Page 64 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

At the top of the stone sculpture, I see the goddess of their statues, the largest of the majestic faces carved into their mountains. The goddess opens her arms to the cloud-filled skies and vines made of emeralds shoot from her hands. Lava crafted from shattered rubies erupts around her in waves.

Something about the sculpture captures me. I’m surprised at the way I drift near. It’s as if the goddess looks right at me, seeing me for who I truly am.

“Obrigada.” Mae’e kisses her fingertips and offers them up to her goddess before bowing her head. Free of her usual braid, her raven hair cascades down her back in waves. Orange skirts shift around her russet skin.

I step back as she moves to her feet. The air seems to shimmer in her presence. Her eyes widen in surprise when she turns and spots me. My cheeks flush as I take in the sacred space.What was I thinking?I shake my head. I am a stranger in a foreign land.

“I apologize—” I start, but Mae’e smiles and presses a hand to her heart.

“You are up!” The melody of her voice tickles my ear.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“You are my guest.” Mae’e waves her hand. “You could never interrupt.” She speaks as if she were hosting a royal envoy, instead of escaped prisoners from King Baldyr’s ship. Mae’e beckons me over, and I dare to answer her call. Her honeyed scent wraps around me as the scent of ash travels through the halls.

“This is Mama Gaia.” Mae’e’s face radiates with light as she speaks the sacred name. She gazes at the sculpture as if she hasn’t seen the goddess’s image every day of her life.

“You have to see it from here,” Mae’e insists. A shiver runs down my skin as Mae’e takes me by the arms. She brings me to the sculpture, placing me exactly where she knelt. Despite the goddess above me, I find myself staring at Mae’e instead.

Mae’e chews on her bottom lip. Mischief fills her sparkling gaze.

“We are not supposed to leave.…” She looks down the hallways. “But do you wish to see more?”

RUNNING THROUGH THE TEMPLESat night brings back memories long since forgotten. I hear my old handmaiden’s laughter. I see the white tendrils that would fall around her angular eyes.

We used to dream of traveling to all the corners of Orïsha. We spoke of journeying from the port of Lagos and making it all the way to the white sands of Zaria. There were days I never thought I’d leave the palace.

Binta was convinced I’d see the world.

I wish you were here, I think to her spirit. I’m brought to tears at the beauty that surrounds me. Brilliant vines cover stone columns. Jewel-encrusted arches hang above our heads. Emerald-green tiles fill the walls, accented with golden flowers.

Two Green Maidens herd a litter of baby tigenaires onto an open lawn. Dozens of the young ryders tangle together in an open field. One black tigenaire stumbles into our path, and Mae’e scoops it into her arms. She plants a kiss on its striped forehead before sending it back to its pack.

I watch Mae’e as she runs, enraptured by the way her black hair swishes behind her. Though the Green Maidens move through all levels ofthe temples, Mae’e knows how to evade them. The vines squeal and hiss in her presence, instructing Mae’e on when she can move.

“Wait, wait!” Mae’e whispers when a vine unfurls before us. She squeezes my shoulder as more Green Maidens pass.

“Obrigada.” Mae’e grazes the vine’s stem. It curls back into the wall.

Mae’e pulls me down a long hall filled with emerald fountains. When she leads me out of a tunnel, my hands fly to my heart. Another world unfolds before me.

The hanging gardens are endless.

A vast forest in the center of the temple, vibrant flowers shine from every bush—purple alliums, fuchsia angelonias, and azaleas in full bloom. Deep red plums hang over our heads. Mae’e grabs one and takes a bite. A trail of juice drips from her full lips down her chin.

Mosaic tiles create paths throughout the greenery. They circle around countless fires that burn inside sculptures of Mama Gaia. A river runs through the vast forest, sliding over smooth basalt.

Mae’e takes a lantern in her hand, leading me through the gardens. As we walk, I see Mama Gaia’s face everywhere I look—she stares from the statues and the faces behind trickling waterfalls. Her figurehead rises in the sparkling fountains. I see her in the birds that sing. I feel her life pulsing inside of the leaves.

“This is my favorite part of the island.” Mae’e closes her eyes and inhales. I follow her lead, taking in the sweet scent for myself. “You can feel her spirit everywhere. You can hear her in the air.”

“She’s in everything?” I ask.

Mae’e nods. “She is the Mother Root. All of New Gaia stems from her.”

Mae’e drifts to a sculpture of Mama Gaia cut from black glass. Her shoulders fall in awe. I consider all that surrounds us: the hanging gardens,the temples, the city of vines. I can hardly believe all of New Gaia grew from one being.

“Right now, Yéva maintains our connection to our civilization’s source. As the sacred hierophant, Yéva has connected my people to the Mother Root for almost two hundred years.”

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