I thought the globe was malfunctioning until I remembered something Itzamna had told me that night in Cabo: All the writers I deem worthy have the power of the dragon.
Saás sighed and added, “Zane Obispo, surely you know that Itzamna deemed you worthy many moons ago.”
“Zane has the power of the dragon?” Brooks said in a tone that bordered on impressed.
“So cool,” Ren uttered.
I screwed up my face and cocked my head. “No, I did not know. If he did…I didn’t agree to it.”
“You should be honored,” Saás said. “It isn’t every decade or even century that this power is bestowed, so get a better attitude.”
I rubbed my right temple in slow circles. “What does it even mean?”
“The truth contained within this temple is highly valuable to our history, our origins. It cannot be seen by just anyone, not even the gods. Only those with the magic of the dragon can call up the words and share them with others. Those who came before you were much more appreciative of the honor.”
Hondo, Ren, and Brooks stared at me expectantly. “Okay, fine,” I said. “How do I do call up the words?”
“Just ask.” Then Saás, with a sizzling pop, vanished in a single beam of light.
“W-wait!” I stammered.
“Technogics can be moody,” Brooks said with a light shrug. “And before you ask, technogics is a combo of magic and technology.” She looked around. “Hey, maybe you’ll find a chapat here.”
“Chapat?” Hondo asked.
After I told him and Ren about the Fire Keeper’s message and the warning from Ixkik’, Hondo stroked his chin like a professor, considering something super deep. “‘Are your eyes wide open?’” he repeated. “That isn’t creepy at all.”
“Weird,” Ren said as a small rabbit shadow-hopped around her. “I had a bad dream, too. An alien took me to a magical metal shop and asked which materials were best for a spaceship, because she had to get to a cave of teeth. Or was it crystals? It was definitely crystals.” She shook her head. “The strangest part? The alien had my mom’s voice.”
Brooks said, “Maybe those tree houses mess with godborn brains.”
That was a seriously disturbing thought. “Come on, let’s stay focused on the stone.” I looked around. There were no signs defining the sections. “There are thousands of books here, and categories. Where do we even begin?”
“S for stone?” Ren suggested. “Or I for Ix-tub-tun?”
“Or Z for Zotz the loser?” Hondo said with a sneer.
“Maybe there’s a catalog of stones,” Brooks said. “Look for a really, really fat book.”
Yep. That definitely narrowed it down. As far as I could tell, all the books looked fatter than double-stuffed encyclopedias. But at least encyclopedias have numbers and letters on the spines. These books only had worn symbols that were hard to make out because the bindings were so old and tattered. Almost as ancient as the scrolls lodged in the cubbies that were scattered between shelves.
Brooks raised her eyebrows. “Well? Go ahead, Zane. Call up the words.”
I felt stupid. Stupider than stupid. “Hey!” I brightened. “Maybe I can just summon the right book.”
Hondo folded his arms over his chest. “Now would be good.”
I leaned against Fuego, tracing the dragon head with my thumb. “Er…” I said to the air. “I’m looking for a book on a magical stone spat out by Ix-tub-tun. Are you here?”
Only the sounds of our breathing and Rosie’s snorting could be heard.
Ren glanced around, then looked back at me. “Maybe just tell the words to appear for us?”
“Maybe Saás was wrong,” I said, feeling flustered. “I mean, don’t you think Itzamna would’ve told me, ‘Hey, I gifted you the power of the dragon, which doesn’t mean you can fly or do anything cool, but you’ll be able to read the books in the library’?”
“Magic comes in many varieties,” Brooks said. “And it’s all about the specific variety you need in the moment. Right now, we need to be able to read these words.”
Fine. Fine. Fine. But a flying kind of magic would have been cooler. “Words,” I commanded, “show yourselves.”