“Let’s see, there’s Nakon, god of war, and Ixkakaw—”
“Eesh-ka-kow,” I repeated. “She’s the goddess of chocolate.” Her name came to me because it was fun to say, and because who doesn’t love chocolate?
Brooks’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “How’d you know?”
“That book. You know, the one you said was written by an idiot?”
“Hmm… Anyways, it doesn’t matter which gods Ah-Puch fought. What matters is that he lost and the gods imprisoned him, some other god stole his throne, and then the gods made sure he got a taste of his own medicine.”
“Medicine?”
“Torture, dismemberment, that sort of thing.”
Now I did feel sick.
“So where’s this hidden cave?” Brooks asked.
“But you haven’t told me everything.” I knew in my gut there was more.
She looked around. “Let’s get inside. I promise I’ll tell you the rest.”
I studied her face for an eye twitch or a jaw clench or anything that would tell me I shouldn’t trust her. “How do I know you’re not going to knock me over the head with a rock and drag me to that demon runner?”
Brooks’s nose flared. “I wouldn’t need to get you in the volcano to do that, Zane.” She inched closer. “But if you don’t want to know the truth about your destiny, then…” She shrugged.
Destiny? My guts churned. “If I show you,” I said, “you have to swear that no matter what, you’ll never, ever, ever tell anyone about this cave.”
Brooks’s brows came together. “Zane, I’m a nawal. Our word is stronger than steel. I promise, your secret is safe with me.”
I walked over to the opening, squatted, and removed the branches to reveal the crawlspace.
“I really don’t think we should go in there right this second,” I said.
“How come?”
“Well… because it’s dark, a murderous demon might be waiting in there, and, oh yeah—we could die!”
“I have to see it.” Brooks peered over my shoulder into the darkness. “To make sure this is the right place.”
“I could wait here,” I said, trying to be chill. “Act as the lookout.”
“I get it. You’re scared.”
I didn’t like the way she was looking at me. “I’ve been in there loads of times,” I said with a casual shrug. But that was before all this talk about prophecies and demons and death. “And I’m not scared.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not!” I was totally scared.
“Hate to tell you, but it’s going to get a whole lot worse than this.”
“Right, the second freaky thing. You still haven’t told—”
Brooks plunged ahead, crawling into the dark space.
“Wait!”
She glanced back over her shoulder, and her eyes locked with mine. I definitely didn’t want to go in that dark cave where a demon might be lurking. But I couldn’t let her go alone. That would make me the biggest wimp of all time. Ugh!
Rosie looked up at me with her big brown eyes and let out a little groan like she was saying You can’t be serious.
But this was my volcano, and if we were going to go monster hunting, then I should lead the way. If we had to get outta there fast, I knew the route by heart. “Come on, girl,” I coaxed Rosie as I got down on my hands and knees. “You’ve done this before.”
Brooks allowed Rosie and me to pass in front of her. “How far do we have to crawl?” she asked.
“Just up ahead there’s a chamber where we can stand, and then we can walk the rest of the way.” I clutched my cane as I crawled on all fours through the tight rocky passage. “What exactly are you looking for?” My voice hung in the cool air. “You said you had to be sure this is the place?” I had a gnawing feeling that whatever Brooks was searching for was the same thing the demon runner had been digging for.
A sudden light illuminated the corridor.
I looked over my shoulder. Brooks was holding a mini flashlight that hung from her neck by a black cord. Seeing my surprise, she smiled and said, “I’m always prepared.”
A minute later we came to a twelve-by-twelve chamber where three tunnels branched off in different directions. I got to my feet, wiping my hands on my jeans.
“This place is so cool,” Brooks said, standing. “Which passage do we take to get to the center of the volcano?”
“First things first. We had a deal,” I said. “I gave up my story, and now it’s your turn to spill the rest. You said something about a prophecy?”
“Right. Okay, there was this Great Soothsayer—the first seer of all time. She was very powerful, and her prophecies were never wrong.”
“Is that the second freaky thing?” Dumb question, I know, but a guy could hope.
Brooks tucked a stray hair behind her ear. “Like I told you, Ah-Puch was imprisoned. The gods placed him in a magical artifact they created to make sure he never got out.”
“Okay…”
Rosie sniffed the ground eagerly.
Brooks pointed to the tunnel where Rosie had wandered to. “Let’s take that one.”
“It leads to a dead end,” I said. “That one over there leads to another chamber. But maybe if you told me what we were looking for, I could point us in the right direction.”
With a breathy whisper, Brooks said, “He’s in here.”
I felt woozy. “The demon runner?”
“Ah-Puch.”
“WHAT?” The cavern spun around me. Everything felt so big and real and out of control all of a sudden. Inevitable, like the hands of a clock, turning in a direction I couldn’t stop. “How do you know?” With a quick whistle, I called Rosie to my side.
“It’s perfect, right? Stick the god of death in some artifact laced with magic and bury it in the depths of a volcano that the gods themselves created,” she said. “Did you really think it was an accident you discovered this entrance? It’s destiny, Zane. It tells me the prophecy is real, and it’s happening.”
Rosie broke free of my grip and took off down the corridor that led to a larger chamber. “Rosie!” I hurried after her, catching her in a few strides. “What’s gotten into you, girl?” I tried to tug her back to the first chamber, but she resisted.
Brooks was right behind me, shining her flashlight down the narrow curved passage. “How far does this go?”
“About fifty yards, but I already told you it’s a dead end, and I’m not about to go looking for some god of death and darkness that you think is hidden in this volcano because of some dumb old prophecy.”
“Zane, why do you think the demon runner crashed here?”
“Because they don’t know how to fly planes?”
“Because Puke’s stupid demon runners are loyal pack dogs whose only mission is to serve him, and somehow they learned he was here—” She smacked her palm against her forehead. “That’s it!”
“What? What’s it?”
“You cleared the opening to these caves, right? That allowed Ah-Puch’s distress signals to reach his demon runners.” Her voice was way too eager. “That’s how the demon runner knew to come here!”
So this was my fault? I wondered miserably. I swallowed the fat lump in my throat as I recalled the creepy tracks I’d seen the night of the crash. I told Brooks about them and added the obvious: “The demon runner… he must have tried to find an entrance on foot, and when he couldn’t, he flew the plane into the crater, thinking it would open the volcano so he could find his jefe. Seems like a stupid plan, if you ask me.”
“They aren’t known for their intelligence,” Brooks said. “I mean, they are the lowest-level demons. Their pea-brains are mush compared to a regular demon that can talk to you in full sentences.”
I didn’t think I wanted to meet a regular demon if it could talk to me. Sweat trickled down the back of my neck. “You don’t think that demon runner found its way in here, do you?”
My brain had gone from first to second gear s
o fast I hadn’t noticed Brooks nudging me down the tunnel.
“It’s very likely that it found its way inside,” she said matter-of-factly.
Great. And with my luck, we were heading straight for its giant fangs. I hoped it had already eaten dinner.
“But we would’ve seen the demon’s tracks outside and I didn’t see any, so I bet we’re totally in the clear,” I said, trying to convince myself.
“Except they don’t always walk, Zane.”
I remembered the way the demon runner had vanished into a trail of mist. Rosie groaned like she remembered it, too.
The hairs on my arms stood straight up. “Let’s assume the worst.” My voice came out in a shaky whisper. “Say the demon runner got inside and found this ‘magical artifact.’ Do you… do you think he let Puke out?”
Brooks’s breathing filled the space as she tugged me along. “They don’t have the power to do that.”
“Then why go to all the trouble to find their boss?”
“You ready for the second freaky thing?” she asked.
My stomach clenched and I tried to prepare my mind—what little of it was left. “Bring it.”
“The Great Soothsayer foretold something called the Prophecy of Fire.”
“Okay….”
“She saw…”
I ducked into the narrowest part of the passage. “Saw what?”
“You.”
I spun to face her. “Me?”
“Zane,” Brooks said slowly, “you’re the one who’s going to set Ah-Puch free.”
7
I pushed her flashlight out of my eyes. “Hang on! I don’t care how powerful this soothsayer person was, she was dead wrong. I’d never be stupid enough to let some ugly, hairy, war-hungry monster free!”
“Uh-huh.” Brooks raised one eyebrow. “Well, I never said Ah-Puch was hairy, and the soothsayer was punished for making that prophecy, so I’m pretty sure she was right. I mean, think about it. Why would she risk death for a lie?”
“Death?”
“The gods killed her. I guess they didn’t like what she had to say.”
“Which was what, exactly?”
She lowered her voice to a hush. “That a powerful innocent with ancient blood would be born, and he would release the great god of death, and evil would be unleashed during a solar eclipse.”
Solar eclipse? I thought, with growing dread. There’s supposed to be one tomorrow.
“How exactly does that describe me? That could be anyone.” I wasn’t powerful. Not in the least. And what was up with innocent? I wasn’t Bambi!
Brooks twisted her mouth. “All the clues lead to you.”
“Says who?”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to help you find Ah-Puch’s little hiding place. And once I get my hands on the artifact, I’ll take it far away, and you won’t have to be the guy who ruined the world. Sound good?”
“But maybe the demon runner already took it.” I was rooting for this big-time.
“That’s impossible.”
Of course it was. “Why?”
“The demon runners want you to release Ah-Puch. They’d never take the artifact away from you. Plus, Ah-Puch can only be released at the same place he was buried.”
(You gods really tried to cover all contingencies, didn’t you?)
“What… what happens if Ah-Puch gets free?” I asked. “He’ll cruise back to hell? To reclaim his kingdom and be a king or god of the dead or whatever, right?” My voice echoed through the tunnel.
“Doubt it. When he got locked away, he swore to take revenge on his punishers. After that, he would destroy the whole world.”
Okay… No way I was going to let that happen. “Do you even know what the artifact is?”
“It could be anything. A rock. A statue. A piece of glass.” She looked around. “Don’t worry. You’ll know.”
Heat rushed into my face. “Maybe I’d rather not know.”
“Don’t look so freaked,” she said casually.
Sure, why worry? An ancient god of the dead was locked away in some magical object (which could be anything) in a volcano in my backyard and I was prophesied to let the guy out. Absolutely nothing to fret about.
“And what do you have to do with all this?” I asked, thinking it was about dinnertime or study time or any time that would get me out of here.
“It’s my quest.”
“Quest.”
“To prove myself.”
“To who?”
She tugged on her sleeve and shook her head. “Let’s just say it’s a big deal and I have to succeed, but that doesn’t matter. Right now, all you need to know is that the artifact’s magic will call to you in some way. You’re the only one who can answer it. Understand now?”
“Well, then let’s just leave Puke in here to rot. I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. No need to go looking for the guy.”
Brooks wrinkled her nose, and I could tell I wasn’t going to like whatever she was going to say next. “That’s not how this works. You don’t exactly have a choice. Once the magic calls, you’ll answer.”
“Calls? Like 1-800-MAGIC?”
“Like you’ll sense it somehow.” Brooks searched my face. “You’ll know when the magic summons you… I think. You won’t be able to resist. Even if you tried to, the demon runners would capture you and force you to free Ah-Puch.”
“All I know is that we shouldn’t be here.” My stomach felt like it was churning in a blender. I hated that I wasn’t being given a choice. Whatever. I’d show that ancient soothsayer and Brooks they had it all wrong. I’d block any call that came in from stupid magic.
A terrible guilt gnawed at my insides. Why’d I have to open that stupid pathway into the volcano?
“Why should I believe you?” I blurted out. “How do I even know you’re on the right side of things?”
Brooks’s face fell and I could tell I’d touched a nerve. “You’re right to wonder,” she said. “How could you know I’m a good guy?” Her eyes met mine in the dim light. “As a nawal, I’m naturally loyal. It’s in my DNA. We’re meant to serve the higher good.”
Higher good? I had no idea what she was talking about.
“Zane, think about it. If I wanted Ah-Puch to get free, I’d want you to find him and let him out. But, like I told you, I want to take the artifact away!” She came closer, her face tense and determined. “I come from a world you… you couldn’t possibly understand. Why can’t you just thank me for helping you?”
I didn’t know why, but her words stung. I pivoted and continued into the darkness. “Actually,” I said over my shoulder, “since I’m the only one who can hear the magic call, I think you mean that you should be thanking me.”
Rosie huffed as she padded alongside me.
I patted her head. “You said it, girl. This is nuts.”
We came to a sharp downward slope that opened up into a larger, cavernous space. I’d been here before during my cave explorations, but this time the smell of something rotten choked the usually earth-scented air. My gut was screaming GET OUT!
About twenty feet down was an uneven sandy floor about fifteen feet wide. It branched off into a narrow passage that I knew came to a dead end.
Brooks looked around cautiously. “Holy K,” she whispered.
“K?”
“It’s for Kukuulkaan, supreme god of coolness?” She took in my blank stare and sighed. “Never mind.”
Rosie sniffed the ground and whined.
I followed Brooks down the rocky path, nearly stumbling on loose gravel.
“Okay, nothing’s calling me,” I said cheerfully. “You have the wrong guy. Mistaken identity. Happens all the time. You hungry? Wanna go back for dinner now?”
Brooks looked around anxiously. “Are you sure you don’t sense anything?”
“Very.”
“Like sixty percent, or closer to a hundred?” she asked.
An eerie moaning sound came from the tunnel to our right.
> “Um, make that negative zero percent sure,” I said. “Did you hear that?”
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.
“Or that?”
My eyes darted across the dark space. We definitely weren’t alone. Something was down that tunnel.
Rosie began to dance in place. I hooked my thumb under her collar. “Calm down, girl,” I whispered.
A grunt echoed and was followed by the familiar and disgusting odor of vomit. “You smell that?” I whispered.
“Yup,” Brooks said in a hushed tone. “A ways back.” And with that, she rushed into the tunnel.
“Brooks!” I hissed, trailing her.
When I reached her, she was standing frozen. At the end of the ten-foot passage crouched a demon runner with its back to us. I couldn’t tell if it was the same one from the other night. Its bluish flesh was translucent, with black ropy veins twisting beneath.
The weirdest thing? The monster was wearing a pair of big over-the-ear headphones.
“Demons listen to music?” I whispered.
Thankfully, it hadn’t heard or seen us yet.
Brooks sounded like she might start hyperventilating.
I realized the demon was creating an opening in the wall by methodically removing rocks one at a time and stacking them on the ground. It must have been really tedious work. I hoped the creature’s playlist was a good one, as in calm easy-listening.
Brooks began to back away slowly.
Rosie whimpered, and the demon runner turned its head toward us. It might’ve been my pilot friend, I wasn’t sure. Its eyes were big and fiery, and the clumps of hair on its body were blacker and coarser up close. It looked like a giant angry Brillo pad.
With a pounding heart, I carefully stepped back too, tugging Rosie along. She barked frantically, trying to break free.
The demon growled, sniffed the air, and took a step toward us, then another, matching my pace as it turned its head to one side like it was studying me.
“Uh, we were just leaving,” I said shakily.
The demon kept coming. I so badly wanted to turn and bolt, but I worried that any sudden movements would send this thing into killing mode.
We backed into the chamber. “Move out of the way, Zane,” Brooks said, sidestepping me.
The Storm Runner Page 5