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SAN GERVASIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL ZONE

COZUMEL, MEXICO

January 10

Suki felt like she was in an action movie. The helicopter flew low across the ocean, the rotors loud and constant. She was surrounded by the toughest-looking dudes she’d ever met, dressed for war, their faces smeared with camo paint, wearing jungle fatigues with assault rifles strapped to their shoulders. Each had a patch on their left arm with a double-A insignia. They were part of the 82nd Airborne division. But all that firepower would be worse than useless if she didn’t bring the kem ?m shields down.

Jordan lifted the microphone part of the headset away from his face and leaned forward.

“Want a Pop-Tart?” Jordan asked her, offering her a package in a metallic foil wrapper.

“Not really hungry, to be honest,” she replied, copying him by moving the microphone away.

“Ever flown in a jet before?” he asked her. “That was a pretty sweet ride.”

“Yeah, all the time,” Suki drawled. She also wore military-style fatigues—in her own size—and camo paint. She had a canteen of water, night vision goggles, and boots that were surprisingly comfortable.

“Five minutes from target,” came a voice over the headset.

The other soldiers began to prepare for their exit.

“You used to be part of these guys, right?” Suki asked Jordan.

“Yup. I was with the Old Guard in DC for a few years and then joined the 82nd. We trained to be deployed anywhere in the world within eighteen hours.”

“Ever been to Mexico?” she asked him.

“Does Tijuana count?”

“I’m not sure where that is.” They were going to San Gervasio, to the shrine of Ix Chel. From there, she would have to attempt to use her power to move them. “I just hope I can do this alone. Last time, my mom and Jane Louise helped.”

“I believe in you,” Jordan reminded her. “And so does Monica. You saved us.”

The memory of her healing in the hospital was still fresh for all of them. She’d been on the cusp of death, her recovery nothing short of miraculous. When Suki had watched Jordan sweep Monica off her feet and whirl her around, she’d gotten a lump in her throat. Moments before, Monica had been alive only by the grace of machines. There was power in the Maya magic that would change the world. Power Suki somehow had access to.

“I’m glad you’re both okay. You were pretty messed up.”

“What you did? That was pretty dope. And without you, we won’t be able to win this fight. Did I mention I’ve already killed a jaguar priest? And smashed into another with a car? I’m practically a pro.”

“About five times already.” She twisted the ring around her finger nervously.

“Good. I wouldn’t mind taking out a few more. Your dad is pretty awesome. Our job is to keep you safe and get the hostages out of there.”

Suki nodded, feeling her stomach lurch as the helicopter began to descend. Her dad would have hated this ride. Some of the 82nd Airborne team had parachuted into the San Gervasio ruins earlier to secure the location for the helicopter to land. They were going to use the parking lot next to the ruins since it was a more open space, and the tourists were already gone. The park shut down after sunset. Suki had memories of sneaking on board the van from Huellas de Pan in that very parking lot. Looking out of the helicopter, she saw complete darkness, except for the moon. A team would wait for them at the ruins to extract them, presuming they were successful, and bring them back to the aircraft carrier off the coast of Mexico.

The helicopter went down fast and hard, and Suki felt her spine jolt as the aircraft met the pavement of the parking lot.

Jordan helped unbuckle Suki from the protective straps, removed the head gear, and then assisted her out of the helicopter. The other soldiers had already jumped out. Once they were clear, the helicopter lifted up and took off again.

“Welcome back to the unit, Scott,” said one of the soldiers who’d secured the site as he came up and gave Jordan a fist bump. “Miss us?”

“As much as I miss diarrhea,” Jordan shot back. “How long have you guys been here?”

“Four hours. A long time. Area is secure.”

“Awesome. Suki, this is Captain Mike Rose, winner of the Best Ranger competition two years back-to-back. He’s a good friend of mine. This is Suki Roth. Captain Rose is going to protect our back door and get us out of there.”

“How’s civilian life?” Captain Rose asked.

“The pay is better,” Jordan said.

Another soldier came up and saluted Captain Rose. “You coming with us, sir?”

“Not this time, Stackpole. We’re going in if you guys get stuck. Heard the SEALs are having a rough go of it down there. Let’s show them who’s boss.”

The soldiers grunted, and Suki rolled her eyes at the rivalry.

“There’s no one here,” Captain Rose told Jordan, knifing his hand to point across the parking lot. “Only one road leading to the highway, and I’ve got it blocked. We’ve patrolled the ruins. Empty. Park opens at 8 a.m., so we better be gone long before then, or there’s going to be trouble.” He looked at his watch. “That doesn’t give you a long time, soldier. How exactly are you getting down to the Yucatán and back?”

“She’s our ride,” Jordan said, pointing his thumb at Suki. “Gather the team.”

The soldiers they’d flown in with came around in a circle. Captain Rose looked skeptical, but he stood there and listened in.

“You were given a pretty pathetic briefing by the brass, so let me fill you in on a few things,” Jordan said. “What they said about shooting is true. Do not open fire unless I give the order, and I’m not giving it until this girl tells me it’s clear. Where we’re going, the laws of physics work differently. They have invisible shields that can deflect bullets. Back at us. I know that’s hard to believe, but I’ve seen it. One of these dudes took out a SWAT team in DC this afternoon. But we have her on our side. She can hack their shields and bring them down. Just like in Independence Day.”

“These aliens?” one of the soldiers asked.

“However you want to think about it, I don’t care,” Jordan said. “These guys can also turn into jaguars and other animals. They are at their most vulnerable during the transition. If you see a man grow fangs, shoot him then, not after. If they charge, pull a knife and go for the throat before they bite you. We’re probably going to see some stuff you’ve never encountered before. Your instinct will be to pull the trigger. Don’t. Not until I give the order. We’re going in quiet, and we’re going to improvise. Got it?”

Suki saw heads nodding in acceptance, but a few of them had incredulous looks. They’d heard this before, at least in part, but some things you just had to see.

“But how are we getting there, Scott?” one of them asked.

Jordan turned to Suki. “Tell us what to do and where you’re taking us.”

Suki swallowed when all their eyes came to her. She’d never liked being the center of attention, and that hadn’t magically changed now. They looked mean. They looked dangerous. She was glad for both things because they were on her side.

“Everyone hold hands,” she said, then smiled at the shocked looks on their faces.

She’d given it some thought. Her dad and the prisoners were probably being kept in the dungeon beneath Jacob Calakmul’s palace. The palace had many servants, most of whom were helpless and nonviolent but loyal to Calakmul. They’d run and warn him if soldiers suddenly appeared. However, most servants weren’t allowed to enter Jacob’s inner sanctum. No one was. If they started there, she could lead them to the dungeon and fight the warriors who were guarding it. That was the quickest and most direct way.

It was just herself, Jordan, and three other soldiers going in. Jordan had explained a team was four soldiers. That would give Suki the chance to bring others out, since she could only teleport thirteen people total.

It was a small group. Very small. But their job was to go in and get out quickly.

She grabbed Jordan’s hand and then the hand of another member of the team. Captain Rose pursed his lips like it was the lamest thing ever, but he watched as the soldiers formed a small circle.

Once they were all connected, Suki spoke again. “It’ll be fast. Where we’re going in the jungle, there are a series of temples that look like pyramids. I’m not exactly sure where we’ll land, but we’re going to the royal building where Jacob Calakmul lives. He’s in charge, and he’s the most dangerous person there. Everyone else defers to him. The warriors were pretty sketch. They have these weapons like swords, except the blades are jagged obsidian instead of steel. And they carry blowguns. You get hit by a dart, and you’re helpless but conscious. Those are their obvious weapons. Their most dangerous weapon is the Maya magic, the kem ?m. It’s pretty cool. I’ve been trained to use it, but I’m just a beginner. I don’t want to fight Jacob Calakmul because he’d win. If he comes at us, just grab hands again, and I’ll teleport us out. Okay?”

“I know it sounds weird,” Jordan said, “but trust me. It’s legit.”

“I’ve heard only a little about what happened in the Sit Room at the White House. Any chance we could get a little demo?” Captain Rose asked, looking at Suki.

“It threw a Marine about twelve feet,” Suki answered. “Want to try that?”

“I would love to try that,” the captain said, smirking.

Suki used the ring, summoned the magic, and put a circular shield up in front of her. The soldiers blinked in surprise at the glowing motes of magic.

“Give it a punch,” Suki suggested.

He did and was instantly knocked back about five feet.

“Any other questions?” Jordan asked. “Bullets ricochet off it and come straight back at you too, only faster. Before we go, I want to put dibs. I’d like a shot at Calakmul, or that guy who kicked my butt at the Smithsonian. And there are some people down there who have betrayed our country. They’re betting on Calakmul winning. Let’s prove them all wrong.”

He squeezed Suki’s hand. “Let’s do this thing.”

Suki steadied her breath. The moonlight was bathing them all. She glanced from soldier to soldier. She was grateful they had their names on their fatigues because she wouldn’t have remembered any of their names except for Jordan’s.

“And so ... you all start singing ‘Kumbaya’?” Captain Rose asked with amusement.

Suki ignored him. She lowered her head and closed her eyes. Her mom had said it was like a prayer. The Mayan word was rapinik, to fly. She felt the magic tingling inside her. She was at Ix Chel’s most sacred ground, a place where the nobility and the populace throughout the Yucatán had come to make marriage alliances and conceive children. It was the place Cortés had first come to. That thought struck her mind forcibly. It was knowledge that shouldn’t have belonged to her, because she’d never read it in any book.

“Rapinik,”she whispered, smelling the hint of salt on the air.

The magic thrummed inside her, then through her, and they were instantly in a different location. The smell was familiar. They stood in a corridor of the palace, in a shaft of moonlight coming in through a window. She released the hands of the others and glanced both ways. It was a corridor connecting Jacob’s private rooms to the throne room. A few torches were fixed in the walls, but instead of flame, they swirled with motes of kem ?m.

A feeling tugged in her heart. The feeling bid her to go to Jacob’s room. Fear spiked inside her mind. He was the last person she hoped to run into.

Jordan signaled two of the soldiers to face one way, while he and the other faced back toward Jacob’s room. The soldiers looked stunned by the transition, but they promptly obeyed and raised their weapons. It was muggy. Sweat began to gather on Suki’s brow.

“Which way?” Jordan whispered to her.

She’d intended to head toward the throne room and slip down the other passage toward the dungeon. But the nagging feelings grew stronger. She’d learned not to deny them.

“This way,” she said, pointing toward Jacob’s private chamber. Her stomach twisted with worry.

Jordan motioned for the others to follow. He was in a combat stance, weapon up, leading the way. The soldiers fell in around him, Suki boxed between them. She was sweating heavily now and not just from the humidity.

They reached the beaded screen leading into Jacob’s chamber. Suki listened but she didn’t hear anything. But she felt someone ... or something ... was there. She swallowed, trying to calm her nerves with the mantra she’d learned.

Jordan parted the curtain with his fingers and glanced inside. He looked at her and shook his head. No one was in there.

She nodded for him to enter. Jordan barged in quickly, sweeping the chamber with his weapon. The beads clicked and rattled against one another. Suki entered, remembering when she’d come in here last, when Jacob had said she would have to kill someone she loved in order to gain her full powers.

The room was decorated with ancient artifacts—gold, silver, jade. There were chests made of wood, carved by master craftsmen. There were changing screens and a variety of clothing, some modern, some ancient. Suki glanced around the room, but the feeling wasn’t coming from the room. It was coming from another doorway. She’d never gone that way before—she hadn’t been allowed, so she didn’t know where it went.

The blackness called to her.

This is so sus,she told herself. Her mind screamed for her to go back the other way and head in the direction where she knew the prisoners were being kept. But her heart beckoned her down.

She clenched her fists and then started toward the opening.

The soldiers were looking around, scanning the room and the different antechambers connected to it. When she reached the portal, she smelled wet stone. It led to a cenote.

“Down there?” Jordan asked, joining her.

She nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

At any moment, Jacob could return. She didn’t even want to think about that. Best not to. Ix Chel was leading her toward something in the cenote. She didn’t know what or why. Maybe it would help them. Maybe it was a dead end, and they’d be trapped. Either way, she was following her gut on this one.

Jordan put on the night vision goggles and then started down the steps. His partner, Friedlein, went next, followed by Suki, who was followed by Killian and Mercado. The tunnel was carved into solid rock and angled sharply down. It was tall enough they didn’t need to crouch. The smell of wet stone got stronger. The sound of their boots echoed as they went down. That wasn’t good.

As they turned the final bend, the smell of the cenote grew strong, and Suki could hear the lapping of the waters. But the beckoning feeling was stronger.

Jordan froze, bringing his weapon up to aim. “There’s a dead body,” he whispered. “A woman.”

Suki peered around him and saw Angélica lying on the stone ramp. She’d been savaged by a wild animal. Blood stained the jade-colored water at the edge of the cenote.

“She’s not dead,” Suki said, feeling the truth strike her forcibly.

Angélica was still alive. And so was her baby.