“We can admire them later,” Buzz said. “If we survive, that is.”
“We’ll survive,” Mary promised, and grabbed his hand. “They’re smart, but I’m smarter.”
They ran over to the massive old oak, with its large tree hollow. “Get in,” she said.
Buzz grabbed the edge of the hollow and then hoisted himself up before wriggling through it and dropping into the cavernous space within. He held up a hand and pulled Mary in.
“What now?” He gasped as they both crouched down.
“We hide,” Mary said. “I don’t think they saw us come in here, and they won’t think to look inside.”
“Wait, don’t owls live in tree hollows?” Buzz asked.
“Um . . .”
“Why did I trust a city girl?” Buzz asked with a groan.
They heard a scraping sound outside the tree, and it quickly turned into a fierce slashing sound. Buzz jumped back as a golden talon stabbed through the wood and ripped the front of his shirt.
“The entire trunk is getting shredded,” Mary said as the tree around them began to shake. “It’s not gonna hold out much longer.”
Buzz’s fingers went to the tear in his shirt. His sister had given him this shirt for Christmas, and he’d never really told her how much he liked it. He wished he could see Tia now to tell her the truth, but he wasn’t going to be seeing any of his family soon. The strix had them trapped.
Buzz released the torn material, realizing what an idiot he had been. He’d managed to rip his life apart over the last few months. He’d been so convinced that everything in his life was boring compared to his quest for the Runes of Valhalla that he had stopped living. And now it was too late to say sorry to any of his friends or family for how mean or cold he’d been. And the truth was, his life had been great—he just hadn’t appreciated it.
There was a series of loud whistling sounds followed by high-pitched yelps, and then the sound of talons and beaks on bark ceased. The tree stopped shuddering.
“What exactly is going on out there?” Mary asked in the gloom.
“I don’t know,” Buzz said. “Think we should have a look?”
“It might be a trap,” she whispered. “We trusted Sam and Amin, and that was a mistake.”
“You’re wise, Mary, to be cautious. It was a mistake to trust Amin,” a deep voice said from outside the tree. “There’s nothing good about him. I should know—he’s part of me. But I vow to you on all that is good and true that it is safe to come out now.”
“Is this guy for real?” Mary asked.
Buzz shrugged. “Well, we can’t stay here forever. Let’s find out.”
Buzz and Mary scrambled to get out of the tree hollow to find a carpet of unconscious strix on the mossy ground. Their eyes were closed, but their chests still rose and fell. Standing next to them was a figure in a long, dark cloak.
“Wait, I recognize you,” Buzz said. “You’re the guy who stopped to help when I got knocked over by Berchta’s Jeep.”
“Indeed.” The man threw back his hood so his face was no longer in shadow; it was just like looking at a male version of Mary’s grandmother. “I’m Benjy.”
“As in, Great-Uncle Benjamin?” Mary’s voice was hoarse. “Grandmother’s long-lost brother?”
Great-Uncle Benjamin smiled. “Like I said, it’s Benjy. And it is so very wonderful to meet you, Mary.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked. “And what did you do to the strix?”
Benjy held up a long pipe. “I used this blowgun with darts made from the arbutus tree. They’re asleep, but not for long, so I suggest we get moving. I’ll explain more as we go.”
“We’re stuck here,” Buzz said. “Sam and Amin used the portal, and we can’t make another one.”
“Don’t be so sure.” Benjy unclasped his cloak. The inside was lined with black silk, and it had a map of stars and constellations embroidered onto it. Benjy lay the cloak flat on the ground, silk-side up.
“Step on and step in. It’s time to go home.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Even Magic Needs a Little Direction
Stars shot past them as they fell through the night sky.
Buzz wondered if he should be scared; he didn’t feel scared. They were falling slowly, and with Mary’s great-uncle beside them, guiding them, he knew they couldn’t get lost in this wide expanse.
“You know, I actually miss getting around by normal transportation.” Mary’s voice echoed in the darkness.
“I was just thinking that I was quite enjoying this,” Buzz confessed.
Mary shook her head. “There’s really nothing wrong with a plane or a car. All these portals are making me feel sick.”
Benjy angled his body ever so slightly left as they drifted down. “You are right to be suspicious of portals. The more you use them, the less anchored you feel to any one place. You lose a grip on the real world, because all the worlds are real.”
“Is that what happened to you?” Mary was floating directly beside her great-uncle. “Is that why you never came back to see Grandmother?”
“You’re wrong. I visited Crowmarsh many times,” Benjy said. “And I would check on my little sister often. But I could never go home.” Benjy’s face looked pained. “You must understand that after I went through the Ash Arch, nothing was ever the same for me again. I thought I’d learn how to harness my powers, but they consumed me. Almost destroyed me. Until I took action and removed that angry, hungry part of myself.”
“Wait a second,” Buzz said. A memory sparked within him—Amin reacting furiously when Sam began to describe how he had become half a person.
“Is that what you meant when you said Amin is part of you?” Buzz asked. “Is Amin the part of yourself that you removed?”
Benjy looked down at his hands. “I was young and a coward. I did not want to deal with who I was becoming, so I cut the bad out of me and discarded it. Then I traveled the worlds and gave away my magic to those who needed it most.”
“So Amin—the guy who left me to be eaten by some giant owls—is also my great-uncle?” Mary questioned.
“I’m afraid so.” Benjy swallowed hard. “He’s the worst part of my nature, and I never should have abandoned him. It was dangerous to do so.”
“So where exactly have you been all these years,” Mary asked, “if you haven’t been hanging out with your bad self?”
“Living as a shaman in your realm some of the time, traveling between worlds to gather knowledge at other points. It’s been my calling to help those in need when I can.”
He looked over at Buzz. “Your father came to me more than once for advice. I tried to help.”
“No way,” Buzz said. “You know my dad?”
“Indeed; he’s a mythologist, and I am a shaman. We have a lot in common.”
“I’m guessing he wanted advice on how to stop El Tunchi.”
“Ah, so you know about that?” Benjy looked pleased.
Buzz nodded.
“Well, that’s a start, at least. I told your father to tell you about El Tunchi weeks ago, but he was too scared.”
“It’s okay. I’m scared as well,” Buzz admitted. “El Tunchi’s not gonna give up.”
“No, Buzz,” Benjy said. “Your father was scared that you’d want to go with El Tunchi. He was worried that you’d want the adventure more than you’d want a life in Crowmarsh.”
“That’s crazy!” Buzz exclaimed.
“Is it?”
Buzz let the shaman’s words sink in. His father had never told him any of this. Was I so hard to talk to? Was I that lost? “So where’s Dad now?”
“He decided to search for Ceridwen’s cauldron,” Benjy revealed. “He’s hoping that such a precious gift might buy your freedom, but I’m not so sure. El Tunchi’s hunger is not for things. It is for feeling.” Benjy looked out over the night sky and angled himself even farther left. “El Tunchi has no purpose, and he has no companionship. He has nothing. But your fathe
r wouldn’t listen.” Benjy’s gaze became steely. “I promised I’d look out for you, Buzz, and when the Pantheon turned up, I knew I needed to stay in Crowmarsh to make sure you and Mary were okay. It was just unfortunate that I lost your trail. I did not factor in Sam.” Benjy reached out and took hold of their hands. “Get ready now. We’re almost there.”
“How’d you actually find us, then?” Mary asked.
“Ratatosk told me you’d gone to find the Keeper of Myths, so I followed you there. Alas, you were not easy to track down. You chose a very difficult route.”
“Told you we should have gone This Way or That Way!” Mary exclaimed.
Benjy landed on the ground with a soft thud, and Buzz and Mary stepped off the cloak. The shaman wrapped it around himself once again.
Looking about, Buzz realized that they had landed on the high street, opposite the post office.
But things looked different.
Many of the shop windows on the high street were smashed in, and the road was covered in rubbish and graffiti. Even though it was the middle of the day, the town center looked completely deserted.
“What happened?” Mary asked.
“I’m afraid the people of Crowmarsh have stopped working—stopped caring for the town and one another,” Benjy replied. “They are far too busy worshiping gods whose time passed many moons ago.”
“But where are they?” Buzz asked. “Are they safe?”
“Not exactly,” Benjy admitted. “They’ll be at the Crowmarsh ruins—or the Believers Arena, as Berchta likes to call it.”
“So what’re we doing here? We should be at the ruins.” Buzz began to pace.
“You told me that Amin and Sam have the cyphon, correct?” Benjy asked.
“Yes,” Mary said. “They’re going to use it on the gods to imprison them.”
“Well, it won’t work. Not without a little direction, at least.” Benjy was busy peering across the road at the post office.
“What are you talking about?” Buzz asked.
“The cyphon will only be able to draw a god into it if it has their true name, and Berchta is the only one who has a record of all those who have come through the Ash Arch.
“The Great Bear said nothing about that.” Buzz was still pacing.
“The Great Bear is old. He probably forgot,” Benjy explained. “And even magic needs a little direction sometimes.” Benjy rubbed his arms to keep warm. “The cyphon is powerful. It needs specific, detailed information, or we’d all get sucked into it. That’s where the names help.”
“You’re saying we’ve basically got to do a mega mystical roll call?” Buzz asked.
Benjy nodded.
“Okay, so where do we get these names from?” Mary wasn’t even bothering to disguise the impatience in her voice.
“From the post office.” Buzz pointed at the old, cavernous building, finally understanding. “The names are written on little jade discs. I saw Berchta’s people carving them. I just didn’t know what it meant at the time.”
“Indeed,” Benjy said. “Someone’s been paying attention. Those little jade discs are Berchta’s payment, but they’re also a record of every god and goddess participating in the Pantheon.”
“Well, that’s great and all, but how are we going to get in there?” Mary scanned the building across the street. “It looks pretty secure.”
Benjy unclasped his cloak. “Leave that to me. You two keep guard.” The cloak fell to the ground, and Benjy stepped into it and disappeared.
“Pretty neat trick your great-uncle can do.” Buzz was surprised he didn’t feel any jealousy at all.
“I guess, but I’m pretty sure my grandmother would have been more impressed by a visit.”
“Don’t be too hard on him, Mary. He probably thought he was doing the right thing by staying away.”
Mary crossed her arms. “Perhaps.” She looked at him sideways. “We haven’t spoken about Sam. About what he did.”
Buzz knelt down and tied a shoelace that didn’t need tying. “And we’re not going to. Not now. We need to stop Berchta and the rest of the Pantheon first.”
“Okay,” Mary said. “But we can’t harm any of them. We promised the Great Bear. ”
“And we won’t need to. We’ll get the cyphon, and we’ll get the names. Then every god will be pulled from our world and locked away until we can find them a new home.”
Mary looked down at him. “You make it sound so easy, but Sam and Amin aren’t simply gonna hand the cyphon over, are they?”
“Then we’ll just have to take it.” Buzz stood up. Pretending to tie his shoelaces wasn’t going to help anyone.
Mary laughed, but it sounded hollow. “We’re gonna need more of a plan than that. We need ideas.”
“Ideas about what?” Mary’s uncle had appeared at their side again—this time with a bulging burlap sack in each hand. He gave both of them a rattle.
“About getting the cyphon off Sam and Amin,” Buzz answered.
“Leave that one to me. Amin and I have a lot we need to discuss.” Benjy delved into one of the sacks and brought out a jade disc. “Your job is to plant each and every one of these names in the arena.”
“Why do we need to plant them?” Mary asked.
Benjy smiled at her. “You are so like your grandmother. She was also full of ‘whys’ as a child. The element of earth is powerful. If you bury the names in the arena, it will amplify the magic of the cyphon when we finally call on it. Ensure that it works properly. ”
He threw his cloak on the floor. “Come, it’s time for us to leave.” He looked up at the sky. “The equinox is almost upon us. Amin will choose the point where day is as long as night to use the cyphon. He’ll want everything to be perfect.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Believers Arena
They arrived inside the ruins, keeping to the shadows that gathered in the corners. The arena was full. Buzz recognized many of the faces of people from Crowmarsh. Mr. Collins, the butcher, was there, and he sat next to a god with two or three animal skins around his shoulders. They were deep in conversation.
“That’s Fan-Kui, god of butchers,” Benjy explained. “Looks like he managed to find himself one believer at least.”
The chatter in the arena fell silent, and Buzz had to swallow a gasp as he saw Theo, Ratatosk, and a familiar-looking giant badger being pushed into a ring by a throng of people dressed in blue and yellow feathers. They were armed with sharp sticks. Berchta had also appeared, gazing down at them all from one of the highest tiers of the arena.
She clapped her hands for silence. “Moritasgus has betrayed me. Has betrayed us. He was sent to bring back the intruders, but instead befriended them. Protected them. Now it is time for him to pay, and Huitzilopochtli’s believers will be the ones to extract payment.”
The people with the sticks cheered at that. Their faces were ugly with hate. The captors and their prisoners all came to a stop in the center of the arena, and the badger instantly curled his body around Theo and Ratatosk, keeping them close.
“Theo,” Mary murmured.
“Ratatosk,” Buzz said at the same time. He moved forward, but Benjy put a hand on his arm.
“Our focus must be on getting the cyphon to work,” he said. “If we give away our position now, without locating the cyphon or planting the names, there’s no way we’ll be able to save your friends—or anyone else, for that matter.” Benjy thrust one sack into Buzz’s hand and the other into Mary’s. “Get planting. Look, I’ll show you how.”
Benjy took a handful of the discs and then began stabbing away at the earth.
But Buzz couldn’t wrench his gaze away from what was happening in the arena. He watched as Mrs. Garrison, the local florist, leaped forward and struck Moritasgus on his side. The badger gave a howl of pain and staggered back.
“Oh, that wicked woman.” Mary’s fingers tightened on the sack in her hand.
“She’s not normally,” Buzz replied. “I don’t understand why
she’s acting so different.”
Benjy looked into the arena. “They’re wearing Huitzilopochtli’s colors, which means they’re now true believers of the Aztec god of war.” He sighed. “Berchta wants them to prove their loyalty to Huitzilopochtli by spilling blood. It’s all part of the contest.”
The badger let out another roar of pain as two more of Huitzilopochtli’s believers sprang forward and drew blood with their sticks.
Buzz put a palm over his mouth to stop himself from crying out. “We can’t just watch.”
“Trust in Moritasgus,” Benjy said. “He is the Celtic god of protection, after all, and is not entirely without gifts. Now, get those discs into the earth.” He gave them both a little push. “I’ll search the arena for Sam and Amin. They’re here somewhere.” He pulled his hood over his head and melted away into the throng of spectators.
Buzz knelt down and began to dig a hole with his fingers. The earth was tough and hard and tore at his skin. This is going to take forever. He looked to his left and saw that Mary was struggling as well, but her face was determined as she concentrated on the task.
Buzz heard Moritasgus give another cry, and looking up, he saw the badger swing out with his claw, but the attackers were too quick. They just mocked him, pulling faces and jabbing out with their sticks again.
Buzz’s chest felt tight. Moritasgus is still protecting Theo and Ratatosk, and I’m here planting stone discs. It’s not right.
“Buzz, concentrate,” Mary said. “If we don’t do this right, none of us are going to get out of here.”
Buzz nodded. He tried to blank from his memory the sight of the badger with the whites of his eyes showing, or the whoops and hoots the attackers gave as they drew yet more blood and low cries from the injured animal. Concentrate. Buzz realized he couldn’t dig deep with his fingers, but he could dig faster if he did lots of little holes. Working his way around the perimeter of the arena, sticking to the shadows, he planted the names of the gods, one disc at a time. He looked up and saw that Mary had also picked up speed and was now on the other side of the arena, invisible unless you were actually looking for her.
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