“You mean…the magic in the paper…it betrayed me?” I cried.
Ixtab scowled, and I could swear her eyes flashed in Ren’s direction before she said, “This is why we need to reopen SHIHOM!”
“Shy…huh?”
“The Shaman Institute of Higher-Order Magic!”
“I’d for sure go to that school.” Ren’s whole face lit up.
“How was I supposed to know—?”
Ixtab cut me off. “Imbeciles like you need to learn to respect magic’s properties.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You need to understand that a wild beast lives at the center of all magic and it cannot be tamed. Not by gods. Not by anyone.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t get the almighty Maya training, okay?” I felt sick. If there were more godborns out there, and they were visible to the gods, they’d be murdered in their sleep. And it would be my fault. How did things go from bad to worse to the universe is collapsing in three, two, one so fast?
Ren gasped. “That’s what those little flying things were, Zane. The night I was attacked, before I came to the island. The gods—they must’ve sent them.”
Ixtab rolled her eyes. “If the gods were aware of your pathetic existence, I’d know about it. But there is no doubt that someone picked up on your energy. The magic spinning around a newly awakened godborn is powerful. Someone is willing to go to great lengths to find you.”
If they found Ren, then…I seriously didn’t want to follow my mind to the conclusion that was begging to be heard. But I couldn’t get the image of the message out of my mind. Help us. Before it’s too late. “I think…” I swallowed hard. “I think they already have. And other godborns, too.”
Ixtab glared at me with her scorching sapphire eyes and said slowly, “You’re absolutely correct. For once.”
This was definitely one time I didn’t want to be right. I would’ve much rather she said something like Oh, no, Zane. Those mud freaks are all liars. Can’t trust a thing they say. But it wasn’t like I could trust her, either. I wanted to ask Ixtab why she’d told me all those months ago that no other godborns had survived. Had she lied to me then, or had she really been in the dark?
Brooks beat me to the punch. “How do you know all this?”
Ixtab flashed an annoyed look. “I am the goddess of the underworld. I trained the greatest Maya army of the dead. I have eyes and ears everywhere.”
“Aliens,” Ren whispered to me with a confident nod.
Ixtab said to Quinn, “Take the others downstairs. I need to talk to Zane alone.”
“No!” Brooks shouted.
“I don’t have much time…” I started saying to Ixtab.
“You came all this way,” Ixtab purred while glaring at Brooks. “We will take as long as necessary to get to the bottom of this.”
Heat crawled up my spine and neck, tingling my scalp. I had to get out of there, and soon, to reach my dad before he was moved. But I also wanted to find out about the godborns. I figured I owed them at least that much.
I grabbed hold of Brooks’s hand. Go. I’ll meet you back here in thirty minutes. Then we’ll get to the gateway.
Brooks released my hand just as Quinn took her by the arm. Quinn whispered something in her ear that somehow settled Brooks down enough to follow. Okay, she stomp-followed. Ren was right behind both of them, glancing over her shoulder at me with worried eyes.
Hondo lifted his chin and looked at me defiantly. “Do you want me to stay?”
“Do you want me to burn you into a pile of ash?” Ixtab said.
“I’m not leaving Zane alone.”
“It’s cool,” I told my uncle. “I’ll meet up with you…later.” He didn’t move an inch. “Really,” I said. “It’s okay.”
Reluctantly, he headed out, but he kept looking back until he disappeared down the steps.
After they were gone, Ixtab took me up an elevator that led to a rooftop patio. Golden vines grew across smooth jade trellises, and at the far end was a square arch. Beyond it was a pool of murky water that floated five feet above the ground, in midair. Steam rose from it in spirals. For a second, I thought I could hear faint whispers coming from the water.
“Whoa!” I breathed. “That’s—”