Killing enemies during Lent is probably a mortal sin.
But what choice did I have? I have not set this date intentionally. Maybe luck will smile at me and saving my dad will not involve any encounters with the forces of evil and darkness. Not with bloodshed. Although knowing the Mayan gods… there wasn’t much chance for that.
– Row harder! I screamed.
Brooks sat in the front of a two-seater kayak. Bombarded by a downpour, we paddled through a mangrove forest on a lonely island off the coast of Mexico where Ixtab, the Queen of the Underworld, hid me and my loved ones a few months ago. She wanted to protect us in this way from the Mayan gods who thought I was dead – and this is what they believed I deserved, as a child of a human woman and a god. Life on Holbox was pretty fun, unless someone had to get somewhere fast, like us.
A winding channel ran through the mangrove thicket, liked by crocodiles and snakes. Honestly, I didn’t really like this kayaking trail, but it was the only way to get to the western bay.
This is where our “drop point” was located. Jazz, our giant friend, risked his life by providing us with confidential information. He must have shipped them secretly, in the old-fashioned (that is, incredibly slow) way, so as not to leave any trace leading back to himself. I know what you are thinking: Why couldn’t he text? Great idea, but the island was surrounded by Ixtab’s shadow magic, protecting us from prying eyes, making things like smartphones and Wi-Fi just crazy here. In addition, Jazz was under the constant supervision of the gods. One suspicious message and the giant would get a one-way ticket to Xibalba. Really – I felt sorry for him.
The date and time of the drop was given to us by Old Pedro, who usually spent his days either painting a mural on a wall of some building or sitting in the shade with a bottle of cervez [1] . And when he didn’t do one or the other, he was clearly mediating the delivery of this type of message.
– And we could just go there! I called, trying to visualize Brooks to the nonsense of it all.
– You know I don’t fly in the rain! She shouted back.
Sure. But we can kayak in the rain! I didn’t understand her prejudice against water. As a shapeshifter, she was much stronger, and she turned into a hawk, and a really big hawk. It’s a pity I still couldn’t control my powers like this, because we both needed to be in perfect shape if we were going to make this whole crazy trip.
– We only have two minutes! I cried, my voice choked with apprehension. – We can’t!
And we will probably never have such a chance again. Pedro made it clear in his grumpy way: “If you miss a drop, don’t come over to me.”
We were supposed to get the last piece of the puzzle – the exact information about the place where my dad was imprisoned. Apparently, the gods raised the security level and moved it elsewhere every month or two. He was going to be moved again soon, and I had to get him out of there before the trace of him was lost.
It is a pity Fuego [2] could not equip himself with wings. That’s what I called my killer staff-spear because it was fast as fire. In the Old World, the Chairwoman forged it with lightning, bound it with old magic, and saturated it with my father’s blood. As a result, the staff-spear was indestructible and always hit the target. She also helped me walk without my usual limp (I have one leg shorter). Usually, I only used this feature when I was running away from some demon or similar creature. The lame leg didn’t bother me as it used to – it was part of who I am.
When Fuego wasn’t in staff or spear mode, he looked like a letter opener (it was Ixtab’s idea; but why couldn’t it turn into something cool like a dagger?) – I wore it in a sock. It made it easier for me when I had to use both hands. Like now.
Brooks shot me a murderous look over her shoulder.
– You’ll never pay me for this, Obispo.
The air flickered blue, then green, and Brooks instantly turned into a giant hawk. She circled up in a circle with a loud scream (which I translated to myself as “I really hate you now”) and dropped low enough that I could reach one of the mighty claws.
Okay, so we’re not going piggyback today. I hesitated until she gave me that murderous glare again: “Well, make up your mind.” With a grunt, I grabbed her slippery claw with both hands, and Brooks took flight. I must have looked moronic dangling underneath it like a piece of soggy cheese.
It’s hard.
Brooks struggled against the hostile wind blowing into her bow. Streams of rain lapped us, the sky darkened. When it’s over, she’s gonna really kill me. But who could have foreseen this stupid storm? I am a Messenger, not a Storm Prophet …
You will , I told her telepathically, trying to sound as cheerful and helpful as I could under the circumstances. A note to the godborn: joyful optimism can save many asses if handled properly. Plus, there were a few crocodiles in the area that looked hungry, and I didn’t want to give Brooks a reason to let me go straight into their gaping mouths. Let’s face it – the temper is what she has. Maybe the storm will slow down the delivery of the news as well.
Stop talking. You are distracting me.
A minute later Brooks landed abruptly on the edge of the cove, throwing me to the ground like an old melon. I rolled over the compacted white sand, avoiding the sharp-edged piece of wood by a few centimeters.
Brooks returned to human form. The storm had just moved on, and the sky fell to a grayish calm. I brushed the sand off my hands.
– Ha! We did it! Great flight… but… er… ”I lowered my voice.“ Not a great landing.
– It was a brilliant landing. You’re alive, aren’t you? Brooks twisted her brown hair from the water over her shoulder. They’ve gotten a little brighter in the last few months – after all, we’ve been spending so much time on the playa [3] … – I wonder if you could do better.
I should probably confess this nasty truth now, because you must know it in case it also happens to you. When my father, Hurakan, recognized me, and when I defeated the god of death with my incredible fire powers, something happened to me. I could no longer control my power as much as I did that day. All I could do now was make lemon-sized fireballs that went out faster than the powdered orangeade dissolves on the tongue. As you can see, no one becomes automatically amazing for some god to publicly acknowledge him as his child.
– Shipment is late. Brooks stamped her foot and looked around. “Didn’t Pedro say it would be exactly six thirty-two?”
– What’s this? – I pointed to the sky. Something large, feathered and red emerged from the dense cloud. – Maybe it’s the courier with the package?
The bird (if you can call it that) had tiny wings, like a chicken, long skinny legs, a flat head, and a beak that looked more like a meat tenderizer. If I were to say it was ugly, that would be a huge understatement. I wonder how the poor bird got maneuvered into this job.
Brooks narrowed her eyes.
– Is he holding a coconut in his claws?
The bird approached the beach, then suddenly stopped in the air and shuddered. I followed his gaze. A cloud of black mist was just hovering over the beach, slowly taking the form of my infernal hound, Rosie. Probably some people would be upset that suddenly their dog becomes twice the size of a lion, and in addition it can suddenly emerge from nothingness. When I found Rosie, a boxer-Dalmatian cross many years ago in the New Mexico desert, she weighed maybe fourteen kilos – all skin and bones. And then she went down to the underworld and was “modified” by Ixtab, and now her mouth was level with my shoulders – which is high, because I’m almost four feet.
No wonder the bird was shaking with fear. Rosie stared at the unfortunate man as if she wanted to munch on him as a starter before dinner. And it probably was.
– Rosie, stop! – I ordered.
Ignoring me, she snarled and dashed off towards the ocean. You really would have to take her to a dog training course …
The bird’s eyes widened.
– Hush! He whimpered, turning quickly and starting to run.
– Hey, wait! I screamed. – Coconut!
For some reason, Jazz liked to send messages in food. Previously, it was a rotting avocado with a Merry Christmas greeting.
– Piii! Piii!
The bird was clearly too scared to return.
Brooks sighed.
– Looks like we’ll have to get this coconut ourselves.
I grabbed her shoulders from behind and she turned into a hawk. A second later we flew into the air and sped like an arrow towards the bird, which kept looking back every now and then with pure terror in its eyes.
Rosie was jumping over the waves, howling and shooting torrents of fire six meters up.
– STEAK! I roared.
This command theoretically prompted her to stop doing something. Yaa. This time she acted as if she didn’t hear me at all. The clever.
Hunting is in her nature , Brooks said.
But could she not hunt the delivery bird after all?
The clouds thickened, covering the red of the messenger’s feathers. All I could see now was his tail cutting through the darkness.
Rosie kept pace with him.
– She won’t hurt you! I screamed at the bird just as the dog spat a stream of fire so powerful that more than one dragon could envy it. – Wait, let’s just go home! I threatened Rosie.
But Brooks was also quick and we were starting to catch up with the courier. Ten meters.
Six.
Bake.
Then suddenly something changed. I blinked, making sure I could see well. A long, jagged chink appeared in the gray horizon high above us, just like the Old World when I thought the sky was about to burst.
By the time I realized that the chink was really there, it was too late. The bird slipped through it and disappeared.
The coconut fell into the sea.
And Brooks hit an invisible wall.
[1] Cerveza (Spanish) – beer.
[2] Fuego (Spanish) – fire.
[3] Playa (Spanish) – beach.
