Page 104 of Children of Blood and Bone

She was here. In this city. In this hut.

And now she’s gone.

“You can’t just—” A hand grips my shoulder.

In an instant, my own hands are around the man’s throat.

He lets out a yelp as I point my blade at his heart.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he cries.

I draw my blade across his chest. A thin line of blood appears. His tears almost look silver in the moonlight.

Maggot, the girl whispers with Kaea’s voice.You’ll never be king. You can’t even catch me.

I tighten my grip on the man’s neck.

“Where is she?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

ZÉLIE

AFTER THE SIX DAYStraveling through the hell of the desert, the lush forests of the Gombe River Valley are a welcome sight. The hilly land breathes with life, filled with trees so wide one trunk could fit an entire ahéré. We weave in and out of the towering giants, moonlight spilling through their leaves as we travel toward a winding river. Its quiet roar hits my ears like a song, soft like the crash of ocean waves.

“This is so soothing,” Amari purrs.

“I know. It’s almost like being back home.”

I close my eyes and take in the trickling sound, letting it fill me with the calm that came in the early mornings spent drawing the fishing net with Baba. That far out at sea, it was like we lived in our own world. It was the only time I truly felt safe. Not even the guards could touch us.

My muscles relax as I settle into the memory. I haven’t felt this still in weeks. With the sacred artifacts scattered and Inan’s sword at our backs, every second felt stolen, borrowed at best. We didn’t have what we needed for the ritual, and the chances of us getting the artifacts were far smaller than the chances of getting killed. But now, we have it all: the scroll, the sunstone, and the bone dagger are safe in our grasp. Foronce, I feel more than at ease. With six days until the centennial solstice, I finally feel that we can win.

“Do you think they’ll tell stories about this?” Amari asks. “About us?”

“They better.” Tzain snorts. “With all the dung we’ve had to wade through for this magic, we better get a whole festival.”

“Where would the story even start?” Amari chews on her bottom lip. “What would they call it? ‘The Magic Summoners’? ‘The Restorers of Magic and the Sacred Artifacts’?”

“That doesn’t have a ring to it.” I scrunch my nose and recline on Nailah’s furry back. “A title like that will never withstand the test of time.”

“What about something simpler?” Tzain offers. “‘The Princess and the Fisherman’?”

“That sounds like a love story.”

I roll my eyes. I can hear the smile in Amari’s voice. I have no doubt that if I sat up, I would catch Tzain smiling as well.

“It does sound like a love story,” I tease. “But that’s not accurate. If you want a love story so bad, why not call it ‘The Princess and the Agbön Player’?”

Amari whips her head around, a flush rising to her cheeks. “I didn’t mean—I—I wasn’t trying to say—” Her mouth clamps shut before she can choke out anything else.

Tzain shoots me a glare, but it lacks true malice. As we approach the Gombe River, I can’t decide whether it’s endearing or annoying how the smallest taunt makes them both clam up.

“Gods, it’s a beast!” I slide down Nailah’s tail and find my footing over the large, smooth stones lining the muddy bank. The water stretches wide, curving a path through the heart of the forest and the trunks of massive trees. I kneel down in the mud and bring the water to my lips, remembering the way my throat burned for it in the desert. Theice-cold water feels so good in this humid air that I’m tempted to thrust my entire face in.

“Zél, not yet,” Tzain says. “There’ll be water up ahead. We still have a ways to go.”

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