32. Amber

Damien's vampiresenses make him more sensitive to light than the others. It's like the Buddha chose this sun punishment to hurt Damien specifically.

I glance up at the windows.

There has to be something I can do…

Another clang of the gong.

Morgan cries out in pain.

"Damien," the Buddha says when the gong quiets down. "What are the three sacred treasures of Japan that are associated with Amaterasu? Say them in both English and Japanese."

Japanese?

That's not fair. It's a lot harder than the other questions.

But the question's difficulty isn't our biggest problem. Because Damien doesn't stand up. He just stays where he is, on the floor, paralyzed by the light.

Did he even hear the question?

"Damien!" I call out, but it's like he doesn't hear me.

I glance up at the light streaming in through the windows, and it hits me.

What if…?

Not wanting to overthink it, I extend my hand, letting my sun magic flow out of me. I've never used my magic to create shadows before, but now, I reach deep within myself, commanding the light to dim.

At first, I'm not sure it's going to work.

Then, a shadier spot forms around Damien, the harsh beams of light softening into a protective canopy as I reflect them away from him.

The shadow settles around him, and he looks up, his eyes meeting mine. He's squinting—it's going to take time for his eyes to readjust—but at least he seems like he's able to think again.

"Amber…" He gazes around at the shadows blocking the light, then turns back to me. "Thank you."

The air between us hums with tension, but there's no time to dwell on it.

"Save the thanking for later," I say, since I'm already shaking from the effort, knowing I can't hold off the light forever. It's not my light—it's caused by whatever magical force the Buddha invoked. "Answer your question."

"The question." He blinks, and I realize that his senses were so assaulted that he didn't hear the Buddha speak.

The Buddha doesn't repeat himself.

I pull at my mind to remember what he asked.

"What are the three treasures of Japan associated with their sun goddess?" I say, and even though it's not the exact same wording, I hope it's enough. "Say them in both Japanese and English."

He stands and faces the Buddha, looking more determined than ever. "The three sacred treasures of Japan associated with Amaterasu are the mirror, the jewel, and the sword," he says. "Yata no Kagami, Yasakani no Magatama, and Kusanagi no Tsurugi."

The foreign words slide off his tongue as if he was born speaking Japanese.

"Correct," the Buddha says. "Second question: Where is Amaterasu's most important shrine located?"

"The Ise Grand Shrine in Ise, Mie Prefecture."

"Correct again." The Buddha's eyes flicker with approval. "Blaze, you're next."

Blaze steps forward, his palms still covering his eyes, but he doesn't look like he's in as much pain from the light as Damien was.

He answers the first question about the Egyptian god Ra correctly, but stumbles on the second.

"Incorrect," the Buddha says, and then huge insects swarm through the windows, buzzing around us and stinging, making me cry out and lose my hold on the shadows keeping Damien safe from the sun.

Their buzzing is terrifying, and their stings are like fire. I'm shaking, and honestly, I want to collapse to the floor and cry.

But I will not let bugs break me.

I will burn them all.

Fueled by anger, I let my skin radiate with the heat of my sun magic, frying any insect who dares get close to me. Victory surges through me after each one I zap, and I smile at the dead ones piling around my feet, feeling like a bug-killing maniac as I do.

Morgan and Blaze are doing similar things with their fire.

"One minute," the Buddha says, looking to Morgan in such an annoyingly calm way that I want to blast sunlight at his face.

As it is, my heart races from the pressure.

But it's up to Morgan now. Not me.

From the way Morgan's staring at the Buddha, her fire blazing around her as if she's a goddess herself, she might as well be telling him to bring it on.

The gong clangs again, but her flames burn as strong as ever.

Damien, on the other hand, isn't doing nearly as well. He's crouched on the floor in what looks like an unsuccessful attempt to block both the light and the insects, and even though I know it takes nothing less than a blade to the heart to kill a vampire, I can't continue seeing him in this much pain.

I'm ready to release my heat shield and take the assault of the insects so I can create another shadow around Damien, but a breeze stirs around him first.

It grows stronger and stronger, becoming a whirlwind around him that pushes the insects away. He's still on the floor, burying his face in his elbow, but at least he's no longer getting stung.

Pride swells inside me at the strength he's using to do this while in pain from the assaulting light.

"Morgan," the Buddha says. "What was one of the significant ceremonies or rituals dedicated to the Mayan sun god, Kinich Ahau?"

"Bloodletting rituals," she says without a second thought.

Of course. Given she's a blood witch, remembering the answer to something about bloodletting was probably second nature to her.

"Ten seconds," the Buddha says. "What animal is Kinich Ahau often depicted as?"

From the way Morgan's lips curve up into a knowing smirk, I'm positive she's got it.

"A jaguar," she says, and then the insects vanish, the blinding light ceases, and the deafening gong doesn't sound again.

I release my hold on my magic, letting it sink back into my body.

All is quiet. Calm. I brace myself for the clang of the gong again, but it doesn't come.

"Is that it?" I ask the Buddha. "Did we win?"

He doesn't reply.

Instead, a bolt unlocks behind him, and the statue swings open, leading straight into another temple.