The Fire Keeper (The Storm Runner 2) - Page 103
“And the prince awakens,” a woman’s voice said.
I squirmed uselessly. “Who are you? Where am I?”
“Oh, we’ll get to that,” she cooed. “But first, young prince, the snake.”
It’s pretty hard to write about what happened next. Because I’d rather put it out of my mind forever. I used to think fear was a feeling—a blood-pounding, heart-racing, fight-or-flight response. But you know what? It’s a thing. A living, breathing thing with teeth and claws and hate so dark it can tear you to pieces if you let it.
Maybe that’s why Itzamna had said it was going to hurt. He wasn’t talking about getting hit over the head or thrown off a cliff. He meant the fear. And he was right.
I cursed myself for being so stupid, for walking right into the trap Ah-Puch had just told me to avoid.
The woman ripped off my blindfold. I blinked in the sudden light, and once my eyes adjusted, I saw I was in a grassy field surrounded by forest and weathered canyon walls. The air was chilly and smelled like a blend of pine and horses. But something about the place wasn’t real, like it had been stitched together with scraps of fabric made to look like the world. Ixtab would have called it a poor imitation.
“Ah, the son of fire. Welcome.”
The lady was of medium height, with hair twisted into two long white braids. She had pale gray eyes, and a sagging face that reminded me of a wet tea bag. Her hands were large and beefy, with hairy knuckles—the same hands I’d seen in the scrying pool taking the godborns. She was the abductor?
“Where are Brooks and Hondo?” I asked, trying to keep the strain out of my voice. It was a stupid question. I could tell by looking at her that she wasn’t in charge. She blinked too much and paced too quickly, leaving a trail of wet clay behind. Great! Another mud person, here to serve. I tried to draw on fire, to burn through these stupid ropes, but I couldn’t find a heat source.
“We’ll get to that,” she said. “But first, introductions. You can call me Gee, like the letter. Oh, and before you try to burn anyone down, your powers have been locked by the masters.” She smiled and waved a hand through the air. “Now let’s have you meet the godborns.”
A group of ten kids stepped out of the forest in unison. They each wore a black sweat suit and marched stiffly like a soldier. I wanted to throw a fist pump and shout, Guys, I’m totally here to save you! I mean, once I’m not tied to this pole.
Why were they glaring at me like that?
I spotted the girl with short, honey-colored hair, brown skin, and hooded, suspicious eyes. She was the first godborn I’d seen in the Eternity pool when I was in Xib’alb’a. The same girl who had walked down a littered school hallway with her head down but her gaze turned up. Her head wasn’t bowed now.
Gee gestured to the girl, who immediately began to walk toward me. Still glaring.
“Zane, this is Serena. She, like the others, has a gift for you.”
“Gift?” Why did I have a feeling that wasn’t the right word?
“Boys and girls.” Gee swept her arms wide, and flakes of dried mud fell from her pits. “Please come forward when called to bestow your offering. Remember what I taught you. Self-control above all else. Zane must understand if he is to join us.”
Okay, this lady was cracked. Literally. Every time she made an expression, her face looked like it might crumble. Join them? Weren’t the godborns prisoners waiting to be rescued? Except they didn’t look like prisoners. They looked like…recruits.
Serena opened her hands and a cloud of red mist appeared, taking the shape of a snake. A big, fat, murderous-looking snake with beady black eyes and a forked tongue pointed in my direction. If I weren’t tied to a pole, I would have jumped ten feet.
“Thief,” Serena whispered as she set the snake on the ground. The serpent slid through the dried grass, right in my direction.
“Hey!” I squirmed. “Is that thing poisonous?”
Gee snorted like it was too much effort to laugh.
The snake slithered toward my shorter leg. Sweat dripped from my neck, trickling down my back. My chest tightened. This is not how I’m going to die, I told myself, trying to draw the heat of the sun so I could burn this place down, but I was in serious panic mode because…well, the snake! Which was now about to wrap itself around my ankle. But the second the serpent touched my leg, it hissed and recoiled.
Gee frowned, staring down at the red monster like this wasn’t part of the plan. “The show must go on,” she whispered as the snake melted into the ground in a sizzling cloud of steam. Quickly, she motioned for the next godborn to come forward. Serena fell back in line with the others.
Where were Ah-Puch and Ren and Rosie? Had I left them behind? My eyes darted around the field, searching for them or any sign of Brooks and Hondo.
“How about you untie me?” I suggested, hoping Gee’s mud brain might work to my advantage. “We can talk about all this. Uh, maybe come to an agreement.”
Gee ignored me. I wondered how long it would be before I had to face her creator, whoever that was.
Itzamna whispered in my mind, Remember, Zane, darkness is Deception’s mistress.
I’m tied up in enemy camp with dozens of hateful eyes wanting to scorch off my face, and you’re telling me about Deception’s mistress? Seriously? How about some of that help you promised?
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