Chapter 10! If this good mood of mine keeps going, I might have Chapter 11 up in a day or two!

Enjoy!!

--

My essence spilled across the ground as I struggled to carry Cua to safety. The gaping wound in his belly allowed his blood to spill faster than my essence. Necalli had been right. We would live to regret this day. If we lived at all. This was my fault. If Cua had been protected by stronger, more reliable spirits, he wouldn't be dying right now. I wished that I could forget what I had done, but the memory kept coming back to haunt me:

I raced at the front of the Aztec army, a ferocious jaguar with gleaming fangs. Cua rode on my back, shield raised, spear pointed forward. An army of warriors and spirits in various forms followed close behind. In front, was Cortes's army, moving much more slowly. The soldiers in front fired their rifles. The bullets weren't able to get through the spirits' shields. I let out a roar of triumph as I sank my claws and fangs into the nearest rifleman. My roar was joined by others as the two armies collided.

A Detonation hit my shield, alerting me to the approach of an enemy djinni, which I swiftly tore apart. "Leave the spirits alone," Cua ordered. "They aren't here because they want to be."

I growled to let him know I was annoyed, but satisfied myself with knocking the spirits back twenty or thirty feet. I even swallowed a weaker one when Cua wasn't looking, but otherwise I willingly obeyed. I was enjoying my first battle.

Then something whipped my shield, shattering it, and sending Cua and myself flying. "What a pathetic shield," chuckled a familiar voice. I leaped to my paws, snarling at the Feathered Serpent. "I wonder if you will taste better than your comrades."

"Quiyahuitl, don't!"

I ignored my master's warning and leaped towards the marid. It wasn't until Necalli started laughing that I realized my mistake. Because I wasn't near Cua anymore, my shield didn't protect him. The marid's tail, which had grown a sharp blade on the end, snapped forward and hit the emperor.

"Cua!" I ignored Necalli's blade as it slashed against my side, focusing all of my attention on getting back to my master. I only stopped for a second to throw up a new shield when a group of surviving rifleman took aim at me.

At first, I wasn't sure what had happened. The bullets passed right through my shield. Then I felt my essence burn and I understood. The invaders knew about silver. I ignored the pain and hurried to Cua's side.

"Cua! Are you alright? I'm sorry! I should have listened. I'm sorry!"

My master smiled, his eyes closed. "Do I look alright? The snake has a sharp tail."

"Don't worry! I'll get you out of here, Cua."

But he shook his head. "I will stay until the fight is over." Then he slowly sat up. Ignoring my protests, he stood and managed to climb onto my back. "Let's go. Unless you're too weak to fight."

I forced a smile. "I'm alright. Let's go!"

I growled at the memory. I should have taken Cua to safety! Instead I had continued fighting. Amazingly the boy had managed to stay conscious until sunset. He had always been tough.

"Hey, Quiya. Where are we going?"

"As far from Necalli as we can get."

"But just yesterday you were determined to kill him."

"You weren't dying yesterday."

Cua glared up at me. "I am not dying."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't losing this much blood fatal to humans?"

"Will dragging me to some cave help?"

"Yes. I had a chat with one of the healers before the battle. All I need is some plant with red leaves and yellow flowers."

"Liar. You were with me the whole time. You didn't go anywhere near the healers."

I was about to tell him to shut up when I heard a familiar chuckle. "Time to go." I became a giant eagle, picked Cua up with razor-sharp claws, and flew away. The burning of silver in my essence was almost unbearable. Somehow, though, I managed to keep flying.

I let out a cry of relief when I saw the shore. If I could just get off this island and to the mainland, I would be able to escape. As the eagle was flying over the water, something—a Detonation—hit its wing, tearing it off. The huge bird, along with the boy, hit the water, sinking below the cold surface.

A Detonation followed them, hitting the bird in the chest, pushing it deeper into the lake, until it touched the bottom. My form was making swimming difficult, so I forced myself into the shape of the slave girl and prepared to head back to the surface.

Then something shiny caught my eye. There, sitting next to a moss-covered boulder, covered in mud and decomposing leaves, was a fist-sized stone. The thing that made it noticeable, was the massive aura surrounding it. If that was a magical object, then the being trapped within was stronger than anything I'd ever experienced. Compared to it, Necalli was as frail as a newborn baby. I wasn't aware that I had picked it up until a flash of pain shot up my arm. Then there was nothing. Just an empty feeling, like I'd lost something very important. And the realization that the stone was no longer under my hand, but flowing through my essence, like some kind of icy river.

I suddenly felt very cold.