The Fire Keeper (The Storm Runner 2)

“We could have died!” I shouted.

“But you didn’t. Plus, having the battle in the open water kept us out of the gods’ field of vision. All we need is those idiots descending upon us. Then you really will die.”

Ren inched closer to Ah-Puch. “You said we could trust you. No more tricking us so you can drink blood. And no more asking us to follow you, because we won’t.”

Ah-Puch clenched his jaw.

“And you…” Ren swung her gaze my way. “You were

like a walking wall of fire, and that smoke—it…it protected me.”

I glanced down at my fingertips, shaking my head. “Yeah, I don’t know where that came from.”

“Oh, I don’t know…maybe because you’re the son of fire?” Ah-Puch said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Son of the creator and destroyer.”

Maybe it was the adrenaline, but I felt invincible, like I could seriously take on an entire army of demons or bats or…whatever. “Except I can’t control it,” I mumbled, thinking no one heard me.

Until Ah-Puch said, “You will.”

I stared at him in surprise, wondering what he knew that I didn’t.

Ren’s gaze fell to the dead creatures scattered around our feet. “I sort of feel sorry for them.”

Was she serious? “They tried to kill us!” I reminded her.

“I know, but maybe we should toss them overboard. Like, give them a proper burial at sea or something.”

Rosie groaned like she didn’t think the little monsters deserved anything other than what they got. She stood at attention as the last traces of the sun melted into the sea.

“What are they?” I asked Ah-Puch.

“A specific variety of magic,” Ah-Puch said, “that I haven’t tasted in a thousand years. Quite a delicacy.”

“Why were those monsters here?” I said. “How did they even find us?”

Ren cleared her throat. “They came to steal me.”

I jerked my attention back to her. “How do you know?”

“Because they kept trying to lift me up.” She narrowed her cool eyes. “I think they’re the same monsters as the ones the other night, back in Sievers Cove.”

Ah-Puch started up the boat and turned us back toward shore. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to take a shower, order chef service, and get into a nice clean suit before I tell you a sordid tale about the bats.”

“I like sordid,” Ren said way too enthusiastically.

“Er…I don’t have enough money for chef service,” I said. “Maybe some tacos?”

A slow grin spread across Ah-Puch’s face. “We don’t need money.”

* * *

We returned the boat to the dock where we’d found it (Ren was a good influence on the god of death) and grabbed a taxi. As soon as we were inside the car, Ah-Puch told the driver “Take us to the most opulent resort in town.” Rosie was too big to fit into the backseat, so she ran alongside the cab. A few minutes later, we had zipped through the colorful bustling town and into a torch-lit tunnel dotted with chandeliers. Emerging from it felt like coming out of a long dream. Rocky hills surrounded us, and the turquoise sea stretched across the horizon as palm trees swayed like they were waving hello. A line of staff waited at the entrance of what looked like a Mediterranean mansion.

Ah-Puch smiled. “Yes, this will do quite nicely.”

“Nicely?” Ren’s mouth fell open. “This is, like, better than a castle or the White House or…Check out the view and—”

“And we need to hurry,” I said, reminding them we weren’t here on some vacation. I had to find the Fire Keeper. But even I was having a hard time not being totally impressed.