Mayan Blood (17 page)

Hell, nothing about her life had been normal.

Ever.

She groaned and rubbed her hands over her face, then stared down at the stone. “I get it. I do. I wouldn’t want to give her up, either.” She puffed out a breath of air. “Not for me, at least.” Zanya’s muscles eased as fatigue set in. Traveling through the time bend had stripped her energy. Arwan must have been completely drained.

Alone in the room, she hummed a tune. The notes rose out of her throat with such ease, she hardly realized she was doing it. The velvet pouch beside her glowed from a light inside. She paused and sat up straighter, watching it. The light dimmed until it vanished completely. She hummed a few more notes, causing the stone to illuminate.

“Really. You like my tune?” She carefully picked up the pouch and rolled it in her hands. The cold of the stone pushed through the pouch, pressing onto her skin. She continued to hum until the stone’s whispers returned—like a thread was attached to her heart, and the stone was tugging on it.

“Um…” She glanced at the bathroom door. “Mom?” It was so weird saying that.

“Be right out,” she called through the closed bathroom door.

She returned her attention to the stone. Something stirred inside of her. Something familiar and encouraging. It had to be what her mother spoke about. The emotions of the stone channeling through her.

Zanya tugged the string to the pouch until it fell open. “I’m going to make you a deal. I’ll hold you if you don’t burn my face off.” She paused before taking it out. “Deal?” There was no booming voice or clear affirmation, but there wasn’t scolding heat, either. “I’ll take that as a yes.” With a leap of faith, she tugged off the velvet pouch and slipped the stone into her hand.

She immediately cringed with anticipation—and not the good kind. When pain didn’t shoot up her arm, she relaxed and smiled. “There. That wasn’t so bad.”

Indiscernible whispers echoed in her ears. They floated all around her, from every direction. She searched the room, alarmed at first. But soon it became clear it was the stone speaking to her. It was…happy. Joy coursed through her, making her blood rush. Zanya smiled. Suddenly a jolt of fierce protectiveness crawled through her, like a maternal instinct that overpowered all other emotion. In that moment there was nothing more important than keeping the stone safe.

This stone was the reason she never had a mother. The reason she had grown up with no family. It was her legacy, the only part of her mother that was truly still alive.

Zanya nodded. “Yes. This is what I want.”

A burst of light exploded through the room, like a star projecting its final moments of life. Zanya's body quaked as the stone’s memories crashed through her like a tidal wave. Every place it had been, every set of hands it had touched, every pain or joy it experienced.

The stone encouraged her, prompted her to subdue the light with pure will. Zanya grasped at the rays with her mind until it bowed and bent into awkward shapes while she reeled it in with an invisible tether. Finally it submitted, and settled into an oval shape in the center of her chest.

When Zanya opened her eyes, the light in the room was gone, and was now a pulsing orb between her breasts.

Panting, she cradled the stone to her chest. “Whoa.”

The toilet flushed from the bathroom and the door swung open. Her mother walked out, her belly leading the way. When her gaze landed on Zanya, she stopped and smiled.

***

Arwan

Arwan sat with Renato, Peter, and Hawa in silence, waiting for Zanya and her mother to come back downstairs. The room was quiet and the air so tense, he could barely breathe.

Everything was riding on the success of this trip.

Absolutely everything.

“How long is this going to take?” Hawa asked in her typical sharp tone.

He’d learned not to take it personally. Some people were friendly. Others weren’t. He had suspicions Hawa had experienced her share of life struggles. And just like with anything, some came out unfazed, while others were eternally jaded.

Creaking of floorboards stole Arwan’s attention. He stood and turned to the staircase. His pulse quickened. If Zanya could not bond with the stone, there would be nowhere to turn.

Eleuia was the first to appear, followed by Zanya, who cradled something in her hands. He peered at the object, no larger than a mango. Arwan froze when he caught a glint of movement from inside the object.

It was the stone.

Everyone watched and waited for them to reach the sitting area. Eleuia smiled gracefully, her shoulders pulled back and her chin raised when she stopped in front of them. “My reign as the guardian has come to an end.” She looked at Zanya. “Zanya is your leader now. Follow her. Believe in her. She’ll need your support and guidance in the difficult times ahead.”

Zanya paused and held her mother’s hand. “Mom…just so you know, if you’ve been wondering, my life hasn’t been terrible.” Eleuia’s eyes filled with tears. “I’ve always been taken care of, and I have the most amazing friends. I wish my best friend Tara was here to meet you. You would have loved her.” Zanya hung her head. “Sarian has her.”

“I never would have given you up if it was not my only option. Sarian would have killed us both. I’m thankful at least you survived.” A tear streaked down her cheek. “I would not wish capture by him on my worst of enemies. I know you will exceed my expectations as the guardian. After all…” She wiped away the tear and smiled. “You are your mother’s daughter.”

Zanya threw her arms around her mother and pushed down a sob.

“I love you more than you’ll ever know, Zanya.”

They held on to each other for a moment longer before reluctantly letting go. Eleuia looked at Renato and nodded.

“It’s time to go, Zanya.”

She turned to her uncle. “But…but we just got here.”

“Soon I’ll be leaving,” Eleuia said.

“Leaving? But…come with us. You can come with us.”

Eleuia hung her head, admiring her belly. “I have no idea of the consequences—”

“Who cares about the damn consequences? Who cares how it changes things? You can stay with me.”

Eleuia smiled, though it seemed a little sad. She stroked Zanya’s hair. “Let me have a moment with your timebender first. We’ll have to work out some details.” She glanced at Arwan, who shifted his weight. He couldn’t bring her back. Not while she was pregnant. Not without a way for her to breathe. “Come, time bender. Let the others get ready while we speak.”

Arwan glanced at the others, and then followed her into the greeting room. Eleuia closed the wooden double doors. When they clicked shut, she paused, her hands still resting on the handles and her back facing him. “Timebender.” She turned, her gaze soft and warm. “What are you doing with Renato, dear boy?”

He lifted his head and steadied his breathing. “I’ve been with him almost all my life.”

“Your ability is rare.”

He didn’t respond.

“We both know exactly how rare it is. You must have some light in your soul.” His muscles tensed. His darkness had been left undetected, and he would not give her reason for alarm. Not now. “I’m grateful to see you with her.” Eleuia rested her hand on his cheek. “She cares for you.”

His breath stalled. “How do you know?”

She smiled softly. “It’s in her eyes. It’s always in a woman’s eyes.” She walked to a large recliner in the center of the room. “Please tell Zanya and my brother I love them.” She grabbed a duffle bag from the chair. He hadn’t noticed it when he came in. “I know Zanya won’t understand that I have to leave. You’ll help her through it, won’t you?” She rested her hand on her belly. “I can’t risk her safety for anything. Now that I’ve given up my reign as the guardian, if Zanya does not live to her current age…”

“There would be no hope.”

“Hope.” Eleuia lifted her gaze and met his. “That’s what she’ll give to the world, as long as she’s alive.”

Arwan held his breath through a stretch of silence. Eleuia wiped away a tear from her cheek and crossed the room to another door at the back. She grabbed the handle and paused. “Thank you, timebender.”

He nodded. “Find peace.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Find peace.” Eleuia opened the door, letting light spill in from outside. She walked out and closed the door, leaving him alone in the room.

He stood still and silent. There was a knock on the double doors. “Mom?” Zanya’s voice called from the other side. She pushed it open. “We have a small setback, but nothing…” She scanned the room. “Where’s my mom?”

Arwan dropped his gaze. “I’m sorry.” He glanced at the door at the back of the room, still ajar.

“She left?” She rushed through the room and flung open the door to a walkway outside. “Mom?” Zanya whimpered. “Mom!” Zanya slowly turned toward him in a stunned haze. “How could you let her leave?”

He would hold her, but he was probably the last person she wanted at the moment. “She had no choice.”

Chapter Eighteen

Zanya

Zanya stood at the back of the room, staring at the closed door.

“What do you mean, she left?” Renato said. “That’s impossible.”

Tears stung Zanya’s eyes. “It’s not impossible.” Her throat was sore from holding back tears. “She left once.” She shrugged. “She left again.”

Renato rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure she didn’t want to.”

Zanya nodded. “I know.” It was all so complicated. There were years of history she knew nothing about. So many reasons why. But it still hurt to think of the future they could have had. “I was stupid for thinking she could come back with us.”

Jayden gently nudged her with his elbow. “It wasn’t stupid.”

“At the very least, you got the stone,” Hawa said. “And that means your mom trusted you with it, which should mean something.”

“She is absolutely right.” Renato pushed out his chest. “It means everything.”

Arwan gestured to the French doors off the kitchen. “We should go. It’s getting late.”

They returned to the beach, where they applied the parasites one last time and stood in the bend. The ripples vibrated and bubbled around them for what seemed like a lifetime.

Zanya peered through the translucent walls of the time bend at a dark figure looming in the sand.

The bend was struck with a violent blow. Arwan’s groan was muffled in Zanya’s ears. Another blow sent a crack down the center. A shockwave thrashed through her. She clenched her fists.

Another blow tore open the fault line, searing Zanya's skin. She pushed away when the heat intensified, but she was trapped. They were all trapped.

Hawa shrieked, her face contorting in agony as red blisters formed over her cheeks.

Another blow opened an inferno of fire and light writhing inside.

Zanya turned her head away from the flames. The weight of the time bend pinned her hands down from shielding her face. The blaze whipped her skin, singeing the hairs on her arms to follicles of ash.

It was exactly like Arwan had said. They could all die a terrible death if he failed to complete the bend. And they would. They would burn.

The fire crept out of the crack like a trail of lava. Zanya ground her teeth and screamed as another flame slashed across her leg. The stench of burned flesh filled her nose.

The dark figure lingered beyond in sight as if it were taunting her, savoring the moment before it sent them all to their graves. Before it could finish the job, the beast doubled over in the sand. A mighty roar gnarled through the air.

The blurry figure of Marzena stood in the distance, her hands raised over her head, seawater churning around her. It took only a moment to realize she wasn’t standing on the beach, but on the water’s surface, her eyes as black as obsidian.

Her mental assault on the beast gave Arwan just enough time to complete the journey through time. When the wall of ripples vanished, they stood scorched, scalded, and barely alive. Arwan tore the parasite off his face and collapsed, burns covering his hands and arms, almost beyond recognition.

Zanya tore hers off, though it didn’t take much effort. It seemed the parasite was already half-dead. She spit and threw the creature to the burning sand. A flame whipped Zanya to the ground. She cracked her head against a rock. Her vision blurred as she writhed in the sand, struggling to scramble to her feet. Once she had, Zanya swayed like a drunkard as fuzzy figures darted around her.

She brushed her fingers over a bump on her head that throbbed with every heartbeat. Zanya caught sight of a figure sprawled in the ground. She stumbled toward Arwan’s motionless body, making it only a few steps before her legs buckled and she collapsed.

Bleeding, burned, and incapacitated, Zanya lay there fighting to remain conscious. Until she failed.

***

There was no way of telling how long she’d been out, but when she came to, Zanya still laid on the beach, Arwan nowhere to be seen. For a fleeting moment she was relieved. It was over. The fight was won and whatever attacked them was gone.

But when she lifted her head, a completely different picture was in front of her.

Arwan sliced at a dark figure that darted out of striking distance. The creature lashed out with a vicious swing of its claws.

She rolled onto her stomach and forced herself to her hands and knees, her ribs aching under the effort.

The black beast growled and lunged at Arwan, who aimed his glaive at its sternum and drove the blade through its chest. The monster gurgled and collapsed.

Zanya crawled to a palm tree, pain shooting through her body as open wounds burned with heightened intensity, the sand grinding into her raw skin. With her fingers dug into the jagged bark, she clung to the tree for support and pulled herself to her feet. In the distance, the silhouette of a creature stalked down the shore.

Her stone called out to her for rescue while it was carried away. She gasped and searched the ground, only to realize she’d lost the stone when she was knocked unconscious.

She pushed away from the tree and ran toward the beast. Sunlight reflected off the sand and made it impossible to keep a clear view of it as it stalked in the opposite direction, away from the fight.

Before she could catch up, the monster-like figure knelt and then launched into the air. With a flash of its wings, it rose above the trees and vanished into the distance.

She hadn’t been the guardian for more than a few hours and had already broken the one, cardinal rule. Protect the stone.

The stone cried out to her, its pain tearing at their tethered souls.

“Zanya!” Peter grabbed her arm. It hurt, but she didn’t care anymore. Nothing mattered now that the stone was back in Sarian’s grasp. She turned to Peter. “They took it.” She swallowed down a sob. “I had one job. One...”

Peter sifted his fingers through her hair, making her wince when he brushed over her swollen bump. “You have a concussion. Hold still.” Soothing heat eased the wave of pain in her temples.

Her energy returned, stabilizing her body and clearing her mind. Energy flickered over her skin. “Thanks, Pete.” She turned toward the battle raging on the beach. “Go get the others. I need to find my stone.” She closed her eyes and summoned her new seeking ability to locate the creature. Or at least tried. It was like peering through a wall of smoke at first. As she concentrated harder, an image formed through the haze.

Peter grabbed her arm again, tearing away her focus. “We need you here. We can’t fight the demons alone.” He pointed down the beach. With her vision sharp, she could see them clearly now—tall creatures with black, leathery wings protruding from their shoulder blades. “We need you to stay and fight or we might not live through this.”

Hawa screamed when one of the monsters dug into her forearm with its claws. She leaped away and flung a row of throwing stars. Razor-sharp edges planted into the monster’s shoulder, but the creature only brushed them away. Its wounds quickly healed.

Were those…gargoyles? No, they were a hundred times larger than the flat-faced statues perched on old churches. There was no way she could fight one of those. They were rippled with muscle, with long whipping tails and talon-like hands.

“They regenerate!” Hawa flung more throwing stars through the air.

Renato swung at his target with his sword. “Cut off their heads or pierce their hearts.” One of the beasts jumped clear over his head and landed behind him with a thud.

Peter ran to his defense.

Jayden shot several arrows into the chest of one of the creatures, then spun around and projected more into another. “We don’t have anything to cut their heads off with. You’re the only one with a sword.”

Zanya searched the skies. The beast that took her stone was probably miles away by now, over rocky mountainsides and thick jungle, completely out of reach.

Half running, half flying, a beast charged and was on top of her in a fraction of a second. She screamed and threw up her hands, inadvertently creating a force field that sent the demon hurling back.

It glared at Zanya with fiery red eyes. From under its wing it removed a whip made of flames and fury, a tool from hell at its command. A deep growl built in its chest, and through its gaping jaws it bellowed a massive roar.

Zanya stumbled back and fell to the ground. With the whip in one hand, it grabbed Zanya by her hair with the other and yanked her up. Inches from the beast’s face, each foul breath stunk like rotting flesh. It let out another roar, flinging strings of saliva from its jaws.

This was the beast that broke open the time bend. The leader. And it was after her.

It lifted the flaming whip to her cheek, burning a welt into her skin.

The creature roared and arched, dropping Zanya to the ground. It spun around with three arrows protruding from its back. The creature’s tail whipped through the air and sliced open Zanya's torso. She gripped her stomach as her skin separated, and warm liquid stained her shirt scarlet.

The searing pain spread through her gut and chest, making every breath more labored than the last. This was no panic attack. She’d had enough to tell the difference. This was something else entirely—as though a ball python had slithered into her chest and wrapped itself around her lungs. With each exhale, its grip tightened.

The creature raised its nose in the air, the scent of her blood catching its attention. She frantically pressed on her wound to stop the bleeding, but the scarlet liquid coated her shirt and fingers. There was no masking it. The animal lunged at her. Its claws barely grazed her skin when something jerked it back.

Arwan wrestled the creature from behind, his glaive wedged against the beast’s throat. The demon tried to attack with its tail, barely missing Arwan’s head. The second time its tail swished by, Arwan caught it and thrust the bone tip through the beast’s back, into its heart.

“Watch out for the tails. They’re poisoned.” He let go of the creature and its lifeless body crashed to the ground.

Arwan stooped beside Zanya and examined her wound. “I’ll be right back.” He left for only a moment before he returned and dropped to his knees. His glaive’s holster was filled with seawater. “Zanya, listen to me. This is going to hurt. Their tails excrete venom. You aren’t going to heal unless I flush the wound.” He positioned his holster. “Are you ready?”

She ground her teeth, held her breath, and nodded.

When he tipped the holster, saltwater flooded the wound. She screamed, and Arwan held her hand, the only comfort she found in the wall of relentless pain. After what seemed like forever trapped in agony, the pain subsided.

“I’m going to run out of ammo soon,” Jayden shouted from down the beach. “We’ve got to do something.”

Arwan glanced at the others still in battle. “Can you stand?”

“I think so. I’ll try.” He grabbed her hand and helped her to her feet. “I’m okay. Just go.” Shouts came from behind them, mixed with growls and hisses. Her eyes grew wide. “Go help them!” She grabbed his shirt and pulled him close. “Just be careful.”

He cradled her cheek and, after a moment of hesitation, ran into battle.

With quivering hands, Zanya lifted her shirt to reveal an open gash, drizzling blood.

I know I can heal. Come on, heal.
She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath.
Concentrate. Find your center.

She channeled energy to the torn flesh. There was a tingling sensation, followed by tugging. Her skin knitted together, closing the wound until it was no more than a discolored blemish.

“Duck!” Hawa launched a series of daggers through the air. They flew over Renato’s head and sank into the beast’s chest. Renato spun and lopped off the creature’s head.

Jayden slipped his bow over a beast’s neck and twisted the string into a tourniquet, cutting off its air. “I’m out of arrows!”

Under armed, her group exhausted and beaten, and with powerful demons on the attack, her hope dwindled.

“I have to be able to do something. Think, Zanya.” Her mind raced frantically while she concocted a plan. Her stomach dropped when she settled on their best option.

She’d tried it once and ended up looking like a circus clown with bad makeup. Now that she was bonded with the stone, maybe her powers would be stronger.

Maybe…

But maybe wasn’t a chance she could afford to take. A successful attempt at transformation was the only way they could call off the beasts without anyone getting hurt.

If she screwed up, all of their lives would be on the line.

“We can’t hold them back!” Hawa threw more bladed stars. “We have to run.”

Renato sliced at another creature with his sword. “You go. You’re the only one who can outrun them.”

“I’m not leaving you!” Hawa shouted.

It was now or never.