The Storm Runner

by J. C. Cervantes

  Hurakan narrowed his glare. He tried to come closer, but he couldn’t before red snakes curled around his ankles and wrists and formed chains, shackling him.

  With a sigh, Mat shook his head and said to him, “You know the consequences.”

  Hurakan didn’t even flinch.

  “You are to be sentenced by Old World laws,” Mat said to Hurakan.

  I could tell by the look on Mat’s face that his heart wasn’t in his words. He was going through the motions because he had to. But why not stand up to the other gods? Was he trying to protect Pacific?

  Alom said, “What about the boy? The law is the law. He has to die.”

  Ixkakaw nodded in agreement, as did Nakon.

  “If he’s going to die anyway,” Ixtab said, “then let’s use him. Let’s see if he can defeat Ah-Puch. No sense in all of us getting our hands dirty if we don’t have to.”

  Hurakan said coolly, “Let him fight.”

  “Good idea,” Ah-Puch agreed. “He wins, and you can all go home. I win, and we can prepare for war.” Then, with a shrug, he added, “What beautiful irony, Hurakan. A war with your son fighting at my side!”

  Hurakan’s eyes changed from gold to black as he searched my face. You know what to do.

  No! I don’t know what to do, and in case you haven’t noticed, I’m sort of paralyzed right now.

  Find the source.

  No more words were spoken. Instead, there was an image. Had Hurakan put it in my mind, or had I conjured it up?

  I couldn’t move, couldn’t fight, couldn’t do anything. But I had the jade. I understood what I had to do.

  As Puke’s grip tightened around my neck, I heard a low growl behind us. When Ah-Puch turned, Rosie released a mouthful of fire. I drew it to me as I envisioned the Empty.

  41

  I didn’t know if it would work, if I could travel to the Empty with Ah-Puch, but it was my last option. I floated in emptiness, spinning in a void of black. Then came a long tunnel of white mist. When I felt a familiar bounce, I opened my eyes. The sea, the pyramid, the jungle were all there, exactly as I’d left them. I sprang to my jaguar paws. I’d made it!

  I didn’t celebrate for long, because Rosie’s fire burned hot inside of me and because I heard a sickening hiss coming from inside the temple. I instinctively crouched. From the moonlit shadows came a monstrous blackish-green snake the size of Jazz. Of course Ah-Puch would inhabit the body of a giant snake when he spirit-jumped here. Whitish liquid oozed from between its scales, and when it dripped to the floor, it… it turned into maggots. Writhing, slimy, disgusting maggots. No wonder the guy reeked!

  “Little godborn,” Ah-Puch hissed as he slithered toward me. His slitted eyes blazed red. His yellow fangs glistened in the moonlight. “You think you’re very smart, don’t you?”

  Man, I was so hoping he’d turn up as a lizard or maybe even an ant. I inched back, remembering what Hurakan had said: that the Empty was his creation, made of his power and his magic. A place where the other gods’ powers couldn’t follow.

  Ah-Puch’s nostrils flared. “Do you like my chosen form?”

  “A goat would’ve been better.”

  He reared up, showing me the maggoty red scales of his underbelly. “If I had hands, I’d applaud you, little godborn. I mean, it was a clever plan to bring me here.” His forked tongue flicked, like it was sniffing the air. “Is that it? You think you can trap me in this place?”

  “Maybe,” I said defensively, hoping his tongue couldn’t sense my lie. Trapping him here wouldn’t be enough. It wouldn’t break our connection. “You can’t destroy the real world from here.” I backed up slowly, my senses on fire, but definitely more controlled.

  “Is that what you think?” he sneered. “That it’s me and me alone? Do you really believe I’m the only one who wants to destroy your pathetic world?” He let out a cruel laugh that echoed across the stone buildings. “You’re so naive, just like your father. He thought I didn’t know he was trying to undermine me at every turn. But here’s a little secret, godborn: You are the catalyst! You are the reason the world will end.”

  It felt like the black sky was pressing down on me. “Wha… what’re you talking about?”

  “Even if you defeat me, the gods will never allow you to live. They’ll never allow a new race of gods.” He lowered his head to the stone floor, coiling his tail slowly. “It threatens our powers, creates unbalance. So I used you for my own gain. Imagine what a wonderful surprise it was for me to discover that you’re a godborn. You really think I couldn’t detect your father’s power racing through you?”

  He paused, as if he thought I would respond, but I had nothing to say to this snake.

  He continued, “Those on my side appreciated knowing there was a godborn among us, but I kept your identity to myself. I claimed I had no idea who your parent was, because that would sow mistrust, fighting, and paranoia among the gods. And once I’d created that little breeding ground, they did all the heavy lifting. I simply had to sit back and watch. So you see, Zane Obispo, you were the most glorious surprise of all.”

  An angry growl erupted from my throat as my back paws came to the edge of the stairs. I took deep breaths, trying to restrict the heat inside my veins that was threatening to explode any second.

  “So, Zane, whether you keep me here or not,” he added, “the gods will kill your father. Do you want to know what happens after that?”

  “You turn into a cockroach at midnight?”

  His eyes hardened. “You should be thanking me for not revealing your secret. But I didn’t do it for you. I figured I’d put those powers to good use, because in the end, Zane, they won’t help you defeat me. You see, you’re a little half-breed nothing now. You need training, guidance, a god to teach you. But with your old man on death row, and the other gods wanting you dead, that training will be hard to come by. Join me and I’ll help you attain more power than you ever imagined.”

  I teetered on the edge of the stairs, thinking I’d had enough of everyone’s deals. “I’ve got a better idea,” I said. “How about you release me and I won’t have to kill you?”

  He let out a twisted laugh and inched closer. “Spoken like a true weakling. Once Hurakan is dead, this place will die, too. And with nothing left here to trap me, I’ll head off to the underworld and I’ll take back what’s mine. So, any way you look at it, I win.”

  I crouched lower, thinking about all the insults kids at school had thrown at me: Uno, McGimpster, Freak. How I’d hidden out at home because I didn’t want to face them. Weakling. I thought about how the gods had been manipulating me this whole time. Little half-breed nothing.

  Then I pictured all the people who had my back—my family, my friends both new and old—and how they deserved my loyalty and protection. These thoughts expanded like the fire burning inside of me until I couldn’t contain it all anymore.

  I knew Ah-Puch’s blind spot. The one thing he hadn’t considered. “You’ve overlooked something,” I growled.

  “What’s that?”

  “I am Zane Obispo, the Storm Runner. I didn’t bring you here to trap you.” My voice thundered. “I came here to kill you!”

  Before he could react, I struck the first blow, launching myself onto his neck as we hurtled over the step’s edge, down, down, down. We spiraled through a muddle of thick jungle and black skies. As I sank my teeth into his slimy scales, I prayed that he didn’t bleed maggots.

  He did.

  They poured into my mouth as he screamed.

  At the bottom, we came apart. Me spitting up vomit-flavored worms, him coiling tightly, getting ready to strike. Before he lunged at me, I leaped up, and his open jaws chomped only air. As I came out of a midair spin, he wrapped his tail around my back legs and pulled hard, slamming my head against the ground. Shock waves rolled over me. He was too big and too strong. Even without his god powers.

  I slashed his tail with my claws, still resisting the urge to use fire. He released me and retreated. I
n one swift move, I catapulted over him and took off running. I was as fast as the lightning shredding the dark sky. Flashes of white lit up the Empty.

  “Run, little godborn. But I’ll catch you no matter how far you go!”

  I heard Puke slithering behind me. It would’ve been so easy for me to go back to the Old World and leave him here. But what was the point? One way or another I would eventually have to face him.

  Then Hurakan’s whispering voice found me. You have the blood of a destroyer. Destroy him, Zane.

  Oh sure, easy for him to say, Mr. Destroyer himself. “I didn’t exactly take God Destruction 101!” I shouted into the night.

  The fire burned so hot inside me I thought I might explode. Ah-Puch was only a few feet behind me, and his monstrous hiss seemed to come at me from every direction. I didn’t stop running. Couldn’t stop.

  There! Through those trees, a small clearing. The rippling air of the void was just beyond. All I had to do was get to the edge of what looked like an ordinary cliff from here. Increasing my speed, taking giant leaps, I finally reached my destination and spun to face the god of darkness, death, and destruction.

  Ah-Puch’s giant body heaved. His eyes blazed with so much hate I thought it might swallow me whole. He slithered toward me confidently as I backed up slowly, balancing on the edge of the abyss with perfect precision. It was like walking on the rim of the Beast back home.

  “Join me, Zane. I can show you the full extent of your powers.”

  “How about I show you my power?”

  He bared his fangs and hissed, “You will always be pathetic and weak!”

  “And you’ll always be one step behind!”

  He sprang. All my instincts told me to pivot out of his way, let his momentum hurtle him into the abyss. But to break our connection, I had to be the one to end him. It had to be by my hand—or in this case, paw. I held my ground, waiting for the precise moment. I said a silent good-bye to Mom and Brooks, Hondo, and Rosie. The moment his razor-sharp fangs sank into my shoulder, I grabbed hold of him and launched us both into the black hole.

  There was biting, snarling, and clawing. A terrible pain radiated through my whole body.

  “Do you like my venom?” Ah-Puch hissed. I started to black out as his tail coiled around my back legs. We plummeted into a bitter pool of nothingness. I looked up at the moon that was getting smaller and smaller.

  Ah-Puch constricted further. If I didn’t stop him, I’d be overpowered in a matter of seconds. I let out an earsplitting roar, so loud it shook the abyss. Tighter and tighter he squeezed, crushing my ribs, smothering my lungs.

  I’d always hoped my last thoughts would be of something good, like the first time I saw Brooks’s smile, or the way Rosie’s brown eyes shone even in the dark. But when you’re about to die, all you can think about is not dying. Or, in my case, how rotten it was to be choked by a giant maggot-breeding serpent in a black hole.

  The fire will do as you command.

  My skin burned. Embers glowed right beneath the surface. Finally I released it. Massive flames engulfed me.

  Ah-Puch screamed, and his grip loosened, allowing me to suck in a huge gulp of air. I slipped a front leg free, then my whole upper body. With one last roar, I swiped fiery claws across his scaly face, slashing his eyes. He drew back and I managed to corkscrew out of his grasp. With all the strength I had left, I thrust him downward with the power of my back legs.

  “Adiós, Puke,” I snarled.

  The last thing I saw was a fire-eaten monster serpent spiraling into the vortex, hissing, “I’ll come for you.”

  42

  I woke up lying on a stone slab in a cold dark chamber. There were rusty iron bars on the door, and beyond that was a gloomy hall that smelled of moldy cheese. Wall torches cast long flickering shadows across the darkness. The clanging of metal on stone rang through the place, along with moans, groans, and an occasional Kill me now, which was followed by You’re already dead.

  Crap! Was I dead? This had to be Xib’alb’a.

  As if I’d summoned her with that thought, Ixtab appeared in front of the bars, holding a piece of paper and a pen. “Stand in the presence of a goddess!”

  I got to my feet awkwardly. “What… what happened? Where am I? Where are my friends?”

  “Shut up and listen,” she said. “You’re my pet now. This is your cell, and once you’ve paid your penance to the gods, you’ll join the others in pounding stone day and night until your bones turn to dust.”

  “Penance? But… I—I killed the Stinking One!” I cleared my dry throat. “Shouldn’t that count for, like, early release or something?”

  She grunted, then slipped the paper through the bars. “You will write your pathetic little story on this, and it will serve as a warning to all the gods. About what happens to those who break the Sacred Oath. And to any human who chooses to defy the gods. Don’t try to lie. The paper will know if you are telling the truth or not.”

  Magic paper. Great! Would it know if I exaggerated a little? “And if I don’t feel writing anything?”

  “You’ll be fed to the hellhounds, one piece at a time.”

  Hellhounds! Was Rosie around here somewhere?

  “Could I see my dog, at least?”

  She thrust the pen at me. “Get to work.”

  I took the pen and the tissue-thin paper. “It’s kind of a long story—could take a while.” I wasn’t in any hurry to start pounding stone until my bones turned to dust.

  “You have one day.”

  I looked at the flimsy paper. “This… this is just one sheet. I guess you want the SparkNotes version?”

  “The paper will multiply as needed. It comes from Itzam-yée’.”

  “Itzam who?”

  “The Serpent Bird.”

  That triggered my memory. “He has something to do with the World Tree, right?” Maybe she’d be impressed with my mad Maya history skills.

  With an annoyed exhale, she said, “He sits on top of it, can see all of creation, and is the greatest master of sorcery and magic this world has ever known.”

  “Right, that serpent bird,” I said. “Just wanted to be sure.”

  My heart sank. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. I’d killed the worst god of all time, and this was how the gods thanked me? And what about Hurakan and Brooks and Hondo and—

  Ixtab turned to walk away.

  “Wait!”

  When she looked over her shoulder, I said, “If I’m in Xib’alb’a… does that mean…?”

  She gave me a wicked smile. “Yes, Zane Obispo. You’re dead.”

  The End

  POSTSCRIPT

  Don’t panic. That’s not how my story ends. But I couldn’t write any more down, because I would’ve had to lie to protect myself, and the magic paper would have… Huh. I’m not sure what it does when you try to make stuff up.

  Anyway, everything up until now is absolutely true. So’s this next part. But I can’t let the gods see it. They can never know the whole story.

  When I was finally done writing, Ixtab took me from that cell down a putrid-smelling corridor and into a small living room with gold-papered walls, expensive-looking paintings, a black leather wingback chair, two gray velvet sofas, and a glass coffee table covered in fashion magazines.

  “Congratulations, little godborn,” Ixtab said, smiling. “You actually did it!”

  Confused didn’t even begin to cover it. “What… what are you talking about? I thought…”

  “Well, quit thinking!” With the wave of her hand, Ixtab changed, as in went from creepy goddess of death to magazine cover model. She wore leather cargo pants with too many zippers to count, a white silk blouse, and a Maya medallion on a long gold chain. Her hair morphed from demon-blue to honey brown with streaks of blond. Even her nasty gray teeth were a sparkling white. Definitely an improvement!

  She sat down in the wingback chair and spread her arms wide. “Do you like it? It’s one of my private chambers in Xib’alb’a. I
t used to be so drab and depressing, but I’ve really livened it up, don’t you think? The gold wallpaper is all the way from India. And see that skull painting? O’Keeffe, from your neck of the woods.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said, still feeling dazed. Good enough for HGTV, I thought, looking around. That’s when I noticed blueprints on easels set up on the other side of the room. There were swatches of fabric, paint samples, and photos attached to the boards with big block lettering: phase i, phase ii, and so on. I started again with the most obvious question: “What happened to my having to pound stones and—”

  “Calm down. You’re not dead,” she said too casually. “I snatched you out of that fire pit you created. Thankfully, you being part god, the snake venom didn’t kill you.”

  She raised her brows expectantly.

  “Er… thanks?” I said.

  “Don’t you see? I had to give you a good ending. Or, I should say, an ending the gods would approve of. This way they think you received your just reward by dying in battle.”

  My heart skipped to a quick little beat: not-dead, not-dead, not-dead. Okay, so now that that little detail was out of the way… “I don’t get it. Wha… what happened?”

  “Well, you managed to rid the world of You-Know-Who, and the war god, Nakon, rounded up Ah-Puch’s little pawns, including the Yant’o Triad. And when the gods found out about the hero twins’ manipulation and lies? Well, let’s just say those boys are getting their just deserts.” She sighed. “Don’t worry, Ah-Puch’s groupies can’t try anything without his power. So it looks like we averted a war. For now—which is a good thing, because this renovation is taking much longer than I expected.”

  No war. Bad guys caught. Puke spinning in darkness forever. So far, so good.

  “Where… where are my friends and…Hurakan?”

  The sounds of jackhammers and electric saws started up right outside the massive wood doors. “Pardon the noise,” Ixtab said, raising her voice. She ignored my question and motioned for me to hand over the manuscript. “By the way,” she said, flipping through the pages, “Itzam gifted you this paper from the World Tree.”