Page 44 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

“Then you’re dooming our kingdom to die.” I return to my brother and grab his hand.

“Please,” I whisper.

Tzain breathes deep. He still glares daggers through Inan. But he looks down at me and nods.

“For you. Not for them.”

I squeeze his palm, and he squeezes mine back.

“So what do we do?” Nâo voices the question on everyone’s minds. “How do we fight?”

“We need to raise a defense,” Inan offers, tentative in his approach. “The Skulls may have come for Zélie, but they won’t stop until they’ve conquered all of us.”

“Is there even an Orïsha to go back to?” Amari asks. “We left Lagos in ruins. It’s been over a moon since we were taken from our homeland.”

Amari’s question ushers in a wave of doubt. I have to fight the fear that wants to come out. If Orïsha has fallen, we’re done.

What chance will we have against the Skulls?

“Our kingdom has stood for over a thousand years.” Inan rises to his feet. “Someone will be there to fight.”

“We can find the surviving elders.” Nâo looks to Kenyon. “Rally the maji for a defense.”

“You’ll need more than the maji,” Inan says. “The tîtáns, what’s left of the soldiers. Even the kosidán. We’ll all need to work together to mount a defense.”

“You should go with them.” I’m surprised at the way the words make my heart fall. But out of any of us, Inan is our best chance to unite them all. “Show the people what’s coming. Tell them what we’ve endured. It’ll take every single fighter to keep the Skulls from raiding our shores.”

Inan stares at me, and I feel how much he wants to stay. But he nods in agreement.

“And the three of you?” he asks.

I look down at the compass in my palm, staring at the triple arrowhead painted in blood.

“We’ll find the other girl.” I touch the glass face. “Before King Baldyr does.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

AMARI

THE WEIGHT OF EVERYTHINGwe’re up against doesn’t hit me until my eyes blink open the next morning. Our makeshift camp is bare. There are hardly any maji here.

I grab the remnants of a roasted fish and make my way down the cliff, following the noise beyond the palm trees. As my feet move through the rocky sand, I remind myself of Zélie’s plan—find the other girl King Baldyr hunts.

The thought of Baldyr and his men doing to others what he did to us twists my stomach into knots. I imagine the operations they set up back when Orïsha was supposed to be under my watch, back when I was fighting to be queen. I failed to bring peace to my kingdom. I failed to keep the maji safe.

I can’t afford to fail at this.

I reach the edge of the trees as dawn crackles on the horizon, lighting up the sky with bands of pink beneath the clear stretch of blue. Steady winds blow through the open skies. There isn’t a cloud in sight. Waves lap ashore with the promise of a gentle sail. Their crash softens the squawks of seabirds above.

The majority of the camp moves along the shores, preparing for thetrek back home. Maji load up their final supplies. They board the ships in lines.

I watch as Nâo stands with the other Tiders in the shallows, leading them in practiced chants. They move into position behind the repurposed lifeboats, now three powerful ships.

“Once more!” Nâo calls. The twelve Tiders stretch out their hands.

“Òrì?à òkun, j0w3 gb3 tèmi báyìí—” Their voices ring in unison, creating a powerful melody. The blue light of their magic travels up their brown skin. The waters around them begin to move. The seas sway back and forth with the rhythm of their hands, lifting the ships from the sand.

In each ship, one Winder sits up high in the crow’s nest built from bamboo trees. As the ships take to the waters, the Winders release the newly woven sails. Each blows in the air, ready to carry the maji across the ocean. They haven’t even left, yet they already feel leagues away.

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