9. The Last Wish

The godchildren were a sorry sight. And it wasn’t sad, it wasn’t even surprising anymore, but disappointing. Right after Leion left, more Prizecats had shown up and tied up the gods for good measure. Cosmo had thrown the tree trunks from his wings with a gust of wind—after which he was tied up even more thoroughly.

It was pitch-black between the trees. The only light came from the moon reflecting off the diamonds, worn by the jaguars as if they were part of their fur. The Prizecat who first addressed them had introduced himself as Kajar: one of Preza’s princes.

“Return Bella to us,” said Feria curtly. “And work with us from now on. Together, Origina and Garda, we can solve everything.”

“You have accomplished one thing,” Kajar growled. Any uncertainty that lived in his voice before, had entirely left by now. “I will never abduct a god again, because the only thing they do is talk and talk until you drop dead. You know my price. Bella in exchange for your departure from this world. If the Supreme God existed, he would have come by now.”

He raised his claw and brought his nails to within a hair of Feria’s eyes. “You have until sunrise to accept. Or Bella will be hidden in a place where no one can find her.”

The gods found each other’s eyes in the dark. They had already delayed the moment far longer than they thought possible. But soon the jaguars would make good on their threats. They didn’t want to, that much was clear. They wanted all the gods to leave, not for one to die.

The decision needn’t be spoken out loud: they would never leave their dear sister behind.

“Where is Paraat?” Feria whispered.

“No idea, I don’t hear anything yet,” Cosmo whispered back.

The jaguar overheard and laughed. “They’re not coming, because you don’t have a single friend left.”

“And you?” Feria stepped forward despite the ropes that tied her down. “Half of Preza has run away to us because of you. Don’t you hang the Juradom banner? Doesn’t that call for brotherhood and loving thy neighbor?”

“Not everyone is Juraad. Certainly not us.”

All the jaguars circled the gods, licking their teeth from time to time. Cosmo lightly tapped Feria with his wings. He heard something in their surroundings.

Kajar peered into the darkness between the tree trunks. But he didn’t see an army or rescue, only innocent fireflies. And behind that, the village of Thon they had thoroughly ransacked. Although his Pricecats had seemingly set the buildings ablaze, which he had strictly forbidden.

“Tell me,” he began. “You still aren’t afraid of us. It’s ice cold, but you don’t shiver. The stories say that when the dinosaurs went extinct and the world nearly exploded, you all frolicked about as if it were a lovely sunny day.”

He stopped circling and butted his forehead against Feria’s. “Just how far do your powers go anyway?”

“If we tell you that,” Feria growled. Only serious effort prevented Kajar from pushing her back. “Will you let Bella go?”

“You know my price. Disappear.”

“But we can’t disappear!” squeaked Gulvi.

All jaguars froze and turned to him. Kajar didn’t have to study the gods for long … to know it was true.

Feria’s eyes could have killed Gulvi. She tried to salvage it. “That’s why we’re trying to find another solution!”

Eeris looked over her shoulder and whispered: “Ardex? That you?”

“Enough chit-chat!” Kajar yelled.

The sun rose. The gods shuffled backwards, all at once, stumbling and falling over their ropes.

What are they doing? thought Kajar. They know what I’ll do if they try to run, if they even manage it. He was wary of a trap and kept his distance. The gods kept backing away. Cosmo nodded a few times, and Kajar saw his wing subtly point to a spot outside the prison.

“Search the surroundings again,” he ordered the rest. Why are they walking backwards? With their backs against the wall?

Kajar lost his certainty. What if Paraat was coming? They would easily slaughter all the Prizecats. They’d only just come ashore—the only escape was back to Garda.

He couldn’t let it show. He cautiously stepped forward to lessen the distance to Feria. Oh, but what if the fire god shows up?

The uncertainty must have crept into his face.

“Yes! Be afraid! Our rescuers will kill you!” Eeris yelled.

“Nonsense,” he said quickly. “The sun has nearly risen. And all I see is some gods working themselves into a corner.”

They can’t disappear from the planet, Kajar thought over and over. It took a while before he realized it was really true.

And what the implications were.

He had asked for a price the gods couldn’t pay. The greatest mistake a Prizecat could make. The king would laugh at him when he returned. No, even worse, banish him to a tiny island far from both Garda and Origina.

Unless … gods can die, he thought. It was the only hope he had left.If that were true, however, it would change all future wars.

The gods huddled in the corner of the prison now. The Prizecats had unknowingly followed and were now precisely in the middle, far from the edges. We’ve been stupid, Kajar thought immediately. They’ve made us vulnerable to an attack from the sides!

No such attack came.

Feria looked in all directions, pleading with Cosmo as if he could change it, but no unexpected army stormed in. With drooping wings, Cosmo had to concede that the sound he heard resembled the tiny footsteps of Cavedwellers—hardly a formidable force against jaguars—and he could barely hear it anymore.

The sun had risen. The rays reflected blinding light from his array of diamonds and gold coins. Kajar laughed and pointed at the sky.

“So … you really can’t leave this planet?”

“Believe me,” Cosmo snarled. “If we knew the way, we’d be back in the Heavenly Palace already. Leave you to your own mess.”

“In that case … I have another price.” Kajar could barely contain his luck. The gods were vulnerable. Eeris’ lips quivered and Darus’ thick fur stood on end.

“It’s simple. More than you’re worth. Tell us how we can permanently kill you.”

Some trees caught fire.

“Ardex?” Feria called. “Help!”

Instead of a tiger, more jaguars arrived, carrying torches in their mouths. The sun had definitively risen. They could avoid it no longer, they could delay it no more. The price had changed to one they could pay.

And as Kajar expected, they would pay any price for their beloved Bella.

Feria walked over to him, defeated. She whispered exactly how the gods could be defeated.

But that, dear reader, I still dare not repeat to this day. Such a terrible secret. Someday you will discover it yourself and cry along with me.

Kajar’s jaw dropped and his tongue helplessly lolled out. His claws shot from his paws, back in, and out again. When he regained control of himself, he turned to his fellow jaguars and nodded.

A long silence followed between the gods and Pricecats. Kajar’s smile only grew wider. Laughter built up, louder and louder, exploding when the prison vanished and Bella was dragged forward by the jaguars.

For he knew he had definitely won.

Sure, he might be forced to leave Origina. The Pricecats were few and had no safe place here, while the gods would now use everything—even Paraat—to destroy them. But he had won.

They dropped Bella from a safe distance. As if she were nothing but an old piece of clothing tossed aside. Then the jaguars ran back to Garda, as one frightened cat, over the spiky shells of Ancient Turtles on the horizon.

Bella crawled across the sand. She stumbled over mud and twigs, exhausted, her fur bald in places, until her shivering body fell against the warm embrace of her family.