Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera (online e book reading .txt) 📕

away, Coyote had finally climbed to his feet. I ran over, still shaking, and offered him help as he straightened up. We held on to each other.

“Are you okay?” I whispered.

His mouth dropped open “Me? Cece—she nearly—if she’d wanted, she could have—” His voice cut off in a squeak.

I looked off into the desert, as if I might catch another glimpse of her. My knees were still knocking together. And I couldn’t calm the tremors in my hand, even as I tried to comfort Coyote. But I knew she wasn’t the one who threatened me. Ocelot was just a powerful pawn.

“Brujo Rodrigo’s been using her to track me all this time,” I whispered. “But Tía Catrina convinced him, El Sombrerón, and El Cucuy not to remove me from the competition.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “And that was the Dark Saints’ last warning. My last warning.”

Coyote looked at the ground, his gaze darting back and forth in a frenzy. His soul boiled with heat, but it was gray through and through.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He lifted his head, chin trembling. “I couldn’t protect you, Cece. She—she really could have hurt you.”

His soul’s heat shuddered through me, and I reached out to try to calm it down. But as I did, his feelings retreated until his soul went cold.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said.

“No, it’s not,” he said. He didn’t meet my eyes.

Oh, Coyote. I reached out for him, hands still shaking.

Footsteps came up to us. Coyote and I turned to see Little Lion and Kit Fox approaching.

Lion frowned. “Well, we just got our butts kicked.”

22

The Tale of the Great Namer

“I don’t think I’ve ever been defeated that fast,” Kit Fox mumbled. His nose was still purple from Coyote’s blows earlier, but surprisingly, he didn’t look too much worse for wear.

Lion rolled his eyes. “You’re a baby fox, that’s no surprise.” He slapped his hands to his chest. “But I’m a black lion! And she—she wiped the floor with me. This is the most humiliating day of my life.” He folded his arms and scowled at the three of us. “Let’s just get home before another Dark Saint sends someone to kill us.” His body blurred, and suddenly he was gone.

We watched him leap over the nearest building and disappear into the Ruins. I let out a strangled laugh. Leave it to Little Lion to be embarrassed that he’d gotten beaten up, not frightened that he could have died.

“Do you think it’s safe to go back home?” I asked.

Kit tilted his head. “Brujo Rodrigo’s already had Ocelot spying on you at home for a while. It can’t be more dangerous now than it was before.”

Right. My guts churned. He could have taken me out using Ocelot anytime he wanted. I pulled the invitation out of my pocket and read over Tía Catrina’s crimson writing again.

It was strange to think that the tía I’d never met had somehow saved my life.

“You carry her back,” Coyote spoke up, nudging Kit’s side. “Maybe you’ll do a better job.”

“Coyote?” I stuffed the card back in my pocket and reached out for him.

He leaped away into the dark sky, and my hands hung empty. I lost sight of him quickly. Kit Fox came up beside me as I sighed.

“You’re not mad at him?” he asked quietly.

I looked at him, bewildered. “What? Why would I be?”

“Well, he failed you.”

“He didn’t fail me,” I snapped. Kit flinched, and I softened my voice. “Sorry. It’s just—Ocelot is so much more experienced. He couldn’t help that.” I frowned. “I guess I’m just glad she didn’t hurt any of you too much.”

He tilted his head, like he wasn’t sure what to make of my response. “She was definitely holding back, but she can only fight Brujo Rodrigo’s control so much.” His heavy statement weighed down on me as he looked at me with a curious smile. “Ready to head to your home, bruja?” he asked.

“You can call me Cece,” I said.

“Cece,” he said, testing out the name. He nodded and offered his arms. I climbed into them. One of his ears bent sideways seconds before he sprang, and we were practically flying through the air.

His arms secured me against his chest, and I bounced but never fell free, even as he stepped onto boulders and walls, eventually finding roofs. We shot through town. The wind blew over my shaved head and against my skin until the stress and pain were swept away.

Kit was slower than Little Lion and Coyote, but after the wild chase we’d just been in, I was grateful for a calmer ride.

Eventually, my home came into view and Kit slipped in through my window shortly after Coyote and Lion. Inside my room, Coyote sat on the floor, in a corner by my bed, looking at his hands. The candlelight cast deep shadows across his dull frown. Lion sat a distance away, stacking a small pile of pillows.

The moment Kit let me down, Lion gave me a look. I wasn’t exactly good at deciphering his not-angry expressions yet, but this one was pretty clear: Can you talk to him?

Quietly, I padded over and sat down beside Coyote. He looked up.

“You know tonight wasn’t your fault, right?” I whispered.

Coyote’s fingers tightened into fists. He dropped them into his lap. “Do you know why the four gods had to sacrifice themselves to create the physical sun, moon, land, and ocean we know today, Cece?”

Kind of a weird way to answer my question, but okay. “Because life couldn’t begin until the world began, and the world couldn’t begin until all the gods sacrificed themselves to bring it about.”

He nodded. “When Mother Desert breathed life into me, the world hadn’t begun yet. She wasn’t supposed to have created me, but she was lonely and wanted company. That’s why I had to stay hidden away in a cave. She was afraid the other gods would destroy me if they found me, so they wouldn’t have to sacrifice themselves for the world to begin.”