Page 85 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

Ahead of him, Köa swipes his ivory barong across a risen Skull’s throat. He pivots to attack another, but the risen Skull sends an axethrough the side of his thigh. Köa bares his teeth as he crashes to the ground. The masked Lâmina rushes to Köa’s defense.

“Demônio!” the masked Lâmina calls. He raises his ivory club. But when he goes to attack, he takes a hammer to the head. Crimson flies as it obliterates his skull.

Though everything in me wants to run after Zélie, I rush into the fight, axe raised. One risen Skull jumps at me and I swing, catching the abomination in midair. I pin him down to the ground before chopping off his head.

Another risen Skull swings at me with his hammer. I meet the weapon straight on. With a powerful arc, I slice through the risen Skull’s arms before cutting through his gut.

As I take down every Skull, foreign chants fill my head. My vision blurs once more. I blink, and I see red.

I lose myself in the frenzy. I can’t tell friend from foe.

When the final Skull falls, I lose all control.

“Hah!” I swing at Köa with the power of twelve men. The leader of the Lâminas throws himself across the ground. A fracture splits through the hard rock as my blade collides with the stone.

“Parada!” Köa shouts. “No more!”

My hands shake, but I can’t stop. The axe swings beyond my command. Köa barely has a chance to dive before my axe cuts through the wall.

Emperor Jörah runs at me. With a cry, our weapons clash. The shark-tooth blade falls from his hands as he flies into the back of the cave. The emperor falls to a crumpled heap, hand wrapped around his ribs.

Köa drags his wounded body across the cave. He positions himself between me and the emperor, and raises his ivory blade. Though something inside me screams to stop, my feet charge at both of them.

The axe compels me forward. Its crimson metalscreamsfor moreblood. More death. More carnage. Its red glow expands as I raise it over my head—

“Tzain, no!” Amari’s shout rings at my back.

Blue light flies from her hand, freezing me in place. Every single muscle stiffens at once. A sharp pain racks my brain.

With a lurch, I stumble to the ground. The axe falls to the ground as my hands fly to my temples. The red light leaves my eyes. My vision focuses again.

Horror dawns as I take in the scene. Countless bodies surround me. Across the cave, Köa stares, his green gaze wide. Jörah’s hand is still wrapped around his gut. He struggles to help Köa up.

“We have to go!” Amari comes to my side. Her magic releases, and sensation returns. She helps me as I stumble to my feet. Köa’s nostrils flare when I strap the axe to my back.

Guilt weighs on me like an anchor as the four of us flee the cave.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

ZÉLIE

“LET GO OF ME!”I scream.

King Baldyr drags me down the coast. Skulls rise from their fires as I pass. They stare at me like I’m a myth come to life.

The magic King Baldyr commands twists inside me. It’s like knives running through my blood. I grieve the gift of my people, tainted by Baldyr’s wretched bloodmetal.

“I knew I would see you again,” Baldyr mutters in his tongue. His breath stinks of blood. “It does not matter where you run. With that medallion, you are destined to end up back in my arms.”

The very medallion he speaks of vibrates in my chest. It’s like it senses its owner’s presence. Storm clouds start to gather above. Sparks of lightning flash through the clouds. Baldyr looks up at the sight. A dangerous zeal fills his hazel gaze.

Fight, Zélie.

I will myself to kick. To writhe, to thrash, to punch. With no other weapon, I drive my elbow into the back of his neck. I claw at his golden mask.

Baldyr releases my arm, and I attempt to run, but he picks me up instead. I struggle as he throws me over his shoulder, undeterred from my attacks.

“You escaped me once,Merle,” he speaks in Orïshan. “You will not escape again.”

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