Chapter 20 #2
“Say yes,” he continues, sounding much more like himself, “and you will be taught why your magic is different, who bound your power, and how to use it. You’ll save millions, including your special friend, Collin.
My son, Rafa, too, whom you also seem to like.
And anyone you choose to tell will know that they owe their lives to you.
You will come out of this the man of the hour.
” He narrows his eyes. “Considering your current position, that sounds like a pretty good deal to me.”
“And if I say no?”
Valiente’s trademark evil smile returns.
“Well, we’ve just been talking about the carrot.
If you choose to refuse the god’s generous offer, then the gloves come off.
” He gestures toward his wife. She rigidly steps behind Emma and retrieves a shotgun that had apparently been resting on the wall behind her.
“This time, I will order my wife to shoot you straight through your brain. And if somehow you manage to survive that, you should know the barrier has thinned enough for Ah Puch to extend his power into this room. You might be strong, but you will not be able to stand against the might of a god. Say no and maybe the Avatar will be able to hold off the ritual indefinitely—or maybe he won’t.
Either way, the only thing you’ll have accomplished is being the first person to enter Ah Puch’s underworld in over a thousand years. ”
Because I’ll be dead. Right.
Deals and bargains. That’s what got me mixed up in all of this from the beginning, and now here I am, faced with another offer some monster thinks I can’t refuse. But even I can recognize this is an opportunity. If I didn’t have some leverage, we wouldn’t be talking right now.
I just don’t know what to do with it. Yet again, I’m flying blind.
Okay, then. Let’s start with what the Vampire King’s not saying.
“You could have had your wife shoot me in the head before. But you didn’t. Your great god Ah Puch doesn’t want you to kill me, does he?” I ask.
Another sneer. “You flatter yourself, if you think you have any importance beyond helping me achieve my goal.”
That’s not a “no.” And the corpse god didn’t seem to have any problem spanking Valiente when it looked like he might mess things up. Maybe I can use that. I turn to the deathly gray, filmed-over eye, whose owner supposedly doesn’t believe in dicking around.
“I’m getting real tired of this guy’s bullcrap,” I call out. “I want clear, honest answers or no deal!”
The orb snaps over to Valiente, and the tendrils rip up his neck and face so fast, he’s forced to take a knee. “Ahhh!”
“Answer my question, vampire!” I cry out, sounding a lot tougher than I feel.
“He doesn’t,” Valiente snarls, still down. “So long as you might cooperate, Ah Puch does not want you dead.”
“And why is that exactly?”
Valiente pauses and glances to the Hell creature behind the glowing curtain. Then he returns to me.
“It was when you accessed your magic that Ah Puch was able to recognize what you are. Very few things in our world can serve as the bridge for this ritual. Even the Avatar is an imperfect fit. Your cooperation, however, would ensure its success.”
Huh. So, I’m apparently a very useful special snowflake.
Maybe I have a lot of leverage.
“What does he think of this ritual’s chances, if I don’t play ball?”
“Ah Puch does not deal in probabilities or speculation,” he says haughtily, like I should know that.
The god fixes him with a warning glare, and Valiente winces slightly, before quickly adding, “But the most honest answer I can come up with would be that both success and failure are equally likely.”
So, it’s basically a coin flip if I don’t agree. Not nothing, but not great odds. Not with so many lives on the line.
Damn it. Valiente’s the one keeping the ritual going with his stupid mind control.
If I could just take him down, I bet I could end this!
I try creating some flame in my free hand but get no response at all.
This serene magic inside me is different, and I have zero idea how to use it, even if I was allowed.
Ditto for all the nice guns lying around the room—I’m not going to come out on top in a firefight against an experienced shooter like Rafa’s mom, especially not surrounded by a bunch of kids.
If I could get through that toxic barrier, I could just rip the snooty Vampire King’s head off.
I’ve got more than enough incubus juice to do that, at least. But the vibrating Hell wall between us was built to stop a god.
Which leaves me trying to use the leverage I have for negotiation.
?avadeva is angling for a sure thing, while I’ve been given a bad option and a terrible option.
I’m sure Ms. Stryker would know how to turn this to her advantage, but for the life of me, I can’t think what I could ask for that’ll keep a death god from entering this world.
And six-month reprieve or not, that’s the whole ballgame.
Once he’s through, there’ll be no stopping him. Mom made that pretty clear.
My stomach sinks. I’m right where I’ve always been—totally out of my league.
I’m not strong or skilled enough to take the Vampire King out.
And certainly not clever enough to outsmart a god.
But if I don’t accept the deal, ?avadeva might come through anyway, lots of people die immediately, and that’ll all be on me.
The fate of the world couldn’t be in worse hands.
Valiente stands, narrowing his eyes. I’m being quiet for too long. Looking weak.
I glance up at Collin, who’s throwing off the siphons again and again with ferocity. He can’t tell me what to do—but at least he’s not wallowing in self-pity. He’s just as outmatched as I am but still fighting.
He called me the bravest and most tenacious person he’s ever met. He told me that would be enough for us to win. But courage and tenacity won’t help me outsmart an ancient deity! And they’re not going to get me through that lethal Hell wall in front of me so I can take out Valiente.
Nothing will.
Because that toxic magic can kill anything. Destroy anything.
I wouldn’t last two seconds against it.
Not even one…
I stare at the barrier, vibrating with warning like a rattle on a snake. Valiente glares back through the corrosive energy, tapping his foot, annoyed.
Then I get a crazy idea. A stupidly crazy idea.
These guys outmatch me on pretty much every level. I can’t win this by trying to be better than them. But what if Collin was right?
What if blind courage and pigheadedness were enough?
“Ah Puch is eternal, but his patience is not,” Valiente growls.
“Right,” I say. “Sorry. Got in my head for a sec there.” I purse my lips, pulling myself together.
If this is going to work, I’m going to have to line it up just right.
I don’t need to be fancy—just very, very specific.
“You’ve given me a couple options, and the truth is, I don’t like either of them.
If you want me to sign on, you’re going to need to sweeten the deal. ”
“What do you mean?” Valiente asks, his countenance darkening.
“Well, first of all, we all know how you screwed me over the last time. So, before I consent to anything, you’re going to have to earn my trust. I need Collin freed and through that golden door up there before I let you use me as this bridge.”
“I see. Of course, if we did that, it would eliminate one of our only two options to complete the summoning spell.” Valiente’s eyes turn flinty. “This is you trying to be clever, isn’t it? If you think you’ll be able to back out of the bargain once you’ve agreed—”
“Dude, don’t act like you know me!” I snap back, leaning into my annoyance. “I have firsthand experience with how magical covenants work. The stronger the players, the harder it is to break—and I’d be making this deal with a god. There won’t be any takebacks. You’ll get my consent.”
I glance over to the big death eye, playing up my disgust with his minion. “All I’m saying is that your boy here poisoned the well, so I’m going to need you to show your good faith by going first. Take it or leave it.”
The orb bulges in the Vampire King’s direction with hot displeasure.
“Ahhh!” Valiente straight-up screams as the tendrils rip over him.
Do I enjoy seeing that? You bet I do.
Valiente returns to me, his voice noticeably quieter and more formal.
“The great god Ah Puch accepts this amendment. If you agree to this covenant, then the Avatar will be set free first.” Then he adds, in his own threatening tone, “We won’t need your little friend at that point, anyway.
Just don’t think things will end well for you or him, if you don’t hold up your part. ”
“The same goes for you guys. We do what we say we’re going to do, or everything gets canceled or worse.
” I take in Emma, still rigid and miserable behind Rafa’s mom.
Still trapped. “Which leads me to the other thing I need. You think I can make this ritual work? Great. Personally, all of this ancient spellcasting is way over my head. But either way, I want these kids home to their families by dawn. Safe and sound and alive, and neither you, your minions, or your great god Ah Puch ever bothers them again. They’ve suffered enough. ”
“I told you that the magical vessels are to stay.”
“You did tell me that. You also told me that I only wanted to be a hero for fame and respect—which I get are probably the only things that make sense to you now that you’re a monster.
But that’s not what it’s about for me. I came here to save these kids, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
Otherwise I walk, and you can take your chances with the Avatar. ”