"The Sunbearer Trials" by Aiden Thomas, Chapters 8–13

He’d have to keep his expressions in check and push his worries down deep, where they could later manifest as a stomach ulcer or something.

But for Teo, seeing her was a relief—a friend in an otherwise unfriendly place, even if Fantasma was a morbid reminder of the trials’ stakes.

Higher on the mountain, Atzi and Auristela duked it out from their respective sections.

Water sprayed his face, stinging his skin and obscuring his vision. The rush was unrelenting. When he stepped too close, the force of it nearly shoved his foot out from underneath him.

It was mostly boulders and sharp outcroppings. He could see the ninth glyph sitting on a flat sheet of rock.

“Marino, Teo, and Xio didn’t reach the top within the allotted time,” Diosa Luna explained.

The jaguar-headed god looked just as outraged as Ocelo, but at least they had the brain to scold their child for speaking so brazenly to Diosa Luna.

Xio blinked his dark eyes slowly at Teo, offering him a wry smile.

“Ugh, stop yawning, you’re ruining the pictures!” she chided, throwing her elbow into his arm.

Ocelo, surly even by their standards, stabbed their fork into their food as they ate.

“I thought you’d have more energy after such an auspicious day, but you’re all acting like overtired children, so—”

Some people only had one card while others had many, and some were plain while others were holographic or lenticular.

“Mine is how I can turn earth minerals and rocks into weapons,” Niya said. To demonstrate, she turned a titanium bangle into a shield in her left hand, and a silver one into a very painful-looking mace in her right.

“Their powers kind of go hand in hand, don’t they?”
Xio nodded. “They’re very complementary, yeah.”
“That’s why they train together all the time, like a team instead of individuals,” Niya explained, an annoyed edge to her voice.

“It takes a lot of Atzi’s physical energy to create bolts of lightning. Those rings she wears are conduits, which help her out, but she’s still only thirteen—no offense, Xio—so if she’s going too hard, she can exhaust herself.”

“You could probably get a bunch of followers and start monetizing your content,” Xio suggested with a grimace, trying to make Teo feel better, but it didn’t work.

“Auristela has a huge following on Instagrafía,” Niya prattled on.

Ocelo had three cards. Xio pulled out the most recent—a lenticular trading card that switched back and forth between Ocelo’s normal form and their powered-up form.

“That sucks, bud,” Niya said, not very tactful but still sympathetic.

Her wings splayed out behind her across it, long and elegant.

Aurelio straightened his back, his cool facade in place even though Teo could see how his hands clenched into fists at his sides.

He wouldn’t let Aurelio get under his skin. This was all just some machismo power play and Teo wasn’t going to fall for it.

“It’s sulfur,” Niya told Teo, pointing as they went over another ridge and a caldera came into view. “Everything is warmed by the geothermal heat of La Cumbre!”

“Thirsty as in—like, hydrated, not—” He sputtered, trying to regain some semblance of composure.

The kaleidoscopic colors and sheer size of the gemstones were dizzying.

“I wonder what kind of trial Fauna set up,” Xio murmured to himself as he fiddled with his bracelet.
“Probably something to do with animals,” Niya said, leaning back against the railing.
“Seeing as Fauna is the goddess of animals, I’d say that’s an astute observation,” Teo grumbled, leaning against the railing as he stared out into the thick tangle of trees along the riverbank.

All three birds took flight and perched on the railing. They devolved into excited chatter, hopping around excitedly on their blue feet.

QUETZAL’S son!
You’re Quetzal’s fledgling?!

They proceeded through the streets of El Valle with full fanfare. They were escorted by the eight Fauna jinetes on horseback.

Each rider wore the same matching outfits in white with gold accents—lace trousers embellished with ribbons, elaborate dresses with three layers of ruffles and traditional embroidery in the shapes of different animals.

Unlike the outer areas of El Valle, the heart of the city resembled any other flashy Gold metropolis he’d seen on TV but with added adjustments made with wildlife in mind.

Modern buildings had animal-sized doors and there were feed troughs outside of shops visited by donkeys and cows.

She gazed down at him, and for a split second, Teo thought she might start preening his feathers and his hair, the same way she’d done when he was small.

“Aw, Ocelo,” Niya deadpanned, “you didn’t tell us your mom was coming.”

With that, Mariachi trumpeted his cornet and Teo’s watch vibrated, initiating the trial.

“Yeah, okay, I see your point!” Niya conceded.

The mother alebrije let out a deep, guttural cry.

The three of them needed to find alebrijes that wouldn’t horribly maim them.

It tipped its head back and let out a terrible warbling sound that made Teo wince, but it bounced happily in hand before scaling his arm.

Three short trumpets burst from Mariachi’s cornet, and Teo’s watch shook in time with them.
But before Ocelo could cross, the cornet trilled.