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“The gods killed her. I guess they didn’t like what she had to say.”
“Which was what, exactly?”
She lowered her voice to a hush. “That a powerful innocent with ancient blood would be born, and he would release the great god of death, and evil would be unleashed during a solar eclipse.”
Solar eclipse? I thought, with growing dread. There’s supposed to be one tomorrow.
“How exactly does that describe me? That could be anyone.” I wasn’t powerful. Not in the least. And what was up with innocent? I wasn’t Bambi!
Brooks twisted her mouth. “All the clues lead to you.”
“Says who?”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to help you find Ah-Puch’s little hiding place. And once I get my hands on the artifact, I’ll take it far away, and you won’t have to be the guy who ruined the world. Sound good?”
“But maybe the demon runner already took it.” I was rooting for this big-time.
“That’s impossible.”
Of course it was. “Why?”
“The demon runners want you to release Ah-Puch. They’d never take the artifact away from you. Plus, Ah-Puch can only be released at the same place he was buried.”
(You gods really tried to cover all contingencies, didn’t you?)
“What… what happens if Ah-Puch gets free?” I asked. “He’ll cruise back to hell? To reclaim his kingdom and be a king or god of the dead or whatever, right?” My voice echoed through the tunnel.
“Doubt it. When he got locked away, he swore to take revenge on his punishers. After that, he would destroy the whole world.”
Okay… No way I was going to let that happen. “Do you even know what the artifact is?”
“It could be anything. A rock. A statue. A piece of glass.” She looked around. “Don’t worry. You’ll know.”
Heat rushed into my face. “Maybe I’d rather not know.”
“Don’t look so freaked,” she said casually.
Sure, why worry? An ancient god of the dead was locked away in some magical object (which could be anything) in a volcano in my backyard and I was prophesied to let the guy out. Absolutely nothing to fret about.
“And what do you have to do with all this?” I asked, thinking it was about dinnertime or study time or any time that would get me out of here.
“It’s my quest.”
“Quest.”
“To prove myself.”
“To who?”
She tugged on her sleeve and shook her head. “Let’s just say it’s a big deal and I have to succeed, but that doesn’t matter. Right now, all you need to know is that the artifact’s magic will call to you in some way. You’re the only one who can answer it. Understand now?”
“Well, then let’s just leave Puke in here to rot. I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. No need to go looking for the guy.”
Brooks wrinkled her nose, and I could tell I wasn’t going to like whatever she was going to say next. “That’s not how this works. You don’t exactly have a choice. Once the magic calls, you’ll answer.”
“Calls? Like 1-800-MAGIC?”
“Like you’ll sense it somehow.” Brooks searched my face. “You’ll know when the magic summons you… I think. You won’t be able to resist. Even if you tried to, the demon runners would capture you and force you to free Ah-Puch.”
