“I’m already here,” cooed a voice that sounded like crashing waves. “I’ve been observing and deliberating.” Suddenly a spurt of water rose from the floor, quickly taking the shape of a person swathed in brilliant blue silk that flowed around them like an ocean.

When the celestial’s form settled, she was a beautiful woman with deep brown skin, wearing a blue headscarf trimmed in silver and necklaces of cowrie shells. I recognized her from Oya: Warrior Goddess as the mother of the orishas. To clarify, she was the mother of almost all of the orishas and the protector of rivers and oceans.

“Yemoja,” I said, breathless, amazed by her beauty.

“Why, yes, little one,” Yemoja answered with a thoughtful expression like she was considering what to make of me. “You know me through my children.” She glanced over at the celestials on their thrones: first at Shangó and Ogun, then Oshun. “I miss gazing upon your lovely faces.”

Oshun squared her shoulders. She was practically glowing. “Thank the heavens you’re here.”

“It’s been a long time,” Shangó said.

Yemoja smiled broadly. “Nearly two thousand years.”

“Time is a slippery thing,” Ogun said, stroking General’s huge, hairy back. “And now I fear we have very little of it to waste. This world is in grave danger.”

Yemoja looked to Papa. “Elegguá, old friend, I can sense the distress of the veil. It must be a great burden to keep it intact.”

“We’re helping keep it up!” Eleni volunteered.

“And who are you, little one?” Yemoja asked.

“That’s my sister, Eleni, and I’m Maya,” I answered protectively. “We’re guardians of the veil in training, and these are our friends, Frankie and Eli.”

“You precious little children,” Yemoja said, her eyes welling with tears. “You deserve a better world than what you’ve inherited. It seems that the past is destined to repeat itself, but not to worry—we’ll protect you as best as we can.” Yemoja turned back to the other celestials. “Nana Buruku, you have done your job well leading this council. Now that I have returned, the five of you will relinquish your authority to me.”

Say what? I caught Eli’s and Frankie’s eyes; they both looked confused. Was Yemoja dethroning the orisha council? Could she do that?

“Excuse me,” Eli spoke up, “but no one bosses my grandmother around. She runs this place, and even though she can be a little strict sometimes, she’s been doing a good job.”

“Hush, boy,” Nana said quickly, but her voice sounded gentler than usual, less snappy. “Yemoja, with all due respect, this council has worked for generations to build and protect this sanctuary. Most of the godlings under our protection only just learned of our existence. A change in leadership will cause panic.”