Page 28 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

“Awaken, Zélie.…”

Time starts to slow. The whispered chant shivers through my ears. But I don’t know who speaks the words. I don’t know how I can hear.

I feel the voice from within as the medallion warms in my sternum. A swell of power surges in my skin. With a roar, I land on the Skull’s chest. I drive both machetes through his abdomen.

“Awaken, Zélie.…”

The whisper builds. Blood coats my hands as I’m hypnotized by the chant. The triple arrowhead on the medallion starts to burn.

Behind my eyes, a red moon shines.…

Again, the world starts to spin, but I don’t have time to sit still. Footsteps pound down the stairs. I turn to find a group of Skulls. Curses ring as they bite through their hands and reach for their weapons.

Dammit!

I scramble to my feet and charge forward as the Skulls transform behind me. The deck shakes with their every step. Heat flares from their glowing hammers and axes.

I start to run for the other maji, but they’re too far away to help. The Skulls close the distance between us. I scan the deck for a place to escape.

There!

The skies flash above a flapping doorway in the middle of the ship. With no other place to turn, I run in. I nearly slip down the winding stairs.

The stench of feces and fur hits me like a wall. When I reach the bottom, a withered beast starts to growl. I skid to a halt, coming face-to-face with sharp, black-lined eyes.

A trio of cheetanaires glares at me from behind the bars of a cage. They look like they haven’t been fed in days. The spotted beasts are only a few of the dozens of ryders locked away. I pass red-tailed antelopentai, blue-butt baboonems, and black-horned rhinomes. In one cage, I even find a rare baby elephantaire. Yellow pus oozes from a horrible gash in its left ear.

At once, I think of Nailah, my beloved lionaire. She was with us when we stormed the palace.

Is it possible the Skulls locked her in here?

“Nailah?” I spin around. I don’t know which way to turn. Commotion builds outside the door. I crouch behind the cages as I search.

“Nailah?” I drop my voice to a hiss. For a moment, nothing calls back. Then I hear a groan.

My ears perk up as a weak roar greets me in return.

Nailah!

Torches charge through the door. I drop to the dirtied floor. I crawl across the ground as the Skulls’ orange light spills into the pen, illuminating the wild maze of cages.

I move past wounded panthenaires and a white-chested gorillion. A fifteen-meter black mamba snake rises in its cage as I approach. The snake pulls one Skull’s attention. My muscles tense as he points.

“Nailah!” I scream my ryder’s name. This time, Nailah roars in return. Her call draws me to the corner of the room. My eyes widen at her wounds.

“Oh my gods, Nailah!”

My lionaire rises in a cage far too small for her hulking frame. Ugly red gashes mark her golden skin. Like me, her mighty mane has been shaved.

I press my forehead to hers, and she purrs in return. But I turn as the torchlight draws near. Three Skulls round the corner, menacing in their stares.

My pulse races as I strike my machetes against the lock on Nailah’s cage. Sparks fly as the metal meets my blade. But no matter how many times I strike, the machetes aren’t strong enough to break through the heavy iron.

Behind me, the Skulls’ boots near. Blood pounds so hard in my head I can’t hear. But then everything goes dark.

I freeze as the torchlight disappears.

What’s happening?

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