Page 10 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

A distraction. A way to get close to the Skulls without them realizing what’s going on.

Time slows down as I soak in Inan’s words. I can give my brother that.

If a distraction is what he needs, I won’t hold back!

“Hah!” I ram my head into the Skull to my left. The thorns of my crown break through his mask, impaling his right eye. The Skull cries out as hot blood spurts between his fingertips. It coats my chin as we fall to the floor.

The other Skull reaches for me as I scramble forward. With anotherroar, I kick out, and my heel connects with the Skull’s jaw. He hits the wooden floor with a heavy thud. His ring of brass keys goes flying down the hall.

There!I move for the keys, but the Silver Skull cuts me off. The captain lunges at me, a frenzy filling his hazel eyes.

Before the captain can strike, a maji named Udo comes to my defense. I recognize the skilled Welder though they’ve shaved his full beard. Metal burns cover his large hands. He shouts after me as I pass.

Udo whips out a pair of empty shackles, catching the Silver Skull by his feet. The captain crashes into the bars of a cage. A small dagger in his belt slides free.

This must be it.I extend my leg and kick, sending the dagger into Udo’s cell. As the ship shifts, the maji turn rabid. The long hall echoes with the power of their rage.

But in the chaos, the maji claw at the fallen Skulls. They snap weapons and tools from their belts. Bits of rusted metal and dropped knives disappear into their cells.

As they work, my eyes return to the ring of brass keys sitting down the hall. The Skulls are still down.

There’s a chance I can set these maji free right now!

I launch myself up, closing the distance between me and Tzain. My brother throws himself against the bars of his cell. The five maji he’s chained to are dragged forward by his strength.

I leap over the Silver Skull. Even with his mask, I see the anger our rebellion brings. The captain’s fingers graze my ankle, but I don’t slow down. My heartbeat spikes as I snatch up the keys.

“Hurry!” Tzain yells. The ship jostles me from side to side as I fight my way back to his cell. My muscles burn with the strain, yet I run as fast as I can.

When I reach his cage, Tzain grabs my shoulders. I don’t know howlong it’s been since I felt anything but the enemy’s cold hands. Tears well in my eyes as I struggle to fit the first brass key into his lock. When the gears don’t shift, Tzain steadies my shaking hands.

“Breathe,” he whispers. “Breathe.”

With a large exhale, I force myself to calm down. I pull out the first key and move to the next. I jam in the third. The fourth. The fifth.

The floors creak as the Skulls rise behind me. The hairs lift on the nape of my neck.

“Go!” Tzain tries to push me away.

“I won’t leave you!” I shout back. I jam the sixth key into the lock. With a click, the gears start to shift. I twist to pull him out—

All at once, Tzain shoves me to the floor. A knife meant for my shoulder lodges into his right arm. Tzain roars and stumbles back. The brass keys are yanked from my hands.

The Skull I impaled hovers over me, baring his bloodstained teeth. Crimson droplets fall onto my neck. He removes the hammer in his sheathe.

“Nei!” the Silver Skull shouts. I crawl away as the bronze Skull transforms. His blood soaks into the rectangular runes carved into the oak shaft of his hammer. The same runes carve themselves down the Skull’s chest.

The bronze Skull cries out as the hammerhead glows red. The very air around him shakes. Veins bulge against his fair skin. His muscles swell with new strength.

My eyes widen as the bronze Skull grows so tall he eclipses the captain’s height. The entire hall freezes at his display.

I didn’t know the Skulls could fight this way.

“Hættu!” The captain lunges. It takes all of him to tackle the bronze Skull. With great force, the captain shoves his warrior against the cells. The bronze Skull dents the iron bars.

My pulse races as heated words pass between them. The Silver Skull points to the majacite crown on my head.

“Hún tilheyrar Baldyri!” he declares.

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