Ren cried out in pain as Kateri shrieked in anger. By the sound of Ren's voice alone, she knew how bad it was.
He would never, ever cry out like that.
She tried to get to him, but Enrique wouldn't let her.
"Give me el piedra! Now!
For Ren's life, she was willing to give him anything. But she wasn't dumb enough to think for one minute this demon would allow them to leave here alive.
Think, Kateri, think ...
He started for Ren to finish him off.
In that one instant when she was convinced she'd lose Ren forever, she felt it. A peculiar inner snap. Like the tiny pinprick in a dam that came right before the force of the water exploded it into a violent flood. And when that inner flood came, it saturated the room with bright light that shot out from her entire body. A light that pierced Enrique. Screaming in pain, he recoiled, and tried again to reach Ren.
The moment he moved toward Ren, her light stabbed him, over and over.
His face changing into an ugly demonic beast, Enrique attempted to reach her. The light intensified and, finally, exploded him into a thousand pieces.
Horrified, relieved, and terrified all at once, she ran to where Ren lay on the floor in a pool of blood. As gently as she could, she turned him over and held him in her lap.
His face pale and clammy, he could hardly breathe. His lips were turning blue. God, there was so much blood....
Ren covered her hand with his. "You have to reset the calendar."
Screw the damn calendar.
"You're hurt." Worse, it looked like he might be dying.
Ren licked his lips. Each breath he took made a hollow, rattling sound in his chest. "It doesn't matter, Kateri. The calendar is more important. Go, and I'll wait for you."
"Don't you dare die on me," she warned him. "I mean it."
"Go."
Nodding, she ran for the glyphs again.
This time, when she looked up, she saw something different. New details she'd missed before. Details that were only evident now that she had her father's and grandmother's powers.
Perspicacity. The ability to see anything hidden or masked.
Now, total clarity was hers. The thunderbird was a symbol for Ren and his metamorphosis from destroyer to protector of the world. That thunderbird was being sacrificed for the hummingbird so that it could send its eye into the sun. The open beak that surrounded the hummingbird did so to protect the hummingbird with its dying breath.
But she still didn't know how to reach the damn thing from the ground.
Believe. Ren's voice in her head was so strong.
She glanced over to him to make sure he was still with her.
I will always be with you, Waleli. It took me eleven thousand years to find you. Do you really think I'd leave you now?
Tears gathered in her eyes. "I do believe." And for the first time in her life, she meant that. Even though it was total and utter insanity, she believed in the ludicrous.
She believed in the paranormal.
All of it. And most of all, she believed in Ren. His love wrapped around her, giving her strength and resolve. With him by her side, she finally believed in the impossible. I am the Hummingbird-the bridge between night and day. The messenger of the sun who carries the hope of mankind.
As thoughts filled her head, it felt as if a weight left her body, and she began to float.