She had not escaped unscathed from the Gate’s magic, for her cacao eyes glimmered jade green and her mouth fell open with shock.
He dropped into his body. His eyes flew open and he sucked in a deep, rattling breath. Choked. Took another breath. He wanted to touch her so badly, but his arms moved jerkily, as though they were disconnected. Words formed in his mouth but couldn’t pass his lips.
Then her hand cupped his cheek and she leaned down over him. Tears dripped on him, each splash soaking into his skin, filling him with such emotion. Such love.
“I thought you were gone.”
“I was,” he finally whispered, his voice raw and hoarse. “After the countless times I have died, this price I was more than willing to pay. I never wanted to live so very much—until you.”
Water glistened in the torchlight, neither the strange swampy, noisome Gate to Xibalba nor the black pyramid home of Kukulkan.
Shivering, Jaid huddled against Ruin, her arms tight around his waist. Deep inside, she felt changed. Different. Magic pulsed through her body and the water rippled in answer. Glyphs from the stone rings burned in her mind like a brand. His power through the bond? Somehow, she didn’t think so. Her heart quickened, and magic rushed through her veins, making her voice shake. “What do we do now?”
“When I used the White Dagger to take my life, I hoped the Gates would fall shut, but they didn’t. We must assume that more demons escaped along with Blood Gatherer and the other two that disappeared as soon as you released them from Lake Atitlan. Wrack killed One Death, but we must burn the body and scatter the ashes to be sure.”
At the mention of his brother, she felt his shoulders tense and a cold, gloomy rain flooded their bond. “He passed through the Gate with Butterfly Star. He was…happy. Very happy.”
Ruin sighed softly and rubbed the top of his head against her head. “Thank you. At last, he’s found peace.”
“He told me he would sit beneath the Great Ceiba with you and tell you everything that had happened.”
“In time, I will do so, but only if you enter the White Road with me.”
“We have to reclaim our world.” Her father joined them at the pool. “How do we stop the demons?”
Ruin gave him a narrowed, considering glance, weighing his earlier reckless acts against this new urgency. “Did Blood Gatherer make off with the White Dagger?”
“No,” Jaid answered. Loosed demons were bad enough; the thought of them wreaking havoc by capturing souls to empower that awful blade made her stomach tighten with dread. “I smashed it.”
“So that’s why the magic is still so volatile. I’m surprised the entire place didn’t crash down on our heads.”
“Most of the souls went through the Gate, but some of them attacked Blood Gatherer as he escaped through the tunnel.” At her words, Ruin’s forehead creased with concern. “What?”
“The ones that stayed, were they darker in color? Red, or even black?”
“Mostly, yes,” she answered slowly. “What does that mean?”
Turning away from the pool, he gripped her hand as though he wasn’t going to let her out of his sight ever again. “It means we have our work cut out for us to restore order to your world. The Lords of Death found great power in taking the souls of sorcerers.”
“Did they have powers like you?”
“Some. Many had darker gifts they gained from dedicating themselves to other less pleasant gods than Kukulkan.”
Shivering, she could only imagine what horrors might be happening in the world above.
It wasn’t easy to watch Ruin gather her notes scattered about the Temple of Days and stack them on the stone altar, along with Sam’s body and the demon’s remains. Reverently, he placed the codex on top.
Jaid touched the fragile bark cover and traced the gorgeous glyphs hand-painted in brilliant colors. Below the glyphs, an illustration showed a priest holding his offering up to the heavens. A lump strangled her throat. He’d made this with his own hands. The thought of destroying it—
“You know it must be done,” he said in a gentle, low voice.
“I know.” She didn’t look at the codex as he set fire to the stack. Instead, she reached up and traced her fingers over the proud, arrogant slant of his forehead, his full, sensual lips, and traced the spotted tattoos down his cheeks. His eyes glowed gold, the jaguar peeking out at her. His bond hummed within her, blending with the magic of the Gates until she heard the distinctive call of the holy quetzl echoing in her mind. “Your Heart of Blood is written on my soul.”
“And my heart beats for you alone, Lady Jaid. You are my First Five Sky forevermore.”
“It’s my fault,” her father whispered, his face lined and gaunt. His eyes were hollowed and dark in his face, and his hair, which she’d sworn just a month ago had been lightly sprinkled with gray, gleamed a stark white in the dim torchlight. “I hunted for these secrets my entire life. I lost my wife in this search and my best friend. I hope…” His trembling hand reached toward her, hesitating above her arm without touching her. “…I haven’t lost my daughter too.”
“Oh, Dad.” Hugging him, she didn’t try to stop the tears. “If you’d died…”
He squeezed her so hard she couldn’t breathe, but she welcomed his embrace, until he whispered low and rough in her ear. “You remember every symbol, don’t you? Did you read the entire Codex?”
Her heart felt like the mighty temple of Chi’Ch’ul had collapsed on top of her. She’d faced demons and walked the White Road to save him, but in the end, all she was to him was another translation. Without answering, she pulled away and pressed close to Ruin’s side. “We have to find a way to stop Venus Star, too. Sam thought they had a replica of the temple and said something about stone rings. Could they build a new Gate?”
A low, threatening rumble rolled out of Ruin’s chest at the thought. “Indeed, they could.”
“We’ll hike to the nearest village,” Dr. Merritt said, his eyes gleaming. She hated that look in his eyes. He’d been proved right, survived Xibalba, and now had a new insurmountable challenge to draw his interest. Hopefully he hated Mr. Franklin’s Venus Star too much to help them create a Dallas Gate. “Patzun’s not far and we should be able to find transportation to Guatemala City. Once we’re home, I’ll make a few calls. We’ll figure out where to begin.”
“I can’t come with you.” The Gates tugged at her consciousness. She closed her eyes, and she felt them all. She knew them by name, from Chi’Ch’ul to Chich’en Itza, El Mirador to Tikal. She also felt the demons like a black stain of spreading ink, so clearly that she could point to them. Her bones ached with the need to stop them and keep the magic safe. “The Gatekeeper is tied to the Gates.”
“I’ll bring help,” her father promised. “I’ll be back as quickly as possible, assuming I can find anyone to believe me.”
Wryly, she nodded, not voicing her suspicions. If he came back, great. Perhaps they could start anew. If he didn’t…
We’ll know immediately if he’s tampering with the Gate magic again.
Ruin didn’t say anything as they walked up the tunnel toward the ruined city of Iximche, but she knew he understood the true reason she didn’t go for help with her father, and it wasn’t simply because she loved Ruin too much to leave, even for a short while.
Sunlight, blue sky, and riotous green jungle had never looked so good before.
She clutched Ruin’s hand, staring up into his gleaming eyes, and she felt the answering pulse of magic in her blood. “Hurry, Dad. We’ll work on a plan while you’re gone. I texted Callie for help already, so Grandmother already knows I’m in trouble.”
“That old dragon,” he groaned. “She’s probably already called the President and every General in the country.”
She leaned against Ruin and waved one last time as her father disappeared into the jungle. No words were necessary between them. Even if he’d passed through to First Five Sky, Jaid knew she wouldn’t have made it far from Iximch
e without using his magic.
The Bloodgates had claimed a new Gatekeeper.
Even though she had no idea how horrible the coming months would be, her heart still leaped with joy. She could deal with anything, even Lords of Death and sorcerers, if she had Ruin by her side.
About the Author
Joely always has her nose buried in a book, especially one with mythology, fairy tales and romance. She, her husband and their three monsters live in Missouri. By day, she’s a computer programmer with a master of science degree in mathematics. When night falls, she bespells the monsters so she can write. Read more about her current projects on her Web site: http://joelysueburkhart.com.
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ISBN: 978-1-4268-9015-4
Copyright © 2010 by Joely Sue Burkhart
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