The Storm Runner

The Storm Runner is a novel written by Jennifer Cervantes. It was released on September 18th, 2018.

Synopsis
''A contemporary adventure based on Mayan mythology from Rick Riordan Presents! Zane has always enjoyed exploring the dormant volcano near his home in New Mexico, even though hiking it is challenging. He’d much rather hang out there with his dog, Rosie, than go to middle school, where kids call him Sir Limps a Lot, McGimpster, or Uno—for his one good leg. What Zane doesn’t know is that the volcano is a gateway to another world and he is at the center of a powerful prophecy. A new girl at school, Brooks, informs him that he’s destined to release an evil god from the ancient Mayan relic he is imprisoned in–unless she can find and remove it first. Together they return to the volcano, where all kinds of crazy happens. Brooks turns into a hawk, a demon attacks them in a cave, and Rosie gives her all while trying to protect Zane. When Zane decides to save his dog no matter the cost, he is thrust into an adventure full of surprising discoveries, dangerous secrets, and an all-out war between the gods, one of whom happens to be his father. To survive, Zane will have to become the Storm Runner. But how can he run when he can’t even walk well without a cane?''

Development
A week before the book was released, Jennifer Cervantes revealed seven fun facts each day about the book. Rosie was based on her own dog. The Beast was inspired by a dormant volcano seen from her backyard. Chapter 13 was inspired by a trip where Cervantes and her family went snorkeling in a dark cenote, they found thousands of bats on the ceiling. Cervantes listened to Game of Thrones' songs while drafting which resulted in similar scenes in her book. The Winds of Winter, Light of the Seven, The Tower -Bonus Track, Winter Has Come, Blood of My Blood and Coronation to be more specific. As part of her research in writing the story of Zane Obispo, Cervantes read eleven books, watched four documentaries, worked with two Mayanists, and wished her grandmother was still alive a million times. When this book first sold, a "baby urchin" asked if she would get to meet Rick Riordan. So she came to NYC for BEA, took a picture and snapchatted to everyone. Finally, Jennifer Cervantes dedicated her book to those who don't feel like they belong because some of us have to know the in-between spaces before we can turn the world upside down and create the place where we do belong.

An Encounter in the Dessert
Thirteen-year old Zane Obispo was born with mismatched legs and has been homeschooled. He spends his time in the New Mexico desert with his three-legged boxer-dalmatian, Rosie, he took in after someone apparently abandoned her. He lives with his mother and uncle Hondo, his neighbors are the pepper gardener pepper Mr. Ortiz and the blind phone physic Ms. Caballero. There is also a dead volcano (the Beast) in his yard that Zane suspects may have a connection to his father who left before he was born.

After a year, Mrs. Obispo decided to enroll Zane at a private school called Holy Ghost. His first day is tomorrow, Zane is not happy because of his shorter right leg but when his mother cries he accepts. His mother also gave him a present: a wooden cane from the recently deceased Mr. Chang. That night, Zane looked a book about Mayan Mythology. Last month, he discovered a labyrinth of caves and made it his own private place. He went back there that night with Rosie who ran towards some giant paw prints. Ignoring it, Zane and Rosie climbed the volcano, he thought about ways to get out of school when a plane suddenly came flying close to them. It looked there was an alien was inside, it crashed into the Beast causing Zane and Rosie to fly back. When he wakes up he races back home to find his mother worried, Rosie was already there. An ambulance, cops, fire trucks, and camera crews came. They couldn't find any planes, Mr. Ortiz and Ms. Cab were worried about Zane, she says evil lurks here. Rosie suddenly runs off, Zane gives chase and sees what was in that plane: a demon from Xib’alb’a (the Mayan Underworld) similar to one he read in his book. It told Zane "Apu", when mom came up he kills the demon with his cane. When he got back home, he soaked the book in his mom's holy water and hid it under some dirty clothes.

Meeting Brooks
The following morning Rosie accompanies Zane to the shuttle where students whisper about him. At school one of the kids accidentally knocks him against the lockers and elbows him in the stomach. Zane then whacks the kid in the head with his cane, earning him a trip to Father Baumgarter’s office, while waiting he sees a girl who introduces herself as Brooks. She says she will meet him later and she disappears by the time he gets out of the office. At home his uncle Hondo is watching wrestling with his friends. Soon Brooks appears at his doorstep and tells him she knows everything about him and they need to talk. He slams the door in her face and she keeps knocking until Hondo lets her in. She tells him they need to talk. Just then Zane’s mother come come and the two walk outside. She says she will come back the following day.

The next day at school, Zane asks the secretary about Brooks, who says no one with that name attends the school. Zane starts to aggravate her and she gives him detention. He is picked up by Mr. Ortiz, who asks him about Ms. Cabarilla. When he gets home Brooks is there, she tells him his life is in danger and Zane asks her about the demon he saw the night before. He lets slip about his volcano and they go to his backyard. Rosie then becomes aggressive toward Brooks and Zane shields her. When he calms Rosie down Brooks has vanished. Zane realizes that, rather than vanishing, Brooks turned into a hawk and flew into a near by Pecan tree. Hondo shouts out the window and asks Zane what Rosie was barking at, he tells him she was barking at nothing. Hondo shuts the window and goes back to watching wrestling. Brooks turns back into a human and comes down when Rosie stops barking. She takes him to the volcano and tells him she is a Nawal, a Mayan shapeshifter. She tells Zane that he is in danger and the subject of a Mayan prophecy. As they find the entrance Zane found, she tells him how Ah-Puch- the god of death, destruction and darkness, once ruled over the lowest level of the underworld until he fought the other gods and was imprisoned in an artifact. Zane wonders why he is linked to it. Brooks tells him he is destined to release Ah-Puch. Zane in in disbelief, however Brooks says she wants his help finding it so that she can take it away before the next solar eclipse, which is the following day. They hear a noise and find a demon runner. Brooks attacks it with her flashlight, but the battery dies and they run as it starts to ooze poison. Zane chooses to sacrifice himself so the others can get to safely. However Rosie gets past him and sinks her teeth into the creatures. Brooks turns into a hawk and attacks the demon runner. It grabs Zane by his short leg and drags him after it touches Rosie against the wall. Zane agrees to help it if he is released, he jams his cane into it and it devolves into goo.

Learning his heritage
Soon after Zane cradles Rosie as she dies and her body turns to mist. They leave the volcano and Brooks leaves Zane, but not before realizing he is a supernatural. He sees a set of headlights coming up and he passes out as Ms. Caballero arrives. He wakes up in her living room and she heals his injuries. She removes her blind eyes and puts in grey seeing eyes. She also tells him to be wary of Brooks. She tells him that she is a Nik’wachinel, Mayan seer, and that he is only part human. Ms. Cab says his father is supernatural, but only his mother knows his name. She tells him once Ah-Puch is freed, he will drain Zane of his blood, but she plans to offer the death god snake blood as a substitute. She also says the gods will know when he will be freed. Reluctantly, she agrees to try to bring Rosie back if Zane stays in his house, he agrees and goes home.

At home he reads about Xia’alb’a and Ah-Puch in his book and, after getting frustrated enough, asks Mr. Ortiz to drive him to the dank. When they arrive, he gets her attention and demands to know his heritage. Before she could tell him, an Alux appears and tries to kill Zane. His mother tries to get to the safety of the deposit box cage but it reaches them before they can reach it. Hondo arrives and distracts it while Zane and his mother escape in her car. When they break down by a farm, the alux shows up and his mother tells Zane to run while she goes out with a crowbar. It holds it’s dagger to her thought, but Brooks arrives end rips it of her. Zane goes into the field. He returns with Brooks and they head home. She says Hondo subdued the alux and alerted the police. He is home when they get back and Mrs. Obispo offers for Brooks to spend the night. She tells him that someone wanted him dead so he would not release Ah-Puch. The following day he wakes up at 2:30 to find his mother gone and Brooks outside. He changes clothes and hears Rosie and goes outside to find her, before realizing the noise came from the volcano.

Finding Ah-Puch
Zane goes to his entrance and looks fantastically for Rosie. He touches the wall and realizes he touched demon runner venom. Brooks arrives and tells him to squeeze it out. She slits open his forearm and he squeezes. When it is out she tells Zane the call came to him as Rosie to get him to free Ah-Puch. She also tells him she is only part-nawal, and is being refused training due to her heritage. She says her mother is dead and her father has remarried. She thinks that stopping the release of Ah-Puch, she will get her training. Brooks suggests Zane’s father might be a magician, she says they are powerful and dangerous. She mentions a pyramid in Mexico called the Pyramid of the Magician, also known as the Pyramid of the Soothsayer. Zane hears Rosie again and finds an opening leading to a chamber with a pool leading to the death god himself. They look up and see resting demon runners. They wake up and he takes Brooks, who can’t swim, and plunges into the water. They swim down an underwater cave and find the other side. They are followed by a demon runner, who drags Brooks under water, but Zane frees her and drags her unconscious body to shore. Zane watches as the demon runner disintegrates. Zane tries to save her but she is unresponsive. He sees a light coming from a column that opens to reveal a small ceramic owl containing Ah-Puch. The death god tells Zane to free him. He promises is he can save Brooks and bring Rosie back. Zane climbs the wall and breaks the owl, freeing the god.

Ah-Puch emerges as a skeletal figure that, after consuming blood from a creative given to him by Muwan, becomes an intimidating looking man. He changes the scene from the cave to a penthouse balcony in Los Angeles. Zane pleads with him to save Brooks and bring Rosie back. She says he will do so if Zane pledges himself to the death god and answers his call in “three moons”. A man’s voice tells Zane not to and he sees a figure across the way. However, Zane pledges himself to Ah-Puch anyway before he is blown away. He sees his mom with the man telling him to refuse, now realizing he is his dad. He wakes up in his room with Brooks and looks for Rosie with no success. He wonders why Ah-Puch would spare Brooks but not return Rosie. Brooks then hears his thoughts and he reads hers, she realizes that Zane is the son of a Mayan god and realizes the prophecy, An innocent with ancient blood, realizing that since the gods imprisoned Ah-Puch, only a god or their mortal decedent can free him. Zane is shocked by this and asks Brooks how to lock her out, much to her frustration. He apologizes and she sees a skull tattoo on his wrist, symbolizing his service to Ah-Puch. He promises he will stop him before that happens.

Stoping Ah-Puch
Hondo tells Zane and Brooks a giant chicken has been pecking at the front door for two hours. They check it out and it heads towards Ms. Cab’s house. Hondo opens the door and finds her box of eyeballs and faints. The giant chicken then picks them up and puts them back in the box after Hondo dropped them before fainting. Zane realize the chicken is Ms. Cab. Mr. Ortiz shows up soon after and Zane explains the Mayan gods existing to them and tells Ms. Cab about his encounter with Ah-Puch. Hondo and Mr. Ortiz quickly accept this and offer to help Zane however they can. Hondo offers to drive him and Brooks to their next destination, an opening to the underworld. While Mr. Ortiz watches Ms. Cab. Before they leave Mr. Ortiz wants to give something to Zane.

Characters

 * Zane Obispo
 * Brooks
 * Rosie
 * Ah-Puch
 * Mrs. Obispo
 * Ms. Caballero
 * Hondo Obispo
 * Mr. Ortiz
 * Paramedic
 * Officer Smart
 * Muwan

Trivia

 * The Storm Runner will be the second book released by Rick Riordan Presents.
 * The chapter titles are simply dots, which are actually Mayan numbers.