At the same moment, three moon shadows peeled themselves from the ground and wrapped themselves around Ren until she disappeared. Her hand squeezed mine.
I told the shadows to hide me, she said. But now I can’t see anything. Is he still coming?
I pressed myself against the wall. He’s just standing there. His image continued to flicker like a broken television screen. Here one second, gone the next.
What do we do?
My pulse pounded in my ears. Stay very still.
Ah-Puch sniffed the air. I could sense Rosie nearby, but that did nothing to stop the horror that was rising inside me like a ferocious tide.
Ren squeezed my hand again. What’s he doing?
I held my breath, watching helplessly. Ah-Puch was supposed to be burning in a stormy inferno. A terrible metallic taste filled my mouth and throat. How in Xib’alb’a had he gotten out? How was he alive? Oh my god! Had the Empty finally disintegrated? Was my dad…?
ZANE! Ren urged.
He’s looking at the ground, and…
And what?
And his head is tilted like he’s listening for something. Oh crap.
WHAT?
I didn’t want to tell Ren that Ah-Puch glanced up just then and inhaled the air like some kind of wild animal hunting its prey. I held my breath.
He walked toward us. Three heart-stopping seconds went by. Then five.
Zane?
My legs trembled close to a ten on the Richter scale. I gripped Fuego tightly. I didn’t care how helpless Ah-Puch looked, I was ready to use my spear. Then I remembered how weak he’d been when I let him out of his prison all those months ago. His crony, Muwan, had brought him a blood sacrifice to restore his strength. But she was dead now, so how was he going to…?
He was within five feet of us now, his head hanging low and his breathing labored. His bony chest rose and fell with a faint rattle. He wore a stretched-out white T-shirt and baggy gray pants, a far cry from the fancy suit he’d worn when I first met him.
I froze.
Zane…tell me what’s happening!
An avalanche of panic crushed my chest. Ah-Puch lifted his gaze. His eyes shimmered a sickly yellow. He inched closer, lifted his bony chin, and sniffed the air again. A slow smile crept across his wrinkled mouth. “Zane Obispo,” he breathed. “Finally, we meet again.”
Maybe he couldn’t see me, but clearly he could smell me. So much for stupid death magic! I admit it—I wanted to stay invisible. If Hondo were there, he would’ve told me to take away what he calls “the bully factor” and just face the god of death. Man, Hondo’s advice always sounds so much better when you’re not choking down fear.
And if I wanted to get to that gateway, I had to go through Ah-Puch. With shaky hands, I twisted the button again, and instantly my camouflage disappeared. It took every ounce of willpower I had to force any trace of terror from my body language. I released Ren’s hand and stepped out from the crevice and into the road, planti
ng Fuego firmly in the ground between us.
Ah-Puch was no taller than five feet—as opposed to his previous six feet five—and his skin was shriveled like a rotten apple. Three, maybe four, long, wispy hairs poked out of his bald head. Okay, this was not the Ah-Puch I remembered, but that didn’t make him any less terrifying or dangerous. Like I told you before, what you see in the Maya world is not always what you get. Remember that.
“Aren’t you going to say hello?” His voice was raspy and weak.
“Last time I saw you”—I forced the words, channeling my uncle’s fearlessness—“you were a snake.”
Ah-Puch nodded and blinked slowly. “I didn’t…wouldn’t choose this pathetic form unless it was absolutely necessary.” He paused like he was waiting for me to ask the next question, or maybe he was just catching his breath. “Your magic is quite impressive, by the way. You look good wrapped in death.”
“How…how did you know?”
“I am the god of death,” he said, as if I needed reminding. “The only god the magic doesn’t work on.”