Cemetery Boys(59)

“?La garra del jaguar!”

The younger brujx exchanged confused looks.

Yadriel shook his head but continued to work. He always knew when a Lita lecture was coming. He piped swirls of yellow and light blue onto the calavera’s bony cheeks.

Lita huffed, fully offended now. “Four sacred blades! They are ancient artifacts, used to perform the forbidden sacrifices.”

Alejandro gaped. “The what?”

Lita preened under the sudden undivided attention.

Yadriel carefully wrote his mother’s name in loopy handwriting over the calavera’s forehead in red icing.

Camila.

Gently, Yadriel put it in the box with the other completed calaveras. He picked out his next sugar skull to decorate, cradling it in his lap as Lita dove into her story in Spanish, not having the patience to stumble through the nuances of English for such an important retelling.

Lita had been telling the legend of Bahlam, the jaguar god, ever since he was little. He knew the story practically by heart.

Bahlam, the jaguar god, was the ruler of Xibalba. When you died, you had to travel through Xibalba to reach the peaceful world of the afterlife, where Lady Death ruled. Some people were granted safe and direct passage to the afterlife by Lady Death—like those who died in battle, at a young age, or during childbirth—but most had to endure the challenges of Xibalba.

In order to make it through Xibalba, you had to be clever and brave. Also known as the Place of Fright, Xibalba was filled with monsters and death gods you had to outsmart and defeat.

Bahlam ruled over Xibalba. He ate the spirits of all those who failed in their journey. Part man, part beast, he was fearsome and cruel and insatiable. Unsatisfied with the spirits of those he caught in Xibalba, Bahlam tricked humans into helping him cross to the realm of the living so he could feed.

He used fear and manipulation to bend humans to his will. Bahlam told them that, in order to escape his wrath, they must bring him human sacrifices. Without human sacrifices to satiate his hunger, he threatened to unmake the land of the living. To bring death and destruction to the human race and ensure none of their loved ones made it to the afterlife.

To appeal to more selfish people, Bahlam also offered immense power in exchange for human sacrifices.

Under the threat of death and the promise of power, Bahlam’s following grew. He gave his worshippers la garra del jaguar. The four blades had to be pierced into the hearts of four human sacrifices while the worshipper wore a jaguar head amulet around their neck. The rituals were performed at a cenote. The sinkholes and underground pools were the gateway between the land of the living and Xibalba. The blood of the human sacrifices would flow into the cenote, and once the last drop fell into the pool, Bahlam would be summoned.

He would emerge from the cenote in his monstrous jaguar form and drag the human sacrifices down to Xibalba. There, he would feast on their spirits. In exchange for their sacrifices, Bahlam gifted them powers channeled through the amulet. The wearer would become powerful enough to snuff out life with the snap of their fingers and bring people back from the dead with a wave of their hand. But power obtained with human life corrupted the mind and poisoned the body.

The followers of Bahlam killed ruthlessly. Wars broke out across the realm, led by the corrupt worshippers.

The balance between life and death was thrown off by so many spirits being trapped in Xibalba instead of passing to the land of the dead, where Lady Death ruled. Seeing the pain and torture caused to appease the jaguar god, Lady Death left her throne to confront Bahlam.

Lady Death fought Bahlam in a war that lasted three days and three nights. Bahlam was strong, but Lady Death was clever. She trapped Bahlam in Xibalba and destroyed all of la garra del jaguar so no one could summon him again.

“Except for one,” Lita said, holding up a finger with a knowing look. “This last set Lady Death bequeathed to the very first family of brujos and brujas. These humans wanted to help Lady Death bring balance back to the world of the living and the dead. She blessed us with the ability to heal the injured living, and safely shepherd the spirits of the dead to the afterlife so no one would have to suffer the trials of Xibalba again.

“She trusted us with the last la garra del jaguar as a reminder of what greed and corruption were capable of. Our bloodline carries on this tradition, serving Lady Death. In exchange for our help, Lady Death gifted us with Día de Muertos, the one time a year our people can return to the land of the living. For two days, we get to see our loved ones who’ve passed.”

Lita paused, probably waiting for oohs and aahs, or at least some applause.

But …

Yadriel looked around. Leo and Lena looked on the verge of tears. Even Alejandro appeared deeply upset.

“Do you think that’s what happened to Miguel?” Ximena asked, eyes wide and chin wobbling. “Bahlam got him?”

Oh no. Yadriel sat up, giving Lita a worried look. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to tell the story of Bahlam.

“No, no, no, of course not!” Lita said, trying to laugh it off. “Aye, nena.”

She went to Ximena and wrapped her arm around the girl’s shoulder. “Bahlam has been locked up in Xibalba. He can’t escape; Lady Death made sure of that,” she said. “We make sure of that.”

Yadriel took the opportunity to sneak away. He tucked the calavera he’d just completed into the pocket of his hoodie so he could hide it in his room for later.