We returned the boat to the dock where we’d found it (Ren was a good influence on the god of death) and grabbed a taxi. As soon as we were inside the car, Ah-Puch told the driver “Take us to the most opulent resort in town.” Rosie was too big to fit into the backseat, so she ran alongside the cab. A few minutes later, we had zipped through the colorful bustling town and into a torch-lit tunnel dotted with chandeliers. Emerging from it felt like coming out of a long dream. Rocky hills surrounded us, and the turquoise sea stretched across the horizon as palm trees swayed like they were waving hello. A line of staff waited at the entrance of what looked like a Mediterranean mansion.
Ah-Puch smiled. “Yes, this will do quite nicely.”
“Nicely?” Ren’s mouth fell open. “This is, like, better than a castle or the White House or…Check out the view and—”
“And we need to hurry,” I said, reminding them we weren’t here on some vacation. I had to find the Fire Keeper. But even I was having a hard time not being totally impressed.
Ah-Puch waltzed inside like he owned the place, and some employee named Javier followed him around like he did. I hung back, watching Ah-Puch flirt with the lady behind the check-in counter. She smiled. No, that’s not right. She practically fell over herself trying to find the biggest and most luxurious suite for him. I didn’t get it. I mean, he was wearing a dingy white T-shirt that looked like it had shrunk ten sizes, his too-short pants were grubby at best, and he smelled like garlic and old cheese. Maybe the god of death could smooth-talk his way into anything…and his new face probably didn’t hurt. Whatever.
And when it came time for payment? Ah-Puch just leaned closer and whispered, “Put it on my tab.”
I thought I’d misheard, because surely Puke Face didn’t have accounts all over the place. Turns out I was right. He used Kukuulkaan’s credit. Apparently, my dad’s old friend (also known as K’ukumatz, or Mat to his friends) has an arrangement with a five-star hotel in every city in the world. No joke. I guess Mat likes to travel.
The stars blinked awake as the sky darkened and our “concierge” led us to our casita. Personally, I’d call the freestanding two-story house a mini mansion. Not only did we have our own private yard and beach, but the place had high ceilings lined with dark wood beams, French doors, stone floors, two fireplaces, a hot tub, and a killer view of the ocean. Never mind the chips and guacamole that were waiting for us when we got there. Oh, and did I mention the room came with an on-call butler? I was bummed Hondo and Brooks weren’t there to see this over-the-top place. Actually, I was bummed they weren’t with me for any of this. I bet Brooks would have ripped those bats to shreds. I just hoped that for once she listened to me and went home.
As soon as we were alone, I launched a million questions at Ah-Puch about the monsters and how they’d found us. Ah-Puch just raised a single finger and said, “Not until I am clean and in a decent suit.”
I wondered why he couldn’t just conjure up a slick suit, like he did when I released him from his prison. Or had that been Muwan’s doing?
Within the hour, his new clothes were delivered, everyone had washed up, and room service had brought dinner: quesadillas and papaya and pineapple wedges for me and Ren, five raw steaks for Rosie, and a one-hundred-year-old bottle of tequila for Ah-Puch. I guess the bat blood had been enough to curb his appetite—for the time being.
He quickly told us that the bats were likely the minions of some bat god named Camazotz, who used to live in the House of Bats in Xib’alb’a and whose whole job was to bite off travelers’ heads. He’d been exiled for reasons Ah-Puch couldn’t remember, and no one had heard from the guy since.
“Camazotz as in the planet in A Wrinkle in Time?” asked Ren.
“What’s a wrinkle in time?” Ah-Puch looked confused.
“A book,” Ren said. “And also a Disney movie.”
Ah-Puch raised his eyebrows. “Does this Disney know Camazotz?”
“No, I mean…” she faltered. “Did you say bat god?”
“Yes.” Ah-Puch adjusted his cuffs and picked a piece of lint off his dark blazer.
“But…” Ren picked at her tortilla. “How did they find me?”
“Your magic is pretty thick,” Ah-Puch said with a heavy voice. “It attracted them, but it was also why they couldn’t hurt you. Even their sharp little teeth can’t penetrate that kind of power.”
I looked from Ah-Puch to Ren. “Is it like some kind of super Maya magic that protects you, Ren?” Was this what she had been trying to tell me back in San Miguel?
Ah-Puch rubbed his knuckles along with jaw. “Not Maya, but that’s not the important question. The better question is, why did Camazotz send his cronies to snatch her? Not that I care, mind you. Just trying to help your tiny human brain stay on track.”
“I guess my tiny human brain is still on the not-Maya track,” I said. “What did you mean?”
“Zane,” Ren said, “you look…kinda pale and tired. You should go to sleep.”
Before I could answer, her arm jerked forward, knocking her glass to the floor, where it shattered. And then she was frozen, locked in one of her trances. Her body slumped, and Ah-Puch caught her before she fell onto the broken glass.
He picked her up and carried her to the sofa, where he laid her down gently, like she was made of china. Stretching his back, his eyes met mine. “No sense having her crack her head open. We’re going to need her.” But I knew he didn’t catch her only because he was thinking about himself. He liked Ren and didn’t want to admit it.
Ah-Puch watched as I quickly cleaned up the shards of glass with a thick towel.
“What do you know about her?” I shook the towel over the trash.
“Not my secret to tell,” he said. “And before you threaten me with the Empty, telling you other people’s business was not part of our deal.”
I could feel my blood starting to boil. “She was about to tell me in San Miguel and then you showed up, and I kinda think it’s important to know….”
“Why?”
“Because it could be the kind of secret that lands our heads on spikes!”
“Yes, well, lots of scenarios could lead to our heads being put on spikes. For example, the fact that you have not managed to summon and control your fire power.” He hardened his gaze and hesitated before adding, “And since I plan to return to my former state of glory, I’m obviously going to have to teach you a thing or two. To keep our heads off the spikes.”
I took a small step closer. “You want to train me?”
“Who said anything about ‘want’ or ‘train’?” He folded his arms across his chest.
“Fine, but why did you tell me back on the boat that I’d control the fire soon?” I thought about the smoke that had trailed from my fingers to make a protective net around Ren. How my mind was on auto-don’t-die-pilot like it had been back in Xib’alb’a. Was that the secret? Was my power more of an instinct than a skill?
Ah-Puch buttoned his jacket with one hand. “Explaining it to you would be like explaining the universe to a beetle. I am not about to waste my precious short-lived energy on such a task. But I will give you this one free morsel of wisdom: Do not try to control the fire. Surrender to it.”
He was for sure loco. Loco and confusing, and I couldn’t believe I was even entertaining anything the god of death told me.
“Yeah, great advice,” I said. “I’ll just wave a white flag.”
“When I acted as the god of death, darkness, and destruction, I surrendered to the power of all three. I became one with each in order to reach my fullest potential. Does your human mustard seed of a brain get what I am telling you?”
My cheeks prickled with heat. “My dad said that if I didn’t release the fire it would destroy me, and now you’re telling me to surrender to it?” Maybe this was his way of doing me in for good.
His expression was blank. “What part don’t you understand?”
“How do I let it out and surrender at the same time?”
“You are half god. I suggest you start remembering that.” He clapped once. “Well, that’s all I’ve got, because I have to spend my vitality on sniffing out some answers while I still have this beautiful blood magic flowing through my veins.”
“Sniff?”
“I, the true ruler of the underworld, have the best tracking skills of any of the gods. How do you think I found all those souls trying to hide back when I was reaper? Surely I can unearth the dark mysteries surrounding those bats. And who knows? Maybe I can also find some clues about this Fire Keeper of yours.”
“No way. Not without me,” I said. I didn’t trust him on the loose in the real world. Who knew what kind of trouble he’d cause?
He shook his head. “You’ll only be a distraction. Besides, Ren’s right. You look awful. You need to”—he looked me up and down—“I don’t know…take another shower, brush your hair, get some sun.”
“It’s nighttime.”
“Just stick around here, in case more of Zotz’s minions head this way. It won’t take him long to realize his wretched bats haven’t returned with the gold.” He nodded toward Ren.
If Ah-Puch was right about who the bats reported to, Camazotz was just another disgruntled god hell-bent on revenge. Was he behind the kidnapping of the other godborns, too? What did he have planned? Something told me we’d only scratched the surface of however many layers deep this went into Maya madness.
“One hour,” I said.
I couldn’t put all my bets on Ah-Puch succeeding. I had to find my own way and fast.
After he left, I made a quick call to Mom from the hotel phone. Actually, I called the office, because I knew the phone would ring through to voice mail. Trust me, it made things easier if I didn’t have to talk to her live.
Mom’s cheery voice came on. “You’ve reached Maya Adventures. We’re closed right now, but if you leave a message after the tone, we’ll be sure to return your call just as soon as we can.” Her message was repeated in Spanish and then came the dreaded beep.
“Hey, Mom. It’s me, Zane.” What a stupid thing to say. “I, uh…Did you get my email? We’re all still okay and should be home soon…. Don’t be mad. It’s really important. I did some stuff, and now people are in trouble because of me, and I have to fix it. You always say I should try to fix my mistakes.” I took a shaky breath. Rosie’s dark eyes bored into me, and she let out a yelp. “Rosie says hi. Okay, that’s all. Light a candle for me. Bye.”
I hung up. Rosie licked her chops and let out a long breathy grunt that said She’s so going to kill you. Yeah, well, she could get in line behind Brooks and Hondo, and maybe even the godborns once they figured out it was my fault they’d been abducted. Then there was the mastermind (most likely Zotz) behind all this, who no doubt wanted to flay me. And let’s not forget the death magic that was starting to feel like a noose around my neck, tightening with every second.
Rosie and I headed outside to the fire pit that was already roaring, thanks to some unseen employee. A bar of moonlight glistened across the dark ocean in a trail of shimmering white.
“The Red Queen said to listen to the flame,” I told Rosie as I sat in a wicker chair, setting Fuego down as I leaned close to the fire. Rosie wagged her tail and dove into the pit, grabbing a burning log with her jaws.
“No fire fetch now, girl.”
Rosie dropped the log back in, snorted a trail of smoke, and settled onto her belly. The fire crackled and sparked.
“Hello?” I said, now sticking my head into the pit. Maybe I had to be super close to hear the message. (Do not try this at home.)
A tiny flame leaped out of the pit.
I jerked backward and saw it land on a side glass table, where it fizzled, but not before I noticed a leather binder sitting there. Inside were pages of Cabo tour sites and activities.
Flipping through them, I landed on an advertisement. My heart came to a screeching halt.
There, in the back of the book, was a photo of a huge rock formation in the shape of an arch sticking out of the sea. Big gold words were printed across the bottom:
EL ARCO, THE GATEWAY TO ANOTHER WORLD.
COME SEE LAND’S END.
“Rosie!” My palms began to sweat. “The Red Queen told me to go to Land’s End, where two worlds meet. This looks pretty much like an entrance, doesn’t it?”
She studied the picture, sniffing it suspiciously.
Quickly, I scanned the small print. The tour company was closed for the day. I picked up the outdoor phone and dialed the concierge, hoping someone from the hotel could tell me how to get to Land’s End. But the señora who answered told me El Arco was only accessible by boat, and none would run again until the morning. Luckily, it was only a few minutes’ cruise from the resort. I could get there myself, as long as I could find a boat or a surfboard or an inner tube or anything that floated.
Rosie whined and danced on her paws impatiently. I knew she wanted to swim me to Land’s End. “I can’t let you take me,” I said, glancing inside the casita. “You need to protect Ren. It’s a big job, Rosie. You have to promise me you won’t let anything happen to her. I’ll hurry back.” She blinked slowly like she understood, her soft brown eyes shining in the firelight, and for half a second, I saw the old Rosie. My heart melted. “That’s my good girl.”
* * *
The shore was empty and, you guessed it, there were no boats (or surfboards or inner tubes) anywhere. Maybe I could use a chunk of wood or…Just then, I heard a familiar cry-howl-growl in the palm tree above.
Slowly, I looked up.
A banana peel fell onto my face.
The monkey was back. I tossed the stinky peel back at the beast. “You dropped something!”
The monkey flashed its long fangs in a half sneer, half smile. Then he motioned for me to follow him as he leaped to the next tree, using his long tail as a fifth limb.
“Seriously?” I tightened my fingers around Fuego. “You expect me to follow you? I don’t even know you!” Maybe hallucinations were a side effect of the death magic.
An old couple walked up, eyeing me like I was some wack kid talking to trees.
“Hey, uh…” I said as they were passing, “do you see that monkey up there?”
The couple glanced up, and just when I thought they might shake their heads and call me loco, they smiled, pointed, and said something in French. They snapped a quick picture with their phone and left.
Okay, so I wasn’t crazy.
Once they were out of earshot, I looked back at the hairy rascal. “How do I know you’re not an evil monkey demon trying to lead me into some awful trap?”
The primate rolled his eyes, palm-smacked his forehead, and threw another banana peel at me. Where in the heck was he getting all these? Did he have a hidden pocket or something?
“Hey!” I held up Fuego. “I’ve got a killer spear, and I’m not afraid to use it!”
He grunted, climbed down from the tree, and raced out to the darkened shore. I glanced over my shoulder, half expecting an army of apes to be waiting for me. But all was clear, so I followed him to the beach, where a dinghy was waiting. The monkey climbed inside, grabbed the oars (which looked like long bones I really hoped weren’t human), and howled at me like I was taking too long. Man, he had big teeth.
“You think I’m going to get in a rowboat with a…?”
When I saw his arm go to his side, I thought he might attack me with another banana, but instead he pulled out a postcard of El Arco and tossed it toward me with an annoyed grunt.
“You’re going to Land’s End?”
He smacked his lips together and peeled them back, showing all his choppers. Eee-eee-eee.
I took that as a yes and climbed into the boat. The monkey scratched his head and began rowing like a champ (he’d for sure done this before). Once we were past the breakers, he stood. Here it was. He was going to pull out a dagger and stab me to death.
I readied Fuego. In a flash of pale blue light, the monkey tr
ansformed into a human. The dude had curly black hair that sparkled like each strand was laced with stardust. He was tall, skinny, and wore wire-rimmed glasses with mirrored lenses, so I couldn’t see his eyes. Even his long blue robe shimmered, and I thought maybe Ren was right about aliens. This guy looked like he’d come from the moon.
“Who are you?” I saw my own reflection in his glasses, trying not to show fear over being in the middle of the sea with a sparkly dude in a robe.
He didn’t answer me. Not at first. Instead he stared—or I guessed he was staring. He sat back down and said in a low voice, “I am Itzamna.”
“Itz…who?” And then I realized I recognized his voice. My insides felt like they were dying a slow death.
He tugged off his glasses. His eyes were as black as a starless sky. But they were circled in a silvery light that matched his sparkling hair. Even his dark skin glittered like quartz. “I am the moon god, bringer of writing and culture, creator of the calendar, and father to the Bakabs. And you are Zane Obispo.”
“You’re not the Fire Keeper.”
“No.”
“You…you’re the one who’s been whispering to me.”
“In the flesh.”
Crap! Crappity crap crap crap! Had I made the worst mistake ever, wasting all this time on a maybe? Quinn’s words haunted me: My dad used to tell me anyone who believes something is foolproof is likely to be proven a fool. And I was the biggest fool this side of Idiotsville.
I swallowed my disappointment. “Why are you here?”
Was that the right thing to say to a shimmery god you’d never met and who, like the other gods, might want to behead you?
Then the shocking realization hit me like a thirty-foot wave. He could see me! So much for my so-called “expert” death magic camouflage. Thanks, Ixtab! I edged back. “Are you here to…kill me?” Might as well get the truth right up front.
Itzamna threw back his head and let out a musical laugh. I swear, that’s the best way to describe it. It was like he had a whole symphony in his mouth or something. “No, I am not here to kill you,” he said. “If I’d wanted to, I could have struck you down long ago. I’ve been watching you for some time.”
The Fire Keeper Page 21
