“Enough with the repulsive pleasantries,” Ah-Puch said with a groan. “They’re making me sicker than I already am. We really have to go.”
Ignoring him, Ren asked me, “What happened to Fuego?”
“I…I broke him…. I had to.” I told her and Ah-Puch what had happened.
Ren paced. “So, whoever’s behind stealing godborns, getting your dad executed, draining Maya magic…it’s all for some war?”
“They’re taking out all the Maya weapons.” I sounded like Hondo, except he probably would have figured all this out sooner.
“It’s what I would do,” Ah-Puch said. “Brilliant strategy, if you ask me.”
My eyes met his. “How do I know you’re not a part of all this?”
“Because whoever is behind it can’t free me,” he said. “I align with whoever can benefit me most, and right now that’s you.”
“Then what would be your next move?” I asked, figuring I might as well pick the twisted god’s brain. If anyone knew a villain’s mind, it was Ah-Puch.
He seemed surprised by the question. “Do the unexpected.”
“Zane already has done the unexpected,” said Ren, “by feeding the Fire Keeper’s flame.”
“I only bought us some time,” I said, glancing at the wall clock. The second hand wasn’t ticking. “Their powers aren’t permanent—yet.”
“This kind of mastermind will have a backup for every contingency,” Ah-Puch said.
“Could it be Zotz?”
“Camazotz is a natural-born killer,” Ah-Puch said. “He is cunning and smart, but he’s not this smart. If he’s behind it, he’s working with someone, and whoever that is, they know the Maya gods will call on any and all magic to win, which is why they are destroying it all.”
Ren scowled. “Those Maya gods have a lot of nerve if they think they can call on godborns to help after how mean they’ve been to us.”
Just then, the door swung open.
We all recoiled.
Two stocky resort security guards stood there, guns pointed at us. “¡Pongan sus manos sobre sus cabezas! Están bajo arresto,” the bald one said.
“What are the charges?” Ah-Puch growled like he’d had experience in getting arrested.
“Robo. Incendio provocado. Fraude.”
“I told you we shouldn’t have stolen that boat,” I said with a groan, putting my hands behind my head.
“Or fried those bats,” Ren said, eyeing Rosie.
Ah-Puch backed up with his hands in the air. “I am the great Maya god of death, darkness, and destruction, and if you don’t want to wear a curse for a millennium, you should let us go.”
One of the guards lifted his walkie-talkie and spoke angrily, spitting projectile loogies. He was probably asking for backup from the loony bin. Then the bald guard scowled and shouted at us. His gun was still pointed.
Ren inched backward. “I’m not going to jail.”
Rosie snorted clouds of smoke and snarled savagely. But all these guards saw was an angry three-legged boxmatian who was no threat against a gun. If only I could ask her to launch fire…but these guys were human. I couldn’t incinerate them just for doing their job.
Ren asked Ah-Puch, “How about opening a gateway and getting us out of here?”
“I’m too weak for that.”
“What?!” I shouted. “Ugh! Then we have to storm the guards. We can handle them, Ren. You take the smaller dude on the right.”