A wild, off-the-charts hope grew in an instant. Maybe Brooks’s idea wasn’t so loca. If I could get this Fire Keeper to change the future, I could control what happened to the godborns and my dad, and I wouldn’t need to be in two places at once. I mean, there was a reason Hurakan had mentioned him to me and I had picked this mask. But if I was wrong…
“Do you know where the current Fire Keeper is?”
She smiled and said, “Of course. I am his great ancestor, after all! He is where he is. One minute.”
That migraine side effect Fausto had warned me about? It was already jamming its knuckles into my skull. I had to choose my words more carefully. “Where do I find him?”
I was hoping the queen/ex–fire keeper was going to tell me Down the block, but instead she closed her eyes and said, “I can see him now at Land’s End, where two worlds meet.”
That was it? Where two worlds meet? “Do you have an address?”
The Red Queen’s face went slack like she wanted to say Are you kidding me? She swiped her hands together, dousing the flame. “I see places, settings…not addresses.”
My mind couldn’t keep up with all the thoughts racing in and out. “I’m supposed to save the godborns and my dad, and I only have three days, and I have a feeling that maybe the Fire Keeper can help me…but you don’t even have an address…” I took a deep breath. “What am I supposed to do?”
“I should have been clearer,” she said. “I cannot address matters of conscience and the heart.” Her eyes were deep brown with lines around them that gave her a grandmotherly look. “Only you can answer that question.”
Seriously? She’d made such a big deal about answering any question and now there were more stupid rules. “Fine,” I said. “Would it be a smart choice to use my time to find him?”
“You are the son of fire.” The Red Queen pressed her lips into a thin line. “You are connected in ways only the Fire Keeper can divulge to you.”
“Will he change the future for me?”
“If you go see him, the future will change.”
That wasn’t what I had asked. As if she could see my disappointment, she added, “A better future indeed.”
Something fluttered inside of me. This was it. This was how I could save my dad and the godborns! I mean, a better future was a heck of a lot better than a “bleak” one.
“How do I find him without an address?”
“Ask the flame. Forty seconds.”
What flame? I wanted to scream, but I had a more important question. “Do you know anything about the sobrenaturals’ powers being drained?”
“I know many things about it.” The Red Queen held up her small hand. “We are out of time.” She looked at the wall behind me and sighed. “I told him what you asked me to. Well, it’s not my fault. He should know. Fine. But my debt is now paid.”
I whirled around. “Who are you talking to?”
“You. There is one more very important piece I apparently must tell you,” she said with a grunt. “If you choose to search for the Fire Keeper, you must travel alone to see him.” Her eyes shot to the wall again. “Happy now?” I realized she was talking to the torch.
My cheeks felt like they’d been slapped with a hot towel. “I can’t just leave my friends behind.” No way. Wasn’t happening. We were a team.
The Red Queen stood next to me. The top of her head didn’t even come to my shoulders. “The final steps in the journey of fire must always be taken alone. And the Fire Keeper’s identity and location must be kept secret at all costs.”
The tomb began to evaporate.
“Wait! What would happen if they came anyway?” I had to know.
“Unless your friends are gods or have the blood of the gods, great misfortunes will fall upon your quest and upon their heads. Perhaps even a nasty curse or two.”
Of course! What would a good old Maya quest be without misfortunes and curses?
“Your time is up.” The Red Queen whispered, “Son of fire. Of storm. Of the creator. Of the destroyer. Do you seek death?”
I only thought the word yes before she said, “Then death is yours.”
A sudden heat charged through my blood and bones so fast I couldn’t take a breath. It felt like I’d been shocked with a million volts of electricity, and every cell in my body was splitting open and regenerating. Like every bone was breaking and reconnecting. Like my brain was exploding and being pieced back together. Forget the side effects, there should have been a warning label for the actual death part: Dying sucks!