Under her breath, Brooks told Adrik and Alana that Itzamna was the moon god, bringer of writing and culture, and father to the Bakabs, who hold up the sky.
And giver of dragon power, I thought, but this wasn’t the time or place for that talk.
“He does sort of look like the moon,” Alana whispered.
When Itzamna stood in front of me, his mirrored lenses reflected all of our stunned faces.
“What…what are you doing here?” I asked again.
Before he could answer, Rosie threw back her head and let out a mournful howl. Waves of fire blasted from her mouth toward the open roof.
“Rosie!” I tried to grab hold of her, but it was like she was possessed.
Itzamna placed a trembling hand on her head, immediately quieting my dog. “At least some of my power still works,” he muttered. “Quite the hellhound, Zane. Good for you—all heroes need a partner. Makes for a richer story. Ah, but that’s not why I’m here.”
Like the first time I met him, his voice hit musical notes that were both relaxing and haunting. Slowly, he removed his glasses. His eyes and the circles underneath them were blacker than an underground tomb. “How do I look? You can be honest. Awful? On a scale of one to ten, one being a corpse.”
Brooks half snorted/half grunted. I could only imagine what was going through her head. This guy is so full of himself. And Rosie isn’t Zane’s only partner.
“Maybe a five,” Alana said. Adrik shook his head in disagreement, but I was glad he didn’t say anything stupid to anger the god.
Ren smiled, practically bouncing in place. “You’re the god who can see the whole universe, so that means you’d know if there is alien life, right?”
Hondo groaned, palm-smacking his forehead.
Itzamna studied Ren like she was an alien herself. “I do not divulge secrets of the universe. Certainly not to non-gods.”
“Why not?” Ren asked, but Itzamna ignored her.
“I am here with news of the gods,” he said. “Dreadful on the one hand, expected on the other. But the universe is master of her own destiny, and it is not my job to interfere or be attached.” His chin quivered like he didn’t believe his own words. What was his deal? “That’s my most-often-used line. Is it believable?”
Ignoring his question, I argued, “But you do interfere. You got into my head in Hell’s Kitchen. You helped me.”
Itzamna nodded. “True. I did indeed assist you in not dying. We couldn’t have the story end so soon, could we?”
I groaned inwardly. What was with this guy and cuentos?
“I am only here to give you a message loud enough to get your attention, because one”—he held up a single shimmering finger—“it will determine what you do next. Two, it will heighten the stakes. And three—and this is perhaps the most important…” His face contorted into a silent wail and he collapsed into a chair, gripping his chest and sucking in gulps of air. “I cannot…keep up…this facade…of strength.”
Ren hurried over and fanned him with her hands. “Make fists,” she said. “Deep breaths.”
Alana jumped into first aid mode, too. “Count backward from one hundred. Breathe nice and slow. That’s it. You’re
just having a panic attack. It will pass.”
“Gods have panic attacks?” Hondo muttered to me. Then to the freaked-out god he said, “Hey, dude—you need some water or something?”
Itzamna inhaled through his nose and exhaled through his mouth, wiping his brow with his sleeve. “I do apologize for my inappropriate outburst—it’s just that…well, the fourth thing is that I don’t want to be worthless. I don’t want to be forgotten.” He dropped his head into his hands as Ren patted him on the back and Alana told him to keep breathing.
Rosie snorted and stomped her front paw like she couldn’t believe the great god Itzamna was acting like a…human.
Brooks gripped my arm from behind. This is so not going to be good.
“What’s your news?” I asked Itzamna, knowing I was going to hate the answer 100 percent. And knowing that if it sent the god further into a panic attack, we might all end up in a tailspin of terror.
At that exact moment, the walls grew hazy, then vanished altogether. We found ourselves standing on the shore of a crystal-clear lake. On the other side, a magnificent tree sparkled in the sun.
“Whoa!” Adrik said, his mouth hanging open. “That’s sick! How’d you do that?”