The Fire Keeper (The Storm Runner 2)

I had just melted the twins’ stage set, and these bats were snoozing away like they were hibernating. Could we be so lucky?

As much as I wanted to call out to my uncle, to Brooks, and to the godborns, I couldn’t risk waking up King Batman.

Marco caught my eye. He was clutching his screwdriver like a knife and jabbing it in the air, pointing at the bats.

Wait a second. Why would he want to kill the bats? Wasn’t he on the twins’ side? Hadn’t he morphed his face to look like Brooks just to throw me off guard?

I shook my head and held my finger to my lips in a be-quiet gesture.

He frowned and stuck the tool into the keyhole, making the metal clang. He stilled immediately.

We all glanced up. The bats didn’t stir.

Serena drew her hands to her mouth and quickly extended them out, fingers spread, like she was miming breathe fire, or maybe it was I’m going to vomit. The others followed her lead, and before I knew it, all the godborns were sweeping their hands in the air, clutching their throats, fake-dying, and desperately pointing at the creatures.

I leaned closer to the redheaded girl in the cage next to mine and whispered, “How could you ally yourself with the twins?”

She jerked backward and gave me a what-the-Xib’alb’a-are-you-talking-about? look. “We’re prisoners.”

“Really?” I said in a sarcastic voice so low I wasn’t sure she would hear me. “Because that Marco guy changed his face, and Serena over there tried to kill me with a snake, and…” I looked around for Louie. His cage was right next to mine on the other side. He stood in the corner and kicked the dirt mindlessly. “He made it rain.”

“What are you talking about?” The girl looked at the others, confused. “We’ve been stuck in these cages.”

Was she telling the truth? Had Jordan and Bird used clones to trick me into believing the godborns were against me? Was everything I’d seen just another sick little magic show they had made up?

I thought I’d been afraid earlier. But that was nothing compared to the cold terror pressing on my bones now. And not because of the very likely possibility I might get eaten by a giant bat with a human face, but because people were depending on me. I’d been so confident I could do this, sure I could save my dad and the godborns. They were all looking at me expectantly, like Are you listening? You’re the guy who got us into this mess, so get us out. Only problem was, I had no idea how. I’d melted the prison walls, but I still couldn’t melt these blasted bars. The twins hadn’t lied about one thing: no Maya powers were going to unlock these cages.

As I was racking my brain over how we were going to escape the bat-god-guarded junkyard and get to the execution before my dad’s head rolled, the air rippled about ten feet away from me. And there, next to a taxi with a busted-out windshield, a gateway opened, and out stepped the most unlikely allies: Ren, Ah-Puch, and my faithful hellhound.

I nearly shouted Ren’s name but stopped myself just in time. Thankfully, her eyes found mine. I pointed at wannabe Batman with one hand, and with the other, I pressed my finger to my lips.

Everyone’s gaze floated up. Ren’s eyes widened. Rosie started to growl, but Ren petted her flank and whispered something, quieting her.

Do NOT wake him, she mouthed to me.

Ya think? I mouthed back.

The trio navigated the metal minefield stealthily, trying to avoid kicking hubcaps, carburetors, or any other metal junk that would make a noise.

Ah-Puch looked frail and weathered, like he could blow away on a light gust.

Once they got to my cage, the god of death whispered, “You’re a lot more trouble than you’re worth.”

I gripped their shoulders.

My telepathic voice was a rush of panic that to me sounded like coherent sentences but probably came out more like Brooks…Hondo…evil twins…godborns…trap…execution. Hurry!

Ah-Puch’s jaw clenched.

The hero twins? Ren looked at the other cages and a tortured look passed over her face. Zane, we need to—

A tall girl with short brown hair, a face full of freckles, and a fuzzy pink sweater sneezed.

We all froze. The crane screeched as it moved slightly in the wind.

Ren looked at Ah-Puch. His bald head was bent to one side and his shoulders sagged like he had no bones to hold him up. Do you have enough strength to open these cages? Ren asked him with a note of sadness, and urgency.

He can’t help, I said before the god of death could answer. The twins put a no-Maya-magic security system on the cages. I…I melted their pretend world, but I couldn’t destroy the cage.