by Holly Hook
When Sophia knocked, it took about two seconds for Janelle to open her door. She blinked and stiffened, ready for any bad news. The girl must have gotten used to a lot of that by now.
"Can you help me out with something?" she asked, scanning the hall to make sure nobody was in earshot. "I might need someone who can break down a door. Tempests are a lot stronger near the ocean, right?"
Janelle balked. "I'm not sure breaking anything is a good idea--"
Sophia didn't have time for this. "I need to get into the freezer, wherever it is. You-know-who isn't talking. I think Mexico is too warm for her. Right now our only chance to talk to her is to get someplace cool enough that she'll be a little stronger."
She screwed up her face and looked back at Gary for a second, who was trying to watch some crappy tourist channel on the TV. Kenna sat facing away from the window, picking at her fingernails.
"Okay," Janelle said at last. "I'll come with you. If something's locked, I can help."
They set off down the hallway. Sophia's neck prickled as if someone were watching her. Andrina couldn't be anywhere nearby. There wasn't anything for her to work with at the moment.
Except--
"I think I know where the kitchen is," Janelle said. "I've stayed in a lot of hotels. They're almost always on the ground floor. Actually, we might not need to break anything down if they have those swinging doors. But you'll need a lookout."
They passed no one except a housekeeper vacuuming the floors as they took the stairwell down to the lower level. Sophia couldn't help but look over her shoulder every so often. If Andrina caught her walking around with Janelle, her head would be off her shoulders within seconds. She had Hyrokkin to thank for that one. Maybe she should have asked another person or two or three to come along.
Janelle pushed open the door at the bottom of the stairway, revealing a hallway lined with party lights. "Sophia? Are you okay?"
"Yeah." She nodded, snapping out of it. "Do I really look that dazed?"
"Something's bothering you."
"Just worried." Sophia gripped the handrail and descended the last few steps. "I think we all are, to tell you the truth."
Janelle stared at her as she walked through the door. "I think it's more than that. I can tell. What is it?"
Sophia couldn't give her the truth, the real reason that Andrina wanted to kill her.
Janelle was Andrina's daughter, a fact that, according to Kenna, she wanted to keep secret from as many people as possible. And Hyrokkin had nearly killed Janelle last week, earning the storm goddess's permanent grudge.
"It's nothing," Sophia said again. "We probably shouldn't hang around here too long. It's going to look weird since we aren't twenty-one--"
"Mexico's drinking age is lower than that. We might fly under the radar. Come on. This is worth a try."
Glad for the distraction, Sophia followed.
The hotel was mostly quiet this time of night. Somewhere people laughed and chatted in language that Sophia didn't recognize.
At least Janelle seemed to have forgotten about what they'd been talking about. She scanned the lobby and motioned for Sophia. "This way."
After a couple of dead ends and peeking into doors that led to conference rooms, Janelle pushed open another door, making light spill out into the hall. "I think I found it," she said, waving her in. "I don't see anyone, so we can probably make it back to the freezer. I think all we'll need to worry about is people coming in to clean this late."
It was easy going through the kitchen. Like earlier that day, it seemed to be mostly abandoned, with lingering food smells that made Sophia remember that she hadn’t eaten dinner. She felt lightheaded for a moment as her stomach protested and burned, but she pushed hunger from her mind. The freezer was more important at the moment. If they didn't do this now, there might not be another chance until tomorrow night.
Deeper in the kitchen, someone dropped something and swore. At least, Sophia thought it was swearing from the tone of voice. She hadn't taken any Spanish classes and wouldn't have one until next year. Even if she had, she doubted the teacher would have taught her profanity unless he was cool.
Janelle took her arm. Sophia almost cried out with the strength of her grip. Tempests had the strength of dinosaurs. If Janelle squeezed, her arm would break without effort.
"Duck," she said.
They did, and the counter shielded them from view of the kitchen worker. Footsteps tromped closer and the metallic sound of a pan being put down on a counter followed. Sophia forced her breathing to slow. This wasn't Andrina. Nobody here was actually going to murder her.
The footsteps got louder for a few seconds, as if their owner was scanning the kitchen. At last, after Sophia felt like she couldn't hold her breath any longer, the worker turned and walked back into the deepest reaches of the kitchen.
Janelle nodded and looked straight ahead.
They were in luck.
A metal door was closed directly in front of them. It wasn't labeled, but the pitted silver told Sophia that it could be nothing else except the freezer.
She gulped. Was Hyrokkin still on their side? The demon hadn't spoken at all since the rest area back in Arizona. It was possible she was getting frustrated already. Her temper was even worse than Kenna's, and that was saying something.
Sophia rushed forward and opened the steel door, letting the cool air inside wash over her. There wasn't much of a choice about this.
* * * * *
Janelle watched the door close behind Sophia as she advanced into the freezer. Her chances of getting caught out here were probably as high as eighty percent. At least if she did get caught, she could tell the workers she was alone in here, trying to make a phone call. If she remembered enough of her Spanish lessons, that was. Her tutor had drilled enough of the language into her back at Alara--a surprising number of Tempests spoke the language--but now her mind had gone totally blank. There was no way she'd remember how to conjugate her verbs right if an argument happened.
Something clanged farther back in the kitchen and someone rolled a squeaky cart past the double doors outside in the hall. Her heart raced. Here she was, Tempest High Leader, scared to face some hotel workers. For a second, she wished her father was here. He was definitely better at Spanish than she was, a fact she hadn't even known until right after she'd taken her title. Until her other life ended.
Sophia had better hurry. Hyrokkin had better wake up, sense the area, and start talking. The Yucatan was full of Mayan ruins. She had to pick up something.
Another round of footsteps sounded off again in the kitchen.
Janelle caught her breath and crouched down, letting the counter hide her from view once more. The footsteps seemed to take longer this time, pacing. It was as if the unseen man knew that something was up.
Something sprayed--a cleaner, probably--and the squeaky sounds of wiping followed.
Five minutes must have passed by now. Hyrokkin would probably need time to do her thing, but the first strains of worry were starting to form in Janelle's gut. She'd never trust that demon. There must be something seriously wrong if even Andrina wanted to destroy her. It still baffled her that the storm goddess wouldn't want a winter demon on her side.
Another minute passed, and another. This was getting tense. She couldn't tell how close the man was, but he was definitely closing in, wiping down every counter. Why couldn't he be one of those lazy employees, one of the ones who left crumbs everywhere and got yelled at by his boss in the morning? It figured they'd get stuck with a diligent one.
Maybe it would be best if she ducked into the freezer and checked on Sophia.
Janelle rose, peeking over the counter.
Big mistake.
The worker, a black-haired man in his late thirties with a pit scar on his cheek, just happened to look in her direction that second. He stopped mid-wipe and stared at her like a deer caught in front of an oncoming train.
"Great," she muttered under her breath, fumbling f
or an excuse. Blank.
The man dropped his towel and rushed towards her, confusion and anger molding his face at the same time. His expression would have been funny under any other circumstance. He fired a question at her in Spanish--something about the kitchen doors--and stopped a few feet away, bracing himself on the counter as he studied her.
He wore a tank top.
And had a familiar gray spiral on his upper arm, the one that could be mistaken for a tattoo by anyone who didn't know any better.
The Tempest spiral.
The man's jaw fell open.
Janelle let out a breath. She was saved.
He sputtered something in Spanish first, then sighed and shook his head. Then he doubled back and lifted one hand at her.
"Tempest High Leader," he managed at last in heavily accented English. "Pleased to meet you. This is a great honor."
* * * * *
Sophia sensed Hyrokkin stirring the second she stepped into the freezer. The internal blizzard woke inside her like a bear waking up from a months-long slumber. She hoped this wouldn't take long, and not just for Janelle's sake.
Frosty boxes towered over her on all sides. She could watch her breath spiral up towards the ceiling. It must not only be freezing, but below zero. And yet the cold didn't sting her fingers or threaten to bite off her nose. It drifted over her like a thin membrane, a shield, almost. It was the only perk of having Hyrokkin hitching a ride with her.
Are you there? Sophia thought, sitting on one of the boxes.
Silence.
Then, at last: Yes. Thank you. It is so much better in here.
"Sorry about the change in geography. We had to escape Andrina." Sophia could talk out loud now. Nobody was going to walk in and see her talking to the wall unless they got past Janelle first.
The demon went quiet again, which made Sophia grab the sides of the box and tense. But she returned with a grudging reply. I understand. You needed to escape. We can't forget that she wants to murder us. But I like Mexico less than Arizona.
"I figured you would." Sophia kept her thoughts blank, hoping that Hyrokkin didn't detect the happiness she felt at that thought. "Thanks for the warning. About the dust storm, you know."
It was the first time she had ever thanked Hyrokkin for anything. It felt about as strange as thanking her Lit teacher for that spring break project she'd finished back home before Callie and Kenna pulled her through Lava Express.
But she couldn't forget that Hyrokkin would have no problem turning her aggression on someone else once Andrina was gone. Someone she loved, even.
But what was going to happen after that? Once Hyrokkin had no one to take out her aggression on, she would no doubt turn on someone else. It was a threat that lingered there at the back of her mind like the growl of an oncoming train.
I suppose I should check the area, the demon said. I can already tell it's interesting. Lots of ancient energy here. Kenna landed us in a good place.
Sophia leaned back on the frosty wall. "Go ahead."
I can make no guarantees. But I think there's a good chance that Huracan is resting somewhere on this peninsula. His relatives certainly are.
Sophia shifted. Her shirt stuck to it in the bitter cold, but the shield stayed up, keeping it from burning her skin. The first waves of cold rose up inside, the sign that the demon was taking control.
The inside of the freezer faded to a washed-out gray. Sophia jumped, unable to keep away the panic. The last time this had happened, dozens of people had collapsed at the airport with hypothermia. She'd woken up to find paramedics treating victims everywhere on the lobby floor. Her victims…
Relax. I need to take control for this.
Sophia stiffened and fought away the fuzziness. "No. And you know why I can't."
The demon's irritation bubbled through the ice water inside. Okay. I will compromise. I'll let you come along.
The gray in Sophia's vision cleared, leaving the freezer in full color around her. It was as if she'd stepped from the gray Kansas scenes in the Wizard of Oz into the rainbow Munchkin land.
"I can live with that." Whatever was coming would be better than losing control again.
Ready? This is going to feel very real.
Was that glee in Hyrokkin's words? "Go for it." It was now or never.
Sophia settled back down, leaning against the wall and shifting on the food crate. It was uncomfortable, but it would work until--
The freezer snapped away in an instant.
Sophia flew. First like a leaf on the wind, then like a hawk, then a rocket. Darkness whipped around her. Wind snapped against her clothes. Air whistled in her ears and forced its way into her eyes. She blinked, watering up. Lights spun under her and drew farther away, fading from pools on pavement to mere pinpricks in the night.
"What--" she started, but the sky sucked the rest from her mouth.
She bit back a scream as Cancun vanished behind and the expanse of jungle stretched out underneath her, dark like the pit to an underworld.
I warned you. She could hear the laugh in Hyrokkin's nasty hag voice. Hold on, because this might take a while.
Sophia struggled for breath. She'd jumped out of her body, like Paul and Leslie were supposed to do when they had their Outbreaks. The thought did nothing to make her feel better.
Interesting place, Hyrokkin remarked. The wind slowed around Sophia, going from a whistle to a low growl. The demon was taking her sweet time with the grand tour. Lots of old energy here. So many forgotten ones. No one has been awake here for quite some time.
So where is Huracan? Sophia thought. The demon had better have an answer, and fast. Her stomach could take much more of this, even if she had left it back in that freezer.
Patience. The laugh was back. Can't you feel it?
Feel what? Thick foliage drifted past below them, a carpet of trees with an occasional pinprick of light thrown in.
I forgot. You can't. There are a lot of old gods here.
Yeah, I know. Can we please hurry? When she returned to her body, her chances of leaning over and getting sick were going to be as high as fifty-fifty. Hopefully Hyrokkin would stick around long enough to experience that part.
There.
They were descending. A pool of light shone in the trees ahead, illuminating a bunch of odd shapes sticking out of the ground. She recognized the flat gray of a parking lot, but it was empty this time of night. A paved road wound away from it into the trees.
But that was the only familiar thing in this place.
It was as if they had flown somewhere before the days of the Spanish conquest. Well before the Spanish conquest. Even in the darkness, Sophia could make out a towering, stepped pyramid that rose towards the sky. Lights illuminated every crack, every worn step going up its face. Its rectangular top waited under the sky for gods that would never return. This was something Sophia had only seen drawings of in her history books. Never had she expected to see anything like this in person.
Where are we?
I am not sure. But I think we were in the right place. I feel many presences here. Asleep, thankfully. I do not think any of the gods here want to be awakened.
Comforting. Thanks.
They swooped down lower, enough for Sophia to make out the altar inside the pyramid. Hundreds of years ago, blood spilled there. Sacrifices got carried out to one of the gods they were looking for. The thought did even less to comfort Sophia, but at least her stomach wasn't churning anymore. Maybe Hyrokkin wouldn't get to experience the joys of throwing up when they got back to her body. It was a shame.
It is not. The chuckle was gone from the demon's voice now.
Sophia didn't have a response for that one. They turned, taking in the scene.
Landed near the base of the pyramid. It towered over Sophia--well, whatever part of her Hyrokkin had brought along. She could almost feel her feet touching the ground, but at the same time, she floated in the air, a tiny point of consciousness.
Weird didn't ev
en start to cover this.
The land spread out around the pyramid, flat as if carved out by the hands of giants. Darkness couldn't quite hide the fact that there were more buildings, all stone and ancient and crumbling all around them. Lights shone against stone walls and pillars. Not too far away, two rows of columns waited like an infantry without a leader, frozen in time. Another building had the unmistakable dome of an ancient observatory.
Yes. A lot here.
I can see that, Sophia thought. This place was beautiful and ominous at the same time. The air had an electric feeling to it, like there was a beast of lightning waiting under the stone ground for its chance to rise up and strike back at the world. A bunch of angry tingles were crawled up her spectral legs and spread across her arms, telling her to go away and not look back…
So you can feel it. I told you. Let's have a look around, shall we? The glee had returned to Hyrokkin.
Sophia took a breath--or what she thought was a breath--trying to push the nervous thoughts from her mind. It was easy to forget that she usually had no privacy. Oh, this made her hope that the nausea would return on the way back and that she'd get to--
They flew once again, zipping across the ground. The pyramid turned to a stony blur going past. Another stone structure followed, disappearing into the night behind them. They seemed to be leaving the ancient city behind while the trees ahead loomed larger, ready to swallow them.
Where? Sophia thought. Trees zoomed past, black shapes in the night. If they wanted to look for a sleeping god, shouldn't they check the giant pyramid behind them?
That's not the right place, Hyrokkin said. Wrong kind of energy. It feels more like Andrina down this way.
Sophia tensed as much as she could at the name. No. Bad idea. Was the winter demon insane?
Thankfully, she was quick to respond. Not Andrina herself. Like her.
Oh.
And the angry tingling feeling grew stronger. Hyrokkin slowed now, letting the world come back into focus. Ahead the ground dipped, barely visible in the darkness. They were coming up on some kind of clearing at the end of a path. A whole swarm of prickles assaulted her as they drew nearer to it. This place was practically sending out an eruption of energy. Panic set in. The best thing they could do was turn back.