Page 40 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

“You saw their king?” I tilt my head.

“They were supposed to take me back to their land.” Zélie crosses her arms over her chest. “A place called Iarlaith.”

Zélie turns her head away. It’s as if it’s too painful to speak.

“Please.” I draw closer to her. “Just let me see.”

This time when my magic sparks at my fingertips, Zélie doesn’t run away. I breathe in as the turquoise cloud connects us. The storm and jungle disappear as I join her in the Silver Skull’s quarters.…

King Baldyr roars like a wild beast. He grabs the shackles around her wrists, yanking her back. Her feet slip out from under her as he throws her to the right. She hits the marble walls with a powerful thud.

The impact ignites the majacite crown on her head. It burns with a new wrath. Its matte-black thorns dig into her temple. Hot blood drips into her eyes and rains down her neck.

With my magic, I feel every part of Zélie in a new way. I taste the bite of her rage. A dark pit twists in my chest at the way King Baldyr inspects her face, calling herMerle. I see her valiant fight. I sustain every cut and every single bruise. I feel the agony of the moment King Baldyr forces the medallion into her chest. I hear the way she wishes for death.

By the time my magic fades, I find myself shaking with her in my arms. Guilt tears me apart from inside.

Why couldn’t I have gotten her out in time?

“It’s starting to eat at me.” Zélie reaches up her hand, clawing at the tarnished metal. “What if I lose control? What if I can’t stop him in time?”

“We won’t let that happen.” I grab the sides of her face. Determination fills my chest as I force her to look in my eyes. “I wasn’t fast enough on that ship, but I won’t make the same mistakes. We’ll reunite with the others and form a plan. We’ll defeat the Skulls and keep you safe.”

Zélie brings her forehead to mine, and I shudder at her touch. For a moment, there are no Skulls. There is no hunt for her heart. There is only this.

There is only us.

“I promise,” I say. Her body softens at my words. “We’ll find a way. Whatever it takes.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

TZAIN

“KENYON, DON’T DO THIS!”Amari’s pleas travel down the beach. She chases the elder of the Burners across the white sands, at odds with the rest of the maji preparing to leave.

A maji named Deji carves out hollowed logs to store fresh water. A boy named Oye wraps piles of cooked fish in dried leaves. Another group of maji ties four surviving lifeboats together to create a unified ship.

All I can do is stand still.

All night, I waited along the coast, praying Zélie would show. There were times when the sky raged and I felt it in my chest.

I wassurethe raging storm was her.

When dawn broke and she didn’t return, I knew we were out of time. There was nothing I could say or do to convince the others to stay behind. But as our departure nears, Amari refuses to give up her fight. I watch with the others as she cuts off Kenyon’s path, forcing the Burner to wait.

“One more night.” Amari grabs his hand. “I’m begging you. Please!”

“We don’t have time to waste.” Kenyon shakes his head. “Another ship could show up at any moment.”

“You would abandon another elder?” Amari challenges. “You would strand the fiercest among us on this beach?”

“She’sgone.” I’m surprised by the way Kenyon’s voice strains. For aninstant, hurt flashes across his bruised face. “I know she wouldn’t want us to waste our chance to escape!”

“Tzain, tell him what you felt!” Amari says.

At the mention of my name, Kenyon turns my way. He drops the supplies he’s carrying in the sand.

“Enough of this.” Kenyon marches over. “It’s time for us to leave.”

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