When I said things get worse in this chapter, I wasn’t kidding. Let’s jump right in and see why.
We’re back in 1940, and someone’s voice causes Votan to wake up and fall out of the hammock. He looks up and sees a little girl. Her face "glows with innocence" and Votan immediately notices some kind of energy radiating from her body.
I don’t believe I mentioned this last time, but Gabriela is the name of Emma’s grandmother. Yup.
Votan seems shocked about something, but the narration has yet to explain what. She asks again who he is, and he tells her he’s Votan. Before they can chat any longer, Peten enters the hut and screams at Gabriela to leave. There’s a woman behind Peten, and Gabriela runs over to her. Said woman is terrified and just stares at Votan. Peten tells her to leave and she does, taking Gabriela with her.
Peten, suddenly curious asks if he’s the Votan. Votan ignores him and asks what "the man" did to Peten’s cousin, because he’s magically figured out that that’s who the woman with him was. Peten says he doesn’t know. Votan screams at him and demands to know.
Peten really doesn’t know. Itzel didn’t tell him much. She was brought to a little village with a bunch of other women, and one night a bunch of dark priests called the Maaskab came and started killing the women. In that case, scratch what I said about the sacrifice not being lethal. Itzel must’ve gotten lucky.
Turns out Votan knows exactly who Peten is talking about.
Because as we all know, bad guys are ugly. Admittedly, that was a pretty effective bit of description.
Peten goes on to say that his cousin escaped, and was pregnant with Gabriela when she got back. Votan is shocked, and asks again if Gabriela’s father is the one who took Itzel. Peten confirms it.
Alright, so let’s apply some logic.
-Gabriela is Emma’s grandmother
-Gabriela is half-god
-Therefore Emma is part-god.
This is what I meant when I said it gets worse. That’s right, folks, Emma is one-sixteenth Mayan god. Not only that, she’s related to Votan, however distantly. Not only that, but it’s safe to assume that Votan knows this.
Creeper points: 3
Votan can’t seem to wrap his head around the concept, because apparently it makes no sense for gods to sleep around with mortals. Apparently he’s unaware that it’s a divine tradition. Ever heard of Zeus?
He decides that he’ll figure it all out later, and that he’ll go after the priests now. He asks where he can find them.
Way to shoehorn in description. Besides, this isn’t the first time that Peten has seen Votan, so why is he just noticing what he looks like? Unless he suddenly wants to hit that, there’s no real reason for this.
Oh. That’s why. Death and war? Seriously? Guess we can add "taming a war god" to Emma’s list of accomplishments.
Votan nods, and Peten says he’ll draw up a map for him. Votan says he wants weapons, and Peten agrees to provide those as well. Also, he wants to see Gabriela before he goes. Peten agrees, but he doesn’t seem too happy about this.
The scene changes, and Votan is finishing up tying daggers to his bicep. (No, seriously.) He closes his eyes, looks up, and starts reciting the "ancient prayer of Loyalty and Protection." Apparently he’s...um...bonding himself to Gabriela.
...
Creeper points: 4
To be fair, it appears to be a platonic kind of bonding, but still. He cuts his braid off and tells Itzel to burn it with a lock of Gabriela’s hair. This’ll "tether her light to his" or something.
The bond’s purpose is to put Gabriela under his protection and that of the gods. Well, the gods who haven’t turned evil. Plot point!
Votan starts getting all philosophical, wondering if he could create life instead of just taking it, which he realizes is a strange thing for the God of War and Death to think about. He kisses the top of Gabriela’s head, and leaves her with this.
-shivers-
Creeper points: 5
That’s the end of the chapter. If I had any chance of finding this book romantic, it’s gone now. Nice job shooting yourself in the foot, author.
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