Quetzalcoatl chuckled. “Maybe I have a touch of hero worship for the woman who saved me.”
“Now that's a first,” I said. “I'll take it.”
“All right, enough,” Blue said, his annoyance surprising me.
I lifted my brows at him. “We're just teasing, Blue.”
“Blue?” Quetzalcoatl asked. “Oh, that's right. You have a nickname for him. Maybe you could give me a nickname too, Godhunter?”
“Hmmm.” I thought about it. “I got Blue's from the English translation of his name.”
“My name means 'Feathered Serpent.'”
“Yeah. Not nearly as long as Blue's. And I don't want to call you feather or snake.”
Quetzalcoatl made a face. “No. quetzal is a bird and coatl is a snake. But I don't like either of those.”
“No. You've got a hard name to shorten. We can't call you que because that means 'what' in Spanish.”
He chuckled. “That's kind of funny. I like it.”
“You want to be calledwhat?” Blue asked in horror.
“Sure. It's a joke and a nickname in one. My life could use more humor. It's been . . .” He looked away. “I don't get a lot of visitors.”
Lonely. The Feathered Snake had been lonely. Probably because his best friend had been mad at him. Poor guy.
“I'm sorry, Quetzalcoatl,” Blue said.
“I'm sorry too,Blue,” Quetzalcoatl, recently dubbed Que, said, emphasizing Blue's nickname. “As I've said before, I did what I thought you wanted. How is she, by the way?”
“Eztli?”
Que nodded.
Blue grinned. “She's wonderful. Strong, brilliant, beautiful. She makes every day an adventure. I've never been so happy.”
Que smiled. “Then I'm happy for you. And sorry for separating you for so long.”
“That wasn't you.” Blue shook his head. “You didn't help, but I could have gone after her. And I think it was good that I didn't. I think we found each other again right when we were supposed to.”
“It's funny how fate works,” I said.
Blue smiled softly at me. “Indeed.”
I cleared my throat. “So, uh, before we leave, we should still take a look around your house, Que. And you'll need to pack some things if you want to come with us. Maybe put on some pants.”
Quetzalcoatl looked down at himself. “Why?”
I gaped at him.
He burst out laughing. “I can be funny too, Vervain. I have to live up to my nickname.”
Chapter Ten
I flew us to Quetzalcoatl's home—a fortress set atop a mountain peak that was virtually unreachable by foot.
“Damn,” I said after I deposited the men on the ledge in front of the towering stone building. “If you don't get your magic back, you'll have to do some renovating.”
