“Put her on Rosie’s back,” I said.
Hondo lifted Ren up and placed her gently on Rosie’s shoulders. “Don’t let her fall, girl.”
“Was Ms. Cab angry?” I asked my dog. I walked at her side, my hand around Ren’s waist to keep her from sliding off. Rosie threw me a side-glance and narrowed her eyes like she was saying, Please. I’ve got this.
The jungle grew thicker and darker, crowding around us like a living thing that knew we were here uninvited. Our footfalls were light, barely crunching the twigs and leaves scattered across the ground. But my mind was heavy, replaying everything that had happened. All of it was pretty terrifying. Ren showing up right before the mud monster. The whispering voice. That stupid ancestor message of doom! I wanted to punch it in the face.
Then the tip of the Beast came into view and my heart did a strange flip. Anyone else would see only a wall of tangled rain forest. But I could spot a black cone rising a couple hundred yards out of the earth to meet the sky.
Hondo glanced around when we came to a stop. “This is a dead end, guys.”
“It’s behind the forest.” I separated some thick leafy branches, and we descended into the darkness.
“Uh…” Hondo breathed. “This seems totally sketch.” This was my uncle’s first time here. Just like in New Mexico, he’d never been interested in the volcano—or maybe he understood it was my special spot. And he’d kill me for saying this, but the guy hated small, tight spaces. That had only gotten worse after the hero twins poisoned him and sent him to a dark, torturous place where his worst nightmares came true. Hondo h
ad never talked about it, but I was pretty sure he’d been in a cold, gloomy box with the walls pressing in on him while grating music shook his eardrums. I had no doubt that all his recent meditation stuff was so he would never feel that vulnerable again. He was training his brain to withstand even his worst fears. Maybe when this was all over he could teach me a thing or two.
Rosie rushed ahead, her giant feet stomping the ground persistently. I was about to remind my hellhound she was lugging Ren on her back, but somehow, the girl stayed on securely.
A few minutes later, we came to a clearing where only pinpricks of sunlight came through overgrown trees the size of skyscrapers.
Hondo looked up. “Where is it?”
“It’s hidden behind a veil of shadow magic,” Brooks said.
“Just follow me,” I said.
We hiked the last twenty yards up the path. Once we were within a few feet, Hondo gasped. “That volcano just appeared out of thin air!”
“You’re just close enough now to see it,” I said.
“Seems like a weakness in the magic,” he muttered.
“If you weren’t with supernaturals, you’d never be able to see it,” Brooks countered.
The volcano’s entry point wasn’t concealed with brush like back in New Mexico. Instead, it was enchanted. Only a supernatural could open the stone panel.
Rosie nosed the door and it slid open with a swish of cool air.
Ren stirred, then sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“Hey, you okay?” I asked.
She glanced around, looking disoriented. “I hate this! How am I supposed to help you if I zone out at the worst times?”
“You said it happens when you’re stressed?” I asked.
Ren nodded. “I’m a little freaked about—”
“The underworld?” Hondo said with a big exhale. “Me too.”
“About Ixtab maybe being my mom,” Ren corrected.
“You’ll get it under control,” I said, wondering how her trances were tied to her godborn powers. My leg was directly connected to Hurakan, who was also sometimes called One Leg or Serpent Leg. Maybe Ren’s mom had some kind of nickname, too?
Hondo twisted his mouth and rubbed his chin. “Ren, if you go into trances when you’re stressed, get ready to have a lot, because we’re heading into Maya madness territory.”
“She knows that, Hondo!” I growled. “And I’m pretty sure that isn’t helping.”