Choosing Fire: Book Two (The Bone Gatherers 2) Page 6

  “You, Xipilli,” she choked out. “You are dead to me.”

  And she left.

  Turning to her room, she caught his reflection in the window. Xi was silently sobbing into his hands. And while every fiber in her being told her to feel joy in whatever pain he was experiencing, she felt herself die a little right alongside him. She looked at herself in the window’s reflection. Burn marks in the shape of her hands marred the center of the towel. Too numb to cry, she made the brief journey down the hall to her room.

  ~

  The ice-cold showers finally worked. After five days of trying to cool the fire burning in her veins and the throbbing between her legs, they finally faded. But the guilt of what she’d said to Xi was still very real. Coupled with the terror of her curse getting stronger, she was coming undone. Xel needed something to ground her. A change. But what could she do? Where could she go?

  Xel looked at herself naked in the mirror. Men swooned over her beauty, directly, indirectly, and most in a less-than-gentlemanly manner. Several times throughout her immortal life, Xel had taught such men a lesson in a less than ladylike way. Maybe that was why Xi irked her so. Playboys made her blood boil. She wondered if that was because of something from her past as a mortal.

  She took a blow-dryer to her hair and curled the ends then applied black liner to her eyes and a mauve color to her lips. Xel slid into a black lace thong and bra. After pulling a tight pair of black jeans over her hips, she donned a navy-blue satin blouse that showed off her delicate shoulders.

  Looking deep into her own eyes, she begged for an answer to the question, Who...what are you?

  The doorbell pulled Xel from her reverie. “Can someone get that?” she yelled from her room.

  Ding, ding, ding, dong.

  “Sofia? Tupack?” Xel hollered, peeking out into the hallway.

  Sighing, she walked to the grand entryway. Large headdresses and handwoven blankets adorned the walls. She unlocked the massive mahogany door, and it swung open easily with the strength of an immortal.

  “Can I help you—” Xel said, her eyes rising to the visitor nearly two heads taller than her.

  Xel’s mouth went dry.

  Before her, in complete underworld regalia, stood a Sentinel of the king. His eyes were so dark, they looked like midnight skies. Tanned skin pulled taut across muscles that bulged from the black leather uniform. Leather snakes wove around his shoulders, and when he placed a hand on his chest and bowed, they seemed to move and slither with him in greeting.

  “Good day, Gatherer. I hope your year finds you well,” he said, still bowing low.

  Xel didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t ever met a Sentinel before. At least, not since she became into a Bone Gatherer. But that had all happened so quickly and so long ago.

  Xel’s body had passed through different planes of existence, past the infinite eternities different beings created for themselves, until she was before the king and queen of the dead high atop their thrones. Her eyes focused, and before her stood dozens of Sentinels, guarding the royals. Afraid to look up, Xel stayed on her knees. She opened her eyes in the underworld, with no recollection of how she got there.

  “I need to go back,” she pleaded at the feet of the royals, not bothering to take in the unknown world around her.

  “But you have only just gotten here,” a king’s voice boomed.

  “It is her choice,” the queen said, half in darkness. “You would like to return to the land of the living?” the queen’s voice echoed.

  Xel’s blood ran cold. “I would like to avenge my death, siua’tlahtoani. My queen,” Xel said firmly.

  A lie, but Xel was embarrassed to admit she didn’t remember how she had met her fate.

  “Look to me, child,” the king ordered.

  Forcing her head to rise, Xel took in the Sentinels and her king and queen. Their faces all burned brightly, as though their skin was clear, revealing the white bones of their skulls. Xel willed herself not to scream.

  “This will be your calling for all of eternity,” the queen said without moving her mouth.

  “Then I will be forever grateful,” Xel had whispered all those years ago.

  The memories faded from her mind’s eye. She brought her eyes back to focus and looked at the striking Sentinel once more.

  Sentinels were in direct command of the king of the dead. They ruled over her kind and only made house calls to the land of the living when a law had been broken or by direct order of the king.

  Her silence made him look up through thick lashes, eyes burning deep.

  Xel cleared her throat. “Good day, Sentinel. Yes, this year among my family has been fruitful and law-abiding,” she said, adding the last part quickly.

  At that, he grinned, standing to his full height. “That’s good to hear. Your family is held in the highest regard by the Sentinels. We are ever pleased with your work, as cumbersome as it has been as of late.”

  Xel sagged a bit. So he wasn’t there to issue a citation or worse. They stood staring at one another. Now that Xel knew he wasn’t there to arrest or banish one of them to the netherworld, Xel took in his appearance. His raven hair was down past his shoulders, cut bluntly across, straight as an arrow. His square jaw set in a friendly smile, far different from the soldier-like Sentinels her family had warned her about.

  “May I come in?” he asked.

  “Oh my, yes, of course,” she said, embarrassed.

  Opening the door further, she spread her arms wide, ushering him inside. Nervously, she tucked her hand behind her, just in case. Xel wildly studied his eyes to see if the Sentinel had noticed anything amiss.

  Without pause, he walked past, and she took in his scent. Wafts of late night firepits and burning sage filled her nose. Her heart fluttered. His hulking size should have been commonplace to her living with Tupack, but he was dark and filled with a mystery that Xel couldn’t put her finger on. His large boots scraped the stone floors as he turned in a circle, admiring the masks and rugs. “Oh my,” he said.

  Xel raised her eyes to the thirty-foot ceilings of her home. It brought her joy that she was the mastermind behind the décor and honoring their ancestors in this place. And the fact that a citizen of the underworld, where all things are possible, appreciated it, too, made her blush.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered.

  Xel smiled and looked at him, but he wasn’t taking in the décor. He was staring straight at her.

  Xel bit her lip and blushed.

  “Teya!” Tupack’s voice made Xel jump.

  “Tupack!” the Sentinel said, a wide smile brimming on his face.

  “Teyaochiuani, have another Bone Gatherer to join the family?”

  The two men greeted one another with a big hug, slapping the other on the back roughly. “No, I wouldn’t do that to you twice in one year.”

  Xel raised a brow.

  “What brings you to Tucson, brother?” Tupack asked, ushering him further into the house.

  Xel blinked and followed. And as she passed the hallway, she noticed Xi. He was standing there with his arms crossed, looking at her. Following the sounds of laughter from the kitchen, Xel knew Atla, Eztlie, and Sofia had joined their guest.

  “Xi,” Xel said, trying to find the words.

  Xi stared through her then walked to the kitchen.

  ~

  It seemed everyone knew this Sentinel, even Sofia. This man, named Teyaochiuani, or Teya for short, had been a Sentinel working with a neighboring Gatherer family for millennia, and had even brought Sofia to join their family a few months back. Xel, normally the vessel of witty, polite banter, could only sit back and watch the dialogue unfold. And to Xel’s surprise, even Atla got in on the act.

  “Do you remember the time when we stopped the group of māpach from decimating that village, maybe eight hundred years ago? The one by the Rio Grande?” Atla snickered.

  “Sonora,” Eztlie said from the back wall.

  “Oh, here we go,” Teya said, laug
hing.

  “Yes!” Atla smiled. “Northern Sonora.”

  Tupack barked out a laugh. Even Eztlie cracked a smile, squeezing Sofia tightly. Sofia was starry-eyed at the stories passed between her elder family members. Though Xel was no longer the rookie in this operation, she still felt like a child among them. To keep herself busy, she quickly assembled a charcuterie board for the unannounced guest. Walking to Teya, she offered him some food. Their eyes met, and his shined back at her. With a smile, Teya took some tortilla and beans.

  “Teya was going hut to hut, ripping māpachs from their victims. And then he got to this house on the outside of the village.” Atla laughed, tears brimming in her eyes.

  Xel eyed her teica suspiciously. Her sister barely gave any emotion outside of angst. It was a new side of Atla, and Xel was happy to see it. So who was this mysterious man, able to bring out such camaraderie between her elders?

  “And he tore a creature from the body of a female mortal, but he wasn’t a māpach!” Atla continued, barely able to spit out the words.

  Teya ran a hand down his face, feigning embarrassment.

  Atla took a deep breath. “It was a man mounting his wife. Teya literally popped the man from his partner like a cork. And...and...”

  “Atla...” Teya warned.

  “They asked him to join,” Atla roared, nearly falling from her chair.

  The rest of the group joined in her laughter. Even Xel cracked a small smile. All but Xi. He was in the corner, eyes neutral, fixed on their guest.

  “Did you?” Sofia chimed in. “Did you join them?”

  Eztlie poked her side, and she squeaked.

  Teya sighed. “A gentleman never tells.”

  “Why are you here?” Xi finally spoke.

  Everyone’s head turned to the man in the corner. “Oh relax, Xi,” Atla said, wiping her eyes. “Jealous they didn’t ask you?”

  “You know him?” Xel said to Xi, not able to stop the words before they left her mouth.

  Teya cracked his neck and sighed. Yes, there was definitely something between these two men. “It’s good to see you, old friend,” Teya said, eyes saddened.

  “You didn’t answer me,” Xi interrupted.

  Teya ran a tongue across his bottom lip. Xel tried to look away, but Xi caught her staring, and she quickly looked at the floor.

  “I am here because the māpach population is surging, and the Sentinels don’t know why,” he began. “You are some of our best Gatherers. Have you seen an increase in their movements? Have they taken more of your wards than average?”

  Everyone looked around nervously. They had. It had all begun with Sofia and Eztlie late last year. They all sensed the māpach getting stronger, more cunning. But the cause of the quick shift in their tactics was unknown to them, which led Eztlie to follow their scent to a hospice facility where Sofia worked while she was mortal. Little did they all know, Sofia’s boyfriend was actually a māpach in disguise, who nearly killed Eztlie and Sofia both.

  “Yes,” Eztlie said cautiously. Sofia slid her hand in his for comfort.

  Teya sighed and nodded, as Eztlie filled him in on the year prior.

  “And,” Eztlie said, squeezing Sofia’s hand, “we think they may have free will.”

  Teya’s eyes went wide, and then he quickly recovered.

  “It’s worse than we expected,” Teya said. “The other families are reporting the same things. And with the māpachs getting stronger, they are taking out more of our Gatherers. Fewer and fewer souls are finding their way to the underworld.”

  Atla swore and crossed her arms. Tupack wrung his hands, and even Xi shook his head with disgust.

  “It would be helpful if you could keep track of the māpach you see and those you destroy. Perhaps we could get a better gauge on their numbers,” Teya said, looking at Tupack.

  “It’s already done,” Atla said, walking toward her room. “I created a log. It’s on my computer. I have been tracking this for centuries.”

  “That’s my girl,” Teya said with a pleased grin.

  “I’m not your girl, asshole,” Atla sang from the hallway.

  Teya barked out a laugh. “Some things never change.” Teya smiled and looked at Xel. “Others do.”

  He stood and walked to Xel, extending a hand. “I don’t think we have been properly introduced,” he said. “My name is Teyaochiuani, captain of the Sentinels for the King and Queen of the Dead.”

  Xel took it, and he squeezed. With an effort, he dragged his eyes to Sofia briefly. “You are fresh faces to me,” he said. “Far better than the dusty old ones I was forced to protect so many years ago.”

  “Ha!” Atla said, reentering the room with her laptop. “I remember many occasions where I allowed you to keep your head by killing demon spawn.”

  Teya rolled his eyes and looked back at Xel. “And you are?”

  “I-I’m...” Xel stuttered. “Metxtli. But everyone calls me Xel.”

  “Sofia,” Sofia said behind her with a wave.

  “Well, it’s nice to see the family has grown,” Teya said and released her hand.

  It felt cold in his absence.

  “Here,” Atla said, handing him a USB plug. “This is all the information I have gathered for four hundred years.”

  Teya took it and touched his forehead. “I knew I could rely on your mental prowess, Atlacamani,” he said.

  “Great,” Xi said flatly. “Now you can go.”

  “You can’t honestly still be sore, Xi,” Atla said with an edge.

  “Uh-oh,” Sofia said, noting the fire in Xi’s eyes.

  “It wasn’t my fault,” Teya breathed, looking down at his hands.

  Xel saw the confusion on Sofia’s face. Eztlie sighed. “Xi was training to become a Sentinel about five centuries ago. As an old friend of the family, Xi thought he’d be a shoe-in. But they chose another Gatherer with stronger skills.”

  “I don’t believe anyone asked you, Eztlie,” the Jeweled Prince clipped.

  Xel had never seen Xi so angry. He always behaved as though he didn’t care about anything or anyone. The last point made her knot her hands.

  “Xi, it isn’t your fault. Why would they pick you when they could have Sentinels like this?” Atla said.

  Atla grabbed the knife from the charcuterie board with deft hands and flung it at Teya’s head. Xel and Sofia screamed, covering their faces. The silence in the room made Xel’s heart still. Peeling her hands from her face, she looked at Teya, half expecting his eye to be poked from its socket. Instead, his hands raised before him. The knife, still embedded with a chuck of cheese, was floating before his face. Xel turned to look at Xi. His eyes were distant. Atla clicked her tongue and grabbed the levitated knife, biting the cheese from the end.

  “You have powers,” Xel breathed.

  “I do.”

  “Is that common?” Xel tried to ask flippantly.

  “No,” Tupack chimed in. “No, it is not.”

  “The royals seek those with abilities to stack their army in the underworld. Hard to attack the king and queen when one bodyguard can lift ten māpachs off their feet while another slices them into pieces,” Eztlie said flatly.

  Teya ran a hand over his face. “Yes. All that to say, it brings me to my next order of business,” he said. “The royals are looking for more Sentinels. Ones with special powers.”

  “Do they get a choice?” Xel blurted.

  “They used to,” Atla said with an edge.

  Tupack shot her a look and said to Xel, “Sentinels used to spend their days in the land of the living as soldiers for the king. They would keep the Gatherer families aligned.”

  “Like regional managers?” Sofia queried.

  Eztlie laughed and kissed her head. “Sort of.”

  “A few hundred years ago, the king called all the Sentinels back to the underworld permanently,” Tupack finished.

  “So, they don’t have a choice,” Xel mumbled.

  Teya looked at her with a raised brow. “It
is an honor to serve in the Sentinels. To even be asked to train is a tremendous compliment to any Bone Gatherer.”

  “They’d never take me,” Atla said with a mouthful of cheese and crackers. “I don’t like to follow orders.”

  “They’d never take you because you’re a lousy shot,” Tupack said, tossing a napkin at her face.

  Atla growled and threw a bean at her brother, hitting him square in the nose. “I’ll show you a lousy shot,” Atla purred, launching her body at Tupack, and they fell to the floor in a heap.

  Xel looked at Xi, and he was staring back. Would he out her? She didn’t want to be taken from her home. Her family. From Xi. Xel had always assumed she was cursed. Now she was sure of it.

  She looked back to Teya, and he was staring directly at her. “Do any of you know a Gatherer with such gifts?”

  As if on cue, Xel felt her hands warm. Oh gods, no!

  It was like her gifts had found a new friend and wanted to play. She tied her hands behind herself, begging the flames to subside. No one seemed to notice the change in her; no one but Xi. She avoided looking his way but felt his stare.

  “I wish.” Atla laughed, pinning Tupack to the ground with her legs.

  “Okay.” Tupack grinned. “Mercy!”

  “Well, thank you anyhow,” Teya said, standing from his seat. “I should be going.”

  Atla pulled Tupack from the ground, and they frowned at their old friend.

  “Oh, you have to stay for dinner, Teya,” Sofia said. “I need to hear some stories about my new family. Especially the one that warms my bed.”

  Teya smiled and touched his forehead. “It would honor me.”

  As Xel’s hands cooled, she looked up to see how Xi felt about his rival colleague staying, but he was already gone. “Such a baby,” Atla cut in.

  “Atla, back off the man.” Tupack grimaced.

  “You’d think after hundreds of years, he would be over losing his powers,” she mumbled, picking her teeth with the tip of a steak knife.

  “He...had powers?”

  The entire room shifted. The news was so taboo, Xel could feel the tension in the room. “He did. No one knows what happened,” Eztlie said with a sigh.