Someone’s eavesdropping on us, aren’t they?
A demon to your right, but don’t look. She’s totally fake-acting busy.
I turned.
I said not to look!
That’s always going to make me look!
Brooks rolled her eyes and continued. There’s some mythical dude called the Fire Keeper who can see stuff and change the future, which is seriously sick. Hurakan said the future is bleak and to run away. Man, the future must be worse than bleak if big bad storm god Hurakan wants you to run. Run to where? There’s nowhere to hide if a prophecy has your name on it.
No one said my name is on a prophecy.
Right. The ancestors were just hanging out in the dirt for nothing. Her eyes widened. That’s it!
What?
We should go find the Fire Keeper and tell him to change the future. Bye-bye, bleak.
I stabbed Fuego into the ground. I don’t think it works that way. Plus, Hurakan said it costs a lot to change the future, which probably means blood or your head or something.
Good point.
You forgot one thing, I said.
What?
Ixtab suddenly wants me to save a bunch of godborns, I said. But at first she told me they were dead. Why should I believe her?
Exactly—but something’s missing. Are you sure you’re telling me everything?
I was sure she could see the lie on my face before I even spoke the words. Yes, I…I told you everything. Quinn’s secret that she was working
undercover better be worth keeping, I thought. Man, I hated lying to Brooks, especially when we had promised we would never hide the truth from each other again.
What if we split up? Brooks suggested. I can get to your dad, and you can go find the godborns.
If your nawal magic fails, you can’t be out there alone fighting demons, I said.
She rolled her eyes. I’m pretty good with deadly weapons, in case you’ve forgotten.
We stick together.
Squeezing my hand tighter, she said, The eavesdropper’s gone now.
I nodded distractedly.
“You have that look,” she said out loud.
“What look?”
“That I’ve-made-up-my-mind look,” she said. Why was she still holding my hand? Not that I was complaining or anything. She traced her thumb over mine and I sort of leaned closer, just barely—I’m talking half an inch. She dropped my hand and stepped back. “You’ve already decided to use the death magic, haven’t you?”
“I have to. Whatever we do next, at least the spell will keep me safe from the gods.” I gulped as I nodded, thinking Brooks was going to lay into me, maybe even shove me against the tree, but she didn’t do either. Instead, she studied me carefully, then said, “Next time? Telepath faster.”
I hadn’t told Brooks that the Empty was dying. There might not be a next time for us…or the world. It was too depressing to say out loud, and I was pretty sick of being the guy with bad news.
Grunts and shouts from the demon soldiers echoed across the jungle. It was obvious now why they were training so hard. There was going to be a big battle. I wondered if that’s what had Hurakan so spooked.