In a grassy area at the edge of Mexico, troops of heaven and hell and the United States and Mexico agreed I would be sacrificed. They forced me to lay down on a casket's glass lid. Diamond screamed while soldiers detained her. Chip was restrained by a light entity on his left and a dark entity on his right.

  Calamity and Ahote came forward. The beast brandished a scalping knife; the one Giant Chief had carried at the fort. Ana Ahote barked out, “Let’s make an example out of him.”

  “I’ll do the dirty work this one time,” Calamity declared.

  The dark entities crowded in and had my hands and feet tied faster than I could scream. When I did yell, I was muted by a rope shackled around my mouth. Somehow, in rain and lightning, Calamity’s wide-eyed, smiling face—one I’d never seen her make—was all too clear. She poked my neck with the knife and in blue flashing, threw her arm back and…

  A huge hand restrained her. “You no kill Doc Apollo.” Giant Chief’s grip had her staggering toward her knees. “St…op him,” Calamity ordered. “He’s intruding on the payment of the blood loan.”

  The light entity Aztec came forward. “Let her go.”

  As Chief released her, she jerked her arm back. “What is the meaning of this?” Calamity said.

  The Aztec said, “Giant Chief Big Owl has agreed to take Apollo’s place.”

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  Calamity pointed the knife and heaved a breath of annoyance, raised the pitch of her voice. “That big fool can’t just damn well do whatever he wants.”

  “It’s within the bounds of our laws,” the Aztec replied. “We only take the blood of mercy. His offering is the supreme of it—to lay his own life down.”

  As the pouring reduced to a trickle, Chief had everyone’s focus. I rolled off the death table: knees and face plummeting against the ground, where I groaned for his life, unable to distinguish the wet grass from my tears.

  He plopped down and shattered the glass of the casket lid. Chip and Diamond rushed to him.

  “Come-on, big man, let’s get out of here,” Chip insisted.

  Calamity and Ahote’s mood changed when they saw everyone’s distress. They laughed, hugging on to one another. The faces of the dark entities in black robes flickered to transparent, goulash, and greenish. Deep demonic howls emerged from them, as if the human likeness they feigned could not contain their ecstasy.

  “I no want to do this,” the chief said. “I want to choke them for what they do to my son. I want to fly again. Hear Laughing Heart’s joy one more time. I no want my head cut off, but I no let Apollo die. Sheriff, take care of your posse and my people.”

  He lay on his back and gazed at me, touching the depths of my sympathies. The chief said, “I still not know about you, Doc Apollo, but I… die… for you.”

  Calamity’s snooty tenor drowned out all the celebration of those on her side; she handed over the scalping knife with a proclamation. “Ahote, I believe it’s only befitting. Before Hill graciously adopted you, this ogre was your father and caused you nothing but sorrow.”

  Ahote growled, stalking forward. As he stepped over me to get to Owl, a black liquid from his lips dripped down and seared my face, smelt like gasoline. His stone knife wielding hand descended.

  Red lifeform, which all humans share, shot out; and the giant head fell to my eye level. His expression appeared so very brave. Still muzzled, I mourned through my throat.