Page 115 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

Mae’e reaches up to me, grazing my white streak. “When I awoke, I saw you again. I understand the connection that you share!”

I look down to Zélie, knowing this is how it must be. If this is how our battle ends, it’s up to her to defeat King Baldyr. Only she can take on his monstrous strength.

“Go.” Mae’e points to the winding trail. “Carry her to the mountaintop. Petition Mama Gaia. Exchange her breath of life for yours!”

Amari’s face falls. She grabs on to my arm. “Inan, wait—”

“We don’t have time.”

I step back, allowing them to take the destruction in. Mae’e drifts to the mountain’s edge. The flames of her city reflect in her diamond gaze.

A rage I’ve yet to see takes hold of the hierophant. Thick vines whir around her like blades. The vines lift her into the air as a current of molten rock spreads beneath Mae’e’s feet, ready to release.

Up above, Mount Gaia roars. A mountain about to blow. Amari looks from me to the approaching Skulls. Tears shine in her amber eyes.

I set Zélie down and pull Amari close as a blue light engulfs both of her hands.

“I’m sorry.” I speak the words into her hair. Then I take Zélie’s body back into my arms.

I steady myself as I fight my way to the mountain’s summit.

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX

TZAIN

THE RACING WINDS HITmy body like a battering ram. The force rattles through my bones. I clench my teeth as I grip the vine attaching our small vessel to the Skull’s carrier, struggling to hold on.

Two vineweavers sit on either side of me, bound by their hierophant to aid in our attack. The four New Gaians stare straight ahead, prepared to take on the Skulls.

In mere hours, their carriers have torn through the length of the seas. They split the ocean like an axe. Already, Orïsha’s jagged coast looms in the distance.

“Ready?” I look to the vineweavers. The vine attaching us to the carrier pulls us in. Another vine wraps around my torso. With a snap the vine whips forward, flinging me into the air. My arms cycle through the wind as I fly overhead.

For Zélie.

I roll across the ship’s deck. My fingers glow green as I retrieve my bone axe. With a cry, I release all I have on the endless line of Skulls. Heartbreak powers my every move.

“Ha!” The sensation that used to fill me with the Skull’s axe returns, but this time it radiates from my core. Blood rains as my bone axe slices through throats. I drive its cutting edge across the Skulls’ bare chests.

Glowing blades come at me at once. Köa’s lessons guide my steps. I feel the Lâmina’s weight as I roll across the deck. When a group of warriors lunges, I drop to the floor, allowing the Skulls to cut through one another in my stead.

Behind me, vines crawl onto the carrier. They spread like giant spiders, trapping Skulls in an unbreakable web. More vines tangle in the thrashing waters, creating a monster in the seas. Eight legs spin together to form one giant arm, knocking Skulls overboard.

We clear through the carrier before launching ourselves onto another. Masks fall at our feet as we fight. We do everything we can to weaken their fleet. But the moment we enter Orïsha’s bays, the first bomb explodes.

“Retreat!” I yell to the vineweavers. The weavers flank me as we race to the carrier’s edge. With no time to waste, I leap from the ship. Vines wrap around me, catching me before I land.

The weavers re-form our videira, and we arc around the carriers as floating bombs detonate in Orïsha’s bay. Shock waves travel through the ocean. Plumes of water shoot into the night.

Dozens of bombs ignite at once, eviscerating the first carrier. The blasts tear through the glowing bloodmetal. Shrapnel flies with the Skulls.

Alarms ring through Lagos. All at once the forces of Orïsha swarm. A thrill runs through me as maji, tîtáns, and soldiers race through the ports.

“Attack!” Kâmaru yells. The Grounder leads the charge, new armor matching his metal leg. A legion follows him down a freshly erected stone bridge, creating a walkway in the bay.

The maji chant in unison. Green light erupts up their arms. The seabed shakes as hardened spikes rise from the earth. They shoot through the water’s surface, impaling the carriers’ hulls like fishhooks.

The spikes rise so high, they lift carriers from the seas, far into the air. Skulls tumble from the decks like rocks. The bloodmetal groans as it snaps.

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