“It’s the best I could do on short notice,” he explains. “Whenever a new monsterslayer and born for water are awakened, I usually try to splurge on a banner, streamers, a few party hats.”
“Whoa, back up. A monster what? And a born for who?” Mac asks, flabbergasted.
“Ah, I get it,” Davery says. “Monsterslayer”—he points at me—“and Born for Water”—he points at Mac. “You’re not quite twins, but you’re pretty close.”
“Ten months!” Mac pronounces triumphantly.
“Maybe you should start from the beginning, Mr. Yazzie,” I say.
The lizard clears his throat. “It is said that, long ago, Changing Woman created the first four Diné clans from her own skin.”
“The Diné. That’s us,” Davery whispers to me.
“I know that!” I snap.
“But she looked around and saw that there were many monsters who threatened her people. So Changing Woman gave birth to twin boys, Monsterslayer and Born for Water, to protect the Diné.”
“The Diné. That’s us,” I whisper to Mac.
He rolls his eyes.
“Enduring many trials and hardships, the Hero Twins did just that,” Mr. Yazzie continued. “And ever since, whenever the world has been threatened by monsters, new heroes have arisen. Descendants who have inherited the twins’ special powers as well as the responsibility to fight evil.”
“And this time it’s us?” Mac asks excitedly.
Mr. Yazzie nods.
Mac lets out a whoop. “We’re going to be superheroes!”
So it’s true. Mac and I are related to the legendary Hero Twins.
I give Mr. Yazzie a smile, despite the fact that my insides are curling in worry. I’ve been waiting my whole life to be chosen for something, to stand out as someone special. But now that we’re in this for real, with my father’s life at stake and my little brother facing physical danger, it isn’t what I was expecting. Like the time Dad promised he would get mint chocolate chip ice cream on his way home from work, but the store was out of that flavor, so he came home with vanilla and some off-brand chocolate syrup instead. Still good, but not exactly great.
“Didn’t you tell me before that the heroes who fight monsters”—I shoot a look at Mac and choose my words carefully—“er…sometimes fail?” I ask Mr. Yazzie.
“It is true that this is a very dangerous mission you two have been given, and there are no guarantees of success. But you must fight regardless. There is no other way.”
“I’m still willing to fight,” I assure Mr. Yazzie, “but I want Mac to know what he’s getting into.” I turn to him. “This isn’t a video game we’re talking about, bro.”
The light of excitement in Mac’s eyes has been replaced with a steeliness that surprises me. “I know it’s dangerous, Z,” he says, “but when I used the water against Adrien and those other guys, it felt…”
“Right?” I prompt.
“Natural?” offers Davery.
“It felt awesome!” Mac finishes. “I want to do more of that. I’m in! Hero Twins power!” he shouts, throwing his hands up.
I grin, feeling better. Like the cart lady’s song said, I am not alone.
“I’m in, too,” says Davery.
“No, Davery,” I say. “You don’t have to be involved in this. You’ve already done—”
He holds up a palm to stop me. “Hey, I’m half-Diné, aren’t I? I care about our people’s future. And if I remember correctly, that cart lady gave you three lunches, not just two. So clearly I’m supposed to be involved.”
As usual, my best friend makes a good argument, leaving me speechless. I give him a big smile of gratitude.
Then I look to the horned toad, who is nodding in approval. “Mr. Yazzie, I remembered what you told me about asking Na’ashjéii Asdzáá for a map to the House of the Sun. Davery and I looked her up on the internet and found out she lives at Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly. So we bought train tickets to the closest town, Gallup. And I swear we got on the right train, but now…” I gesture around helplessly.
“Very good initiative, Nizhoni!” Mr. Yazzie says. “You’re a natural at this, I see.”
“Oh.” That cheers me up even more, and Davery gives me an encouraging smile. I might be hero material yet!
Mr. Yazzie continues, “I took the liberty of informing the Diyin Dine’é of our destination, and they redirected the train. No need to be alarmed.”
“You can talk to the Holy People?” Davery asks.
“Of course. So can you.”
All three of us stare at him, mouths open.
Mr. Yazzie smiles. “Who do you think you were talking to at the train station?”
“You mean the cart lady, right?” I thought so. “That’s how she knew our names.”
“And how much I like Cheetos,” Mac adds.
“And that I’m lactose intolerant,” Davery remarks, holding up his grape soda pop can.
“The tricky part is that the Holy People don’t always answer, or at least not in ways that you might recognize,” says Mr. Yazzie. “But they are always there.”
Always there…just like the monsters. “Can you tell us more about Mr. Charles?” I ask. “What kind of creature he is, and how we can defeat him?” And what he might do to my dad, I think. But Mac still doesn’t know the whole truth, so I keep that part to myself.
“I believe Mr. Charles is related to a nasty kind of monster called a bináá’ yee aghání. These are vicious bird creatures that the original Monsterslayer imprisoned at Tsé Bit’a’í, the volcanic pillar now called Shiprock. Mr. Charles is a shape-shifter, so he can take on the form of these birds, or he can look human, as you have already seen.”
“Does he have scales underneath his skin?” Mac asks eagerly. “Tentacles?”
“All of those and more, should he wish it,” Mr. Yazzie says somberly. “He is very powerful and quite evil. He and his kind will not be happy until they have destroyed the land. He must be stopped.”
And I’m the one who must stop him, I think with a slightly terrified gulp. I’m up for the challenge, and glad to have Mac and Davery and Mr. Yazzie to help me, but I’m still scared.
As if sensing my worry, Davery pats me encouragingly on the shoulder.
“There’s only three of them,” says Mac. “We can take ’em, easy.”
“It’s only Charles and his two henchmen for now,” Mr. Yazzie says. “But if he isn’t stopped, he will free his kin, and they will try to break out the other monsters that are imprisoned beneath the earth. Once they are released, I’m afraid it will be too late.”
“Too late?” I ask. “Too late for what?”
“To save the planet. They are devourers, you see. They will not stop until they have consumed every patch of ground and every drop of water, and pulled the guts of Mother Earth from the inside for their own uses.”
Mac gnaws on the side of his thumb and says, “That’s bad.”