Free The Smoking Mirror by David Bowles Page B

up, and towering above them was a gigantic lizard, something like a cross between an alligator and a komodo dragon, its eyes yellow and malevolent, its many rows of teeth sharp, crooked and dripping with poisonous saliva that sent waves of fetid odors pouring over the twins.
    “You,” the reptile declared, its voice booming like the raging flames that destroy forests, homes and families, “have slain my brother Chalmecatl! Living intruders prepare to meet your doom in the jaws of Xochitonal!”
    As it opened wide its maw, a shape came bounding down the mountain, hurtling at Xochitonal. It was the hellhound, Xolotl. They came together with an earthshaking thud, their forelegs wrapping around each other as they struggled, jaws reaching for each other’s throats.
    “Dude,” Johnny muttered reverently, “it’s like Godzilla versus King Kong or something!”
    Xolotl flipped the great lizard onto its back, turning briefly toward the twins. “What are the two of you waiting for? I can only hold this creature off for so long! He can’t follow you into the first desert…” the tonal of Quetzalcoatl leapt onto the reptile’s belly “…so get yourselves down this mountain as fast as you can!”
    Without waiting to see how the epic battle turned out, the twins began running down the remaining stretch of dark gray granite sand that lined the narrow confines of the Black Road. From behind them came apocalyptic sounds of struggle and destruction, but Johnny focused on the dark fog rising before them from the valley at the foot of the mountain. It seethed and swirled ominously, like virulent smoke from a witch’s cauldron.
    Blackness, he mused. That’s okay. I’m not afraid of the dark .
    They reached the bottom. Carol grabbed his hand, and together they plunged into the roiling mists.

Chapter Nine
     
    They stepped into the dense fog and were immediately blinded. It was the most absolute darkness Carol had ever experienced, and it surrounded her. She lifted her free hand in front of her face. Nothing. She brought it closer, and closer, till her palm touched her nose. Nothing.
    Johnny’s grip on her hand tightened. “Carol.” His whisper was deafening in the absolute silence that surrounded them. “I can’t see a thing.”
    “Me neither. Don’t let go. It would be so easy to get separated in this place.”
    They walked slowly forward, a few cautious steps at a time. The silence was overwhelming. Carol wanted to talk to her brother, hear his voice, wince at his stupid jokes and awkward laughter. But the darkness was too absolute. And, it seemed to grow, creeping into her mind.
    Suddenly the black mist cleared, and she was looking…up the slope of the mountain they had just descended. The snarls and thuds that reached her ears, providing an ironic relief, indicated that Xolotl and the massive reptilian demon were still fighting.
    “ Ah, que la…” Johnny spat. “We walked in a damn circle! Come on, let’s turn back around.”
    Carol quailed at the idea of re-entering that dark stillness. She suspected, not that something horrible awaited her within, but that the pitchy quiet itself would do something to her. How long did Dad say souls took to cross Mictlan? Four years, I think. Xolotl keeps pushing us to hurry, but what if we get stuck wandering in circles in this mist for days? Weeks? Months? Is he going to come guide us out? Probably not.
    As Johnny pulled her into the desert again, she decided against sharing too many of her doubts with her twin. Instead, she tugged on his hand till he stopped.
    “I think we should shift. Our tonales can probably navigate this place better than our human senses. Mom needs us. We can’t afford to waste time.”
    “Okay. You’re probably right. What about our clothes?”
    “Take them off, stuff your shirt and underwear into your pants pockets, and tie the legs around your waist or neck. When you shift, the bundle should stay with you like your bracelet does.”
    Johnny