Page 78 of Fading Sun

Of course. Given she’s a blood witch, remembering the answer to something about bloodletting was probably second nature to her.

“Ten seconds,” the Buddha says. “What animal is Kinich Ahau often depicted as?”

From the way Morgan’s lips curve up into a knowing smirk, I’m positive she’s got it.

“A jaguar,” she says, and then the insects vanish, the blinding light ceases, and the deafening gong doesn’t sound again.

I release my hold on my magic, letting it sink back into my body.

All is quiet. Calm. I brace myself for the clang of the gong again, but it doesn’t come.

“Is that it?” I ask the Buddha. “Did we win?”

He doesn’t reply.

Instead, a bolt unlocks behind him, and the statue swings open, leading straight into another temple.

Amber

The high-ceilinged chamber of the next temple is huge and narrow, made of stone, with intricate carvings in the walls. The air feels thick with ancient power, and it smells like a musty cave.

The only sources of light are torches mounted on the walls and a soft glow coming from a huge standing statue of a Buddha at the end of the chamber.

Like the rest of the room, he’s made of solid gray stone.

There’s no trace of color anywhere. It’s unnerving—like the room is devoid of life.

A tomb.

The entrance we walked through slams closed, the stone walls sealing shut. There are no lines or cracks where the door used to be. It’s gone. As if it never existed at all.

“I guess he’s our way out.” Blaze glances at the Buddha, who’s standing on the altar with his arms straight down by his sides, like a guard.

His serene face challenges us, daring us to prove our worth.

Then, his eyes open. Like the rest of the temple, they’re the same gray color as the stone.

“Welcome, Star Touched and companions,” his voice booms, echoing off the stone walls. “I am Akshobhya, the Buddha of immovable strength and resolve. To leave my temple, you must get past me first.”

I reach for my dagger, my fingers wrapping around its hilt. “What do we have to do?” I ask.

“You must use whatever strength necessary to destroy me,” he replies.

“You’re asking us to kill you?” Damien asks, sounding skeptical.

“You will not kill me,” the Buddha says. “Once you’re through, I will re-form. If you get through.”

I eye him up, unworried. The task would be difficult for humans, but our magic should be able to blast a stone statue to smithereens.

“Should we start now?” I ask, ready to do this and move on.

“You can,” the Buddha says. “But first, do you want to learn the catch?”

“Yes,” Morgan answers first, her voice hitching with anxiety.

“As you work, the temple will shrink,” he says. “If you do not escape in time, you will be crushed.”

I swallow and glance around the stone walls, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. Because this chamber doesn’t just feel like a tomb.

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