The Shadow Crosser (The Storm Runner 3)

I was flooded with relief. “He moved,” I said as Brooks changed into her human form. I was glad there were only a few loiterers on the beach, far away and not looking in our direction.

“He’s buried!” Brooks shouted as she ran across the sand. “Over here.”

We all followed as she made her w

ay to Marco. His face still poked out of the sand, and his eyes were closed. When we approached, he opened them, and they went wide. With one mighty heave, he launched himself out of his makeshift grave. Then he danced around us, fists up. Thankfully, the time rope was still gripped in his hand.

“You can’t have it!” he shouted with crazed eyes.

“What’s the dude’s deal?” Jazz asked.

The devourer studied Marco’s face. Her scaly skin looked slick in the moonlight. “He’s in shock,” she said with a voice as soft as velvet. It wasn’t the sound I expected from the Mexica goddess, who did kind of resemble Jabba the Hutt.

I wished she could expel the gods right then and there, but we had agreed that they should be released in the future they came from.

With her hands out in front of her, Ren approached Marco slowly, carefully. While Marco’s attention was on Ren, Rosie came up from behind and began licking the back of his neck.

I thought Marco would scream or try to fight, but instead he collapsed to his knees. After a few seconds of catching his breath, he looked up at us with calmer eyes. “You guys took too long.”

“Are you okay?” Brooks asked.

“Okay?” Marco repeated. “This stupid rope has a mind of its own and…” His gaze landed on Jazz. “Can we just go home?”

Jazz started to say something, when Adrik closed the distance.

“Wait!” Brooks said, stepping between them. She whispered to Adrik, “Can you let him keep one memory? Of when you told him about his future?”

Adrik shrugged. “I can try.”

“Thanks for everything, Jazz,” I told my future giant friend. “You’re a real hero.”

He beamed and stood three feet taller. “Will I see you guys again?”

“You can count on it,” Brooks said with a knowing grin.

We all hooked arms. I kept one hand on Rosie. Adrik turned to Jazz, blew a breath toward the boy, and said, “Remember the demon-burning flashlight, Mr. Inventor.”

And just as his words landed, the rope tugged us back to the present.

We stepped into the Old World, keeping a strong hold on one another. Sharp branches stabbed at our arms, necks, and faces as we weaved through a tight path toward the place where we had left Hondo.

He wasn’t alone.

The Sparkstriker stood over his slumped form.

“Hurry!” the Sparkstriker said. That’s when I saw she was carrying Itzamna’s sunglasses.

Hondo, shivering and moaning, still held tight to the thread. I rushed over and jerked it out of his hands. The rope burned my palm as I tossed it away. It ricocheted off the metallic trees with a loud snap and burned itself into the sand.

“Hondo!” I pried off the warrior mask, and it turned to ash. Beneath it was the face of an old man—wrinkled and hollow, sunken and sickly. His eyes stared off into space like his mind was gone.

Everything inside me turned to mush.

Brooks was instantly at my side. Rosie was right behind her, and she immediately began licking Hondo, trying to heal him. But he stayed the same zoned-out old man.

“Why isn’t it working?” I choked out.

Panic dug its stupid claws into me as Ren ran up. Waves of fear and pity washed over her face as she stooped in front of Hondo and gripped his hand. Tears sprang to her eyes. “Come back to us,” she whispered.