Page 130 of Children of Blood and Bone

“Agh!”she grunts as I tackle her headfirst, knocking her to the ground. She grabs the bone dagger, but I jab her in the throat. While she chokes, I drive my elbow into her gut.

The bone dagger falls from her hand. I wrap my hand around its ivory blade. Its touch fills me with a chill, a strange and violent power.

Strike, Amari.

Father’s face returns. Hard. Unforgiving.

This is what I warned you about. If we don’t fight, these maggots will be our end.

But staring at Folake, I see the pain in Kwame’s eyes. The fear that weighed down Zu’s small shoulders. All the grief that lies in Father’s wake, the lives he’s already taken away.

I cannot be like Father.

The maji are not my enemy.

I drop the dagger and pull my fist back, twisting from my hips as my fist collides with her jaw. Her head snaps with a lurch. Her eyes roll before she blacks out.

I leap off her and grab the dagger, slicing through the ropes binding Tzain’s wrists. The cords barely hit the ground before I start tying them around his thigh.

“Go.” Tzain tries to urge me on, but his arms are weak. “There’s not enough time.”

“Hush.”

His skin is clammy to the touch. When I tie the ropes tight, the blood flow slows. But he can hardly keep his eyes open. This might not be enough.

I peek outside the tent—unmasked figures run in every direction, creating the cover of chaos. Though the boundaries of the camp aren’t visible, we can at least follow the surge of people.

“Alright.” I break a branch off a tree and duck back into the tent, placing the makeshift cane in Tzain’s right hand. I sling his other arm over my shoulder, locking my knees to stop myself from buckling under the weight.

“Amari, no.” Tzain grimaces, breaths rapid and shallow.

“Be quiet,” I snap. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

With me for leverage and the cane for balance, Tzain takes his first labored step on his good leg. We make our way to the tent’s entrance before taking our last moment of rest.

“We’re not dying here,” I say.

I won’t allow it.

CHAPTER FIFTY

INAN

THE GROUND BEFORE MEis a maze.

A labyrinth of masks and earthly animations.

I sprint through the chaos, dodging blades, leaping over tree roots to make it through the gate.

More masked figures run out, confused, attempting to make sense of the insanity. Zélie’s animations break through the ground like rising mountains. They swarm like an infestation, a plague no one can escape.

It’s working.Despite myself, a smile comes as I sprint. It’s a whole new world of battle. A game of sênet more chaotic than anything I could’ve imagined.

All around me fighters go down, screaming as Zélie’s animations grab hold. Like cocoons, the earthly soldiers wrap themselves around the assailants, pinning the assailants to the ground.

For the first time, the sight of magic is thrilling. Not a curse, but a gift. A fighter lunges toward me and I don’t even have to reach for my blade; an animation crashes into him, knocking him out of my way.

As I leap over the fallen fighter, the earthly animation looks up. Though it has no visible eyes, I can sense its gaze. A chill runs through me as I near the gate.

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