Instinctively, Angélio opened his eyes, rubbed the sleep out of them, and reached over for his mother's photo. His heart sank. There was nothing there for him to grasp. He couldn't tell her buenos días (good morning) or kiss her smiling face. All he had was a memory of what was. Tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to trickle down his face.

Roende's words rang in his ears and echoed in his mind ...you shouldn't cry; it's not appropriate for boys.

The thought pressed down on him like a crushing stone. If only he could just throw it off. But instead, he caved under its weight. He dried the tears that escaped and held the other back. And yet, he didn't feel any better. Angélio just felt heavy and angry. But couldn't say why. He just wished he hadn't remembered that.

"I just wish Mami was here," Angélio mumbled to himself.

He looked up at the ceiling. Night was being chased away by rising golden rays, growing ever brighter. Then he turned to the right and his eyes went wide. White petals sprinkled with glittering dew drops were floating in the air--all in a line, which lead to the window.

Angélio climbed out of the hammock and touched one of the petals. He let out a small gasp as it rippled like water, leaving his finger damp. Suddenly, they engulfed him, forming a sphere of swirling petals around Angélio.

Soft, salty raindrops started falling all around him. Angélio wanted to run but his feet refused to move. A chilling breeze brushed against his skin, sending shivers down his spine. Someone spoke his name. Angélio dared not believe his ears. Although it was distorted, he knew that voice. But he hadn't heard it in too long.

With a quivering lip, he said the word, "¿Mamá?"

"Yes, mijo (my son)," Ángela replied. "It's so good to see you."

Angélio rubbed the rain out of his eyes and there she was... his beloved mother. She was clothed in a beautiful white dress. Her hair stood tall, blooming with white hibiscus flowers that were red in the centre, and was tied with a gold headwrap just above her forehead.

Without hesitating, Angélio raced into her open arms. She squeezed him tight, and he returned the favour.

"Te extraño mucho," he said, letting his tears flow freely.

"I miss you too, my beautiful boy, muchísimo (very much)," Ángela kissed his forehead. "But I don't have much time."

"You're leaving?" Angélio looked up at his mother.

"I don't make the rules," she replied, drying his tears.

"But you can't--I don't want you to go," he held her tight.

"Please, take this," Ángela opened his right hand and touched her index finger to his.

Three knotted black circles with different patterns appeared on Angélio's finger; the medium circle was inside the largest one and the smallest one was inside the medium circle. And each of them turned in different directions at different speeds.

"You must not tell anyone in the castle about this. Farewell, mijo," she said.

"No, no, no," Angélio tried to hold. "Please don't go."

"Though you can't always see me, know that I'm always with you," Ángela said, fading away.

Angélio sat up in the hammock and threw his eyes open. His heart was pounding like a hammer. He looked towards the window and breathed a heavy sigh. No floating petals were anywhere in sight. Then he looked at his finger. And there they were: the three circles.

The door creaked as it opened. Roende stepped into the room. Remembering his mother's words: You must not tell anyone in the castle about this, Angélio shoved his hand into his pocket.

Immediately, Roende flew towards him, grabbed his hand, and examined it.

"Why did you do that?" the maralujo asked, studying the boy's face.

Angélio thought for a moment, weighing whether he should lie to his friend or not. What Roende doesn't know won't hurt him, he concluded.

"I was just checking my pocket for some gum," Angélio replied. "I have bad breath in the morning." And for the record, that part was true. He made a point to exhale in the maralujo's direction to make the point more poignant.

Roende recoiled, scrunching up his face and covering his nose before making a frosty green leaf appear in his hand.

"Chew that and meet me in the corridor," he said, hastily leaving the room.

Angélio suppressed a smirk as he put the leaf in his mouth, feeling a cool sensation flooding his mouth as the taste of sweet mint danced on his tongue. Just before climbing out of the hammock, Angélio snuck a peek at his finger and found that the circles were gone.

He wondered if they'd come back, but was relieved he wouldn't have to hide them from Roende all day.

Once in the corridor, Roende led Angélio to a garden where an archery target made of woven fibres was set up on the opposite end from where they entered. There was a tiny red circle painted in the middle of it.

"Stop here," Roende held out his arm, preventing Angélio from going any further. "Pick up one of those spears," he pointed to two such weapons stuck into the ground.

Angélio pulled one out. It was plain compared to the spears in his room, but this one was much heavier.

"Hit the circle," Roende crossed his arms, gesturing to the target across the garden.

"I can't," Angélio replied. "It's too far."

"No, it is not," Roende said.

"Then, you do it," Angélio replied.

Instantly, Roende grabbed the spear out of Angélio's hand and hurled it at the target. It struck the red circle dead centre.

"Wow," Angélio said, mouth hanging open.

Roende flew over, retrieved the spear, and returned. "Now you try," he handed it to the boy.

Angélio nodded, took a breath, and threw the weapon. Unfortunately, it stopped just short of the mark, landing on the grass in front of the target. His shoulders drooped.

"Told you it was too far," Angélio sighed and turned away.

"Guess it's time for you to go home, then," Roende said.

"Why?" Angélio replied.

"Because you refuse to hit the target," was the answer.

"No. I can't hit it--there's a difference," Angélio said.

"I see no difference. And since you'd rather be weak, I can't help you get yutsil (magic) that you require," Roende said.

"I'm not weak," Angélio crossed his arms.

"You are," was the reply.

"Stop saying that," Angélio said, feeling tears starting to burn his eyes.

"Are you going to cry if I don't?" Roende frowned.

"No," he turned away from the maralujo.

"Look, I can take you home--I have no use for weak little boys who run away, crying with their tails between their legs."

"Stop it!" Angélio shouted with boiling blood scorching his face.

"Hit the target or go home and never be a fútbol star--never hear the crowds chanting your name," Roende smirked.

Angélio pondered standing in the middle of a huge stadium with a golden trophy in his hands as adoring fans chanted his name at the top of their lungs. A small smile crept across his face. But then he looked, and Roende. And range washed over him again.

"If you can hit it, why do you need me to? Plus you haven't even told me how that's going to get me the 'yutsil I require--whatever that means,'" Angélio said with air quotes.

"Because I can't hit the real target for you: the Kanhondo," was the reply.

"And what's that?" Angélio knit his eyebrows together, certain that Roende was making up words now.

"The Kanhondo is a beastly serpent from the deep," Roende replied in a half-whisper. "It lives in the bowels of the Pit of Drokal, guarding the Jade Conch Shell; that will get you the yutsil you require to be the greatest fútbol star the world has ever seen."

A lump formed in Angélio's throat as he imagined the beast. "You still haven't told me why you can't get the Jade Conch Shell."

"Because unlike you, I lack the ability to become invisible. If I could do that, I'd gladly retrieve the Jade Conch Shell for you," Roende said. "You know I would do anything for an amigo."

"Why do you need to be invisible to get past the Kanhondo?" Angélio asked.

"It has an icy stare that freezes any unfortunate creature it glares upon. After that, you'd better call on the powers of the Xamenoj (Crowned Spirits) for deliverance... only they could save you from the death that is sure to come from the Kanhondo's bite. But I can see that you're too frightened for the task, so it's time to--"

"I want to try again," Angélio said.

Roende flashed a charming smile. "I knew you were brave."

Those words made Angélio swell with pride. Roende called him brave. And yet, a part of him felt uncertain about his friend's approval, but he struggled to understand why. Perhaps the maralujo was only saying what he needed to say to get what he wanted. No, that can't be it, Angélio thought. Roende wouldn't do that to a friend.

After Angélio started hitting the target consistently, Roende ended the practice session. They went to Angélio's room, got the other spears, and prepared to leave the castle, bound for the Pit of Drokal. But not before they donned new masks and new cloaks. Roende also made Angélio remove the red bracelet during their flight on the grounds of not being seen by any guards from Carcoel. Which was a good call as they encountered eight such guards along their flight.

♧♧♧

The sandy coastline that had been winding against the blue sea gave way to jagged black stone. Everywhere he looked ahead, Angélio only saw the foreboding rocks. In the distance, a rough cliff rose high above all the surrounding land and sea. As they neared, a gaping hole with dark, misty recesses opened its wide jaws as four rushing streams poured into it.

Angélio didn't need Roende to tell him what that was. By instinct, he that it was the dreaded abode of the Kanhondo: The Pit of Drokal. Unsurprisingly, none of that made the knots in his stomach pinch any less--just like Roende's reassurances.

The pair landed near the edge of the vast pit, and after looking around, Roende gave Angélio his bracelet back.

"According to our histories," Roende began. "This pit was formed when Vocuban, an Ubencalix (Elder Demon) bit Drokal, one of the five Xamenoj (Crowned Spirits) and his blood fell on this place. It is said that Drokal's blood ran like a river and formed the long cave below. When it finally dried up, the Crowned Spirit's blood turned into blue jade stones, which are sprinkled throughout the cavern. Don't get any ideas about removing one unless you want to provoke Drokal's wrath," the maralujo added.

"I won't pick up any blue jade stones," Angélio replied, shaking his head vehemently.

"A wise choice," Roende said.

Angélio glanced over the edge and then asked, "What happened to Vocuban after he bit Drokal?"

Roende chuckled. "What happens to all who show such hubris: Vocuban was struck down--imprisoned in the depths of the sea in a death-like state. Now then, you must focus on the task at hand..."

The maralujo explained to Angélio that between the spears and his invisibility powers, he'd surely defeat the Kanhondo.

"Once you strike the beast with the first spear, it will know that death is imminent. No mortal creature can survive being pierced twice by Skull Spears," Roende said. "So, you must not let the Kanhondo trick you--"

"How would it trick me?" Angélio asked before Roende could finish.

"It is in the nature of Kanhondo's to deceive those unfamiliar with their ways," was the reply. "They are ancient creatures who become more cunning when their life is threatened. But you must remember that it is a beast that only cares about its well-being. So, it will say whatever is needed to save itself and devour you. The Kanhondo will not show you any mercy; you must become just as merciless to defeat it. Do you understand?"

Angélio nodded with a mango-sized lump in his throat.

"Just focus on the fame you will have once you become a great fútbol star," Roende said. "Think of all the people who will love you."

Once again, Angélio imagined the stadium filled with people cheering his name. "Okay," he said. "I think I'm ready."

"That's my brave warrior," Roende laid a hand on Angélio's shoulder. "You will need one more thing before you go."

Angélio wrinkled his brow. "You're not coming with me?"

"I'm afraid I'd be of little use to you down there," Roende replied. "The pit has hundreds of saltwater rivers and streams. If any of that seawater gets on my wings, I won't be able to fly for hours at best--in addition to being completely weak and drained of my powers; it's one of the liabilities of being a maraluje."

"Oh," Angélio said, looking at the pit again.

Roende would be a sitting duck down there, he thought. I wouldn't want to put him in that position--especially not just to get something for me.

Angélio turned to Roende. "You will be here when I come back, right?"

"Of course," the maralujo said in a definite tone. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Angélio shrugged. "Last year, some boys at my school dared me to go into a creepy abandoned house at the edge of the city. They said that if I did it, they'd invite me to Marco's birthday party at the zoo, so I agreed. And since I had to climb a tree to get inside the house on the second floor, they offered to hold my backpack for me and promised to wait outside.

After I almost fell through the rotted floor, I managed to get back outside. But they were gone. And they stole my backpack. They ripped a page out of one of my notebooks and left me a note that said 'thanks for the math homework, cabeza de huevo (egg head),'" he sighed.

"I'm sorry they did that to you," Roende said. "But I'm not going anywhere, and that's a promise." The maralujo held out his knuckle, and Angélio gave him a fist bump.

Roende then made a shiny brown seed appear in his hand in a burst of green specs. He dropped it near the mouth of the pit, and Angélio watched in awe as elegant green vines sprouted from the seed and crept towards the pit; they tumbled over the edge and formed a lattice-patterned ladder all the way down in the dark depths.

"You can use that to climb down and up," Roende said. "And just before I forget, take this." He handed Angélio a black cloth that was folded into a small square. "This tilma (cloak) is made from Moon Cactus fibres. When you reach into the pool behind where Kanhondo is chained, you'll find the Jade Conch Shell. You must hold your breath and be absolutely silent and wrap the object in this tilma; it will prevent the shell from picking up any sound. Angélio it is crucial that you do not breathe a sound; it's the only way the shell will be of any use to us. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Angélio nodded, shoving the tilma into the spear holder on his back.

"Wonderful," Roende smiled.

As Angélio was about to climb down the vine ladder, Roende grabbed his hand.

"Wait!" the maralujo said. "The bracelet."

"Oh--right," Angélio took it off and faded into invisibility before handing it to Roende.

"May the favour of the Xamenoj make your endeavour flourish, my friend," the maralujo said.

"Gracias," Angélio flashed a small smile.

He took a deep breath, crossed himself, and made his descent into the pit.

♧♧♧

If you're enjoying this ONC novella, be sure to check out "The Book of Miranda" by SmokeandOranges

When a series of paranormal murders threaten the student population of Melliford Academy, aspiring dropout Des Winchester must team up with straight-laced (and unfairly attractive) top student Exie Quinnell to stop the murderer before it claims them all.