Page 70 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

A father formed from blood…

Before the Blood Moon, all three will unite.

On the Old Stone, the bodies shall be sacrificed.

He will feel the touch of the Great Mother again.

The skies will open once more,

And a new god will be born.

I look back out over all the defenses we’ve raised. With everything at our disposal now, I know we can put up a good fight. Yet I still don’t know if it will be enough.

If Baldyr gets what he’s after, how powerful will he become?

“Where is your mind?” Mother searches me with the amber eyes we share.

“Lagos is defended.” I look back at the city. “With this mountain pass, Orïsha stands a chance.”

“Then what’s next?”

I roll up the parchment, making my way back to Lagos’s port.

“It’s time to go on the attack.”

BY THE TIME NIGHTfalls, Nâo, Dakarai, and I are already far out at sea. From the moment we joined forces again, there wasn’t one day when the Tider didn’t beg me to leave and go after the Skulls.

The weeks at home have taken Nâo to new form. The lean muscles she carried before the Skulls’ capture have returned. Though her magic was already strong, she wields her gifts with a new rage.

A fresh coat of sweat glistens over her tattoos as she commands thewaters around our vessel, alight with the teal-blue glow. Crafted by a Welder to grant us speed, the thin ship allows us to cut through the ocean like a knife. With our skeleton crew, we practically fly.

Dakarai sits at the head of the boat, using a drawn map to chart our path. According to his vision, the Skulls’ ship docked at an island a few days’ sail from where our own ship went down. At the moment, it’s our only clue to where the Skulls are based.

If we can defeat them before the Blood Moon…

Though I don’t know when the Blood Moon will rise, my mind races with the thought of what we might find. From the moment we encountered the Skulls, they’ve had the upper hand. Who knows how long they were working with the mercenaries, searching for Zélie and raiding our lands.

With information, we have an opening. With the right knowledge, we can bring the fight to them. Orïsha has a chance to thrive.

Zélie has a chance to live.

I squeeze the side of the boat as the thought of Zélie overwhelms me, remembering the unbearable weight of the terror she held inside. I think of my promise to keep her safe. The opportunity I have now to atone for my mistakes.

I have to find a way to be worthy of her. Her and the crown I once held. I have to be more.

I have to be the king I couldn’t be before.

“We’re here.” Dakarai’s words knock me out of my head. Nâo brings her hands down with a sharp wave, and the teal light surrounding her fades. Our vessel stops at once. I grab the iron masthead to keep from going overboard. The New Gaian emissaries come to a stop beside us, eager to see the Skulls for themselves.

A chain of islands sits a few kilometers ahead, dotted with caves and thick vegetation. Three Skull ships sit in the crescent-shaped bay. Thesight makes my stomach twist. Phantom pain spasms through the hand they broke. I hide my shaking fist.

Long ramps extend from each vessel, creating pathways to the island’s rocky shores. Skulls move freely up and down the wooden planks. The black waters crash under their feet as they unload a long line of barrels and crates.

“Can you bring us in closer?” I whisper.

A softer teal light encompasses Nâo’s hands as she guides us toward the shores. We stay far enough away to avoid being spotted, sailing around the island’s borders.

Different bonfires line the coast. Skulls gather around the dancing flames. They toast to one another with glass bottles, their mead flowing like water. Other Skulls pass out in shoddy tents, facedown in the sand.

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