Page 60 of Corvus and the Broken God

Wasn’t that just great? It’s not too late to head back.

He shuffled closer to me and began grooming my feathers with his beak. One of the benefits to shape-changing was that with each change, we got a perfectly clean body, free from any aches and pains, as well as dirt. As if the DNA reset came with a new body. So, why was he picking at imaginary bugs and dirt? I tipped my head and looked right into the eyes of all three people down below.

They were watching us. Of course, they were. Doing my best nonchalant parrot act, I pretended to enjoy the attention of my mate, making a warbling sound that could’ve meant any number of things. Then again, just because they had lived for millennia on this earth didn’t make the people watching us experts on parrots. I fluffed up my feathers, giving him better access, and settled in. Maybe a parrot wasn’t a bad bird to be, especially since they wouldn’t expect the hermit to come with a sidekick.

The next time I glanced down, they had gone back to ignoring us, but we wouldn’t be able to get any closer without arousing serious scrutiny. What was our next move?

Are they the only ones of your kind? Or are you expecting others?

It took a while for him to answer. There will be others, I am sure, the Bacab brothers, Kukulkan, since our kind are nosy and can’t stay out of each other’s business. But to answer your question, I am not yet sure who will be here. Sensing my dissatisfaction, he interrupted me before I had a chance to respond. These are the four I had been expecting.

As the day heated up, Chaac and the Creator God power couple went inside. Ixtab followed quickly behind them, toweling off her long, perfect body, walking into the house practically naked, and leaving the towel on the ground where it fell.

Our parrot friends had deserted the tree across from us, and Camazotz led us deeper into the surrounding jungle. He hadn’t said anything more to me, and I didn’t push, even as his agitation grew.

He landed near the top of a massive tree. A nod of his bright green head had me looking down at rows of neatly planted trees of various sizes.

Ixtab has an extensive orchard filled with all kinds of fruit-bearing trees, but it is only safe to steal the fruit at night. During the day, she has people watching, and I am sure they are paying extra attention now.

Since they expect you to come in as a bird.

You don’t have to be so negative, Corvus. I like you better when you are focused on finding solutions.

You can’t find a solution until you identify the problem. And the problem now is you’re behaving exactly how they expect you to.

You cannot possibly know that. Besides, I am going in there tonight as a bat.

The Bat God going in as a bat—what a shocker.

He growled in my head. If I hadn’t already trusted him with my life, I would’ve been frightened.

They never called me a Bat God. That was the Mayans. Huracan isn’t actually capable of dropping hurricanes on the earth, Corvus, and these people have never seen me turn into a bat.

Fine. Let’s turn into bats. Go ahead, do your stuff, and I’ll copy you.

You are not turning into a bat. You have never been one before, and it isn’t as simple as changing into a bird. That was a lot easier, and how long did it take you to learn how to fly?

Pretty sure I picked it up in a day.

Oh, you were an expert flyer in a day, were you?

How would you know? And why are we wasting time arguing? Let’s get on with this already.

He was pissing me off, and having this argument with a fucking parrot wasn’t helping. He looked friendly and cute, while there was nothing cute or friendly about Camazotz. Especially not now.

You are not changing into a bat. The echolocation takes a lot of getting used to, time we do not have. You are going to steal some fruit for us, so I won’t have to do that when I come back.

I was practically bouncing on my branch from irritation. Fine, if he wouldn’t help me, I’d figure it out on my own.

No, you won’t. Hear me now, Corvus. This task is too important, too deadly for you to become a liability right now. I will turn you into a rock if you try to follow me. Then, if something ends up happening to me, you will live forever, unable to move or speak until someone decides to use you to build a house or dam, or something.

I wanted to scream or at least bite off his face. He took a step back and stared as menacingly as it was possible, considering his form.

Don’t cross me, Corvus. I need you to be my partner, not my enemy.

Did he sound a little contrite? Probably just my imagination. When had he last felt bad about something hateful he said? This wasn’t getting us anywhere, and the last thing I wanted was for him to doubt me. He should know better.

I am not your enemy.