Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1)(39)

We find a spot that’s relatively clean to sit and eat. I munch on a protein bar while Rishi tears into the bag of beef jerky. Avianas fly down from their nests in their bird forms and stand around us like seagulls at the beach. I remember the hunger in their eyes. Some of them have lost all their feathers. I can see their rib cages poke through skin, and my hunger goes away.

I take the two loaves of bread, the beef jerky, and the apples. I leave them out on the dais.

“Go on,” I tell them.

They swoop down on the food in a mad frenzy. It’s gone in seconds.

Rishi smiles at me. I forgot how much I missed her smile, like there’s an infinite well of happiness inside of her. I forgot how good 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.”