A cold terror climbed up my legs, and a lump the size of a glacier formed in my throat. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t stop my eyes from stinging. “No! Why? Ixtab said they’d never kill him—that they…they might need his powers someday.”
“Seems they’ve changed their minds,” she said. “Invitations have already been delivered. They want to make this execution public.”
Right, because the last time they’d scheduled an execution it was for Pacific, the goddess of time. My dad had rescued her and sent her into hiding deep under the ocean. My stomach churned. Only the gods would send out invites to an execution! (Like I said, they’re total and complete jerks.)
Quinn handed me a piece of paper. “I’m sorry.”
I read the invitation silently.
BEHEADING PARTY!
YOU’RE INVITED TO THE EXECUTION OF THE HEART OF THE SKY,
ONE-LEG, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE TRAITOR HURAKAN
MARCH 24
ROASTING BEGINS AT ELEVEN P.M. SHARP.
BRING YOUR BEST AND WORST HURAKAN STORIES
EXECUTION WILL TAKE PLACE AT MIDNI
GHT
PYRAMID OF THE MAGICIAN
So they’d changed his transfer date to an execution date. My hand trembled and a sharp pain shot up my godborn leg. I handed the invite back to Quinn. “Why are you telling me now?”
“Because it might change what you do next. If it were me, I’d want to know before I did whatever it is you’re about to do.”
“My dad doesn’t deserve to die just because he broke some stupid oath.” Why had the gods changed their minds? And why were they so scared of godborns, anyway? Now more than ever I knew I had to get to the Fire Keeper. He had to stop my dad’s execution.
“A lot of people don’t deserve a lot of things, Zane.” Her expression tightened. “Just make sure you have a backup plan. No matter how foolproof you think this one is.”
She sounded like Brooks, and she was right. What if the Fire Keeper could only alter one future event, or what if I couldn’t find him, or…No. He had whispered to me. The Red Queen had said he would help.
“Can you do me a favor?” I asked. “Can you make sure Brooks doesn’t hate me…for leaving?”
Quinn let out a light laugh. “As if I could control anything my sister feels or does.”
Despite Quinn’s rough edges, I could tell she loved her sister. I guess that was why she’d let Brooks keep the map.
Glancing up at the sky, she added, “But if anything happens to her, I’ll hunt you down and peck out your eyes.”
“Aren’t you going to be with her?”
“I have to leave.”
My stomach rolled over. “To go where?”
“You don’t really think I’m going to answer that, do you?” She shifted into a cat and darted off into a dark alley.
“Quinn, wait!” But there was no sign of her.
Now I felt even more guilty for leaving Brooks, Hondo, and Ren behind. Quinn could have helped protect and guide them. But then I realized that I was the one who posed the threat to them, and that made me feel even worse than guilty.
Well, at least they had each other and the gateway map. They could get back to Holbox, where it was safe.