“You are needed here.” I smile broadly at him, and for a moment I’m not sure who is the one truly grinning.
A faint line appears between his brows. “Why are you talking strange?” He spins around, takes in the dead priest. “What’s happened?”
Kusi stands in front of Manuel, anger radiating off him. His heart is noble—I don’t worry what he will do. But in case he needs the reminder, I whisper into his mind:He didn’t know what he was doing to your cousin.
Kusi blinks at the invasion, and when he looks at me, I smile. “She will live. She only needs rest as her body heals.”
The tension in Kusi’s shoulders loosens, and then he nods.
Manuel glances between us, that line deepening. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”
“He will,” I say, nodding in Kusi’s direction. Then I turn away and work my magic on the other corrupted humans, transforming them back to themselves. I sink my hands into the earth and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing it come to life. Green spreads and expands in every direction. Trees are righted, flowers bloom, and while I can’t bring back to life the many animals who’ve died, I’m confident others will once again make their homes in this part of the jungle.
“It’s Catalina,” Kusi insists. “But alsonotCatalina.”
“You’re not making any sense,” Manuel whispers furiously. “What’s happened to her?”
“I think it’s Luna.”
Manuel sucks in a deep breath.
I laugh lightly then face the last mortal still locked in his corrupted state. Recognition flickers through me, and the girl nudges me forward, urging me to take his hands. In moments he returns, and confusion sweeps into his face.
“It’s a very long story,” I say. “It’s Rumi, isn’t it?”
His lips part, and like the others he sputters and stills when he sees the bodies littering the ground. “Yes, that’s me. Don’t you remember?”
I smile. “Kind of.”
The poor mortal appears more confused. Best let him piece together what happened—the girl is impatient to speak with her love. Though he isn’t reverently watching me like he ought to be, there’s respect in his gaze. A calm assurance that I am loved and honored by him. But there’s a question, too.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Thank you for what you’ve done… .” he says.
I bow my head. “You’re welcome.”
“But will you leave her?” He swallows. “Please.”
I raise my brows.
“I’m grateful,” he says quickly. “But I need her here with me.”
The girl in me flushes, and the sensation makes me smile. “I am already leaving.”
The night in another part of the sky calls me forth. The shine on Catalina’s hands dims until there’s nothing but her own flesh and blood. Manuel tentatively steps forward. I take one last look around, then turn my gaze to the edge of the jungle, to the stars glimmering high above another village.
I blink at the sudden vastness in my mind, in my heart.
“Catalina?” Manuel whispers. He slowly reaches for me, but I move his hand away and leap into his arms. He startles and then squeezes me tightly.
“I thought I’d lost you,” I say.
He pulls away enough to stare into my eyes. “I’m here now.”
I hold on to him, needing the strength of his arms, the steady beat of his heart. It’s over, it’s finally over. Manuel looks around, the lines around his eyes tightening. He has questions, but I can’t form the answers right now. Sadness clouds my vision as I stare down at Chaska, her clothes stained a deep red. She sleeps profoundly, her chest rising and falling in even breaths. The goddess didn’t say how long her rest would last, but I trust that when Chaska is ready, she’ll wake.
“What happened to her?” Manuel asks.
