In that one instant when she was convinced she'd lose Ren forever, she felt it. A peculiar inner snap. Like the tiny pinprick in a dam that came right before the force of the water exploded it into a violent flood. And when that inner flood came, it saturated the room with bright light that shot out from her entire body. A light that pierced Enrique. Screaming in pain, he recoiled, and tried again to reach Ren.
The moment he moved toward Ren, her light stabbed him, over and over.
His face changing into an ugly demonic beast, Enrique attempted to reach her. The light intensified and, finally, exploded him into a thousand pieces.
Horrified, relieved, and terrified all at once, she ran to where Ren lay on the floor in a pool of blood. As gently as she could, she turned him over and held him in her lap.
His face pale and clammy, he could hardly breathe. His lips were turning blue. God, there was so much blood....
Ren covered her hand with his. "You have to reset the calendar."
Screw the damn calendar.
"You're hurt." Worse, it looked like he might be dying.
Ren licked his lips. Each breath he took made a hollow, rattling sound in his chest. "It doesn't matter, Kateri. The calendar is more important. Go, and I'll wait for you."
"Don't you dare die on me," she warned him. "I mean it."
"Go."
Nodding, she ran for the glyphs again.
This time, when she looked up, she saw something different. New details she'd missed before. Details that were only evident now that she had her father's and grandmother's powers.
Perspicacity. The ability to see anything hidden or masked.
Now, total clarity was hers. The thunderbird was a symbol for Ren and his metamorphosis from destroyer to protector of the world. That thunderbird was being sacrificed for the hummingbird so that it could send its eye into the sun. The open beak that surrounded the hummingbird did so to protect the hummingbird with its dying breath.
But she still didn't know how to reach the damn thing from the ground.
Believe. Ren's voice in her head was so strong.
She glanced over to him to make sure he was still with her.
I will always be with you, Waleli. It took me eleven thousand years to find you. Do you really think I'd leave you now?
Tears gathered in her eyes. "I do believe." And for the first time in her life, she meant that. Even though it was total and utter insanity, she believed in the ludicrous.
She believed in the paranormal.
All of it. And most of all, she believed in Ren. His love wrapped around her, giving her strength and resolve. With him by her side, she finally believed in the impossible. I am the Hummingbird-the bridge between night and day. The messenger of the sun who carries the hope of mankind.
As thoughts filled her head, it felt as if a weight left her body, and she began to float.
No, not float ...
She flew.
One moment, she was on the ground, and in the next, she was high above the floor. Oh this ... this was scary.
And it was a whole lot of fun.
Suddenly, Enrique reappeared.
Didn't I kill that bastard?
"Give me the stone or I'll kill him!" Enrique held a knife to Ren's throat.
Without hesitation, she started to return, but Ren threw his arm out, and gently blasted her with wind, lifting her up higher.
Save the world Kateri.
Tears filled her eyes. "You are my world."
And you are mine. Now please, Kateri, if you love me, finish the task we were given. Reset the calendar, and then we'll kill this asshole.
Only Ren could make her smile when she was this scared and upset.
Nodding, she reached up and realized that from the ground the painting was a trompe l'oeil that made it appear flat. From up here, she saw the small space in the heart of the hummingbird that had been cut like a puzzle piece specifically to hold her necklace.
As soon as she touched the painting, she had total clarity of thought.
Eye. Heart. Soul. I am the power that drives out the evil. I, alone, can fight it and keep it from the most vital parts of my being.
The sun wasn't just the light that banished the darkness. It was the warmth that kept away the icy chill of hurt and harm. Focus on the things that make you happy, that fill your heart with joy. They are all that matter, and they are what will keep you safe. They are what will keep you strong even in the worst storm.
And that joy was what gave her a heart. Her hand shaking, she placed her necklace inside the hummingbird.
Lightning ricocheted through the room. The hummingbird fell back into the mouth of the thunderbird as it shot an orange light straight up through a small hole in the top of the cave.
She turned her face away to protect her eyesight from the searing beam that shone brighter than high noon on a summer's day.
"No!" Enrique screamed in horror. He turned to throw his knife at her.
The moment he did, Ren rose up from the floor, and snatched the red stone necklace from his neck. He looped it around Enrique's throat at the same time Enrique let fly his knife.
She ducked the knife, and for a moment thought Ren was using his necklace as a garrote. Until he fastened it around Enrique's neck and stepped back. "Enjoy Carcel Infierno, amigo." Give Grizzly and Windseer my best.
Enrique screamed as the floor opened and sucked him into it. He tried to fight, to hold on to the surface. But it was useless. The ground swallowed him whole.
As soon as Enrique was gone, Ren hit the deck. Hard.
Forgetting her own necklace, Kateri flashed herself to his side. Cold dread and all-out terror filled her. He was so pale. His breathing so shallow.
She carefully placed his head in her lap and brushed the hair back from his handsome face. "Baby? You're not going to die, right? You're immortal."