Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1)(43)

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

I shake my head. “Why’d you do it, Nova?”

He starts to smile. I bet he can’t help it. I bet his smile gets him out of and into all sorts of trouble.

“You and me?” he says. “We come from different worlds. I have nothing to my name.”

“What about your grandma?”

He shrugs dismissively. “I’m just another mouth to feed.”

“That can’t be true.”

His hands slide down from my cheeks to my neck. I wonder if he can feel my heart racing.

“Not everyone’s got a family they’d die for,” he says. “If I thought it’d get you in trouble, I would’ve thought twice about stealing. Okay?”

“I can’t get all righteous on you,” I say, “though I’d just like to point out that you’re the one who told me not to touch anything.”

Eye roll. “We cool?”

Rishi clears her throat. She’s leaning on the wall opposite us. How long has she been standing there without me noticing?

“Let’s get this donkey show on the road,” she says.

“I think you mean dog and pony show,” Nova says.

Rishi looks him up and down. I guess they’ve stopped yelling at each other, but that doesn’t mean they’ve called a truce. “Since you’re here, I’m pretty sure I mean donkey.”

? ? ?

We say good-bye to the avianas, leaving them two-thirds of our food supplies. Madra walks us to a tunnel that leads out of the caves. It smells dank and is lit by torches.

“I do not think it is wise to journey to the labyrinth,” Madra tells me. “But I honor your loyalty to your family, Alejandra Mortiz. I will take a look at your map.”

I unfold the map for her to see. Her hawk eyes follow the ink rendering of Los Lagos.

“The opening to this cave is on the map,” I say, “but if you hadn’t come to our rescue, we’d never have found it.”

“Many witches and humans alike have come to these lands. Some seek to steal its treasures. Others seek to make deadly pacts with the Devourer—the desperate searching for their dead. We used to offer passage to those who landed on this side of Los Lagos, but we closed the caves off long ago.”

“What changed?”

“The Devourer’s strength grows every eclipse. My kin and I attempted to band with the other tribes this side of the labyrinth. Our loss was nearly total. The Forests of Lights were burned to the ground. Now they are wastelands. The desert land of Bone Valle was created from an old witch village during the first rebellion.”

“First?” I ask. “There’s been more than one?”

Madra nods somberly. “You ask why we do not join you. We have lost everything to the Devourer. All we can do is try to stay alive. Even now, the dead earth of Bone Valle encroaches on our territory as the Devourer feeds off the Tree of Souls.”

“That’s horrible,” Rishi says.

“What if the Devourer could no longer feed off the tree?” I ask.

“That is a question that has cost thousands of lives.” Madra looks to Rishi with motherly love, then to me with her usual stoic face. “I do not have to remind you she is at the most risk.”

“I get it,” Rishi says. “I’m human, blah, blah.”

“Your disregard for the dangers of this land tells me you do not, as you say, get it. But your path is your own to take.”

“Hold up,” Nova says, making a T with his hands. “If we take the fork on the right, that means we end up at the Forest of Lights. You said that was burned to a crisp.”

“Yes. The Devourer won’t chase after you in a wasteland.”

Nova looks unsure.

“You asked for my advice, and I am giving it to you. Follow this tunnel to the other side of the caves. The path leads to the fork in the road. Keep to the right path through the Wastelands del Este and to the mountain pass. Be wary. Your presence here is known. Servants of the Devourer roam the land and report any strangers they see.”

“The maloscuros,” I say.

“Among other beasts,” Madra says. “The saberskins, the giants guarding the labyrinth, and sea monsters swim in Mar del Fin. Travel swiftly and look twice at anyone or anything. Los Lagos is a fluid land, and so are its inhabitants.”

I feel like I’m walking myself off a plank. A chorus of off-key caws mark our final good-bye.

“Remember.” Madra’s deep voice follows me and echoes against stone. “At the fork in the road, keep to the right path. The Devourer does not free the power she takes. Be careful you are not caught by her shadows.”

I find myself turning to Nova, who starts to lead us into the tunnel. And I think to myself, It’s a good thing I’ve got a boy made of light.





21


In the woods, I found the love de mis amores.

He was there at the end de mis dolores.

—Folk song, Book of Cantos

We walk down the tunnel in silence. Rishi kicks stones out of the way. They roll like dice down our path. Nova cracks his knuckles over and over. I think the lines on his arms are stretching farther up. Why won’t he talk about it? I think about the recoil of my magic. I examine my hands. All I’ve had to show so far are bruises that have begun to fade. Passing out isn’t exactly my idea of fun, but I wonder if it’s better than permanent marks.