As soon as he turned his back, I grabbed Jim’s sleeve and marched in the opposite direction, cursing under my breath.

“You didn’t even introduce me,” said Jim, amusement in his voice. “And I think the tall guy was jealous.”

“Shut up,” I barked. “And don’t ever touch me again.”

He chuckled. “Hey, I was only trying to help.”

I clenched my teeth and kept walking, barely looking where I was going, nearly twisting my ankle as I stepped off a curb and into a cross street. Jim watched me stumble with a smirk, and I was about to snap at him again when he said in a low voice, “There’s someone in that park up ahead,” pointing toward the end of the street.

We quickened our pace and headed for the park. Once again, I sniffed deeply, and this time, I caught the faintest scent of incense, so faint I thought maybe I was imagining it. “Where did you see—” I started to ask but then heard hooting laughter coming from a stand of trees about ten yards away. The sound made everything inside me tense; I’d never heard any human make a noise like that. It sounded more like a hyena … and exactly like a Mazikin. I touched Jim’s shoulder and held my finger to my lips.

We crept toward the laughter, which was intermixed with the sound of crinkling and thuds. I pressed myself against a tree and tried to catch sight of the creature, but all I could see was a pair of legs surrounded by debris. I leaned forward as much as I dared and caught the slope of a spine, with a long braid trailing down its center. Someone was squatting next to the legs. Hooting and grunting as she rummaged, tossing dented cans and paper packages over her shoulder.

Jim moved in close behind me, making me want to elbow him again. “Is that one of them?” he whispered.

“I think so,” I breathed.

“How do we find out?”

“We wait and watch.”

The creature continued to paw through the junk. Jim sighed impatiently. “Or we could just ask.” He stepped away from me before I could grab him. “Hey!” he called. “Are you a Mazikin?”

The woman with the braided hair pivoted sharply as she heard that last word, bringing her into full view. Her face was streaked with dirt, and her chin was smeared with blood. She growled as Jim jogged forward. “Mazikin,” she said in a harsh voice.

“Jim, stop!” I yelled. He ignored me.

Before I could decide which of them I’d rather kill, they both took off, Jim sprinting after the woman.

“I’ll get her!” Jim shouted.