Jessica Andersen - Blood Spells

Instead, as they stood together, watching the Jeep dwindle to a dust cloud, he said, “What card was Hannah talking about?”

Patience’s heart lightened, just a touch. “I did a one-card reading, asking about the day after the zero date. I pulled the Kan card, which represents the iguana. It’s the one card in the entire star deck that I’ve never pulled before, ever, even though it should be my bloodline totem. It represents two things.” She paused, smiling softly. “The first one is hope.”

“I like that one.” He gave her a one-armed squeeze. “What’s the second?”

“Fertility.” Aware of the shiver that ran through his big frame, she grinned. “I was thinking . . .

Woodrow is a good name.”

“Yeah.” His voice went rough. “Yeah. It is.”

They stood like that a moment longer, even though the dust cloud was gone. Then, in unspoken consent, they turned and headed back into the mansion. Arm in arm. Together.

Below are some Nightkeeper terms and their meanings. Pronunciation-wise, most of these words sound the way they’re spelled, with two tricks: First, the letter “x” takes the “sh” sound. Second, the letter “i” should be read as the “ee” sound. Thus, for example, “Xibalba” becomes “Shee-bal-buh.” For more information on the Nightkeepers’ world, excerpts, deleted scenes, and more, please visit www.JessicaAndersen.com.

Entities Banol Kax—The lords of the underworld, Xibalba. Driven from the earth by the many-times-great-

ancestors of the modern Nightkeepers, the Banol Kax seek to return and subjugate mankind on the foretold day: December 21, 2012.

Kinich Ahau—The sun god of the ancient Maya. Each night at sunset, Kinich Ahau enters Xibalba.

With the aid of two huge black dogs called companions, the god must fight through the underworld to reach the dawn horizon each morning, beginning a new day. makol (ajaw-makol)—These demon souls are capable of reaching through the barrier to possess evil-

natured human hosts. Recognized by their luminous green eyes, a makol -bound human retains his own thoughts and actions in direct proportion to the amount of evil in his soul. An ajaw-makol , which is a ruling makol created through direct spell casting, can create lesser makol through blood sacrifice. nahwal—Humanoid spirit entities that exist in the barrier and hold within them all of the accumulated wisdom of each Nightkeeper bloodline. They can be asked for information, but cannot always be trusted.

Nightkeeper—A member of an ancient race sworn to protect mankind from annihilation in the years leading up to December 21, 2012, when the barrier separating the earth and underworld will fall and the Banol Kax will seek to precipitate the apocalypse.

Order of Xibalba—Formed by renegade Nightkeepers around 600 A.D., the order was believed to have been destroyed. However, the order survives, and is now led by a powerful mage named Iago. winikin—Descended from the conquered Sumerian warriors who served the Nightkeepers back in ancient Egypt, the winikin are blood-bound to act as the servants, protectors, and counselors of the magi.

Places El Rey—A small Mayan ruin located in the middle of the Cancún hotel district. Although not considered a “major” ruin by most Mayanists, it has deeply buried secrets.

Skywatch—The Nightkeepers’ training compound is located in a box canyon in the Chaco Canyon region of New Mexico, and is protected by magical wards.

Xibalba—The nine-layer underworld, home to the Banol Kax and makol .

Things (spells, glyphs, prophecies, etc.) barrier—A force field of psi energy that separates the earth, sky, and underworld, and powers the Nightkeepers’ magic. The strength of the barrier fluctuates with the positions of the stars and planets; the power of the magi becomes stronger as the barrier weakens in the years leading up to 2012 . . . in theory, anyway. jun tan—The “beloved” glyph that signifies a Nightkeeper ’s mated status. library—Created by farseeing Nightkeeper leaders, this repository supposedly contains all the ancient artifacts and information the magi need to arm themselves for the end-time war.

Solstice Massacre—Following a series of prophetic dreams, the Nightkeepers’ king led them to battle against the Banol Kax in the mid-1980s. The magi were slaughtered; only a scant dozen children survived to be raised in hiding by their winikin . skyroad—This celestial avenue connected the earth and sky planes, allowing contact between the Nightkeepers and the gods. Since Iago’s destruction of the skyroad, the gods have been unable to directly influence events on earth, giving sway to the demons and tipping humanity’s balance dangerously toward the underworld.

Triad—The last three years prior to December 21, 2012, are known as the triad years. During this time, the Nightkeepers are prophesied to need the help of the Triad, a trio of übermagi created through a powerful spell. writs—Set down by the First Father, these delineate the duties and codes of the Nightkeepers. Not all of them translate well into modern times.

The Nightkeepers and their winikin coyote bloodline—The most mystical of the bloodlines. Coyote-Seven, known as Sven, can move objects with his mind and wears the warrior’s mark. His winikin , the senior statesman Carlos, also watches over Nate Blackhawk. Carlos’s daughter, Cara Liu, is supposed to be serving Sven. Instead, she has returned to the human world. eagle bloodline—A bird bloodline, and therefore connected with the air and flight. The current members of this bloodline include Brandt, his wife, Patience (who has the talent of invisibility), and their twin full-blood sons, Harry and Braden. On the king’s order, Brandt’s and Patience’s winikin , Woody and Hannah, have taken the twins into hiding. harvester bloodline—Although the harvesters most often worked behind the scenes, the bloodline’s last remaining member, Jade, is a spell caster with warrior-level talents. She and her human mate, Lucius, are the guardians of the Nightkeepers’ vital library. hawk bloodline—Also connected with air and flight, this bloodline can be aloof and unpredictable.

Nate Blackhawk, the surviving member of this bloodline, was orphaned young and trusts few. He is a shape-shifter whose potentially destructive power is kept in check by his love for his mate, Alexis, and the steady guidance of his winikin , Carlos. jaguar bloodline—The royal house of the Nightkeepers. The members of this bloodline tend to be loyal and fair-minded, but can be stubborn and often struggle between duty and their own personal desires. The current members of the jaguar bloodline include the Nightkeepers’ king, Strike, and his sisters, Anna and Sasha. Strike is a teleporter, Anna a seer who denies her talents, and Sasha a wielder of the life-giving chu’ul magic. They are protected and guided by the royal winikin , Jox. Strike’s mate and queen, Leah Daniels, is full human, a former Miami-Dade detective who now leads Strike’s royal council. peccary bloodline—The boar bloodline is old and powerful; its members ruled the Nightkeepers before the jaguars came to power. The last surviving member of this bloodline, Rabbit, lives with the stigma of being a half blood, and commands wildly powerful magic. His human lover, Myrinne, is at times a questionable influence. serpent bloodline—The masters of trickery. Newly released from prison, Snake Mendez has not undergone any of the proper ceremonies, yet already wears his Nightkeeper marks and commands some of his powers. His winikin , Louis Keban, is seriously unstable. smoke bloodline—Often seers and prophets. However, the surviving member of this bloodline, Alexis Gray, has shown neither talent. Instead, she wielded the power of the goddess Ixchel, patron of weaving, fertility, and rainbows. With the destruction of the skyroad, she has lost her Godkeeper connection but remains a fierce warrior. stone bloodline—The keepers of secrets. The members of this bloodline are known as great warriors, although the last surviving bloodline member, Michael, is a master of the shield spell as well as the killing silver magic called muk . His winikin , Tomas, and his mate, Sasha, combine to keep him balanced when the deadly magic threatens to tip him toward darkness.