by Rena Barron
“Give me a boost,” I yelled to Zeran. He knelt and let me use his clasped hands as a step to climb on top of the pod. I snatched up my father’s soul, which was warm to the touch. Not wasting any time, I stuffed it in my backpack.
“Arghhh,” the Lord of Shadows screamed as he bounded forward, ripping out the ribbons in Eli’s grasp. His ribbons snapped around my ankle, and I hit the glass on top of the pod. Searing cold snaked up my leg. The lower half of my body fell still, and I couldn’t move. I blinked, suddenly feeling tired—no, not tired, I was exhausted. My heartbeat slowed, and my eyes fluttered close. Why was I suddenly so sleepy? I forced my eyes open again and stared into Eleni’s peaceful face, but I also saw a reflection of myself in the glass. My skin had turned ash gray. Oh crap. The Lord of Shadows was draining the life from me!
“I thought you needed me alive?” I asked, hoping to buy some time.
“You’re mistaken,” the Lord of Shadows said through gritted teeth. “I already got what I needed when you touched the amplifier the first time. It connected your powers with Eleni’s long enough to permanently damage the veil. Even your father can’t fix it now.”
The amplifier? He meant the stasis pod. A hollow feeling spread across my chest as I puzzled out what he was saying. When I touched the pod, it had drawn my power into the veil. In that dreamscape with Eleni, I had a sharp pain in my belly; then, I saw the veil begin to burn along the edges where we stood. Because of me, the Lord of Shadows wasn’t tearing the veil anymore. He was going to burn it down.
“No!” I kicked at the ribbons around my ankle. All I could think about was saving my sister and figuring out a way to reverse the damage to the veil. Miss Ida and the orisha council had been right about me—I had already made the same mistake as Eleni. I walked right into the Lord of Shadows’ trap.
My staff sent streams of white light into the stasis pod. It cracked little by little until it gave. I rolled over just in time to not crush Eleni. The impact knocked the ribbons loose from my ankle. Now the Lord of Shadows glided toward me fast, his presence like a raging storm that would crush everything in his path.
I threw up my hand, and a gateway sparked to life in front of me. The Lord of Shadows tried to slow down, but he went straight through it and disappeared. I gasped, mostly in shock, as I closed the gateway.
“Maya, what did you do?” Eli asked. Dekala stood beside him again.
“I sent him to the bog,” I said, breathing hard.
Dekala clicked his tongue and shook his head. “That won’t keep him long.”
“Help me with Eleni,” I pleaded, desperate as I started to open another gateway. This one would get us back to the human world. This was much harder, and every second that passed, I could feel the Lord of Shadows drawing closer. He was already outside the palace gate when the new gateway sparked to life, revealing a black hole.
“Well, ghost buddy,” Eli addressed Dekala, “it’s been a lot of fun. Thanks for everything.” He turned to help Frankie with Eleni, who was still fast asleep.
“You said you would free us, little mutant boy,” Dekala protested.
Eli grinned as they lifted Eleni. “Oh yeah, I already did that back in the bog. You’re free to find a new place to haunt.”
Dekala looked stunned, then he broke into a wide smile. “You’re okay, godling.”
“Go,” I yelled to my friends. “I’ll hold off the Lord of Shadows.”
Eli and Frankie carried Eleni and disappeared down the walkway of god symbols. I backed into the gateway, bringing up the rear.
Commander Rovey burst into the room. “Zeran,” he yelled. “Stop her!”
“Where’s Billu?” Zeran asked, tears streaking down his cheeks. “Where’s my brother?”
“Safe from the shame you’ve brought on our family,” Rovey answered, looking down his nose at Zeran. “There’s no coming back if you help this godling escape.”
Zeran dropped into a crouch. He looked back and forth between Commander Rovey and me. His hands trembled as he balled his hands into fists. “I’m sorry, Father.”
Yikes—this was another awful revelation. I felt bad for Zeran, but we had to get out of here, and now. I grabbed his arm and jerked him inside the gateway as the Lord of Shadows burst through the doors of the chamber. Inky black bled across my vision as I slammed the gateway shut. Hundreds of clipped ribbons fell on our heads as the voice of the Lord of Shadows echoed on the other side. “I’ll be seeing you soon, Maya.”
“Billu,” Zeran whispered as I pulled him deeper into the gateway, which was collapsing behind us.
We caught up with Eli and Frankie, who were struggling to carry an unconscious Eleni. Zeran stepped in to help them as the gateway opened in the human world.
It was over for now, but the Lord of Shadows had what he wanted. I may have taken Eleni from him—and Papa’s soul—but he was never going to give up. Eleni had opened the gateway that started the last war, but I had handed him the key to destroying the veil for good. Soon the Lord of Shadows would be free of his prison to wreak havoc on our world.
THIRTY
We make a splash at school
The gateway spat us out in the hallway at Jackson Middle. Kids scattered out of our way, dropping notebooks, papers, and backpacks. They all gawked like we were aliens from outer space. Well, there was a blue boy with horns with an unconscious girl across his shoulder. A girl who didn’t look quite human either. How did we land at Jackson Middle? I remembered concentrating on opening a gateway in front of my house. But then, I’d thought about what it would be like for Eleni to be at school with me. I must’ve gotten distracted.
“And that is how you enter a room,” Eli said, not missing a beat. “Behold the League of Godlings and their darkbringer companion.”
“Who’s the blue bro?” a girl whispered to her friends. “He’s cute.”
“He’s got a tail,” said another. “Whoa.”
“Ms. Abeola.” Principal Ollie pushed past a bunch of kids. This was not good. I was pretty sure we were in big trouble after leaving behind such a mess on our field trip. “Of all the irresponsible things to do—”
“What day is it?” I asked, desperate to know how much time we had lost.
“It’s Monday morning,” Principal Ollie answered, their awareness shifting from me to Zeran. Magic sparked against their skin. “No one’s seen you three since Friday at the Field Museum, and we feared the worst.”
For the first time since we met him, Zeran looked scared. He was by far the tallest boy in the hallway, but his shoulders hunched like he was trying to make himself small. Eli and Frankie moved in front of him in a protective stance, and I blocked Principal Ollie.
“He’s with us,” I said. “He helped us escape the Dark.”
“You made it back alive.” Winston spat. Candace and Tay were on his heels. He glared at me with narrowed eyes. “Thought you’d be in body bags.”
“What’s this Dark everyone’s talking about?” Gail Galanis asked as she pushed through the crowd. She spotted us and stopped in her tracks. “Okay, this is officially the weirdest neighborhood I have ever lived in, and I’ve lived in a lot of weird places.” She looked Zeran up and down, smirking. “So this is why you haven’t finished your math workbook.”
“Saving the world twice is serious business.” I gave her a winning smile, and she actually smiled back.
“Did Eli say they were the League of Godlings?” Dion James asked a kid to his right. “That’s so unoriginal.”
“You have no clue what you’re talking about.” Eli projected his voice like a celebrity or something. “I’m the king of originality.”
Principal Ollie’s eyes shone bright with hope and concern. “Did you get it?”
“Yes,” I said, feeling the presence of Papa’s soul still in my backpack. “We need to get it to him now.”
“Go,” Principal Ollie said, but I was already opening a new gateway. “I’ll deal with your infraction at the Field Museum later.”
>
“You’re still the biggest dorks at JMS,” Winston hollered after us. This time we landed in front of my house. As soon as I stumbled out of the gateway, blue mist swirled around us until it became the cranky Johnston twins. They were back in their adult form.
“You three are in big trouble,” Miss Ida announced, glaring at us. “What you did was dangerous.”
I looked to Miss Lucille, who seemed to be holding her breath. “We got Papa’s soul back.”
“Hurry,” Miss Ida said, her voice low. “He doesn’t have much time.”
Zeran stepped out of the gateway with Eleni still across his shoulder. Miss Lucille gasped, and even Miss Ida was blinking back tears now. Zeran looked between Frankie, Eli, and me, unsure of what he should do.
“Is that . . .” Miss Lucille’s voice broke. “Eleni?”
“How is this possible?” Miss Ida whispered.
“She’s alive.” I pushed past the twins. “We’ll explain later.”
I ran up to the door, my legs aching. The apartment was dim inside with all the curtains drawn. Mama was nowhere in sight, but I knew where she’d be. I climbed the stairs two at a time to the second floor. Mama slept in the chair beside the bed, where Papa was still in a coma.
“Maya, is that you, honey?” She smiled, her eyes filling with tears. She came to her feet and pulled me against her chest. “I’m so glad you’re home.” She kissed the top of my head. “Are you all right?”
“I’m okay, Mama,” I said, staring at Papa. “How’s he?”
“He’s . . .” Mama paused. “He’s still here.”
Her voice was so resigned, like she’d prepared herself for the worst. Papa was completely still. Unlike Eleni, his chest did not rise and fall. He wasn’t breathing. His skin was chalky and gray, not its usual brown, and his locs looked withered. He was still glowing, but his light was weak. I could barely see it now.
I removed the soul from my backpack. The glass orb opened without trouble when I pulled the two sides apart. There it was—Papa’s soul—a ball of spiraling light. I could feel the essence of his laughter, his joy, and his sadness in my hands. I walked over to the bed and placed the soul on his chest, not knowing where a soul resided in a body. And come to think of it, Papa’s mortal form was a vessel either way. I held my breath, waiting for something to happen. The soul pulsed like a heartbeat, expanding and contracting, but it didn’t join with his body.
“Is it too late?” I asked through sobs.
“No,” Miss Ida said, slipping into the room with her sister. “Let us try.”
Miss Lucille had healed our bruises after the darkbringers’ first attack this summer. Now the twins waited for Mama’s permission. She nodded as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“Whatever happens, Maya,” Mama said. “Your father would be proud of you.”
She said “would be proud of you” like he was already gone. The cranky twins stood on either side of Papa’s bed. They moved in sync as they scooped up his soul. They both became swiveling blue mist as they pushed the soul into Papa’s chest. It wasn’t open-heart surgery or anything, but I still turned away, too afraid to watch.
Frankie and Eli stood in the doorway, both looking like they didn’t know what to do with their hands. Zeran was behind them, staying in the hall.
Papa inhaled, and even the cranky twins jumped a little. I took a tentative step closer. Mama did too. Papa’s eyes cracked open, and I covered my mouth to keep from squealing too loud. He was okay. He tried to sit up on his own, but the cranky twins helped brace his back against the headboard.
“Maya, baby girl, you saved my life,” Papa moaned, his voice weak.
I squeezed his hand, which had turned back to its normal color. “The four of us saved you,” I said, proudly glancing over at my friends.
Papa frowned. “Four?”
“I may have brought a, um . . . darkbringer back to the human world,” I explained, thinking about how I’d have to tell him about Eleni next. “His name is Zeran, and he helped us rescue your soul and saved our butts a few times in the Dark.”
Papa looked around the room, his eyes growing sharper. “Where is this Zeran?”
“That would be me.” Zeran shuffled forward with his head down.
“It’s been a long time since I met a darkbringer willing to stand up against the Lord of Shadows,” Papa said. “Thank you.”
“Excuse me for saying so, sir,” Zeran interrupted him with a biting edge to his voice. “But you don’t know us. Not everyone agrees with the Lord of Shadows, and many of us want to live in peace. I have a little brother back home. I don’t want him to die in a war.” Zeran bit his lip and glanced away.
I realized that he had spoken in English, not the darkbringer language. When we were in the Dark, we’d only understood the darkbringers because of the staff. Zeran had seemed confused when Frankie told him that we were speaking English, but he’d known our language this whole time. Somehow I didn’t find that surprising—him being top in his class and all—but why had he tried to hide it?
Papa stared at Zeran, but he seemed to be seeing through him or thinking about something else. “Maya, you have to send him back. The human world isn’t ready to know about the existence of other worlds.”
“We can’t send him back, Papa,” I said. “The Lord of Shadows ordered Nulan to punish him. They’ll put him in a metal collar to take away his powers and force him to do hard labor in the stocks.”
Eli cleared his throat and spoke up. “Nulan will probably do worse to him. Zeran did headbutt her.”
“It was an epic headbutt, too,” Zeran added with a small smile. Once things calmed down, I was planning to talk to him. I couldn’t imagine what he must be going through after leaving his brother behind and coming to a new world. Commander Rovey had done such a messed-up thing by locking his son up in a cage. That wasn’t something you forgot or got over.
“Can’t he hide in the human world in disguise?” Frankie asked. “He can change his appearance.”
“He shouldn’t have to do that,” Mama said. “People need to know the truth. We can’t keep pretending that there isn’t another whole world that exists alongside our own.”
“Whole worlds,” I added, happy that Mama was on our side. “More than the Dark exists.” I thought about all the doors to all the worlds that I could feel every time I opened a gateway.
“I’m not sure if I want to stay, but I can’t go home,” Zeran mumbled, staring at the floor. “My father won’t want me back.”
“It’s not my decision to make.” Papa let out a deep sigh. “We’ll have to discuss this with the orisha council.”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I had nothing against the council, but they were too cautious with their decisions. They wouldn’t see things our way because Frankie, Eli, and I kept breaking their rules.
“We’ll just have to convince them,” I said, under my breath.
“Papa?” I heard a quiet voice from behind. My breath caught in my throat as I whirled around to see Eleni standing in the doorway. She had her arms crossed and was wearing my Oya purple sweatshirt over her gown made of leaves. I bit back a protest. Who told her she could wear my clothes? Also, why was she so tall? Not as tall as Frankie and Zeran, but much taller than me. Her golden-brown skin shimmered, and so did her amber curly hair. She was mesmerizing.
Tears sprang to Papa’s eyes, and he stared at her like he was seeing a ghost. “Eleni.” He wept. “Is that you, baby girl?”
A pang of jealousy cut through my belly. Papa called me that. She couldn’t be his baby girl, too. Plus, she was older than me. I was the baby—well, not baby, but I was the youngest. Mama pulled me against her side. I was glad that we found Eleni and rescued her from the Dark, but that also meant that things would be different now.
Eleni crossed the room on shaky legs, which was quite a feat for someone who’d been asleep for a thousand years.
Frankie filled in the blanks in her usual matter-of-fact wa
y. “We found her in a stasis pod in the Dark. The Lord of Shadows used it to amplify her powers to tear holes in the veil.”
Eleni seemed to register the rest of us for the first time, and her golden eyes lingered on Mama and me. She opened her mouth to say something but decided against it at the last moment.
Papa was ugly crying now. Miss Ida and Miss Lucille were too. “Oh, Eleni, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know. I thought you were . . .”
“I got a message from Auntie Tyana,” Eleni explained through her sobs. “She said that she was going to help me save my friend—the little boy that I saw in the other dimension. I believed her.” A fresh batch of tears sprang to Eleni’s eyes. “Where’s Mama, Kimala, and Genu?”
“They’re . . . They’re gone.” Papa opened his arms to her, and Eleni fell into his embrace. She buried her face against his chest.
“Let’s give them some privacy,” Mama said, and we all filed out of the room. She was still holding on to me, even though I had smeared grime all over her clothes. “Miss Ida and Miss Lucille, can you take Eli and Frankie home? I’m sure their families will be happy to see that they’re okay.”
“It would be our pleasure,” answered Miss Ida, her voice not cranky for once.
Eli shook his head. “Tyana Nulan. Hard to believe somebody that evil has a first name.”
Leave it to him to crack a joke at a time like this, although he was right. In Oya: Warrior Goddess, the villains hardly ever had first names, including the notorious Dr. Z.
Zeran was doing that thing again, where he was making himself small so that no one would look at him. Mama smiled anyway. “Zeran, we’ll set you up in our guest room until we can figure something out. Maya, you can share your room with Eleni for now.”
“What?” I said through a grimace. “Can’t she take the couch?”
“Not when you have a perfectly fine trundle you can pull from under your bed.” Mama winked at me. “It’ll be like a sleepover.”
“Fun,” I groaned. Things were about to get interesting around here.