He turns back to his board. “I keep coming back to your hero, Lapulapu. Took a deeper dive into the history. The records make him out to be some kind of superman. Powerful warrior who prevented the Spaniards from encroaching on his territory, protecting his subjects. But here’s the problem.”

He slams a fist against the table. The pencils jump and the cups rattle, but I don’t move.

“There’s scant history about him before his fight with Magellan, and even less afterward. But I’ll bet all my money that Lapulapu did perform those first two sacrifices, and then sacrificed Cortes. And in exchange, the god rewarded him. The Spaniards couldn’t defeat Lapulapu, despite their superior weapons. Watson had it right. Her only mistake was in choosing wrong—”

He shoots to his feet, startled, as if he’s seen something by the window. I turn, catch a quick glimpse of a face, a flash of yellow hair. But all too quickly it’s gone, leaving only more makahiya growing over the pane.

“What we need,” Hemslock says, his voice strange, “are some more fucking guns, so we can descend into whatever level of hell this god is sleeping and put a bullet through his head.”

***

Chase paces by the entrance of the cave, refusing to wait while his father and the others are searching inside the cave. Askal keeps close, copying his movements.

“Is Dad in danger? Is that why he can see Mom’s ghost?”

“The others mentioned that your father was a ruthless businessman,” I say, carefully.

“But—but he’s not like that anymore! Yeah, I was royally pissed when I learned the shit he’d done before, and I know Mom was too, but he’d stopped…”

He trailed off. “It doesn’t matter, right? A lot of people lost their jobs because of him. Even if he was sorry, it’s not like that’s enough.” He froze. “Did you think that he was—violent—to Mom? He wouldn’t—I would have known.”

His phone buzzes.

We stare at it. Chase excitedly picks up.

“Look,” Rory’s voice comes over the receiver without waiting for an acknowledgment. “I have finished my investigation—”

“You haven’t investigated shit,” Jordan rebuts, laughing as his video feed pops up beside Rory’s.

“I have finished my investigation, and I have determined that you need to tell your delicious tour guide that you’re interested. Alon seems like the type to hate beating around the bush. I—oh, hello, Alon.” The boy doesn’t even look guilty, like he was planning for me to hear. “’Sup?”

Chase turns red. “Rory, thank God you’re here, I—”

“Also,” Rory rattles on, without waiting for Chase to finish, “I don’t know how you put the fear of God in Riley, but I am living for it. Josh says she’s been all over social media admitting she lied about you and your hottie, and that she is begging for your forgiveness. I don’t know what you two told her, but she’s getting wrecked for what she’s done, and I am enjoying this far too much—”