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The alux dangled its legs casually over Mom’s shoulders like it was just some kid on a stroll through the park.
“Please,” Mom begged. “Leave my son alone!”
The alux jerked Mom’s head back by her hair and mimicked her desperate voice. “‘Leave my son alone!’” Then it focused its wicked beady eyes on me. “What’re you going to do?” The creature pretended to tremble. “Hit me with your cane?” It smiled. “My job is becoming way too easy. Sent to kill a half-breed nothing of a—”
Mom growled, “That ‘half-breed’ is the son of—”
A loud kee-eeeee-arr interrupted her, and Brooks the hawk swooped down, picking up the monster by the back of its neck. It kicked and screamed, clawing at her with its gnarled hands. Brooks shook it hard like it was her mouse prey and she was trying to break its neck.
The alux snarled as Brooks took it higher and higher, spinning in circles so fast that even I got dizzy.
I raced toward my mom. Her neck was bleeding, but the cut wasn’t deep.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She pressed her fingers to her wound. “I’m fine. Just a scratch.”
Brooks let out a horrible screech, but I couldn’t see her anywhere. Was she all right? I hobbled across the field, weaving between the cows, wishing I could fly, too.
Then came the sound of bones breaking. Monster bones, I hoped.
11
Brooks circled above and the moonlight caught the tips of her widespread wings. It was an awesome sight.
Mom glanced around. “What happened to the alux?”
“Brooks took care of it,” I answered with a goofy sort of smile. Ms. Cab had said nawals were tricksters, but she had to be wrong, because Brooks had just saved our lives.
Mom looked utterly confused. “The girl from school?”
“She’s… she’s sort of a hawk.” I pointed to the sky.
“Hawk?” Mom looked up, mouth agape.
“She’s a shape-shifter.”
“Shape-shifter… Okay…” Mom narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on, Zane? What aren’t you telling me?”
What was I not telling her? How is it moms always know how to turn the tables?
Before I could answer, Brooks landed in hawk form next to us. The air shimmered and she was human again. “You guys okay?”
I nodded. “How’d you find us?”
Brooks blushed. Actually blushed! “Hawks have exceptional hearing. And eyesight. Superior to every animal in the world,” she said. “Makes tracking pretty easy.”
She’d been following me and didn’t want to admit it. Being the nice guy I am, I let her off the hook. I mean, since my mom was there and everything.
“Th-thank you,” Mom stuttered, looking a little stunned.
“You totally got rid of that thing!” I said.
“The little monsters hate heights,” she said casually. “Best way to take care of them is to… are you sure you want to know?”
I rolled my eyes. I’d killed a demon runner! Or had she forgotten?
Brooks said, “I snapped its neck and dropped it into a den of coyotes.”
