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My stomach lurched.
Ah-Puch’s skin began to bubble. Gray worms emerged and crawled all over the outside of his hunched body, latching onto him and somehow thickening his skin. Ah-Puch rose to his feet slowly, groaning.
I was glad he wasn’t facing me. I really didn’t want to look this guy in the eyes. But I had to. He’d made me a promise.
“Zane Obispo.” His voice was deep and gravelly.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then, slowly, I looked up at him.
Whoa! He’d somehow morphed from the gross blood-sucking worm monster into a regular guy dressed in a black suit, crisp white shirt, and dark silk tie. It was an expensive suit, too—not the shiny kind with loose threads like my old history teacher always wore.
Ah-Puch was at least six foot five, but that’s not what made him so… intimidating. It was his black eyes, chiseled face, and broad shoulders that screamed power. (Sorry, gods who hate Ah-Puch. You said you wanted the truth.)
He waved his hand, and the ledge I was standing on shimmered. A second later, Brooks materialized, in comatose hawk form. I pulled her in to my chest and held her closely.
“We had a deal,” I said, feeling her still-faint heartbeat. “You said you’d save her!”
Ah-Puch’s black eyes found mine. “You risked everything for a nawal?”
“That’s none of your business. Now wake her up.”
He ignored my demand and glanced around. Then, with another tiny movement of his hand, the dead space beyond the volcano turned into a bustling city. “That’s much better,” he said. “I’m so weary of silence.”
Suddenly we were standing on the roof of a skyscraper that overlooked a whole cityscape. Below us, millions of cars inched along the freeways like bugs. I stumbled as I looked around, trying to get my bearings. Where were we? New York? Chicago? Being a non-traveler, I only had movies and books to help me out. To the left was a mountain with big white letters on it: hollywood. We were in Los Angeles?
Ah-Puch took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Ahh… such chaos. I can feel its sweetness buzzing all around.”
“What about Brooks?” I insisted as I scanned the dark rooftop. As a small hawk (who seemed even smaller than she was inside the cave moments ago) she wasn’t heavy, but I needed a place to lay her down for when he made her human again. I spotted some lounge chairs near a lap pool. This was some kind of fancy hotel or apartment building. A small fountain spilled into the pool and there were potted palms in the corners.
Muwan smiled, except she didn’t have any teeth, which explained her lisp. “The gods don’t know you’ve awakened, my lord. They are too buthy getting fat and lathy to even notice.”
“You are my most trusted ally, Muwan,” Ah-Puch said, petting her head. “What’s happened to you?”
“Weak without your power.”
He continued petting her head and slowly a blackish mist rose, slithering up Muwan’s legs, then body and head, until…
I blinked.
Muwan had shed the old-toothless-hag look for a magazine-photo-shoot look. She was about Hondo’s age, with shoulder-length raven hair and bronze skin. She wore a long silver gown that hugged her now-healthy form. And her eyes glinted lilac and green in the light like rare gemstones. She smiled at Ah-Puch, then kissed the back of his hand. “Thank you, my lord.”
Ah-Puch gave her a barely there nod, then asked, “And the seers?”
“Taken care of.”
“Hold on,” I butted in. “What happened to the seers?”
Ah-Puch walked to the edge of the pool and stared at his reflection in the water. “Don’t worry, your pathetic protector is alive and unharmed. I thought about killing her—slowly—but realized her divination abilities and knowledge might come in handy.”
No wonder Ms. Cab hadn’t shown up. This monster had done something to her! I felt myself flush with anger but tamped it down. I had to keep him focused on Brooks.
“So, um… our deal?” I reminded him.
“Deal?” He glanced at me.
My insides collapsed. By the blank look on his fearsome face, I knew he’d already forgotten. “Please.” I didn’t care if I had to beg. “I know you don’t have to keep your end of the bargain. I’m just a weak human… and you’re, well, you’re a super god. The most powerful.”
“Power…” he mumbled, then squatted and ran his fingers across the pool’s surface. Inky clouds bloomed beneath. “I’m curious,” he said, keeping his gaze on the darkening liquid. “How did a mere boy wake me…?” His eyes darted across the water like there was some kind of magic in it that held all the answers.
