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I had an urge to launch myself down the steps and race through the jungle. I wanted to test these powerful legs and blow off steam, steam that had been building with the discovery of every stupid secret that had kept me in the dark for so long.
“Even I couldn?
?t interrupt your destiny.” He blinked and stalked past me coolly. “Let me help you now.”
“I already have a plan.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’m going to use a deadly pepper.” Okay, that sounded even lamer out loud. “And I… I’m going to ask the twins how they defeated Ah-Puch.”
He turned to face me. “They were smart….”
“Yeah, well, so am I.” Why did I feel like I had to prove myself to him? He didn’t even care about me!
Hurakan swiped a paw through the air and snarled. “If you would let me finish,” he said. “Yes, they used their minds and their cunning. But, Zane, they are unlikely to help you.”
“How would you know? Can you see the future?” It was a good plan. They were totally going to be grateful when I told them Ah-Puch was coming for them in LA. And if Hurakan thought he could just waltz into my life and tell me my ideas were stupid, he had another thing coming. I’d show him!
“Ah-Puch lacks your intelligence. I’ve known him for centuries. But he’s learned. He’s adapted. I fear…”
“What?”
“That he’s reached out to the Yant’o Triad.”
“The Yant’o what?”
“A trio of evil—Good, Bad, and Indifferent. But don’t let their names fool you. There isn’t time to talk about that now.”
Trio? As in three? As in one evil god wasn’t enough to take down? “Hang on. How do you know all this?”
“The Bakabs—they’re the four giants that hold up the sky—North, South, East, and West. They once worked for me.” I picked up regret in his voice, and something told me there was a whole story about these giants I wasn’t going to hear that night.
He blinked slowly. “What lies ahead is inconceivable….” His voice trailed off and I knew more words were going unspoken. What was he holding back? I wondered. “You must be prepared. There will be no time for fear. Do you understand me? Time is running out.”
“Why can’t you gods just fight him?” I thought it was a logical question. “I mean, shouldn’t all of you care that he’s loose and ready to destroy the whole world?”
“They’ve seen the world destroyed before, seen it re-created. They have no qualms about starting over.” He let loose a low growl. “And the gods are hungry for a war—the peace has lasted too long.”
“So… will the war take him down?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“Some of the gods like what Ixtab has done with the underworld. Others are calling for the old ways, and the old ways include Ah-Puch.”
I paced quickly along the edge of the pyramid. “How the heck am I supposed to beat him when he’s got… what did you call it? The Yant’o Triad? I’m…” I was about to say just some human, some kid from New Mexico when Hurakan hardened his gaze.
His voice was commanding. “You have the blood of a creator.”
I took a moment to let the words sink in. The blood of a creator.
He padded closer. “You are the Storm Runner.”
There was that name again. “That’s what Pacific called me.”
Hurakan nodded slowly. “It’s the name she gave the godborn, the one who would stand at the center of the Prophecy of Fire.”
