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He stood to his full height and let out a long breath. “I see now,” he said, looking at me with a wry smile. “You’re more than a mere human, Zane Obispo.”
I didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing, or if it would affect his keeping his end of the bargain, so I didn’t say anything. Better to keep him off-balance and guessing. That’s what Hondo always said.
Tucking a shiny stray hair behind her ear, Muwan said, “He looks like nothing, my lord.”
Nothing. There was that word again. I struggled to keep my temper in check.
“Looks can be deceiving, can’t they?” Ah-Puch walked over to me with so much confidence I thought he should run for king or president or something.
“Zane Obispo.” His mouth turned up. “Such a perfect and unexpected surprise.”
“Yep, that’s me. One big surprise. Now, our deal.”
He loosened his tie and took in the cityscape with a deep breath. “I like this city,” he said to Muwan. “A very good hiding space. But they can’t hide from me for long.”
They? Who was he talking about? I wondered if all gods had this hard a time staying focused.
Cars zipped below us. Horns honked. Planes flew overhead. The stars were shadowed by the bright lights. I’d never seen anything like it.
I hated to interrupt his little moment with Muwan and all, but…
“So, our deal?” I said again.
Ah-Puch’s brows came together. “I must say, I am impressed with your bravery, and you did set me free from my dreadful prison. Imagine being imprinted onto the World Tree’s paper.”
“Yeah, imagine,” I muttered under my breath. World Tree’s paper?
“Being that I’m in a glorious mood,” he said, “I’d say one favor deserves another. See how generous I can be?”
Okay, so far, so good. “So you’ll heal Brooks?”
“I say we sweeten the deal. Your girlfriend’s life for a small pledge.”
Er, pretty sure that wasn’t the deal. “What kind of pledge?”
“To Xib’alb’a.” His black eyes glistened in the city lights. “To me.”
It was like a punch in the gut. Yep, I was definitely going to throw up. The pool water began to boil. Black ribbons of steam rose into the smoggy air.
“Agree to be one of my soldiers of death,” he said, “and I will give you back these worthless souls you seek.”
Soldier of d
eath? Was he for real? “We already made a deal,” I argued.
“I’ve changed my mind. And since I’m the one with all the power, I make the rules.”
“Yeah, well, your rules stink.”
“Make your decision.”
I had a feeling he wasn’t going to ask twice. Always the optimist, I asked, “So, a soldier of death is what, like a couple-year gig?”
“Lifetime appointment.”
Oh. Well, that officially stank. Gritting my teeth, trying not to think about what being a soldier of death actually meant, I said, “If I did it, I mean, became one of your… soldiers, it would be like, um… later. Like when I die as an old man, right?”
Muwan sauntered to the roof’s edge, laughing lightly.
