Ana’s voice was trapped. Her throat clamped up. She let out a slow, shaky breath as tears pierced her eyes. “They are in trouble…I need to leave.”
She stumbled toward the door but Sanchia moved like her shadow and placed her hand on the door. “No, child. Balam wants you to stay safe. He does not wish you to leave here.”
Sanchia’s words had no effect on her. She had no plan but she couldn’t sit still. The vision made no sense but she wasn’t going to question it either.
“Sanchia, I am leaving here. I will not stand by and let anything happen to Chance or Balam.” She spoke with such vehemence and conviction, Sanchia withdrew her hand, clearly surprised.
“Ana, you must stay…”
“I’m sorry,” Ana said. As she flung open the door, a wave of wind and rain lashed her in the face. She raced outside and sped to the trail opening and the dank jungle.
A pair of eyes stared at Chance from the shadows of an overgrown mound of limestone rock. His muscles tightened as he glimpsed the tall outline of his cousin.
“Hello, Markus,” he said, and felt the veins in his neck throb.
He heard Balam move near him. At least he wouldn’t have to face Markus alone.
Markus took a step forward and Chance’s stomach turned. His cousin was recognizable, but he wasn’t in the same condition as the last time he saw him. Long wet black hair lay tangled over his shoulders and a foul odor signaled his lack of hygiene. He was naked and dirty and Chance wondered if he had been more animal than human over the last many months. There was a wild, frightening quality to Markus’s expression. He appeared completely unhinged.
He smirked at Chance in a way that made him revisit those terrible moments on the mountaintop in Idaho, when he’d heard Ana’s irregular heartbeat stop and when he discovered his grandfather’s lifeless body beside him. How he wanted to witness Markus’s own last breath. He wasn’t a violent person but the anger rooted in him had been planted by his cousin.
“Hello, cousin,” he said lazily. “You spoiled my surprise. I was about to jump the old man but I can finish you off for dessert. Or if you want, you can be the appetizer.”
“What, I can’t be the main course?” Chance looked to Balam. He wasn’t so sure that Markus’s presence had gone unnoticed. If he could keep Markus occupied for a bit, maybe he could figure out what to do. He wished he’d had a moment with Balam to talk and discuss strategy. Knowing his great-grandfather, he probably already had a plan. He edged back, closer to Balam, who stepped forward.
“Ha, ha, ha. Not even close.” Markus snorted.
“So, how’d you find me, anyway?”
“Well, I was doing fine hanging out in the van with you on your road trip until you ditched me in Denver. I knew you were heading to the Yucatán. I’ve been combing the area forever. I wasn’t even sure you were still here. But as luck would have it, I fell into a trap covered in your girlfriend’s scent. I think I’ll have to find her when I’m done with you both. She may serve me better alive than dead.” Markus pulled his lips up into a suggestive smirk.
Chance strained to remain still. He couldn’t let his anger get the better of him so he asked another question to distract them both. “Why didn’t you just attack me back in Idaho when I was weak?”
“I had to heal up after our fight. And once I found out about your great-grandfather, I decided to let you lead me to him. What’s better than one shapeshifter?” Markus laughed and answered his own question. “Two shapeshifters.”
Balam’s deep voice said, “Son, are you sure you want to make this choice? You don’t have to do this. Killing us will only poison your soul and cause more unbalance.”
“Who do you think you are? Your hippie talk means nothing to me.” He paused for a moment, then frowned and mumbled, “Shhh, no! Stop talking, I can’t think! It’s my turn!”
Chance frowned in confusion. Then he realized Markus wasn’t speaking to either of them. Was he completely mad?
Chance felt Balam tug on the leather strap of his necklace. He turned and met his steady stare. What, Balam? What are you trying to tell me?
Chance glanced down and suddenly knew what he was hinting at. The pendant filled with hemlock. Of course. If he could get close enough to stab Markus with it, they wouldn’t have to worry about him using his powers. It would be an easy fight.
He didn’t want to draw attention to his weapon, even if it didn’t look like much of one. The cool, sharp stone rested against his stomach. Under the guise of stretching, in one slow, fluid movement, he grabbed it in his palm and lifted it over his head, along with the cord. He subtly repositioned the spear-like stone, preparing to sink it into his opponent.
Just then, Markus stopped muttering to himself and clapped his hands together. “Who wants to go first?”
Not entirely sure if he was directing the question to him or not, Chance answered, “What makes you think it will be that easy?” He edged forward, confident it would be easier to stab Markus as a human. In the form of an animal, he would be too dangerous to approach and able to evade his attack more easily. Knowing Markus, he would probably want to show off in animal form sooner than later.
“Do you know how many shifters my grandfather killed before he died?”
Chance glided closer to his cousin and said, “You were weaker than your grandfather when you killed him. What makes you think I can’t do the same to you?”
Confusion muddled Markus’s frown. “I caught him by surprise. I wasn’t going to be his livestock any longer. He was just waiting for me to grow strong before doing the same to me. I did it to save myself but got so much more.”
Unexpectedly, Chance felt pity for his young cousin. Markus had obviously grown up in an entirely different environment than he had. Surrounded with love and support from his parents and grandfather, Chance may have struggled but he knew his family would always be there for him.
Focus, Chance. Remember what you’re doing. If he could just sink the chiseled stone into Markus and release the hemlock into his system, they would have time to think about what to do next. Although he had daydreamed about ending Markus’s life, he wasn’t sure, now that the time had come, that he would be able to do it. He was glad Balam was there with him because he didn’t know the right thing to do.
Chance threw himself at his cousin and aimed the pendant toward his stomach. Surprised by the attack, Markus let out a grunt and spun away but the sharp obsidian cut his arm, despite his effort. The pendant remained intact, to Chance’s disappointment.
Desperate to keep him from shifting, Chance goaded him. “Why don’t you fight me like a man?”
Markus sneered and answered, “But I’m not a man, I’m a shifter.” The dripping wet teenager shuddered and expanded as though he was being inflated until a muscular black gorilla stood leering at them.
“Balam!” Chance called over his shoulder.
“Move!”
Chance scrambled to move away from the huge beast as it thrust its fists into the clay and propelled forward, its lips pulled back into a frightening grimace. Chance tumbled over as he scrambled behind two thin tree trunks just as the great ape sped past.
Balam shouted at the immense primate. “I am who you want, boy.”
He locked eyes with Chance for a moment and gave a brief nod before phasing into the yaguar. The gorilla turned on the huge feline and paused a moment before charging. Balam leapt aside just before impact, and Markus hit the overgrown stone wall where Chance’s great-grandfather had just been standing. As his cousin shook his head, the yaguar swiped at it and sent him into the wall yet again.
Chance almost laughed. A wave of relief flooded over him. Balam would be able to take care of the problem. He was nearly six-hundred years old and had lived through the Spanish invasion. He wasn’t short on fighting experience.
The magnificent and legendary yaguar leapt up the hillside. Chance slipped the pendant back around his neck. With his eyes on the silverback, who had just righted himself again and heaved up t
he slope after Balam, Chance edged along, sinking his feet into the wet soil, scrambling to keep up.
The trees and growth above him shook violently. A deep, angry scream erupted and he was sure it was Markus. If he was going to keep up, he’d need to shift. He didn’t want to use up too much energy but he needed to take a form that wasn’t entirely powerless to maintain their pace.
He untied his sarong, flipped it around his neck, blew out a quick breath and let his power surge through every cell, transforming him into a sleek, tawny cougar. Chance raced ahead and followed the noises and scent trail laid by his cousin and great-grandfather.
It took him a couple minutes to catch up but he was careful not to get too close. He didn’t want the wrath of the gorilla focused on him. As Balam forged ahead, Chance wondered what he was up to. Was he trying to lead Markus somewhere? He wasn’t moving as fast as the yaguar could go, that much was clear to him.
The storm began to let up as they moved through the jungle. Gray clouds washed the sky in an ominous cover and the heavy rains slowed to a soft mist. Nearly twelve hours of showers had made the ground extremely slick and in certain areas, swampy.
It wasn’t till he caught a familiar scent and landmark that he realized they were nearing an area they had trained in. Balam was leading them back toward home. But why? He couldn’t help but worry. He didn’t want Markus anywhere near the house. It went against his survival instincts. Chance hoped Balam knew what he was doing.
The sounds of crashing brush and trees fell silent. He slowed down and stopped. Chance lifted his snout into the air. What now?
Noises echoed around him. Now that the storm had abated, the treetop inhabitants chattered noisy warnings as the predators rushed through the jungle. Monkeys screeched and birdcalls pierced through the canopy, which didn’t help Chance’s concentration.
Then through the brush came the yaguar on top of the silverback. Their teeth and the whites of their eyes pierced the gloom. If this was where Balam wanted to fight, it was time for Chance to shift back and wait for his opportunity to paralyze Markus with his poisoned talisman. The two brawling animals did not appear to notice him as he crouched behind some vines.
Quick as he could, he returned to his human form and ripped off his only opportunity at stopping Markus: the pendant filled with hemlock. He wrapped the piece of ratty maroon fabric around his waist and proceeded to study the clearing with his weapon grasped in his hand.
Ana stood in the spot where Balam had left her, having second thoughts. It wasn’t too late to turn around and run back to Sanchia’s warm, dry house. But, she couldn’t.
She was confident that somewhere in the jungle, Chance and Balam needed her help. I can’t stand by and let something happen to them. I can’t.
Unsure what to do, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, which was hard to do while rain slapped against her body.
A strange sensation came over Ana and made her woozy. She saw something in her thoughts she had never seen before. It seemed like a memory, but it wasn’t hers. As in so many dreams she’d had before, she was flying. But, it wasn’t enjoyable because she was so upset and scared.
I have to get to her in time. Your life isn’t worth a thing if you can’t save her.
What was happening? She didn’t understand. Was this something to do with being a healer?
Then as fast as it came, the vision faded and another surfaced. She was in a field. A familiar field. Niyol was there with her. Her joy at seeing him again turned to concern as she saw the look on his face. What was wrong? He seemed scared and upset.
Ana practically tipped over when she saw her own limp body laying on the ground.
“Grandfather! What should I do?! Her heart!” The voice that came from her mouth was the voice that filled her days with joy. Chance’s. Was this Chance’s memory?
“You can save her but you must hurry,” Niyol said to her urgently.
“But I haven’t been able to take that form yet!”
“Chance, you must hurry! She needs you! Believe in yourself.”
The thoughts in her head weren’t her own.
Focus, Chance! You can do this. You know the mapping for the mustang. It can carry her home quickly. You can’t let her die.
Fear coursed through her. Then another image emerged. The butter yellow energy she had recognized inside her just a day earlier was pulsing through her pores, raising the hairs over her arms and legs, despite the cold, abrasive rain.
Oh, my God!
Chapter 33
Chance lingered in the cover of an overgrown, flowering bush as he watched Balam push Markus around the clearing. The yaguar clubbed the hefty gorilla repeatedly until it couldn’t get back up.
For a five-hundred-year-old, Balam was holding up well but Chance could tell he was beginning to get winded; his ears were no longer erect and his pink tongue showed between his teeth. If his great-grandfather was winded, then Markus must be exhausted but clearly his cousin wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet.
Markus’s knuckles pressed into the ground and he stood once more. His eyes caught Chances and narrowed for a moment before he continued on with the yaguar. The horse-sized cat raised its hindquarters, ready in wait.
The ground thundered as the silverback charged forward and its loud screeches filled the air. Chance’s great-grandfather leapt aside, avoiding the collision once again. Chance was ready; the cool blade projected from his fist like a talon. As the primate stormed past his hiding place and ground to a stop, Chance propelled himself forward, the weapon poised for its shot.
Maybe it was the unavoidable noise he made as he moved, but Markus seemed to predict his approach. He tucked himself into a ball and rolled away just as Chance landed in the mud. He was stunned. All that waiting for nothing.
Powerful fingers closed around his wrist and bashed his hand onto a nearby stone. Pain receptors screamed out in agony and he heard an ominous crack. He let go of the pendant, unable to hold on any longer.
Oh, no!
In a flash, the primate morphed into the sadistic guise of his cousin. He snatched up the weapon and inspected it as he said, “What do you have here? What’s so special about this little thing that you won’t even shift to attack me in animal form? Maybe I should just use it on you if it’s so powerful.”
Markus lifted the glistening obsidian point into the air. A noise, barely detectable, rose from behind them. As the pendant came down, it arched around and to the side.
Chance flinched, half-expecting to be impaled. Instead, Balam, back in his human shape, tumbled over him and landed with a groan.
“Balam?” His great-grandfather met his gaze, and fear was etched in his eyes.
The sound of Markus’s laughter faded in his ears as Chance watched Balam remove the shiny point from under his ribs. Only it wasn’t a point any longer. The end had broken off.
“Oh, my God!” Chance’s breath caught in his throat.
“Big whoop. So I stabbed him. It’s not like he can’t heal himself,” said Markus, chuckling.
Chance ignored him. He searched Balam’s face for a sign of what to do next. Instead, what he found there was agony. His jaw was clamped and his eyes pinched shut. The blood flowed from the wound in his abdomen down to the coppery earth, a red plume fanned out, carried away by the rainwater.
Not only would his great-grandfather not be able to take another shape, he wouldn’t be able to heal himself. The only thing he could do for Balam was deliver him to Sanchia to care for him until he could heal himself.
By this time, his cousin had quieted down and was watching Balam suffer with an almost hungry expression. He stood and started to pace. It appeared a debate was being waged in his noisy mind. Finally, he mumbled. “Why isn’t he shifting? It must be the weapon. It’s time to act.”
Markus phased back into the gigantic silverback. But before he could step forward, Chance reacted. Without putting much thought into it, he shifted into bear form, the form that most repre
sented him and the one he hoped wouldn’t let him down. He leaned forward and swiped Markus with his paw, raking his claws across the gorilla’s surprised face.
Markus let out an angry screech that echoed through the canopy and sent camouflaged birds into flight. Chance shoved the gorilla away from his wounded great-grandfather. Equal to the fight, Markus reacted to his touch, flung his furry black arms around Chance and started beating his head. Teeth sank into his shoulder, sending a shower of spasms through his muscles. Chance gave a final shove before using his claws to pry the primate off him.
The confidence he experienced while Balam had been there to protect him was gone. Memories of his fight with Markus in Idaho were fresh in his mind as his cousin’s spiteful eyes seared into him. It was all he could do to keep the paralyzing fear at bay. Doubt crept in like a disease without a cure. How would he beat Markus this time? Niyol wasn’t there to save him. He would have to save himself.
Markus rose onto his hind feet and Chance did the same. Then the other beast showed its teeth, gave a wicked sneer and the assault began. The primate clubbed him with its fists so quickly Chance didn’t have time to react. Stunned from a knock to the head, he grunted and held out his front legs in an effort to protect himself. His heart raced and echoed in his ears. This wasn’t working very well. Markus had the advantage over him. With more energy and power, plus opposable thumbs and hands, he would tear him apart in no time. Maybe going big hadn’t been the best approach.
Chance recalled the days and weeks of practice spent with Balam and what he had said about smaller animals helping win a fight. He had an idea and acted on it. When Markus lifted his arms over his head to go another round of punches, Chance shifted into a squirrel. He shrank down until the form of the gorilla towered overhead. As quickly as his small body could move, he scurried up Markus’s back legs and clutched the silvery fur on his back as he pulled himself onto his shoulders. Markus howled in surprise and tried to grab him with his arms. His fluffy tail was nearly snatched, so he flipped it behind his lanky body.
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