I feel just being in her company.

“Why are they like this?” I ask Rishi.

“The way Madra tells it,” she says, “it’s too dangerous for them

to go out. There’s some bad juju on the land. It wants the avianas to

join her side. The avianas won’t, so the creature is starving them

out. They call it-”

An involuntary shiver passes over me. “The Devourer.”

“Yes,” Madra says, flying around us until she lands on the dais.

“That is the creature who’s ravaged these lands for her own power.

That is the creature you seek, isn’t it?”

“It is.” There’s something about Madra that makes me want to stand

perfectly still. Nova was right. There’s something about their eyes.

“Are the others okay?” Rishi asks.

Madra turns to the statue of El Cielo and bows her head. My mom

does that with the statue of La Mama when she’s asking for strength to

deal with three daughters. Madra shuts her eyes and mouths a silent

rezo.

When she finally turns to me, her shoulders sag with defeat. “I

beg you. Nothing is worth journeying to the Devourer. Her cruelness

has conquered many souls across Los Lagos. Those who refuse her remain

hidden, scavenging to live. You will only find death.”

“I have to,” I say. “She has my family.”

Madra is quiet for a bit. She takes to pacing again, then comes to

a stop in front of me. “What do you know of these lands, bruja?”

I shake my head. “Only the notes in my family’s Book of Cantos. My

friend has our map. Can you let him go? We mean you no harm.”

“He will be released when I give the word. Men are not allowed in

the Caves of Night.”

“What about this guy?” Rishi says, pointing to El Cielo. “He looks

like he has all the man parts.”

“ Rishi ,” I say through gritted teeth.

Madra actually smiles. “The Deos are more than male or female.

They are both and neither at the same time. They are the creators and

destroyers of the worlds. Tell me, Alejandra Mortiz, what does your

witch book say of my kind?”

Now that the food is gone, the birds have returned to their nests,

but their eyes are still cast down at us. So much for a speedy

getaway.

“There’s a story about the daughters of El Cielo,” I say, like I’m

reciting from a history textbook. “He was Deo of all the Skies. The

avianas were made to protect the riches of the world from being

stolen. But they failed and were banished from the mortal realm.”

“Failed,” Madra repeats. “I did. I let a man whisper in my ear. I

let him into the caves. I let him have the treasures of El Cielo. For

that, my curse is to never change. Never age, never die. But not my

sisters. They can grow old and sick and hungry . I do the best I can,

but the land around us is dying. I can only hunt so much without the

saberskins coming for us.”

“What about the others you were talking about?” Rishi asks. She

turns to me and elaborates. “There are these tribes that live

underground and refuse to give their lands to the Devourer.”

“There are few tribes of creatures left who still fight,” Madra

says. “The rest of the land is filled with ghosts and others who gave

up long ago. If you continue on your path, you may lose more than your

life.”

“I’m the reason my family was taken,” I say. “I have to make

things right. No matter what happens to me.”

“Why don’t you come with us, Madra?” Rishi suggests. “Alex is

going to free her family, and you can free your lands.”

Madra shakes her head. “My duty is to my people. Their survival is

all I live for.”

“But, Madra!”

I take Rishi’s hand to pull her away from the aviana. “Rishi, drop

it. Let’s just take Nova and go.”

A sharp whistle pierces the air. Madra turns away from the statue

of El Cielo and to the right, where a group of avianas hold Nova by

the wrists. A dirty cloth has been shoved in his mouth.

“What are you doing?” I start to run to him, but Madra’s wings

expand and push me onto the ground.

The avianas bring Nova forward. His eyes widen when he sees me.

Then he frowns when he sees Rishi. He shakes his head and screams

through his gag. The avianas speak in sharp cries back and forth.

“Madra, please,” I say.

Madra puffs up her chest. Her face is inches from mine. “Do not

plead with me for a boy who does not know the meaning of honor. If you

would plead, plead for yourself, Alex Mortiz.”

“What happened?” I start to step forward, but Madra’s wing knocks

me back again.

“I have allowed you into our home,” she says, her body shaking

with anger. “I have saved you from death. I have made an exception to

keep this man in our caves.”

The avianas empty Nova’s pockets. Dozens of glittering crystals

and gold fall at his feet.

Madra’s black eyes are endless. She grabs my shoulders with her

clawed hands. “But I cannot abide thieves!”

19

Sana, sana, the body endures.

Cura, cura, the soul of the pure.

- Healing Canto, Book of Cantos

The avianas grab the three of us in their talons and throw us into

the one of the highest nests. Dried leaves and branches are woven into

a makeshift mattress, and a fire burns in a stone bowl.

“What did you do?” I punch Nova’s chest.

He grabs my wrists to pull me off him. “How was I supposed to know

the gems weren’t up for grabs?”

I yank my hands free from his hold. I point my index finger, like

the barrel of a gun, at his face. “You just ruined everything! How are

we supposed to get out of these caves? They could have helped us.”

He turns away from me and sits on the makeshift mattress. “How? A

bunch of starving birds are going to storm the labyrinth with us?”

“You’re the one who told me not to touch shiny things. But you

think with your pockets, don’t you?”

“I didn’t think they’d see me take a few gems in a cave full of

them !”

“Shut up, Nova. You’re not even sorry.” I kick a stone away from

us. It flies off the side of the nest. We listen to it fall, hitting

the sides of the caves like a penny in an empty jar. I count ten

seconds before it lands.

“Let me talk to Madra,” Rishi says. “I think she’ll listen to me.”

“Who the hell is this?” Nova thumbs at Rishi.

“Relax, protein shake,” Rishi says. She crosses her arms over her

chest and looks at Nova like he’s a fly that drowned in her soup.

“Stop,” I hiss. I stand between them like a shield-though I’m not

sure who I’m more afraid for, Rishi or Nova. “Nova, this is Rishi.

She’s my-she’s my best friend. She jumped into the portal after us and

wound up with the avianas. Rishi this is Nova. He’s a witch, like me.

He’s my guide.”

“I am a brujo ,” Nova corrects me. “And this isn’t going to fly.

It’s one thing that I have to look out for you. I’m not about to

babysit some sinmaga .”

“What did you call me?” Rishi closes the space between them.

My head throbs at the temples. I turn my back to them while they

bicker. How does my mother put up with Lula and me when we get like

this?

“How sweet,” Lula says, clear as a bell. “They’re fighting over

you.”

“Did you hear that?” I whip around to find her face, but she isn’t

there. I know I heard her. It was like she was standing right beside

me.

Nova and Rishi ignore me. They’re like a pack of wild dogs barking

at each other.

“I’ve known Alex for two years,” Rishi shouts at Nova. “She can

trust me .”

“Clearly you didn’t know her very well if you didn’t know about

her powers.”

They fall into some indecipherable shouting when an even louder