On hands and knees, Livvy looked over to the fourth podium. Celestino stood in front of it, his mouth open. Though she couldn’t hear him above the din, she knew he must be chanting. He kept his broken hand near his body but the tablet was held up high. He began to lower it into position.
Livvy blinked and shook her head but the double vision remained. She tried to stand up but fell to the side again, landing on one knee. The tablet passed in front of Celestino’s face as he lowered it. She had to get to him. She put both hands back on the ground for balance and they settled on something hard. She looked down.
Quills.
She’d had them in her hands when she’d fallen.
Maybe Celestino isn’t the only one who can use them.
She jerked her head up; the pain in her temple pulsed, making her close one eye. The double vision disappeared. Livvy kept that eye shut and looked down. Careful not to touch the poison tips, she picked up a quill and took aim. She had no idea whether or not she could hit Celestino, but luckily her target was much bigger. It was wider than a house now. She flung the quill backhanded.
It flew past Celestino and drove into the stalk with such force it almost disappeared. A bright green tendril lashed out. Celestino shrieked as it impaled his good arm, below the wrist. The vine would have hit him in the chest but he’d been lowering the tablet. It clattered to the podium.
Livvy stood but kept one eye closed. She surged to the stone dais as the tendril withdrew, yanking Celestino over the top of it as it did. Livvy looked down at the tablet.
It had fallen into place.
“No!” she yelled.
The flower surged upward, bathed in the vibrant red light that blazed from all four podiums. Livvy’s fingers frantically sought some purchase on the edges of the tablet, even as the ground shook with the movement of the flower. She found the edges. The tablet started to come up.
Then the lightning symbol on the tablet began to glow red.
Livvy stared at it.
“Destroy it!” Coco yelled.
Livvy looked up. The double vision was gone and she could clearly see Coco, on one knee in the plaza, one hand touching the ground. The entire scene rocked as the ground trembled with the upward movement of the flower.
“I can’t keep this up forever,” Coco yelled.
The two kachinas were still flailing wildly, darting in and out, circling this way and that, using every inch of the plaza. Blanca had the coyote cornered and was inching forward. Tawa had his feet stuck in mud. The rattle kept going and his face was still turned toward the sun but he no longer stamped his feet. The trail of mud, like a swath of quicksand, led from Coco’s hand to his feet. He was up to his shins in it.
“Destroy the tablet!” Coco yelled again.
Livvy looked down at it and clawed at the edges as the lightning symbol spread its red glow to the taller stick figure. Again, Livvy couldn’t help but stare at it. That stick figure was her. The glow traveled down the arm of the figure, turning it completely red. Then, as though she were watching a video, the red glow of the shaman’s torso and legs was replaced with white. The white glow extended slowly down the figure’s arm to the smaller person with whom it held hands. The shuddering ground, the creaking of the massive stalk, the mounding dirt–everything faded into the background as she watched in fascination. The white glow continued to spread.
Was that SK? Was that white glow lightning?
Only Celestino’s howl of rage broke her concentration as he caught her in a flying tackle over the top of the podium. With a grunt, air escaped her lungs as her back hit the ground. Celestino landed on top. With both hands all but useless, she easily pushed him off and shoved him clear. She sprang back to the podium, despite the continued rocking of the ground. Nearly the entire tablet was glowing white. Livvy clawed at the edges and pried it up. It popped out with a hissing sound but the glow of the symbols didn’t fade. The tree kept moving upward.
“Destroy it!” Coco yelled.
How?
Livvy raised it up high and slammed it back down into the stone podium. It didn’t break. She tried it again, even harder. The podium cracked but not the tablet–not even a chip.
“Owa-ngororo!” Coco yelled.
Livvy looked at her. She pointed to the kachina, who glanced at Livvy with waggling eyes, even as he fended off the yucca whips of Toho.
“Hurry!”
Of course, he was the stone-eater! He wasn’t here just to wield whips.
Livvy hurled the tablet at him.
At first, he looked as though he hadn’t noticed. He launched a new flurry of attacks on Toho, but at the last second he swiveled his head and opened his mouth. The tablet flew in, knocking his head back with the impact. He chomped down and the flower stopped its upward movement. Suddenly, the ground stopped shuddering. The sound of crunching and grinding could clearly be heard.
“Yes!” Coco yelled. “Now the others.”
“No!” wailed Celestino.
Livvy raced to the next podium, pried up the glowing stone, and threw it at Owa-ngororo. He was waiting this time. Toho had stopped his attack. Again, the stone-eater lived up to his name, even moving closer to Livvy as he caught the tablet. He followed her toward the next podium. In short order, he’d devoured them all.
Coco stood and the mud that had covered Tawa’s feet and shins receded back into the marsh. He stopped shaking the rattle and silence settled around them.
Livvy ran over to Coco and hugged her but Coco didn’t hug her back, didn’t even look at her. Instead, she stared up at the sky. Blanca loped over to her side as the coyote headed toward Celestino. Livvy and the stone-eater looked up as well. The face of the sunflower, raised to an incredible height, had shrunk to less than half the size of the sun. But, to the left of it, a little smaller, another spot had appeared.
“Too late,” said Coco.
“What is that?” said Livvy.
“The sipaapuni!” crowed Celestino. “I see it!”
“The way to the Fifth World,” Coco said.
CHAPTER NINETY-ONE
DALE SHOVED THE FBI agent out of the way and threw the kiva door open.
“No, don’t!” the agent said.
Dale had led the agent and a tribal policeman to the only place Celestino could be. They had come up the same canyon as he’d done with Olivia and SK. They crossed the same stream. Now, they were on top of the kiva where he’d heard the Hopi chanting.
Hopi chanting!
From a kiva on Navajo land in Canyon de Chelly. Someone here didn’t want their activities known.
They had crept into position and waited. Well, he’d had enough. The man who killed Leon was in there.
He slid more than climbed down the ladder. In moments, he stood at the end of a square kiva. All around him, men began to stand. Cries of outrage filled the room, until the tribal officer came down the ladder. Then an FBI agent, with his gun drawn.
Dale scanned their faces. He knew most of these men. Shamans, all of them. But where was Celestino?
“I thought you said he’d be here,” said the agent.
Dale rushed at the nearest shaman and grabbed the front of his shirt.
“Where is he?” he screamed. “Where is Celestino?”
“Downstairs!” the man barked. “He’s down there with the Pahaana.”
“Downstairs?”
Dale looked at where the man was pointing. Another wood door with a metal ring was set in the floor. A two-story kiva?
Dale jumped toward it and grabbed the handle only to see a heavy boot land on the door. He looked up. The FBI agent was pointing his gun at the door but looking directly at Dale.
“We’ll handle it from here,” he said.
“Like hell,” Dale said and he yanked up with both hands. The agent stumbled backward and Dale slammed the door open.
He heard the metal click of the gun.
“No!” Dale heard the tribal officer say.
He didn’t know if he was talking to him or the FBI
guy but he didn’t wait to find out. He jumped down through the door and slid down the ladder with his shoes on the rails. He landed hard in the next kiva chamber.
Franklin had heard him coming. He was already standing and had a gun drawn. Celestino lay on the floor, goggles on, oblivious to the real world.
“Don’t touch him,” Franklin said.
He pointed the gun at Dale.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Dale heard the FBI agent say from behind him. “Put the gun down, Frankmann.”
Dale heard the tribal cop and the other agent come down and watched Franklin back up. Wait, what had he called him? Frankmann?
“I count three to one,” warned the cop. “You will not survive.”
“Just give me an excuse,” said the agent, his voice suddenly feral.
Franklin wavered, looked at each of them. It was as if he couldn’t decide where to point the gun.
“You move that gun,” said the agent. “I’ll shoot you. You will die. Do you hear me, Frankmann? I’m going to kill you.”
Who in the hell was Frankmann and why didn’t they arrest Celestino?
With a smile, Franklin tossed the gun to the floor. The cop and agent rushed him.
Dale crossed the room to Celestino, looked down for a moment, and then kicked him.
“That’s for Leon,” he snarled.
He kicked him again.
“Whoa!” yelled the cop and Dale felt hands gripping him, pulling him backward.
He wrenched himself free and dove at Celestino.
“Murderer!” he screamed. “Murderer!” His hands closed on Celestino’s throat. Dale leaned down and stared at his own reflection in the goggles as he squeezed.
“Sorcerer!” he screamed, as Celestino started to choke. “Two-heart! Purification? How could–”
Suddenly, he was yanked back.
“Dale, stop!” the cop yelled. “He didn’t kill Leon!”
Dale squirmed and struggled.
“Dale, it wasn’t Celestino. It was Frankmann!”
The cop pulled him upright, dragged him backward, and slammed him against the wall.
“Dale!” the cop screamed in his face. “It was Frankmann!”
Dale shoved him away and the officer stepped back but stood his ground between Dale and Celestino.
“It wasn’t Celestino,” the cop said again, breathing hard and holding his hand up to Dale.
Dale, also breathing hard, paused. Then he blinked. He looked down at Celestino who was still wearing the goggles. He looked at Franklin, no, Frankmann, who was being handcuffed.
What was going on?
CHAPTER NINETY-TWO
“NO,” LIVVY SAID. “How can that be the way to the Fifth World? We destroyed the tablets.” She looked from Coco to the stone-eater. “We destroyed all of them.”
The stone-eater chomped his jaws together as if in agreement.
Coco slowly shook her head and continued to look at the spot in the sky.
Livvy stared up at it as well.
Why had it appeared?
“Dammit,” Livvy said. “Was it because I hesitated?”
“No,” said Coco. “You stopped the sunflower.”
“But I thought you said–”
“I know what I said, dear. Destroying the tablets should have prevented the sipaapuni from opening but clearly that didn’t happen.” Coco looked at Tawa, who was apparently talking with Celestino. “I think I know why.”
Destroying the tablet had been for nothing? The only thing that had even remotely seemed like it might help her and SK and now it was gone. For nothing? Livvy shook her head.
“We’ll have to destroy the tree,” Coco said.
Livvy nearly laughed.
“Destroy the tree,” Livvy said flatly. “Lightning didn’t touch it, not that I have lightning anymore. The ancestors died attacking it.” She looked down at the blood stain at her waist. “And I haven’t done real well with it either.”
“It won’t happen by force,” said Coco.
Livvy could see the gears turning behind her eyes.
“But why?” Celestino yelled.
All eyes turned in his direction.
Celestino pointed at them but kept his eyes on Tawa.
“They’re the ones,” he yelled. “Grandmother and the lightning shaman. They’re the ones.”
Tawa seemed to be listening.
“It’s my right!” Celestino screamed and began to turn away from Tawa.
With a speed that hardly seemed possible under the weight of his enormous head, Tawa grabbed Celestino by the wrist and pulled him back. Celestino wailed as he was forced to his knees.
“What…” Livvy said. “What is he doing?”
As though he were bending clay, Tawa simply pushed him down to the ground.
“Celestino forgot that there’s never a good reason to argue,” Coco answered. “Especially with a kachina.”
Tawa towered over the cowering man. With a final shove, Tawa turned away from him.
Had Tawa been using Celestino?
In a bright flash of light, Celestino disappeared. His coyote suddenly started to bay. Tawa ignored it, strode to the tree, and looked up its length. Then he started to climb.
“He finally gets his chance,” said Coco, watching him.
“His chance to what?” Livvy asked.
“To be the creator,” Coco replied.
Livvy shook her head. “I don’t get it,” she said. “He is the creator. Why does he need a chance to be the creator?”
Coco stared at her, frowning.
“Who says he’s the creator?”
“Well, everybody,” said Livvy, blinking. “I mean, everybody knows that the sun spirit is the creator.”
“Pfft,” Coco hissed. She waved her hand. “Hearsay. Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.”
Livvy jerked her gaze back to Tawa. With his flute and rattle tucked into the waistband of his kilt, he was easily climbing the world tree. He stepped from one branch to the next, in a near perfect stair step pattern that circled the tree, spiraling upward.
“Bring me a bowl from that house where your spirit helper was trapped,” Coco said.
Livvy looked at her. “A bowl?”
Coco clapped her hands twice. “Quick!” she said. “Use that speed of yours.” She turned to the stone-eater. “Owa-ngororo, I need some adobe.”
He immediately ran toward the edge of the plaza. Livvy looked at Blanca and, together, they surged down the street, arriving almost instantly at the house. Livvy dashed inside, grabbed the closest bowl, and was back with Coco in moments. The stone-eater was chewing on the corner of a building. Livvy handed the bowl to Coco who set it on the ground and knelt in front of it.
The stone-eater joined them and, when Coco pointed to the bowl, he opened his mouth over it and let finely ground adobe brick drop into it. Coco spat on it, picked up the bowl, and stood.
“Stand back,” she said as she walked to the flower. “Way back.”
“What’s she going to do?” Livvy asked.
“What she always does,” said the stone-eater, in his deep voice.
He placed a hand on Livvy’s arm and they started to back up. Livvy watched Coco approach the tree.
Livvy stopped. “She shouldn’t get too close,” she said. “Maybe we should help her.”
The stone-eater kept pulling her backward.
“If she says to stand back,” he said. “Then we need to stand back.”
Coco tipped the bowl. A thick black liquid slowly oozed over the lip and stretched to the ground. She began circling the base. The black slime kept pouring from the bowl although it seemed as though its entire contents should have emptied by now.
Livvy looked up the stalk. Tawa was hard to see but he was still climbing.
Finally, Coco came back to where she had started. She set the bowl down and watched the ground.
“What’s she looking at?” Livvy asked.
“Wait,” said the s
tone-eater.
Coco began to back up.
Then Livvy saw it. A stain spread inward from the circle created by Coco. The grass on the mound surrounding the stalk was shriveling and crisping, turning black. Coco sped up her retreat. As the dark circle closed on the tree, a tendril suddenly lashed out, but not in Coco’s direction. Then another and another, seemingly at random. Large ones and small ones launched in every direction as the tree tried to defend itself.
“She’s poisoned it,” whispered Livvy.
Coco now ran back to join them.
The poison crept up the trunk of the flower.
“Watch carefully!” Coco said, as she turned to do exactly that. “Be ready!”
Ready for what?
The black stain spread steadily upward. The limbs and leaves darkened, withered, and cracked in fits of shaking before bending downward to lie limp along the stalk. Then the enormous central trunk began to vibrate. As the branches began to collapse, it sounded like a string of firecrackers exploding. The poisoned base of the stalk had become weak and couldn’t support the enormous weight of the plant above. It was collapsing.
“It’s going to–!” Livvy yelled above the splintering of wood.
Suddenly, the black ring at the base of the tree exploded. Compressed beyond its limits and crushed downward with enormous velocity, it was as though it had been ringed with dynamite. The pressure wave blew them backward, lifting everyone except Blanca off the ground. Blanca, already hunkering down, rolled with the blow. Livvy landed hard but had to keep tumbling as chunks of wood flew by. Eventually, she came to a stop.
The stone-eater sat up and his eyes seemed to bulge more than normal. Coco was already standing.
“Look out!” she said as the cracking sound returned.
Livvy looked up as the cracking grew louder. The stalk was growing wider.
No, it wasn’t.
Livvy stood. It was falling toward them–fast.
“Go!” she yelled to Blanca.
She grabbed Coco by the waist and the stone-eater by the arm and surged sideways. Behind her, a deafening thud rolled through the ground as the sound of splintering wood wound upward through higher frequencies. Livvy half-dragged half-carried Coco and the stone-eater down a street that headed in the right direction–at a right angle to the path of the falling flower. Ancestors spilled out of the surrounding buildings and ran after them. Livvy didn’t stop until they were several blocks away.
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