Tezzie drifted within the cenote, falling back into the meditative slumber he'd enjoyed for most of his years of imprisonment. With no radio or television waves to sidetrack him, he simply peered dreamily up at the surface of the pool while Q's strong arm kept him from falling into the abyss leading into the great beyond.
I wonder what's down there? the wind god pondered. But all he could see or feel beneath his prison was black emptiness. So he shivered and turned his attention back toward the sunlight streaming into the top of the cenote from the human world above.
And then, abruptly, his pet were-jaguar was treading water above Tez's head, the feline's body seeming to end halfway up, cut off by the reflection of the sky above. And this bozo is the one I selected as my head worshiper? Tezzie thought, rolling his eyes. Finn wasn't supposed to be swimming in the water; Mirabelle was.
But before Tezzie had time to fully embrace his exasperation, the waves of terror rolling off his follower's form struck the god like a tsunami. And, for once, Tez wasn't annoyed by a mortal's emoting. Instead, the wind god watched through Finn's eyes and felt agony very much like the shifter's own as Mirabelle pounced nearly upon Ixchel's slight human form.
Not Ixchel! he roared silently.
Finn appeared to be worse than useless, allowing his jaguaress to trot directly into danger. And Ixchel was barely a kitten in shifter terms. She couldn't be expected to take care of herself.
Good thing Ixxie's follower had a second god looking out for her wellbeing.
The wind god struggled as he never had before to break free of his prison. In the past, Tez had merely been irked at his enforced captivity, but now he had a real reason to burst through the figurine's stone walls. So the deity gave the endeavor everything he had.
But despite battering himself against the statue's walls, the stone encircling Tezzie's prison remained as strong as ever. And even though his incorporeal form shouldn't have been able to feel pain, Tez had the distinct sensation of bruises rising up through his skin after pounding himself repeatedly against the unyielding rock.
Someone needs to do something! the god broadcast to all and sundry.
Unfortunately, Finn was too busy swimming to notice Tez's admonition, and no one else was able to hear him. So this is what it feels like to be a human, the god thought as he reluctantly stayed his hands. To be mortal was to rail against unknowable forces that played games with humans' fate.
For the first time in his long life, the wind god finally understood the full frustrations inherent in the human condition. And he didn't like it one bit.
All I can do is be ready to leap onto whatever opportunity presents itself, Tezzie murmured, attempting to soothe himself. Ixchel, bless her scheming little heart, had managed to halt the large jaguar's approach with her prattling, and Finn was doing his best to sneak up on their opponent from behind. So, with a little luck, perhaps this afternoon would have a happy ending after all.
Luck. Wasn't that exactly what mortals believed in, despite Tezcatlipoca knowing that each human's fate was instead decided nearly entirely by decisions and skill? The deity recalled berating his followers time and again after they prayed to the gods for a boon despite having the ability to grant their own wishes. Why be lazy and beg, he'd wondered, when you can do something about it?
Now, watching the human female who had reluctantly befriended a bereft and cantankerous god, Tezzie finally understood what had driven his followers to such stupidity. Sometimes mortals really aren't able to change their own futures, he realized.
And am I actually going through all of this craziness to become what is little more than a glorified mortal?
Then the wind god cheered as Ixchel brought forth her stick and aimed one glorious blow up against the side of Mirabelle's head. Home run! Take that, you loser! Tezzie crowed. He couldn't believe how much his heart lifted when he realized that Ixchel would now be safe.
***
Of course, even if Ixchel were to survive this confrontation, there appeared to be a good chance that Tezzie might not.
Mirabelle must have exercised until his body was made up of pure muscle because the archaeologist's human form hit the water and sank like a stone. One minute the were-jaguar was falling onto the cenote's surface; the next, the god's quarry had already drifted past Tezzie and out of reach.
No, no, no, NO! the god howled, and this time Tez was pretty sure he was broadcasting directly into Finn's mind. Because why else would the were-jaguar grab Tezzie's prison in one strong hand as he arrowed down through the depths after Mirabelle? Why else would his follower work so hard to secure his deity's future?
A future that Tezcatlipoca was no longer sure he wanted. The further they sank into the cenote, the harder it would be to push himself back out into the human realm rather than allowing the underworld's seductive allure to yank him all the way through the portal. Plus, Mirabelle's spark of life was weakening by the moment, and Tez wasn't at all sure the archaeologist's flesh would hold up to the switch if the god made the planned leap into Mirabelle's form.
Finn, on the other hand, was a pretty good second-best host. The younger shifter was less powerful than Mirabelle, but that was a problem easily remedied with a little selective hunting. And Finn's younger body was also far more appealing to Tez's aesthetic nature.
Plus, most importantly, Finn's human form was strong enough to swim back to the surface once the switch was made. The god could sense that his carrier's lungs were beginning to strain against their current lack of oxygen. But if Finn turned back now, he could easily break the surface before passing out.
Or, rather, Tez could after jumping into the younger were-jaguar's body. Mirabelle would perish in the process, of course, but what was one additional mortal body rotting into bones at the bottom of a cenote that had seen dozens of like offerings?
And maybe Finn wouldn't mind too much about extending his human life with a good, long stay in the safety of the entrapping figurine. Because down here where Tez was embraced by Ixxie's power, he was pretty sure he could push a mere mortal into the statue to take his place.
Ixchel wouldn't approve, you know. It must have been a strain for Ixxie to broadcast her words into his head while still keeping an ever-deepening cenote tethered to the human plane. But the goddess's words seemed as serene and calm as ever. No one can stop you from taking over Finn's body, Ixxie continued. But if you do, you should know by now that my own follower will never speak to you again.
It shouldn't have mattered. The druthers of one mortal woman, whom Tezzie had known for only a few days? And whose heart was already promised to another? What could Ixchel do in reprisal—give Tezzie the silent treatment for the rest of their lives?
The very idea sent a shiver of sadness down the deity's spine for reasons he refused to examine. Okay, okay, he thought grumpily. And then, pouring every bit of his own godly strength into his follower's body—while keeping his soul safely tucked away within the figurine—Tezzie watched as Finn's turbo-charged limbs made short work of the remaining distance separating them from the sinking archaeologist.
There was no time to waste on pretty speeches and incantations. So when the younger shifter pressed the little stone statue up against Mirabelle's skin, Tezzie simply thrust his soul outward as hard as he was able.
The wind god nearly wasn't strong enough to make the switch, not after sharing his power with Finn moments earlier. But, at last, Tezzie was able to thrust his way through the archaeologist's skin and flesh before entering Mirabelle's bloodstream and dispersing like a quickly multiplying virus through his host's body.
Immediately, the archaeologist's spark of life winked out at the same time that the stone statue began to glow. Finn released the figurine as if his fingers were on fire, and Tezzie felt rather than saw the little hunk of carved rock slip past Ixxie's carefully held boundary line and out of the human world entirely.
But still Tezzie was unable to force his new body to move. The mortal was close to death, water having filled his lungs while the brain expanded into a concussion within his skull. No way would the ex-god be able to push his way back to the surface, not in Mirabelle's used-up body.
I made the wrong decision! Tezzie thought mournfully as he continued to drift toward the bottom of the underground pool.