city, a city filled with people. I felt my eyes grow hot, but I refused to let the tears come. I had to stop this. The old me would have blamed herself. But I wasn’t that girl anymore, and Akil wasn’t doing this out of love. Maybe he loved me. Maybe he didn’t. It didn’t matter. What he was doing was unthinkable. He had to be stopped.
And I was the only one who could do it.
“He senses my presence,” I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. “I need you guys to get back behind the building for the lift. Now.”
“Maya!” Akil called up from the edge of the cliff, “I’m so glad you could join me!” His voice echoed in a loud boom that sent chills down my spine. His hair was all disheveled, his clothes were dirty, and his eyes had this wild look in them. It was like he was totally detached, as if he wasn’t really seeing what he was doing.
“Akil!” I hollered back. “You have to stop this!”
He suddenly appeared in front of me. “Why? It’s just a few humans. Oh, that’s right.” He smiled at me like a madman. “They mean more to you than I do. Go away, Maya.”
“They don’t mean more to me.”
“Oh? Is that why you crawled away and let yourself die after your precious human lover was killed? You didn’t care enough to stay alive for me then, and you still wouldn’t now.”
“I loved you then and I love you now.”
He laughed the most inhuman, monstrous laugh. “What? Like a brother?”
“Please, Akil. We’ll go to the Otherworld and see the Elders together. You can ask for forgiveness. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”
“What, so they can destroy me like they did Akina? No, thank you. Now take your playmates and go home before someone gets hurt.”
“I can’t let you do this, Akil. I won’t.”
“Who’s going to stop me, Maya? You?
He gleamed back to the cliff’s edge and started bombarding the city again. Talking was obviously not going to work. He was nuttier than Victrixa. The city would be in ruins within minutes. Think, Maya, think! I began to pull energy from the earth, opening my body to the k’ul the way I had done at Chichen Itza. Only this time, I prayed I would be able to contain more of it. As I quickly reached and then surpassed the amount I had used on the solstice, my hands started glowing. Just when I felt like I might explode, I raised both hands, palms toward Akil, and let go.
The raw power that erupted from my hands was so strong it nearly knocked me down. But it found its target, hitting Akil squarely in the back. His back was burned. He shot forward. When I thought he’d had enough, I stopped the flow, only to see the great wound on his back begin to close. He turned to me and let out a nasty howl of frustration. Then he took a deep breath and seemed to calm down.
“That was a lot of power,” he yelled. “I’m impressed. But you seem to have forgotten a very important rule. Gods can’t kill other gods, Maya. Have I taught you nothing? How about a little demonstration.” He formed a fireball with one hand and threw it straight at me.
I dove to the ground, yelping as it hit me on my left shoulder. But even as it was burning, I could feel my body healing itself.
“That was just a warning shot,” he hissed. “Next time, I won’t miss. Now go home.”
I got to my feet and faced him again. “No, Akil. This planet is my home! I’m not going to stand by and watch you destroy it.” I held up my hands and let another blast of powerful k’ul hit him in the chest. He gasped, and as I watched, his body absorbed the wound again.
He shook his head. “Why do you ins
ist on playing these games? Do you want me to hurt you, is that it? I could, you know. You’re not Maya. Not the Maya you used to be.”
“Maybe not, Akil. But that Maya wouldn’t have stood by while you destroyed everything she loved!”
“Why not? She destroyed everything I loved. She destroyed herself. You destroyed yourself! You just left me here alone to face an eternity of emptiness. Do you know what that felt like?” His face was contorted with pain and rage.
All I could do was shake my head, because he was right. I didn’t know. And in spite of everything, I felt for him. I really did. I had no idea what it would be like to face eternity alone and imprisoned in the darkness of the Underworld. I couldn’t even imagine.
He grimaced. “No, you wouldn’t. You were too much of a coward to face it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Notice that I’m not just letting myself wither away because I lost someone.”
I crossed my arms. “No, you’re just slaughtering innocents and destroying the earth, killing humans who couldn’t possibly fight back. Oh, no.” I made my tone as sarcastic as I could. “That’s not cowardly at all. What do you think Akina would say to this?”
The rage on his face told me I’d gone too far. He raised his hands and threw flames directly at me. I was too slow to react. Raising my hands to protect my face, I screamed. Then I fell backward and slammed on the ground.
“Maya!”
Within moments, Matt was kneeling beside me and lifting me in his arms.
“No, Matt,” I managed. “No.”
“It’s okay. He’s back on the cliffs.” He carried me behind the building and laid me down gently.
“Oh, no.” It was Adriana. “Oh, Maya—”
“No, it’s all right,” Nate said. “She’s already beginning to heal herself. See? Watch the burns on her face and hands.”
Matt brushed my hair off my forehead. “It’s okay, babe, you’re gonna be all right. Just rest a minute.” He looked up at our friends. “We can’t let her go back out there. He’ll kill her.”
“What other choice do we have?” Richard asked.
Cesar shook his said. “No, I agree with Matt. It’s too dangerous.”
“Hey, I’m right here,” I said. I pushed myself onto my elbows. My strength was beginning to come back. “Look, like it or not, I’m all we’ve got. I’ll just have to find a way.”
Nate stepped forward. “Maya, I’m afraid I’m going to have to agree with Matt and Cesar. You’re not going to be able to defeat him with mere force.”
I sighed. Then, totally without thinking, I said, “I wish Damian were here. He’d know what to do.” I knew what I’d done the moment I said it. I may not have been able to defeat Akil, but in one fell swoop I’d wiped out both Nate and Cesar with my big mouth. “Oh, you guys, I’m so sorry!”
Nate cracked half a smile. “No, Maya, you’re right. Damian would know. You honor him by saying so.”
I looked up at Cesar. He gave me a quick nod.
I stood up, brushed myself off, and refocused on Akil.
Before I could take a step, Matt grabbed my hand. “You’re not going back out there?”
I leaned down to where he was sitting and kissed him. As I did, I let my love for him build inside me until he was trembling and I knew he was feeling it. Then I turned to the rest of my friends.
“If I don’t come back—”
“Maya…” Adriana began.
“No, please, let me say this. If I don’t come back, promise me you won’t give up on the twins.”
Richard gave a strong nod. “We won’t. You have our word.”
I gave him a quick smile. “Thank you.”
I turned and slowly peered out from behind the little building. Akil was now flying above the city, hurling fireballs anywhere and everywhere. Freaking fabulous. How the hell was I supposed to get to him up there? I had started the walk back down the lookout when I heard yelling behind me.
“Wait! Maya, wait!”
Nate was running toward me. I stopped in my tracks. Akil was flying at me with incredible speed.
“No, Nate! Go back!” I screamed.
Akil threw a fireball and hit Nate squarely on the chest.
I got to him just as he hit the ground. “Let me heal you,” I said as I tore his shirt open.
“There’s no time,” he said, breathless.
“But I can—”
“No. Listen to me.” His voice was barely a whisper. “You must declare yourself a god, Maya, just as you once renounced it.”
“But I don’t know how to do that!”
“It’s the only way.” His eyes closed.
***
Matt stood up and tried to run for Nate, but someone was holding him back. It was Richard.
“I’ve gotta get to them!”
“No! Wait till Akil’s flown off again. You can’t help either of them if you’re dead.”
Matt watched as Akil soared back out over the harbor toward the city.
“It’s clear,” Cesar said from behind him.
They all ran out toward Nate, and Richard knelt down next to him and checked for a pulse. “He’s alive!”
“His breathing is shallow, but it’s there,” Adriana said. “Let’s get his shirt off and see what we’re dealing with.”
“What the?” Matt had turned his head to find Maya and spotted her walking out toward the railing of the overlook. As he watched, she climbed over it and started walking out toward the cliff.
Adriana looked up. “What is she doing? Matt, go and get her!”
“No.” Nate’s voice was barely audible.
Maya was standing with her back to them now, motionless, at the edge of the cliff. What was she doing? Watching Akil? She was too exposed there.
Without warning, she fell to her knees and let out a cry so terrifying it nearly stopped Matt’s heart in his chest. He ran to the railing and started to jump over it just as Maya curled in on herself and let out another heart wrenching wail. He froze. The sound of her cry didn’t resonate right. He tried to move, but he couldn’t do it. Maya screamed again. Then there was a crunching sound, like the snapping of bones, and suddenly her shirt began to rip. Matt could see something white pushing through the cloth. Wings.
That’s when he moved. He leapt over the guardrail and sprinted toward his mate. Adrenaline pushed through every part of his body. He ran so fast, he almost couldn’t stop as he neared the edge of the cliff. Maya was still crouched over, facing away from him, her wings reaching high above his head. As she stood up, he realized that her height now almost matched his own. She began to turn, and as she did, her ordinary clothing was replaced by a flowing white robe. Matt gasped. He looked at her face and fell back, stunned by her beauty. But as he looked into her eyes, there was something distant and cold about them that he didn’t recognize.
“Maya?”
At the sound of his voice, her gaze softened and her eyes warmed. She touched the side of his face and ran her thumb gently along his lips. Then the coldness returned. She turned, walked to the edge of the cliff, and with a great push took off into the air. She seemed to be flying toward Akil, but then she changed direction, and he saw that she was gliding toward Sugarloaf Mountain. As if drawn to her, Akil had turned in mid-flight. He began to follow her. She landed at the very top of the mountain. Akil came down in the low-lying area between Sugarloaf and the overlook. It was filled with the remains of charred trees.
“Maya?” Akil’s voice boomed so loudly that it almost deafened Matt, who was nearly a mile away.
Maya turned to face Akil. “There’s something you should know,” she said. “You’ve just pissed off Mother Nature.”
She gestured with one hand, and the ground beneath Akil began to shake.
“Maya! Maya, no!” He tried to take off, but she focused both palms on him and hit him with so much power that he was knocked on his back.
Matt felt the earthquake-like movement under his feet an
d ran toward the railings. He easily hopped over them. “Hang on!” he yelled as he headed for the other shifters. The mountain under the overlook was already shaking violently.
“Adri!” Richard yelled. He crawled over to his mate, pulled her to him, and grabbed onto the nearest railing.
Suddenly, there was a great groan, and Matt looked up just in time to see the earth beneath Akil split apart. He screamed as he fell into the great abyss. Then Maya waved her other hand, and the earth closed. The shifters held on to one another as the tremors returned. Matt looked up just in time to see his mate take flight. Higher and higher she climbed, and then she turned toward the east and was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The main house was quiet as Matt walked down the hallway to the kitchen. Richard and Adriana had stayed in Rio to be at the hospital with Nate, so he and Cesar had made the trip back to the compound on their own. That was awesome. With Rio in a shambles, finding transportation had been a nightmare until Richard finally chartered them a plane. Even then, it had taken them almost three days until the pilot found an air field with a functioning runway.
Matt opened the fridge. He pushed past Maya’s Diet Cokes and grabbed a Classic. Walking over to the living area, he stood in front of all the televisions. They were all on mute. He picked up a remote and hit the volume.
…just as quickly as it all started. Yet still, no one is even sure exactly what took place. One minute, it’s like the apocalypse. Cities such as Marrakech, Paris, and Rio experienced showers of what some believe to be small meteorites. Temperatures also rose across the globe. Reports upwards of fifteen-degree increases within just minutes came into our studio. And, of course, none of this explains what is perhaps the most mind-boggling part of all this. People throughout the world are now reporting that their cities and towns are being miraculously restored…
He hit mute again. Catchya later, Anderson. The world was getting put back together almost as fast as it had fallen apart. He would love to go on 20/20 and tell the world that it had all been the work of some douchebag deity and that his mate was the one putting Humpty Dumpty together again. But it was enough just to see it happening.
Jaguar Moon (Jaguar Sun Series Book 2) Page 17
