Do you have any idea how frustrating it is to be merely along for the ride while you have all the fun?
Despite his grumbling, Tezcatlipoca had actually been enthralled to see his home country unfold before them as Finn ran, then drove, then flew north toward the seat of Quetzalcoatl's power. The process had taken most of the day, but Tez wasn't in any hurry. Not when he saw the thousands...no, millions...of potential worshipers who had spread out across the landscape in his absence.
Now, if the deity could just keep his wayward worshiper on track long enough to reclaim that heritage....
Are you listening to me?
"I'm a little busy here, Tezzie." The words were merely a breath of sound, whispering out of Finn's human mouth and around a tiny pen light that the shifter was pointing toward his nimble fingers. "Breaking into a world-famous archaeological site with no equipment isn't as easy as you obviously seem to think."
Well, I don't know. It seems like this would be simpler than a museum heist. So how can two as-yet unidentified thieves steal three-hundred-million-dollars worth of art from a Boston museum by simply wearing fake mustaches and pretending to be cops, while you're struggling to get through a single padlock? I'll bet those guys didn't stand out in the dark all night long twiddling their thumbs and worrying about getting caught.
"Times have changed, Tezzie," Finn rebutted, removing the flashlight from his mouth so he could speak more clearly. "That was twenty-five years ago, and there are all kinds of high-class alarms to get around now. Plus, we'd already be inside if you hadn't made me run off and leave my backpack behind...."
As I recall, you were the one who lit out of El Azuzul without a backwards glance, Tez countered. But the god didn't argue any longer because he could see the way his worshiper's shoulders slumped at the memory. The poor wee mortal was clearly regretting burning that bridge, and Tez couldn't blame him—Ixchel was one hot mama. Tezcatlipoca missed her witty banter too.
Luckily for both of them, the padlock clicked open before the wind god could tease his worshiper again. And then Finn was slinking through the gate in feline form before padding deeper into the heart of Quetzalcoatl's stronghold.
Is it just me, or did you humans keep up his stuff a lot more carefully than you maintained mine?
Tez continued to bitch and moan just the way his worshiper expected. But, in reality, the god was shocked to take in the lack of dwellings and the depredations of time evident even here in this center of godly power. The land had become an archaeological site, for crying out loud! No longer were human sacrifices made at the tops of the pyramids. No longer were the names of gods spoken in reverent tones.
Times sure have changed.
A week ago, the words would have sent Tezzie into a tantrum. But now, he simply felt hollow inside, as if the wind had been taken out of his sails.
Well, I'm a wind god, aren't I? I guess I'd better create my own gust to move this ship forward.
Not the big pyramid, Tez instructed more loudly when his feline companion turned instinctively toward the massive Pyramid of the Sun. It seemed that his worshiper wasn't the only one who needed to keep his eye on the prize. Q's private pyramid is over that way.
Although smaller than the Pyramid of the Sun, the Temple of the Feathered Serpent was still plenty massive enough. Especially if you compared it to what was left of Tezzie's own pyramid at El Azuzul. Q did always get the better toys.
The moon hadn't yet risen, but feline eyes allowed Finn to pick his way easily toward the seat of Quetzalcoatl's power. Then he shifted to two legs in order to scale the steep steps—steps that had once been painted blue and polished to perfection, while they were now crumbling and tricky to traverse.
I didn't think a god could be mortal, Tezcatlipoca mused, taking in the state of the pyramid. But Quetzalcoatl hasn't been trapped in a stone prison for the last two thousand years. He's been free to round up followers and to accumulate power. So why, despite his freedom, is this all Q has to show for himself?
Perhaps his brother god had moved to another part of the country, or even of the world. Tez's time tuning into radio and television broadcasts had suggested that Mexico was no longer considered the center of the universe, so he could see why Q might choose to move elsewhere.
However, that hypothesis was negated when Tezzie noticed Q's powers silently sparking beneath the were-jaguar's feet and resisting the other god's approach. No, Quetzalcoatl was still very much present here in Teotihuacan. And yet, the feathered serpent god allowed the seat of his power to fall into disarray. Why?
"Is this a good spot?" Finn asked, pulling Tezzie out of his thoughts at last. The were-jaguar had reached the apex of the pyramid as his god pondered, a spot where stairs had given way to a massive pile of rubble. Below them, moonlit pyramids and temples stretched out in every direction, an inspiring sight despite their decay. "And you promise you're not trying to switch places with this other god tonight?" his worshiper continued. "Because we made a deal, Tezzie. No body swapping without discussing it in advance."
I just want to talk to him. Actually, Tezzie felt strangely guilty that he'd even considered the notion of imprisoning Quetzalcoatl in his stead. But no matter how he felt about the issue, that option wasn't on the table at the moment. The replica of a wind jewel—a sliver from the top of a conch shell—that Finn had picked up in a tourist shop a few hours earlier would be sufficient to capture his brother god's attention, but they'd need a much more powerful artifact if Tez had intended to imprison Q's soul. You don't even have to drop me in the mirror, the deity reassured his external conscience.
In fact, Tez would prefer not to be submerged again. The statue's previous dunking had raised the water levels within his prison dramatically, until Tez had been reduced to treading water once again in order to stay afloat. It had taken him hours and far too much mental energy to drain his living space back out, and the formerly waterlogged couch now appeared to be growing mildew.
So Tez merely watched without complaining as his follower pulled out the mirror bowl along with a container of bottled water, then added the wind jewel to the mix. Nearly immediately, the other god's power, which had been nipping at their heels ever since Finn entered the compound, concentrated on the bowl.
"Yikes!"
Okay, so maybe Finn's reaction to the streak of lightning that emerged out of the clear night sky and struck the ground at the base of the pyramid was a bit more R-rated than 'Yikes.' But, despite the mortal's hair standing on end and a string of curses emerging from his lips, the shifter merely stood poised and waiting for Quetzalcoatl's approach.
Now that's a warrior worthy of the wind god, Tezcatlipoca found himself thinking. In an earlier lifetime, the deity might have considered having a were-jaguar like Finn at his beck and call was merely his due. But now, he felt honored by the other's continued presence.
Although pride would make more sense if my pet shifter chose to follow me because of my own worth rather than because I found his weak spot and squeezed. For a moment, Tezzie wondered what that might be like—to have Finn at his back because the were-jaguar wanted to be there rather than because the god had manipulated him into place.
But before Tez's mind could wander any further down that particular dark alley, Quetzalcoatl stepped out onto the top of the pyramid from the far side. His brother god was now present in the flesh.