I gripped Fuego. Could my spear take out three demon runners?
No, Zane! ordered Quinn. We’re almost there.
No, you don’t want these monsters hanging with us? Or no, don’t throw the spear?
God, Obispo. Do you always have to be so dense? If you throw that spear, it will alert an entire army. Never mind that you can’t kill a demon runner that’s already in Xib’alb’a! Don’t you know anything?
I glanced over at Brooks. She was flying directly into the headwinds, unblinking. Her eyes were ablaze, and her talons were flexed and ready to tear out someone’s eyes. Ren was leaning into her like some kind of jockey racing for her life. Quinn released a series of low-pitched whistles. Brooks nodded and responded with some screeches. They could bird-speak?
The demon runners were only a few feet away, shrieking and clawing at the air with their hooked feet.
Hondo launched his Hot Dog on a Stick hat at one and pumped his fist when it hit.
Quinn reached back and snapped her beak at Hondo, missing his fingers by an inch. “Hey!” he hollered as she let out an ear-piercing cry. A second later, a familiar roar echoed from far below. Rosie?
At the same moment, Quinn and Brooks made a figure eight, looping across each other’s paths like acrobatic superbirds. Something about this move confused the demons, because they stopped in midair and stared like they weren’t sure which direction to go.
That’s when Rosie appeared. Her massive black wings batted the demons out of the air like they were nothing more than gnats. Bright orange-and-yellow flames raged from her eyes and mouth as she roared like a dragon.
Since when did Rosie get wings? I asked Quinn.
Only in Xib’alb’a.
“That’s my girl!” I yelled.
“Kill ‘em good, Rosie!” Hondo shouted.
But every time Rosie swatted a demon runner out of the sky, the stupid monster would just shake it off and come right back.
Hondo death-gripped me with one hand and pointed with the other. “Quinn’s trying to kill us.”
I can’t say I didn’t agree with Hondo, because we were basically racing toward a mountain of solid rock that was sure to crush our skulls.
Detour! Quinn said.
“Quinn!” I screamed. “The mountain!”
You might want to close your eyes for this, she said. Then she zoomed us to
ward our deaths.
No way. If I was going to die in Xib’alb’a, I didn’t want this place to be the last thing I saw.
Instead, I looked at Brooks.
Then Quinn slammed into the mountainside.
I braced myself for impact, but it never came. The mountain turned into a thick fog at the last possible second. I glanced over my shoulder to see if we were being followed. Guess the demons didn’t make it. Relief flooded my locked muscles, and I nearly tumbled off Quinn.
Hondo’s fingers dug into my back as he yowled in my ear. “We’re alive!”
Please tell him to shut up, Quinn said.
My insides felt like they’d been scooped out with a shovel. What…? How did we make it?
I opened a passageway for us at the last second. Ha! Those demon runners are going to have migraines for a week.
Clean, cool air filled my lungs as I glanced over at Brooks, who was soaring with wide wings, like she was made for the sky. Thankfully, Ren was wide-awake. Rosie raced past us, howling in triumph.