They all made their way out of Tehuantepec as soon as they could. They might have spent the night where they were in safety, but each traveler thought to themselves that they would rather take the risk than stay in the ruined city another moment. A few miles away they set up a fire and tended to their wounds.

Teoxi was alive, though quite battered and needing to be carried. "I'll be fine before long," he said, brushing off the mortals' concerns. "We all heal quickly." That didn't stop Ofelia from keeping him in her arms as though he were one of the strays in San Angel, which he grumbled about under his breath but would not object to.

The spirits all crowded Manolo; Huitzil in particular wouldn't stop dancing around shouting "We are free, we are free!" The famous chosen one of Xibalba was just as bold as they had imagined him to be, as were his peers. Seeing how dazed her companions were, Ixa did most of the talking. "It will be easier for me anyway," she said.

"And why is that?" Zuma asked.

"I used to come here when the flowers were in bloom."

"That's where I've seen you before!" Huitzil said. "Say, weren't you all blue and shimmery back then?"

Metnal was the one to suggest guiding the mortals home. "Following the line of magic will take you back to your town," she said. "We can show you the way as far as the jungle's edge. From there the path is clear."

"Gracias," Maria said. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

The coati shook her head. "Ridding us of Pax is more than enough."

Now they were all waiting for daybreak. Joaquin and the spirits were keeping watch, while the women and the twins had fallen asleep. Manolo wished he could join them; he was certainly tired enough. Ofelia was lying down with her head on his leg, and he stroked her hair as he looked up at the sky. He wondered if sleep was evading her as it was him.

He got his answer when she rolled over and sat up. "Are you alright, Papa?"

"You don't need to be worrying about me," he said with a weak smile.

"But it's my fault that you - "

"No." He pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "None of this is your fault, mija. It's mine if anything. I could feel something was about happen and I still couldn't tell you how worried I was. I didn't trust you the way I should have. Blame me."

"I could feel something, too…" She buried her face in his chest.

"Hey, it's gonna be alright," he said. "Soon we'll be back in San Angel, with your brother and your abuelo and everyone else."

Ofelia lifted her head. "I've been wondering something."

"What is it?"

"What would you and Mama have done if I hadn't gotten away at the last second? If I had…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

Manolo couldn't help smiling a bit. "Ay, mija. I know exactly what I would have done. I would have taken you back home and cared for you as well as I could."

She looked up at him, surprised. "You mean that?"

"Of course I do," he answered. "You'll always be my little girl, no matter what."

For the first time since leaving the city, she began to relax. "…I love you, Papa."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you too."

They said no more after that. They were finally safe enough to sleep.

Manolo leaned back in his chair. "And that's all you need to know."

Xibalba seemed to be running several things over in his mind at once. "That's all true?"

"As far as I know."

"And the girl's fine, then?"

"Yes."

The god scowled. "Then why did you keep me here for so long?"

Manolo raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you took away from this?"

"You punched me when I came in!"

"So would most people."

"You made it sound like she was dead!"

"I never said she was."

"Then why were you so upset?"

Manolo fixed his gaze on the older man. "You think I can just move on from all of that right away?" he said, lowering his voice. "You think I haven't spent each night since then wondering what could have happened?"

Xibalba looked away and didn't answer.

Manolo sighed. "Maybe that's just a mortal thing."

"…It isn't."

The younger man looked out the window. "I told you the story so you would understand how we all felt. So you can tell everyone in Aztlan exactly what I want them to know."

"Which is…?"

"That I didn't kill Pax to spite them or you or anyone else. I did it for her."

The doors suddenly swung open, startling both men. Manolo relaxed as he saw two small figures stride into the room and head for a nearby bookcase. "Hola, Vicente. You two need help finding something?"

"We're fine, Papa," Ofelia said, adjusted her new glasses before starting to pull books off the bottom shelf. "Vin, can you hold these? Mama was saying the orphanage doesn't have enough books and I know I have some old ones they could use," she added, talking to her father.

"A fine endeavor," said Xibalba with a nod.

Ofelia slid back down to the floor and looked at the disguised god. Her brows furrowed as faint sparks of recognition flitted across her face. "Hola, señor. Have I seen you in town before?"

"No, I'm just passing through," he answered. "Just leaving, as a matter of fact. You could say I'm a friend of your father's."

He wasn't sure how, but the girl seemed to understand his true meaning. "It was nice of you to visit," she said as she was walking away. She disappeared down the hall, Vicente following her with a pleased expression and a pile of books nearly as tall as he was.

Xibalba found himself smiling. "Nice girl. You're lucky, Sanchez."

"I know."

The god stood up, letting his red pupils shine through his disguise. "You know," he said, "not everyone in Aztlan tolerates kids as much as I do. They won't see it as an excuse."

"I can imagine."

"That doesn't freak you out?"

Manolo gestured to the fireplace on the far side of the room. Above the mantle, a faintly glowing sword with a crucifix tied to its handle hung from the wall. "If any of them come looking for trouble," he said, "I'll be waiting."