Charlotte squinted, trying to scan for thoughts. The blankness she felt meant Colotl had already created a shield between them and the sea. “How many men does he have?”
Tlemi gave her a helpless look. “Sixty. Maybe more.”
Samuel had been counting on one boat with Segundo and his guards, not an army that outnumbered them three to one. “I’ve got to go and warn him.”
Tlemi nodded. “I will stay with Pici and Ihiyo.”
Charlie took off down the beach, running along the fringe of the waves where the water had packed down the sand. When she got within earshot she began shouting for Samuel, whom she finally spotted standing on the island side of the pier. He was watching the approaching boats, two rock-studded clubs in his hands, until he heard her voice and turned.
“Charlotte?”
She didn’t wait for him to come to her, but sprinted to the pier. “There are at least sixty men on those boats,” she said when she reached him, dragging in air and swallowing before she added, “If we run now, we can wait until they land and then swim out to the boats. We can strand them here.”
“That’s not the plan, honey.” He put an arm around her and kissed her brow. “Go and take cover.”
She wanted to take one of the clubs and beat him over the head with it, until her thought stream twined with his, and she saw what he had planned. “You’re crazy. He won’t do that.”
“He believes he’s our father and our king.” His mouth hitched. “He’ll do it.” He gave her a gentle push toward the trees. “Wait for me up there, Charlie.”
It was the first time he had called her by her nickname, and it made her eyes sting. “My name is Charlotte,” she told him before she turned and hurried away.
Drew came out of the trees, holding out an arm and then pulling her along with him into the bamboo thicket. “You were supposed to stay with the pregnant chick.”
“You knew about this challenge thing?” she demanded.
“Yeah. I even helped him modify the macuahuitl blades.” He shoved her behind him.
“Modify them with what?”
“The human body stores a few milligrams of copper, mostly in the liver,” Drew said in a conversational tone. “It’s used by the body to produce energy, protect against free-radical cell damage, and keep the neurotransmitters firing, and even helps us metabolize iron.”
She tried to see past him. “I don’t need a hematology refresher.”
“Then you know you can find traces of it elsewhere, like bound to proteins floating around in your veins.” He glanced over his shoulder. “By the way, you weren’t planning on using any of that bagged blood you had chilling in the upstairs fridge, right?”
Before Charlie could answer, the first of the boats reached the end of the pier, and she saw several armed men jump off to form two lines. The weight of the towering figure who followed them caused the entire pier to shake.
Charlie froze, her eyes widening as she saw the enormous golden daggers in the vampire’s hands. “Drew. I don’t think he’s going to use his power.”
“Energúmeno,” Samuel called out before he crossed the macuahuitl over his head. “You have claimed to be Motecuhzoma, last king of the Aztecs. You have called us your children, and yourself our father. Is this what you believe?”
“It is what is,” the vampire said. “I gave you this life, and now I will have it back.”
“Perhaps you will,” Samuel said. “I challenge your rule.”
Energúmeno abruptly stopped and stared at him. “You cannot take my throne from me. You are mortal.”
“I was, before you brought me here.” Samuel lowered his arms. “Now your blood runs through my veins. You remember. I’m told you fed it to me yourself.”
Segundo came up beside the vampire. “It is a trick, master. He has not turned. Kill him now.”
Energúmeno swept one of his daggers to one side, slitting the steward’s throat with one motion before he kicked his body from the pier. Segundo fell into the water with a splash, his body quickly sinking out of sight.
The vampire advanced several paces, halting just out of Samuel’s reach. “Cortés poured boiling gold down my throat, and that did not kill me. Nor could five hundred years entombed in the earth. Put down your weapons now, warrior, and I will see to it that you die quickly and cleanly.”
“A warrior doesn’t kneel before death.” Samuel tossed one of the macuahuitl at the vampire’s feet. “He fights to it.”
Energúmeno tossed away one of his daggers before he bent and seized the hilt of the Aztec sword. “So you will.” He flipped the heavy blade around his hand so fast it whistled through the air.
Charlotte surged forward, stopped only by Drew’s arm.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” He pointed to the men wading through the shallows up to the beach. “How are they going to attack?”
“I don’t care.” She wanted only to get to Samuel.
Colotl came up on her other side and caught her hand, holding his other out to Drew. As soon as he took it the islander’s thoughts streamed into her mind. Charlotte, we must know what they mean to do. Help us.
“God damn it, Maggie.” Drew dragged her around. “Tell me what they’re thinking before they get to us.”
She threw down her barriers, gathering up all the thought streams careening around her. “They know where we’re hiding. They’re going to drop. Throw grenades. Gas us. Knock us out. Carry us back to the boats.”
Colotl closed his eyes briefly. I have told the others. We must scatter before they use the gas. We will circle around behind them.
The islanders began moving out through the brush as Charlotte looked down at the pier. Samuel and the vampire were circling each other and trading blows, throwing titanic shadows onto the sand. Wood splintered and flew as their swords met, while the planks of the pier groaned and cracked. Blackened flesh hung like rags from the vampire’s body, while blood ran freely from terrible gashes on her lover’s arms and abdomen.
She grabbed Drew’s sleeve, tearing the shoulder seam. “He can’t keep this up. He’ll bleed out before he can heal.” Her eyes shifted as the women came out from under the pier. “Jesus Christ, what are they still doing down there?”
“They’re part of the plan.” As the women tossed burning torches onto the pier behind the vampire, Drew grabbed her. “That’s my cue. Stay put.”
Charlie ran after him toward the pier, her eyes fixed on Samuel, who was staggering backward, his free hand covering his left eye. Energúmeno advanced slowly, the fire from the burning pier illuminating the golden filigree around the gaping black wounds in his decayed flesh.
Dolphins shot out of the water, distracting Charlotte as they slammed their bodies into some of the men wading toward the shore. Gulls screeched as they hurtled down from the sky, tearing at the men’s faces. As the islanders emerged from the brush they formed a line and marched toward the beach, each using his or her abilities to attack in unison. One seemed to pull a stream of fire from the burning villa and directed it like a blowtorch at a pair of men stumbling onto the sand, while another flicked his hand at a dune, causing it to rise up like a wave and then collapse on the burning bodies, burying them.
Bamboo shot across the beach, undulating and curling as it encircled ankles and wrists before tightening into green manacles. As the vampire’s men struggled to free themselves, some began shooting at the islanders. The fire thrower set some of the bamboo alight to form a high barrier of flames between the men and the islanders, while the sand mover created an enormous crater behind the twisting bodies. An invisible force pushed the trapped men close together while the bamboo formed a cagelike sphere. Charlotte glanced over to see Colotl’s tattoo glowing as he focused on the writhing limbs of the vampire’s helpless men. A moment later the bamboo sphere dropped into the massive hole in the beach, and another dune stretched out, filling in the hole until the men vanished from sight.
Charlie looked back at Samuel, who had dropped to his knees, and shrieked his name, only to find herself on her hands and knees in the sand. After shoving her down, Drew sprinted past her toward the water.
“No.” She pushed herself up, struggling to her feet. “Sam, no.”
“Now your heart is mine.” Energúmeno held his sword to one side, raising the golden claw of his hand above Samuel’s chest.
Charlotte screamed.
A misty figure appeared out of thin air between the vampire and Samuel, solidifying into Ihiyo’s body.
“For Mocaya,” Charlotte heard him say just before he jumped at Energúmeno.
White ice instantly encased the vampire’s body, freezing him in place. A moment later something came whirling through the air from the water like a giant boomerang. Just before it struck the vampire’s back, she saw it was another macuahuitl, this one covered with blades on all sides.
Samuel shot to his feet, his massive arm sweeping his sword up in a slashing blow.
Stone screeched against frozen metal, sending an explosion of ice crystals into the night air. Energúmeno stared at Samuel in disbelief, ice cracking and shedding in chunks from his arm as he brought his golden hand up to his face. Ice-coated gold began to fall away from the vampire’s body, thudding onto the damp sand. Energúmeno looked down as his right arm dropped, and then his legs collapsed outward. He opened his mouth as if to speak, the horizontal gash extending across his face and disappearing into his frozen hair. His golden eye remained open as most of his head slid onto his shoulder and rolled away.
Charlotte felt one last wave of thoughts from the immortal, and caught her breath.
Samuel stood over him to make one final blow, the stone blades of his macuahuitl cutting cleanly through the vampire’s neck. When the decapitated torso toppled over, he dropped the sword, turning away and starting toward Charlie.
