Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Reconnaissance
We were both content and mellow by the time we returned to the hotel.
Hiroshi had sent us home with two small bundles, one for each of us.
Mine was a tiny sparrow that fit in the palm of my hand.
Each feather was perfectly etched, and I was becoming quite an expert at feathers.
The colors were true to life, and the small sculpture must have taken hours to perfect, but there was something more to the tiny creation.
It seemed warmer than a regular ceramic object to me, like there was life in its core. I couldn’t admire it enough.
“I have to thank him. What could I do for him?”
“There’s plenty of time for that, Corvus.”
“What did you get?” I crossed over to where he sat by the open sliding door. He opened his hand, and I couldn’t help but cry, “A bat!”
He held it out to me. It was slightly bigger than my sparrow and a deep brown color, so rich and expertly applied, the fur looked almost soft.
The wings were tucked around the small body, much as my Monster slept in his true form.
I’d never seen him sleep but had asked him one day what he did with his wings.
He said he wrapped them around his body like a blanket and then demonstrated.
“Are you sure they aren’t going to spy on us?” They looked so lifelike, ready to blink their eyes and fly away.
“Yes, I’m certain. I’ve known him for centuries, and he’s as loyal a soul as I’ve ever met.”
I frowned, taking the bat from him to examine it.
“We can lock them in the bathroom if you don’t believe me.”
“No, I believe you.” He hadn’t lied to me yet. There was something for the pro column.
“Shall we get some dinner then? I’m famished.”
We went down to the hotel restaurant, actually finishing our dinner this time, as well as our pitcher of margaritas.
Staring at his handsome features through my drunken haze, I realized we were finally comfortable with each other.
He took my hand easily, and I let him pull me close, enjoying his warm lips on mine.
It didn’t feel like pretend when he put his arm around me and escorted me to the elevator, whispering in my ear all the dirty acts he planned to do to me when we reached our room.
Acts he delivered with enthusiasm. And when we were done, naked and sated, he didn’t leave me to fly over the land.
Instead, we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
“Do you actually like that stuff?” I asked the next morning as he poured liberal amounts of artificial creamer into his coffee.
“Yes, don’t you?”
“I only bought it because milk won’t keep up at the big house. It’s filled with chemicals and isn’t remotely good for you.”
“Yes, but it tastes good. And processed sugar and food-based chemicals won’t be the death of me, dear Corvus. If you had any idea of the things I’ve eaten in my life.”
“Spare me. Please. So, what’s the plan for today? Any other friends you want me to meet?”
“No, today we fly. We need to get close to the meeting place and see if we can spot our enemies. So, eat up. You will need your energy.”
“Did Hiroshi have anything helpful to tell you yesterday? You sure talked a lot.”
“Yes, about half of the summit is already here. I’d like to try to get close to them and see if we can’t prepare for whatever they have planned. Despite your theories, he hasn’t overheard anything helpful, since his spies don’t move. But we still have a few days before the summit starts.”
“Okay, what are we going as? Eagles?”
“Seagulls.”
“I knew it.” But my opinion of birds in general had been so altered since getting my first pair of wings, I didn’t truly mind.
“We’ll switch into something more dignified when we get close. But in the meantime, I’d like to take you back to the room for a few hours.”
He gave me a lecherous look, and I laughed. Now that we’d broken the seal, my new lover was insatiable. “We won’t need a few hours.”
Half an hour later, we were airborne, leaving the “Do Not Disturb” sign on our door and the sliding door unlocked.
Being a seagull meant riding the sea breezes and covering miles of land without much effort.
In no time, we were back at Hiroshi’s hut and shed.
I knew it instantly as I caught a glimpse of his cenote, and then we were past it.
One of the perks that came with my bird bodies was the ability to navigate.
I had always been good with spatial mapping, usually knowing my way around wherever I went, despite getting lost in the mountains of Tennessee.
But this ability was utterly different. Miles didn’t matter, nor was the fact that I was covering new ground.
I knew exactly where I was in the world, and I could even picture my spot on my mental globe, confident of how to find my way back to the hotel and possibly even Tennessee.
If I ever got lost again, all I would need to do is change into a bird, preferably one that migrated, and I’d quickly be back on the right track.
The air was warmer than the mountain air I was used to, and we were working toward a specific destination instead of playing in the thermals.
My companion kept his thoughts to himself, but I picked up on his anxiety now and again.
So far, mine had been kept in check by denial.
As long as we weren’t there yet, they couldn’t hurt us.
The sun continued its daily trek and was about halfway down to the western horizon when my Monster slowed his flight, circled, and landed in a tree.
We are too far inland now to be shorebirds. Watch me and change. You’ll need human eyes to get the color right.
I changed only my eyes and watched closely as his short white feathers extended and turned dark. The pale chest feathers developed speckles as his chest expanded. Then, a heartbeat later, he transformed into a falcon.
Peregrine falcon?
Fastest birds in the sky.
Did you choose this breed on my account? To keep me safe?
No, why? But he seemed squirrely. What are you waiting for, Corvus? Is it not odd for a seagull and a falcon to sit conversing in a tree?
How often do you see two falcons conversing in a tree? Look, Benji, I haven’t known you more than a few weeks, two months now, but even I could have guessed this form as one you’d take.
What are you saying, Corvus?
I’m saying pick a different bird. One that wouldn’t look suspicious on your enemy’s tree, and preferably something more social so we can stick together if we choose to.
Are you saying you want to hang out on my branch after all?
It wasn’t easy to roll my eyes as set apart as they were, but I gave it my best try.
When I looked back at him, he was already mid-change.
Tightly knit feathers shot out into loose, wide plumes; his body didn’t shrink, instead growing larger.
But before I could protest, we were supposed to be spying and doing our best not to be noticed, his feathers burst into a bright green splash of color.
He was all green with bright blue accents on his wings and a red ring around his eye.
I opened my beak in delight to see him as a parrot.
I studied his markings carefully and then attempted my own change while he tried out his vocal cords. Nearby birds answered his call, and his parrot face looked delighted. His expression was so endearing that no one would ever mistake him for the fearsome god of the Mayan underworld.
Is this better then, Corvus?
Much better.
Well, Yucatan parrots are social, and there is something else you need to know about them.
Oh yeah, what’s that?
They mate for life.
He spread his bright green wings and took to the sky. I followed, grateful he didn’t expect a response.
Parrot wings and feathers didn’t work as well for long, soaring flights, unlike the lithe seagull body I had last inhabited, but eventually, we came to a small village.
Camazotz kept us low, hovering near the top of the tree line.
At least our feathers blended well with the dense forest. He led us around the village and then up a small hill.
At the top perched an old manor house with a high-walled garden.
We roosted down for the night just outside the garden wall, tucked tightly against each other in the crook of a branch.
It was so thick, I had no fear of falling to the ground.
And there, nestled up against the soft, feathered body of my Monster, I slept.
I woke to the screeching of parrots much earlier than I wanted.
In fact, it felt like the middle of the night, the wisps of a dream still swirling around me.
I tried to reach for what I had been dreaming.
It seemed important, but I couldn’t catch it.
A loud squawk sounded right next to my head, my Monster ensuring I was truly awake.
I replied, just because I could, and then noticed the pieces of fruit at my feet.
My fellow parrot had brought me breakfast. As a thank you, I butted my head into his chest and then proceeded to eat as much of the soft, juicy flesh as I could fit in my bird stomach.
We hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast the day before, and I was famished. Transforming usually left me hungry.
He still hadn’t said anything to me, and for a bad moment, I wondered if the life-sized bird next to me was a different bird. I caught his eye and knew him instantly.
Thank you for breakfast.
You’re welcome. Now, eat up. There are people in the garden.
That got me moving. I grabbed the last few chunks of fruit, gobbled them down, and looked toward the garden. I couldn’t make out anything happening due to the high wall, and the squawking parrots surrounding us were so loud it was impossible to hear anything but their cries.
I flew after my Monster over the wall to a tree branch at the opposite end. We could still hear our fellow parrots, but the noise wasn’t as overwhelming. Finally, framed in a lush, green tangle of leaves, I turned my attention to the people lounging in chairs below us.