Jaguar Sun (The Jaguar Sun Series)

by Bourke, Martha

  “Nothing here,” he said, breathless. “There’s no altar. As much as it kills me, I don’t think it’s Cesar.”

  “Let’s check the rest of the rooms,” Adriana said. “Everyone in this house is on duty right now.” She pulled on Matt’s arm before he could go in the next room. “But we need to do it neatly in case we don’t find what we’re looking for. We can’t afford to alert the other side.” She turned to face the rest of us. “What we’re looking for is an altar or some other ritual tools.”

  “Mayan altars may have candles or copal for rituals and prayer,” Selena added. “That’s common. But if you find anything you’re not sure about, let me or Adriana know so that we can take a look at the evidence.”

  Evidence. Now I was living in a cop show.

  It took us about an hour to fully search the house. We found a few things, incense burners and such, but nothing suspicious. Anyone could have those things. Hell, I had those things. Adriana and I attempted to put Cesar’s room back together, but we knew it was pointless. He was going to know that someone had searched it, and he wasn’t going to be happy about it. Not that I could blame him.

  “Well, it’s not too bad,” I said, surveying our handiwork.

  “As long as he agrees not to tell the others until we figure this out, we should be okay,” Adriana answered. “I’m going to get Richard and have him call a meeting with the other house so we can check their rooms. Make sure you all wait in here. Quietly.” Her expression was troubled. I knew she felt like this was a betrayal of their privacy. And it was. All for the sake of—how had Matt put it? Team Maya. Rah, rah.

  We watched quietly from inside the cabin as the shifters walked to the main house for their “meeting” with Richard. One by one, we searched their rooms. Again, we came up with nothing.

  “This just doesn’t make any sense,” Selena said, perching on the back of the couch in the cabin’s living room.

  Adriana nodded. “Well, let’s get out of here before the other shifters see us,” she said.

  “Maybe we should walk around the back way,” Damian added.

  Matt took my hand and we all headed out the back door of the cabin, around the back of the other cabin, and on toward the garden. Our spirits were low. I had really thought we’d figured it out. And then to have come up empty-handed? It was almost more than I could take.

  “So,” Lyssa whispered as we walked, “this form of magic would definitely have to be made close by?”

  “I can’t imagine anyone powerful enough to do it any other way,” Selena said.

  “No one in Toltec?” Matt asked.

  “No, not that I know of,” Adriana said.

  “Well,” he replied, “I’m sure it’s not being done in the surrounding jungle. Not with all the protection we have in the area.”

  Selena shook her head again. “I really thought we would find something.”

  “Wait a minute,” Matt said, almost to himself. “We haven’t checked all the houses—”

  “What?” Adriana asked as he took off. “Matt, don’t you dare!”

  We all chased after him toward Alma’s little house. We followed him in, confused and panting. He was searching her living room.

  “Matt, come out of there right now,” Adriana yelled.

  Selena walked down the little hallway and went into one of the bedrooms.

  “Selena, not you too!” Adriana said. She started toward Ana’s bedroom, then turned her head. “He’s probably already got half the shifters ready to quit,” she said. “I guess it won’t hurt to—oh, my God!”

  “What is it?” I ran in behind her. I sucked in my breath. There, right on the floor of Ana’s bedroom, was an altar standing next to the far wall. From where I stood, it looked like a crate covered in some black velvety cloth.

  Selena walked closer. We all followed her.

  “Is this it?” Adriana asked, her voice almost inaudible.

  Selena nodded. “There’s no doubt.”

  Lyssa leaned forward. “But what’s different from the other stuff we found?” she asked.

  We could all see candles, an incense burner, and a dish that looked like it was all stained, and a rock of some kind.

  “Obsidian,” Selena said.

  “You mean the volcanic rock?” Damian asked.

  “Yes,” Adriana said. “It can be broken into sharp pieces, like flint. It’s used for bloodletting. Look,” she pointed at the stained dish, “she’s been offering her own blood as a sacrifice.”

  “Qué pasa aquí?” I didn’t even need to turn around. It was Alma. She had caught us. She looked from Selena to Adriana and back to Selena again.

  “Alma, do you know where Ana is?” Adriana asked.

  “She went to the market at the village,” Alma answered. I heard her gasp. My eyes followed hers to the altar on the floor. “No, no, Ana,” she said, beginning to sob.

  “Could you all leave us alone, please?” Adriana asked.

  Heads nodded as we clamored out of the bedroom. We headed back to the main house.

  “She’s gone,” Matt said. “We’ll never find her now.”

  “Poor Alma,” I said.

  “Poor Alma? How do you know she wasn’t in on it?” Matt asked.

  “No,” Selena said, “There’s no way. I’m going to go find Richard. I’ll see you later.” She touched my shoulder and walked off.

  We walked together to Damian’s room and sat down on the floor.

  “I can’t believe it was Ana,” Lyssa said.

  “I can,” I said, surprising myself. Somewhere on the walk back from Alma’s, I had realized that what I had mistaken for Ana’s shyness, or maybe even just an aversion to people, had actually been contempt…for me. “But I think Selena’s right,” I added. “There’s no way Alma is involved.”

  Matt took my hand again. “How are you feeling?”

  “She should feel gradually better,” Richard said, coming in behind us.

  “I feel fine,” I said, answering them both.

  “Maya, I owe you an apology,” Richard said. “We promised to protect you. I shouldn’t have allowed myself to become so convinced of the shifters’ loyalty.”

  “No, you really don’t,” I said.

  “I’m going to figure out how all this happened. I promise you.” He turned to Matt. “Ready for duty?”

  “Yeah, let’s go.”

  “Maya, make sure you rest. Selena will check on you later,” Richard said as they walked out.

  Lyssa gave my hand a squeeze. “Maya, I’m gonna grab you a soda.”

  “Thanks,” I mumbled.

  Damian scooted closer to me and gave me a hug. “Hey, this isn’t your fault, honey.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you?” Lyssa came back through the door.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s just, you have this…tendency to blame yourself for things a lot.”

  “I do?” I guess I’d never really thought about it before. My mind went back to what Grandma had said in the hospital. Maybe that’s what Selena had been talking about while she was doing my reading. Was I really my own worst enemy sometimes?

  “Yes, you do,” Damian said. “There’s no way you could have prevented what happened with Ana.”

  I gave a deep sigh. “No, you’re right. But I feel so bad for Alma.”

  “Yeah. I think we all do. She must be in total shock,” Lyssa said.

  “Listen, I think I’m going to hit the hay,” I said, completely forgetting about my diet Coke. (Now there’s a first.)

  ~ ~ ~

  I slept late the next morning. By the time I had gotten up, Matt was long gone. I walked into the bathroom, took my compact out of my makeup case, turned around, and looked at my mark. It was almost all the way back. What a relief! I had kind of figured that it would take longer, like recovering from a cold or something. I showered and headed out to the kitchen to scrounge for leftovers from breakfast. I turned the corner and stopped short. Alma was doing th
e breakfast dishes. I hesitated for a moment, and then something inside of me seemed to guide me to her. Balam.

  “Permíteme ayudarte, Alma.” What the hell did I just say?

  “Maya, hablas español?” She asked, looking up at me in confusion.

  And then I just started rambling, in Spanish. I told her how very sorry I was about Ana and that I wish it could have been different. Her look turned sadder and her eyes teared up some. So did mine. But she managed a small smile.

  “Maya, no te sientas mal. Yo siempre amaré a Ana. Pero ya ha elegido su propio camino.” She shook her head.

  “Okay,” I said. Hearing that Alma didn’t blame me for what happened made me feel a little better.

  She went to the fridge, took out an omelet sandwich and diet Coke, and handed them to me.

  “Eat,” she said, reaching up and giving my cheeks a little squeeze.

  “Gracias,” I said, and headed down the hall to see the twins.

  I looked in Lyssa’s room. The twins were sitting on the floor and working with Selena.

  “Come in, Maya,” Selena said. “How do you feel?”

  “My mark is pretty much back…oh, and it seems I can speak Spanish now.”

  “What?” the twins chorused at me.

  “I went out to the kitchen and just starting speaking to Alma in Spanish,” I said, shrugging my shoulders and taking a huge bite out of my sandwich.

  “Holy shit! How cool is that!” Lyssa said.

  “Yeah, well, it’s starting to feel a bit like a lab rat over here,” I said, taking another bite.

  “It definitely fits though,” Selena said, “I mean, you’re meant to unite many cultures.”

  Damian blinked. “Wait, so you think she might speak more than just Spanish?” he asked.

  “It’s possible,” Selena said. She turned to face me. Pouvez-vous parler en français?”

  “Oui, je pense que je peux parler en français,” I answered without hesitation. I gave her a huge grin and opened my diet Coke.

  “That is so awesome,” Damian said.

  Selena smiled. “I have to agree with you.”

  “Is anyone else seeing the irony here?” Lyssa asked, grabbing my sandwich and sampling a corner.

  “Maybe a tad,” Damian said. “But, look at it this way. She won’t yell at us for speaking Spanish around her anymore.”

  “Good point,” Lyssa giggled.

  “Has anyone seen Matt?” I asked.

  “Yeah,” Selena said. “He’s helping Cesar cut firewood out back.”

  “Wait—Matt? My Matt?”

  “Basically, he’s making up for what he did to Cesar’s room,” she answered.

  “Whose idea was that?” I asked.

  “I dunno,” Lyssa said, “Not Matt’s, obviously.”

  There was a knock on the door, and I turned around to see Adriana smiling at me.

  She walked in and picked up my ponytail. “Wow,” she said, “it looks to me like you’re ready for your next lesson.”

  “That all depends on which language you’re planning on teaching in today,” Selena said with a laugh.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “What?” Adriana asked.

  “It seems Maya can speak, well, at least two languages besides English now,” Selena said.

  “And possibly more,” Damian added.

  “Really?” Adriana turned to me. “Vediamo se riesce a parlare italiano.”

  “Sí, posso parlare cazzo italiano,” I answered back.

  “Did I detect some foul language?” Selena asked.

  “Possibly,” I said. Seriously, end of testing the trained monkey. “Adriana, would you mind if I called my grandma real quick?”

  “Sure. I’ll wait for you on the sun porch.”

  I headed across the hall, grabbed my cell and started dialing.

  “Maya, oh, honey,” she said when she picked up, “I’m so glad you called. I’ve been worried something might happen to you.”

  “I’m sorry, Grandma. Things have just been a little crazy here.”

  “I’m sure they have. How are your studies going?”

  “Okay, I guess. I’m learning about opening and closing portals and the different amounts of energy I need to do different things.”

  “It sounds like you’ve been working very hard, ts’unu’un.”

  “Yeah.” I paused. I had to tell her more. “And then there’s some, well, weird stuff happening. Like today I found out that I can speak pretty much any language.” I felt myself trying to hide the sudden fear I felt at saying it out loud. Seriously, I think it would have freaked anyone out, but me? Come on. After three years of Spanish, I could barely remember how to do basic greetings. Now, suddenly I have mad skills? I mean, some things just go against nature.

  “Are you all right, Maya? There’s no need to be afraid, sweetheart. You have been very blessed.”

  “Grandma, I…I’m scared.” My eyes were growing watery and a huge lump was forming in my throat. “Everything’s happening so fast. I feel like I don’t even recognize myself anymore.”

  “Are you asking Balam for the strength to bear your gifts?”

  “I guess I haven’t been.” As we talked, I left out the part where someone was trying to break my connection to Balam. It was over now, and I didn’t want to worry her.

  “Try to remember to ask Balam, honey. You will need great courage and strength of spirit to accomplish all that is being asked of you.”

  “Yeah, that’s what scares me the most. The solstice is a little over a week away. What if I’m not ready? What if I can’t do it?”

  “Everyone fears the future sometimes, ts’unu’un. But you must choose faith over fear. Faith that you’ve been chosen because you can do what is being asked of you. And most of all, faith in yourself.”

  “I’ll try,” I said.

  “I know you will, ts’unu’un. I love you.”

  “I love you too, Grandma.”

  As soon as I hung up, I found my incense burner and filled the little tray with copal. As the resin melted, I purified myself with its sweet incense.

  “Balam,” I whispered, “you are my spirit guide. I ask that you send me the courage to accept your many gifts. Help me to be worthy of your blessings. Lend me your strength when I am afraid. Balam, show me how to leave the past behind and teach me how not to be fearful of the future. Please make me worthy of the trust of my friends and the love of my mate. And may I continue to be one with my Jaguar soul.”

  As I finished, I began to feel a lightness of heart, and a new strength of spirit filled me from head to toe. I realized then that what had happened during the attacks really had damaged my connection to my guide. I was so glad to have it back, I actually caught myself grinning at nothing in particular. I blew out the little candle and set the burner on the windowsill to cool.

  As I walked back to Adriana’s sun porch, I felt hopeful and energized. It was as if all the fear had left me and been replaced by a new determination. I walked through the bedroom and out onto the sun porch. As always, the garden greeted me with its burst of colors. Adriana was sitting on the floor, her eyes closed. I sat down quietly and waited for her to finish her meditation. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and smiled.

  “Thank you for waiting, Maya. You look like a whole new person. That must have been a good talk you had with your grandmother.”

  I smiled again. “Yeah, and I took a few minutes to reconnect with my nagual too. I guess the physical damage from the attacks was pretty obvious, but now I feel so much better, you know, spiritually,” I said.

  “I’m glad. You’ve come a long way in a very short time. Okay, today the first thing we really need to do is talk about what December 21st is going to be like. It’s approaching fast. I want you to start preparing yourself. So let me share what our plans look like, and if you have any questions, feel free to jump in, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “This compound is southeast of Valladolid. Right at sunup
we’ll head to the Chichen Itza museum. On any solstice, the grounds would be teaming with people. But on the day the Mayan Calendar ends, it’ll be wall to wall. But that’s actually going to work in our favor. It will be more difficult for Toltec’s people to spot us.”

  “That makes sense,” I said, but my stomach gave a squeeze.

  “Now, most of the shifters will already be at the museum when we get there. That way, they can enter in a scattered manner with the rest of the crowds. You will enter the museum with Matt and Cesar. Richard and I will be waiting for you at—”

  “Wait, wait. I’ll be with Matt and Cesar? Is that a good idea?”

  “Cesar is by far our most capable shifter. He also grew up near the museum, so he knows every inch of that park. And I think we both know that neither one of them would do anything to put you in danger.”

  Huh?

  “Look, I know that you and Matt are mated. Cesar knows that too. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you.”

  “But, how is that possible? I mean…shifters mate for life, right?” I was starting to get all squirmy and uncomfortable.

  “That’s right. But Cesar hasn’t found his yet. He will in time, but until then, he’s entitled to his crush as much as the next person.”

  His crush? Totally mortified, I felt my face get all hot. I did the only thing I could. I changed the subject. Fast.

  “So where will you be waiting for me?” I asked, oh, so smoothly.

  She handed me a folded sheet of paper. “Here, I brought Richard’s map just to give you an idea of how the museum is laid out. We’ll be waiting here, inside the Jaguar Temple by the Great Ball Court. We’ll be right there, on the first floor. It’s not far from the museum entrance. It’s just across from El Castillo.”

  “That’s the main pyramid, right? The famous one with all the stairs?”

  “Right. That’s your target. Together, Matt, Cesar, Richard, and I will get you to the bottom of El Castillo. And that’s where things get tricky…. No one has been allowed to climb up the steps to the top of the pyramid for the last five years. For safety reasons.”

  “Then how will I be able to do it?”

  “By that time, all the shifters will have collected at the base of the pyramid with us. They will find you an opening, and once they do, you’ll have to make a break for it.”