The Lords of Night by J.C. Cervantes

Author:J.C. Cervantes [Cervantes, J.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2022-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

25

Ren wasn’t sure if she was dead or alive.

She was lying in a bright and sunny landscape bursting with leafy green vines. Orchid-like white flowers drooped from the ends. She could hear the burble of a gently rolling stream nearby. Sleepily, she sat up, half remembering. . ..

And then the memory of her efforts to save Monty overwhelmed her.

She got to her feet clumsily, feeling like she’d just run a marathon. She glanced around while concentrating on her breathing. Inhale, exhale. The air was thick with the scent of vanilla.

“I know you’re here,” she said, waiting for the third lord to appear.

A figure emerged from a thick curtain of vines. He didn’t look older than sixteen, had dark hair that hung to his shoulders, and his dark eyes sparkled like they were made from the sun.

What was the deal with all these lords being teens? Or did Aztec gods just age super well?

“You’re the Prince Lord,” Ren said, half expecting him to start glowing.

He was barefoot and wore faded jeans and a white T-shirt.

Where’s the surfboard? Ren nearly asked.

Unlike the Smoking Mirror, the Prince Lord was only a few inches taller than Ren. “Do you like vanilla?” he asking, lifting a flower to his nose and inhaling slowly. “We call it Black Flower for its pods. The darkness is where all the flavor comes from.”

“Great. Congrats,” Ren said, her head still too foggy to trust her own thoughts. “Can I go home now?”

“Those bee stings are quite perilous.” He inched closer.

Ren stepped back. “What do you want?”

“I am Piltzintecuhtli, the Aztec god of the rising sun, and of healing.” Aka the Prince Lord.

His voice was sort of hypnotic, like an app that tells you stories to help you fall asleep. Calming. Soothing. He also sounded bored, as if he’d made this introduction a million times before. “Would you like me to make it all go away?” he offered.

It? The garden? The bee stings? Her quest?

Ren shook her head, glancing around. Okay, this place was way better than the teeth-clicker’s shadow prison, but still, she couldn’t rely on her eyes, only her heart, and right now it was screaming trap!

Where’s Monty? Lying on the asphalt where I left her? Has Kenji caught up to her?

Ren felt like she had been turned inside out. Just thirty minutes ago, she’d been in the museum with Monty, and now she was in this sunny Garden of Eden–like place with a surfer-dude god.

“If you don’t accept my help,” he said sadly, “you’ll die.”

Lies. Her dealings with the Smoking Mirror had shown her that she held a card they needed. And that meant they wouldn’t let her die. Not yet.

“You used Ezra,” Ren said, totally guessing but wanting to see how much he might reveal. “The Maya daughter of spells and magic. She woke you guys.”

“Yes.”

That one word nearly knocked Ren over. She had expected him, like most gods, to lie and cover up their plot.

“And once you’re all awake, you’re going to destroy the Maya gods and take over the world.

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