Maya and the Return of the Godlings

by Rena Barron

  “I told you not to trust that thing, but neither of you ever listen to me,” said Eli under his breath.

  I studied the mountains on the new path to the Crystal Palace. “We should’ve known that if there were a map to the Lord of Shadows’ hideout, it wouldn’t be that easy. The darkbringer boy at the camp said that the palace was top secret, so maybe the map is boobytrapped.”

  “I think you can drop the ‘maybe’ part,” Eli said.

  I bit my tongue. This was not the time to be funny or cynical. Every moment we wasted in the Dark put Papa at greater risk. We had to figure this out, and soon. I glanced over my shoulder. The city loomed at our backs, watching our every move. Nulan was there. Rovey, too, if she hadn’t put an end to him.

  “Now that Nulan knows we’re here, when she’s done with Rovey, she’ll come after us.” I stuffed the map in my backpack. “We keep going, but we have to be more careful. I don’t see another choice.”

  “Nulan said the Lord of Shadows needs you alive—so we can use that to our advantage, right?” Frankie asked, emphasis on the word needs, which only made my skin crawl. “She knows that she can’t kill you, although she doesn’t seem to have any qualms about killing us.”

  “I can see it now when she delivers Maya to the Lord of Shadows.” Eli bowed his head and groveled. “She’ll be like, ‘O Lord, the mightiest of the mighty, king of slithery things, the god of the Dark, the . . .’”

  “We get the point, Eli,” I said, forcing down a smile.

  Frankie fiddled with her crooked glasses. “Why do you have to be so extra?”

  “The same reason why you have to be so nerdy,” Eli retorted.

  We reached a sign at the base of the mountain that pointed out several trails. “I don’t know why the Lord of Shadows would need me alive.”

  “You’re the only one who can stop the veil from failing with your father sick,” Eli suggested. “He probably wants to guarantee that you’ll be out of the way.”

  “I don’t quite buy that.” I frowned. “He could let Nulan or Rovey kill me.”

  “He’ll have a better chance of winning if the veil is completely gone,” Frankie said. “But I don’t think it’s that simple.”

  “Exactly my point,” I mumbled to myself.

  We studied the sign. Each trail had an estimated distance and time to get from one side of the mountain to the other. “The shortest trail is straight up,” I said, “but it looks pretty steep. It could be dangerous, especially at night.”

  “Which is the safest route?” Eli asked, poking his head over my shoulder.

  “The trail along the side of the mountain,” Frankie answered. “But that one takes almost three times as long.”

  Even though I wanted to get to the palace fast, it didn’t make sense to take the most treacherous path. Besides, Nulan knew that we were desperate and might think we would risk it. “I vote for the safest,” I said. Frankie and Eli seconded and thirded the vote.

  Fog curled around the mountain, and we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us. The trail was barely visible with a wall of rocks on one side and a wall of darkness on the other. Eli picked up a pebble and threw it over the side. It cracked against something and kept bouncing before it finally stopped.

  Frankie took a step back. “We’re going to want to stay far away from the edges.”

  “This may work to our advantage,” I said, and they both looked at me like I had lost my mind. “I mean, think about it. It’s foggy out, and there are tons of trails. Nulan and her patrol can’t know which one we took if we cover our tracks. They’ll have to divide their forces to check each path. And Rovey said that his magic left a mark on us. We only need to stay one step ahead of him until it wears off.”

  “And this path is so narrow that they’ll have to walk in a single-file line,” Frankie added. “That should slow them down—assuming that the darkbringers avoid flying in the fog.”

  “That’s looking on the bright side,” Eli grumbled. “Miss Safest Route.”

  Speaking of single-file lines, that was the only way we could traverse the trail, too. At first, the route was okay. It was clear of debris and wide enough to make us almost forget the deadly cliffs below. Frankie and I took turns covering our tracks. She used her energy to smooth out the dirt, and I called forth wind with the staff to do the same. We walked for hours, and my feet hurt more with every step. We came to a part of the path that was not so much a trail as it was a slope with loose rocks.

  “There is no way I’m going over that!” Eli protested. “Especially at night.”

  “He’s right, Maya,” Frankie said, rubbing her eyes. “We’re tired, and we haven’t heard anyone following us. Maybe Nulan will wait until morning.”

  Even if I didn’t want to stop, we couldn’t climb across the stretch of rocky terrain at night. We couldn’t see how far it went even with the light from the staff, which got eaten up by the fog. “But you’re right,” I conceded. “We’ll start again at daybreak.”

  “Good,” Eli said, “because I’m hungry.”

  Frankie slid down to take a seat beside the rockface. “You’re always hungry.”

  “Hey,” Eli said. “I’m a growing boy.”

  We ate and huddled together against the mountain, too scared to move closer to the edge of the trail. The night was silent except for the occasional howling and wingbeats. Both sounded too close for comfort. I kept imagining Nulan creeping down the side of the mountain to catch us unaware, so I took the first watch.

  When morning came, we saw that a chunk of the trail had fallen away, leaving a six-foot gap. No way we’d be able to jump across it, especially not knowing the condition of the rocks on the other side. Every time I looked down at the endless fog, my palms began to sweat.

  Eli was off taking care of his business while Frankie paced back and forth. She was nervous too, but she didn’t say anything. When Eli returned, she offered him a squirt of her hand sanitizer, which he gladly accepted.

  “I have an idea,” I said, looking across the gap in the trail again, swearing that it was growing wider by the second. I clutched the staff, hoping I could get it to cooperate. The symbols started to glow and peeled away. They floated in the air around us.

  “You can do so much with your magic.” Eli let out a deep sigh. “I guess it’s like Miss Lucille said . . . my magic is more specialized, which translates to not that useful in most situations.”

  “I think it’s because of the staff,” I said, convinced of it. “Remember how Frankie figured out that it was a conduit to channel magic? You should try it one day.”

  “I might just do that.” Eli wiggled his fingers. “I’m sure that I’m destined for greatness.”

  The staff changed into black sand that sparkled with silver. It swooped from my hand to the mountainside, where it curved across the path. A wood walkway appeared piece by piece. The symbols floated to the platform and burned into it.

  “Why does magic always have to be so illogical,” Frankie said. “Wood turning to sand then to wood again. Really?”

  Eli slapped her on the back, laughing. “Yes, we know, don’t Frankiefy us right now, okay?”

  I took a step forward. “I’ll go first.”

  “Next,” Eli yelled before Frankie could.

  She groaned but didn’t protest.

  The wind whipped through my locs, threatening to pull my hair out of my ponytail. I shouldered my backpack and tightened the straps. It was now or never. I sucked in a breath and set off across the bridge of god symbols. I took one careful step after another, watching my feet. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see some of the jagged rocks far below. No one could ever hope to survive a fall here, and that thought made me more nervous.

  I was halfway across the bridge when it swayed in the wind. Eli had climbed on, and the flimsy wood didn’t like the extra weight. The morning dew was settling on the platform, making my sneakers slippery. Eli had made it halfway when Frankie climbed on the bridge, the
n slipped. It happened in slow motion like a scene in a horror movie playing out frame by frame. She went down hard and rolled over the side of the ledge.

  “No,” Eli said, running back for her, but that was a mistake. He slipped too and almost fell.

  I was running to help when something blue cut across my vision, descending from the sky. I saw a flash of a barbed tail, then I knew it was a darkbringer. He moved in and out of the fog so fast that I didn’t see him until he was right there. He crouched against the rockface, peering down at Frankie, who’d managed to grab on to the edge of the wood. He wore all black—like Rovey and his soldiers. My belly flip-flopped.

  “Take my hand if you want to live,” the darkbringer said, his voice as cold as ice.

  Wait. Was he paraphrasing the Terminator? And why was this darkbringer helping us?

  Frankie didn’t take his hand at first. She slipped some more, and he reached again. This time she grabbed his hand, and he yanked her from the bridge and disappeared into the fog.

  “Frankie!” I yelled as her screams echoed against the rocks.

  Eli crawled the rest of the way across the bridge, his face wet with tears. I called the staff back, and it materialized at my side again. Eli pressed his fists hard against his forehead. “The darkbringer took her,” he cried. “Just took her . . .”

  I stood frozen in place, clutching the staff hard enough to make my hand burn. It happened so fast. “We’ll find her,” I said, my voice choked.

  I dropped my head, feeling tired all over. Frankie couldn’t be gone. It was my fault that she’d come to the Dark, and now this was my fault, too. I swiped hard at the tears blurring my eyes, but they kept coming.

  Another flash caught my attention, and I snapped up the staff, ready to fight. The darkbringer who’d stolen Frankie landed in the fog in front of me. This time he wasn’t alone. Someone else stood shrouded in shadows behind him. I stalked toward the darkbringer, heat burning through my body. My skin glowed with blue light. I was going to make him pay.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Friend or foe: Is there really a difference in the Dark?

  As soon as the darkbringer stepped out of the fog, I cursed under my breath. I was both relieved and dismayed to see it was Zeran, the boy we freed at the camp. He wore a black soldier’s uniform, although he didn’t seem to have any weapons.

  He had skin the color of azure with copper freckles across his nose and cheeks. His beautiful jet-black eyes sparkled in the weak morning light. I blinked, squashing all thoughts about his eyes. Maya Janine Abeola, get your head right.

  This was such a betrayal. I had kept my end of the bargain. In exchange for information and the map, I’d set him free. How dare he snatch up Frankie like a thief in the night? He was asking for what he had coming to him. A butt whupping.

  “Where is she?” Eli demanded through gritted teeth.

  “You better start talking now,” I said, the staff aglow in my hand.

  “Is that any way to treat the person who saved Frankie’s life?” the darkbringer asked, his eyes wide as if we’d offended him. “I could’ve let her fall to her death, then she wouldn’t be Frankiefying anyone.”

  It was never a good thing when your enemy knew more about you than you knew about him. He had to have been following us this entire time.

  I took one step toward him. “Listen, Zeran, we’re not here to play games. Where’s Frankie?”

  “Ah, so you know my name. How interesting.”

  The other person, who I’d mistaken for a darkbringer, coughed and made the grossest hacking sound. I thought they’d spit up a lung or something. “Guys, I swallowed a fly,” Frankie said, wobbling out of the fog.

  I let out a shaky breath, and Eli laughed as she stumbled over to him. “Isn’t there supposed to be protein in flies?”

  “Worms have protein.” Frankie bent over and threw up.

  “Not cool!” Eli said, but he was holding back a snicker. He pulled out his phone to snap a photo, but like the last time we were in the Dark, his battery had gone dead. “Ugh, reason number one why this place sucks. I can’t even take embarrassing pictures of my friends.”

  I glanced around to make sure no other darkbringers lingered above or below us. I couldn’t stop thinking about Rovey on the train with Nulan. The enemy of my enemy.

  “Why are you here?” I asked, turning my attention back to the darkbringer.

  “Obviously, I’m here to help.” Zeran gave me a blank stare as if to say I should’ve figured that out by now. “You saved my life at the camp.”

  “Um, no thanks,” Eli butted in after clearing his throat. “You’re our sworn mortal enemy, remember?”

  “I’m not your enemy, Eli,” Zeran snapped. “You should see that by now.”

  Frankie wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “He did save my life.”

  That was true, but I needed to know why. It wasn’t out of the goodness of his heart. He’d been pretty clear with his feelings about godlings at the camp and about my father. “What do you want?”

  Zeran quirked an eyebrow. “Are we speaking the same language or what? I said that I wanted to help you.”

  “Technically, no,” Frankie answered. “We’re actually speaking English. Maya used her staff to make a universal translator. It’s like in the sci-fi shows when aliens from different planets can understand each other, except we’re using magic.”

  The darkbringer frowned. “Ang-lish?”

  “Never mind,” I said, annoyed. “You’ve repaid your debt to me by saving my friend. Now leave us alone.”

  Zeran gazed at me through half-lidded eyes like we were boring him. “I’ve done more than that.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  “I’ll tell you on the way.” Zeran headed up our trail. The nerve. This was our quest. We weren’t going to let some stranger boss us around.

  We walked behind him single file since the path was so narrow, but we didn’t have to like it. His wings, which fluttered against his back, were the same inky color as his eyes and hair. His horns sloped alongside his temples and were a warm shade of brown.

  Not going to lie. He was the kind of guy that got all the attention at school. People would flock to him, not even on account that he was blue, but he had that air about him. You know, when you couldn’t put your finger on what makes something or someone so appealing.

  The darkbringer commander had accused my friends and me of setting his camp on fire—the same fire that had started after I freed Zeran. “You did it, didn’t you?” I accused him. “You burned the camp down.”

  Zeran inhaled a deep breath. He didn’t sound proud when he said, “Yes. I did it to keep the commander off your trail. He’s a good tracker and would’ve caught up with you long before you made it to Zdorra if I hadn’t.”

  The trail started to slope downhill as we descended the other side of the mountain. It was hard enough to walk uphill on loose rocks, but downhill was even worse. The three of us kept stumbling and almost losing our footing while Zeran made it look easy. We’d finally made it below the fog, where it was even darker because the mountain blocked out the sunlight.

  “That was also me at the rail station,” Zeran said after a long pause. I suspected he was concentrating on navigating the trickier parts of the trail too. “When you and Frankie were about to get caught with those stolen E-passes, I set off the alarm to distract the guards.”

  “Were you also the woman who helped Eli after we got off the train?” I asked.

  “No,” he said, his voice bored. “I don’t know what it’s like in the human world, but some people will go out of their way to help others.”

  “We have the same, duh,” Eli whispered to Frankie. “Who does this guy think he is?”

  “I covered your tracks to lead COO Nulan and her patrol on a different path up the mountain, too,” Zeran added. “You and Frankie did an awful job of it.”

  “You like bragging about yourself,” I said, “but you st
ill haven’t answered the real question. Why have you been helping us?”

  “I’m not helping you per se.” Zeran stopped in his tracks and turned around. “I’m helping myself.” He paused, letting that bit of information settle in, but I was even more confused now. “I don’t want my people to go to war.”

  “That’s what we’re trying to prevent,” I admitted, feeling uneasy sharing any information with him.

  “I get why our lord wants revenge on the other celestials, but this war is wrong,” he continued. “Our world is doing fine now—or it was until he mandated that we prepare for war. It’s been going on for hundreds of years.” Zeran turned his back to us again. “We’re tested when we’re ten. If we have desirable powers, we’re shipped off to training, even if our parents protest. I tried to run away. Lots of kids do.”

  “And they were going to send you to the stocks because you didn’t want to fight?” I asked, shifting on my heels. “That’s just wrong.”

  Zeran started down the path again. “Yes.”

  “At the rail station,” I said, “we heard people say that no one comes back from the stocks . . . um . . . right in the head.”

  Zeran’s shoulders stiffened. “You work sixteen-hour days. It’s the absolute worst.”

  “Sounds like corporate America,” Eli joked. “Zombies in suits except on Fridays, then it’s zombies in jeans.”

  “Do they put you in a metal collar to neutralize your powers, so you have to do the work without magic?” Zeran sped up, and his steps became less careful. Rocks slid underneath his feet and tumbled over the side of the mountain. “And make you spend your life in forced labor?”

  Eli had most definitely missed the mark with his comment. “Um . . . sorry,” he apologized. “That’s just wrong.”

  Zeran inhaled a sharp breath and changed the subject. “I’m not the only one who wants to stop a war with your world. People have tried to reason with the Lord of Shadows, but he won’t listen. So the only chance I have is to help you, daughter of Elegguá.”