"Qué raro (how strange)," the Kanhondo's large ocean-blue eyes scanned the area. "I can sense that there's someone else here and yet I can't see you, young maralujo."

Angélio's throat tightened and closed up. He was still as steel. Is the Kanhondo freezing me with its stare like Roende said? He thought before stretching his fingers in and out. Thank God. A small wave of relief washed over him, drawing the slightest sigh.

"Come now," the Kanhondo's powerful voice bounced off the walls. "This is hardly a fair fight. How am I to stand a chance if I can't see you?"

Pulling himself together, Angélio slipped behind one of the large columns. Just because it can't see me, doesn't mean it can't hear me, he thought.

"How would I stand a chance if you could see me?" Angélio said, pressing his back against the column.

The Kanhondo chuckled. "What makes you say that?"

It sounds closer, Angélio thought. It must be trying to hear where I am by getting me to talk. He tiptoed towards the other column further back.

"You know your powers better than I could explain them," Angélio replied as every bone in his body rattled.

"Powers? What powers?" The Kanhondo laughed. "I am just an overgrown serpent. Nothing more nothing less."

Angélio was about to speak when he saw it out of the corner of his eye. To his right, pointy tree-sized teeth glistened within the beast's massive mouth. He didn't dare breathe, much less, move. Every muscle, bone, and joint in his body tightened so much it hurt. But Angélio wagered that those pearly-white knife-like teeth would hurt even more. He held his breath.

"What's the matter, maralujo?" The Kanhondo said. "Did you swallow your tongue?"

Something else caught Angélio's eye. The broad vine with the triangular leaves was wrapped around the beast just below its head, and those thick red thorns had left a ring of dried blood and scars near the point of each prickle.

Chained, Angélio remembered what Roende had said about the Kanhondo. That vine must be what keeps it trapped here... He also recalled being chased by a Rottweiler one day near where he caught the bus from school. The person's gate was open, and the dog charged at him when he got too close. Angélio booked it. Thankfully the silver chain attached to the animal's collar stopped it from biting his leg.

I bet the vine doesn't go as far as the cave, he thought. I hope.

Angélio looked around and saw the skull of a maraluje. He didn't want to touch it, but with the Kanhondo less than a breath away, what choice did he have? In a flash, he snatched the cranium up and hurled it as far as he could toward the waterfall. Seconds seemed like years as it flew through the air.

Splash!

His heart jumped for joy. The Kanhondo snapped its head around and dashed towards the sound. Angélio raced in the other direction. But his footsteps rang like dinner bells as they slammed into the stone floor.

The Kanhondo whipped around, hurling its wide open mouth towards Angélio.

Snap!

A sound like metal crashing into metal echoed as the beast's jaws slammed shut quicker than a rat trap.

Angélio shook like a leaf, staring at the wall of teeth a hair away from his trembling feet. The vine squeezed tightly against the Kanhondo's feathers and scales. Drops of blood beaded where the thorns burrowed into the beast and fell to the ground like red rain.

The gigantic serpent pulled itself backwards, retracting like a cat's claws.

"There," the Kanhondo said, sounding somewhat subdued. "I told you our fight was unfair."

Angélio swallowed with a lump in his throat. "It never was," he said, steading his trembling voice. "You not being able to see me made it fairer, not less."

The Kanhondo chuckled. "Perhaps you are right, strange maralujo who has acquired yutsil (magic) that makes him invisible. You are a clever one, that much is certain. It would be insulting to subject you to a contest of brawn. You need a challenge of the mind."

With its tail, the Kanhondo reached into a nook somewhere off to the side where Angélio couldn't see. It set a beautiful circular table down near the boy. On the wooden structure stood three identical clay jars painted with colourful patterns and symbols. Each piece of pottery had a lid with a coiled serpent on top of it with its head sticking up in the centre.

"What are those?" Angélio asked.

The Kanhondo smiled. "One jar holds the tears of Yeluria, Crowned Spirit of beauty, romance, poetry, and song. If drunk, a single drop can make anyone fall hopelessly in love with the one who poured it. Another has Chakgarra (Lightning Talon), which is said to be the sharpest blade ever forged. And the final jar contains the Drowning Breath Telchiwa (curse); anyone who lifts that lid will meet certain death. I will leave you to imagine what that would entail." The beast chuckled. "The rules are very simple: I will allow you to open one of the jars without attacking."

Angélio did the mental math and didn't like his odds. Not a fraction. Only the contents of one of those jars would be useful to him. And what was worse, the Kanhondo had put the table within its striking distance.

Time to make the most of those spears, Angélio exhaled, reaching back. His heart sank like an anchor. Where's the other spear? He wondered with a racing heart. A choking tightness gripped his throat.

What could he do now?

Deep breaths, he told himself. Deep breaths. This is kind of like the time Profesora Raquel gave us a pop quiz in matemáticas class. I didn't see it coming, so I had to try to remember what she had taught us two days earlier. The first two problems weren't too bad after I remembered to isolate for x. But the third one was a story problem that had wording designed to trip you up... if you didn't read it closely and think about what it was actually asking...

I need to defeat the Kanhondo. But I only have one spear, and I have no idea which jar has Chakgarra.

"Have you made your choice?" the Kanhondo said in a taunting tone.

I only have one spear... Angélio thought, repeating the phrase. And then he had an epiphany. I only have one spear, but the Kanhondo doesn't know that.

"Well?" the beast chuckled.

Angélio squeezed the spear, inhaled, and charged forward. He jumped on the table and used his momentum to spring off it. Both his feet were in the air. He launched the spear at the Kanhondo with all his might like a javelin thrower at the Olympics. The weapon soared through the air. Angélio fell to the ground, landing on his stomach.

A low gasp erupted from the towering creature's mouth. The spear struck its underbelly, and slowly faded into view.

The Kanhondo roared. Angélio pushed himself off the cobblestone, feeling a sharp sting under his chin and on his knees. But he couldn't pause to check on them. The great serpent shot toward him like an arrow. He leapt over the table, rolling away on the ground--just out of reach of the Kanhondo's teeth.

Instantly, the wounded creature pulled itself away, rushing back to the waterfall in a flash. Then the Kanhondo did not stand still; it moved from side to side constantly. Angélio stood up, wiping his bloody chin with the back of his arm. His heart was still pounding, but he cracked a small smile. He knew a moving target when he saw one.

"You tricked me," the Kanhondo said, still moving around. The self-confidence in its voice grew fainter by the second.

"I didn't," Angélio replied. "I never agreed to play your game."

The Kanhondo suddenly stopped moving. It grinned. "Why are you not coming closer, young maralujo? You should be eager to land the final blow. Unless you have nothing to land the final blow with. Two strikes of Skull Spears are necessary for that if my memory serves."

A chill ran through Angélio. Does it know? He wondered. There's no way it could.

The Kanhondo laughed. "Your silence is all the affirmation I need. You have no more spears." The creature slithered toward the boy.

"I entered the pit with five spears," Angélio said.

The Kanhondo paused. It turned its head as if weighing the boy's words. "But that does not mean you still have all five."

"Tienes razón (you're right)," Angélio replied. "But I don't need all five, do I?"

Once again, the Kanhondo retreated to the waterfall and started shifting from side to side, trying to avoid having another spear find its mark. It took a glance at the one sticking out of its underbelly and hurriedly looked forward again.

"You still haven't thrown another spear--perhaps it is because you don't have another one," the creature said, trying to sound fearless. But its voice was cracking like glass.

"If I were you," Angélio said, "I wouldn't take those odds." His heart rate was slowing.

"Throw the cursed thing already!" The Kanhondo shouted, nervously shifting from left to right.

"No," Angélio said calmly. "First, you will tell me which jar has Chakgarra."

"And why would I do that?" the Kanhondo replied.

"Because if you do, I might let you live," Angélio said.

"I would be a hatchling if I believed the promise of a creature who has already wounded me," the Kanhondo said. "I would rather die without telling you which jar contains Chakgarra; that way I could leave this world hoping you are foolish enough to try and obtain the macuahuitl yourself."

"I'm kind of disappointed," Angélio said.

"Because I refuse to give you Chakgarra?" The Kanhondo sneered. "As though I care--"

"I'm disappointed because I was told that Kanhondo were wise," Angélio cut in.

"We are." The Kanhondo glared in the boy's direction as it continued moving from side to side.

"Then how is it wise to choose certain death over the possibility of living?" Angélio replied.

The Kanhondo paused. "Would you truly let me live if I told you which jar contained Chakgarra?"

"The odds are good that I would," Angélio said.

"Very well," the Kanhondo replied. "Chakgarra is in the jar to your left. Open it and claim your prize."

Angélio remembered what the great serpent said when it put the table down: anyone who lifts the lid that has the Drowning Breath Telchiwa will meet certain death. The Kanhondo would never open that jar, even if I asked it to, he concluded. And then I'd know, which one to avoid.

"I think it would be better if you opened it for me," Angélio said.

The Kanhondo froze. It was in check.

If the feathered serpent lifted the lid holding the curse, it would die. And if it opened the jar that held the Tears of Yeluria, the invisible maralujo might throw another spear out of anger, leading to certain death as well. The best chance it had of surviving the ordeal was giving Angélio Chakgarra.

Angélio couldn't help smiling as the puzzling look on the creature's face melted into realization.

A lingering moment crawled by.

The Kanhondo's tail inched closer to the jar at a snail's pace. For a moment, it hovered over the one it had told Angélio to open before shifting to the one in the centre. When the creature's tail lifted that lid, golden-orange sparks whirled over the container, filling the air with sizzling sounds.

Instantly, the Kanhondo withdrew its tail from the shocking scene.

Angélio slowly approached the open jar. He peered inside but saw nothing but the colourful sparks. Knowing he didn't have time to waste, he swallowed a breath and shoved his hand in.

His fingers wrapped around the hilt of the weapon, and he pulled it out of the jar. Bolts of golden-orange lightning shot everywhere as the macuahuitl emerged. Sparks rushed through Angélio's veins, but they didn't hurt. Instead, what felt like Trueno Pops (which are similar to Pop Rocks) were bursting everywhere inside his body.

Once Chakgarra was finally out, Angélio was awestruck at its full glory. The hilt was made of the finest wood and had grooves that seem to adjust to his hand. At the hilt's base, a golden ring of jade had a string tied to it that held two long feathers: one of yellow and one of fiery red. But the blade itself was the most stunning thing by far.

In the centre part, it was mostly made of sun-kissed obsidian that had two winged feathered serpents seemingly made of lightning intertwining in constant motion on both of the flat sides. The outside edge of the weapon had black rectangular obsidian pieces all the way around; each sparked with a sliver of lightning. But surprisingly, the macuahuitl was as light as a leaf.

Angélio walked past the table, heading towards the Kanhondo. Chakgarra melted into invisibility in the hands of its wielder. The towering creature seemed to be trembling as the sparking sounds and footsteps drew closer.

"Bring your head lower," Angélio said.

Slowly, the Kanhondo brought its head down. Being that close, Angélio could see just how beautiful the great serpent's feathers were. He could also tell that it was shaking.

Roende's words rang in Angélio's ears: The Kanhondo will not show you any mercy; you must become just as merciless to defeat it.

"I hatched in this pit," the Kanhondo said in a heavy tone. "It seems fitting that my sun should set in the place where it first dawned."

That tugged at Angélio's heartstrings. It's been in here its whole life guarding the Jade Conch Shell... tied up like a slave, he thought. But Roende's words whispered once more: it will say whatever is needed to save itself and devour you.

But killing it seemed wrong to Angélio. He looked at the trembling beast and wondered who would be the true beast if he ended its life. Did defeating the Kanhondo have to mean killing it?

Another voice joined the hurricane swirling in Angélio's mind: Mercy before all else, it whispered.

Become just as merciless thundered in his ear.

Angélio took a deep breath, raised Chakgarra with both hands and swung.

Slice!

It was like a hot knife cutting through butter.

The thorny vine fell off the Kanhondo's neck, making a large splash as it collapsed into the pond. Suddenly, a hole opened under the surface and sucked all the water out.

The Kanhondo turned towards Angélio with tears in his eyes. "My name is Umatzo. Gracias."

In one swift move, Umatzo dove down the hole and was gone.

For a moment, Angélio stood there in the mists. Gentle waterfall sounds sang in his ears as salty air filled his lungs. He dropped to the ground and pressed his free hand to his heart. I almost died, he thought.

While Angélio contemplated the weight of dying, Chakgarra melted away in his hand. But he felt an electric spark crawling through his arm to his heart. Somehow, he knew the macuahuitl wasn't truly gone, but he didn't know how to get it back in his hand.

That's a problem for later, he concluded and got up.

Angélio still needed to find the Jade Conch Shell. It was supposed to be in a pool, he remembered. But where? He looked around.

A green glow atop the waterfall that wasn't there before caught his eye. Guess that's where I need to go, he sighed.

Carefully, Angélio climbed up the wet stony surface. He took special care to find his grip and balance. Now that the pond had been drained, there was nothing left to break his fall but a bed of smooth rocks below.

His hand slipped near the top. Thankfully, he grabbed a tree root for dear life and pulled himself up.

Angélio collapsed and stared at the misty ceiling for a while, catching his breath. He got to his feet and walked over to the perfectly round pool. All he could see was a green glowing light at the bottom.

Figuring that it must be the place, Angélio took out the tilma Roende had given him and spread it out. He reached into the mirror-still pool, holding his breath, and pulled out a marvellous Jade Conch Shell.

The outside was deep green and covered in white knotted patterns while the underside was a paler shade of the same colour that faded into white the closer it got to the inside of the shell. With a wide smile, Angélio wrapped the object into the tilma and placed it into the woven spear holder before swinging it over his back again. Excitement rolled through him like a flood; he wanted to jump up and down to celebrate his success.

But then the ground started rumbling.

Angélio froze and frantically looked around. He breathed a sigh of relief when he glanced down in front of him. A staircase made of single, flat stepping stones came out from under the waterfall in a spiral line and led to solid ground.

Soon Angélio was back in the waterless pond. As he was climbing out, he noticed a small, blue and gold feather on the ground that shimmered like a diamond. This must be one of Umatzo's, he thought and picked it up. It's a nice recuerdo (keepsake).

Before slipping into his pocket, Angélio looked around to see if there were other feathers around. But strangely, there were none. He shrugged and walked towards the cave.

As Kaxu had promised, the quinobasil's (sun spider) silver thread lead Angélio out of the maze of caves. Once he crossed the river, the kindly creature hopped off his shoulder, waved at him with one of its amber legs, and went about its business.

Angélio found his way back to the twin waterfalls and climbed out of the pit using the vine ladder.

Roende stood up when he heard his friend say, "I'm back."

The maralujo rushed over, handed the boy the red bracelet, and said, "Where is it?"

Angélio took off the spear holder and handed it to Roende who smiled when the green glow lit up his face.

"You've done well," Roende said. "I only wished you'd been faster."

"Sorry," Angélio muttered. "I had some trouble with--"

"Never mind that now," Roende interrupted. "We need to return to the castle."

Tired and more than a little sad about his friend's harshness, Angélio nodded. Moments later, the two were in the air and the jagged cliffs of Drokal's Pit disappeared in the distance.

All the events of the day replayed in Angélio's mind like an old movie. But they were all overshadowed by one question he couldn't wait to have answered.

"How will the Jade Conch Shell make me into a fútbol star?" Angélio asked with a smile.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Roende said.

"That's what you told me." Angélio wrinkled his forehead.

"I never said anything of the sort," was the reply.

♧♧♧

If you're enjoying this ONC novella, be sure to check out "Till the Hawk Moth Flies" by guywortheyauthor

It's sort of like if Wednesday and Enid were lovers, but also dungeons and dragons characters, and the dungeon master keeps trying to kill them off.