Page 42 of Children of Blood and Bone

“Help—”

“Inan!”

I snap back to reality. A cold tide rushes over my boots.

The beach.I squeeze the pawn.You’re still on the beach.

“What happened?” Kaea asks. “You were moaning.…”

I whip around, looking for the girl. She has to be behind this. She’s using her wretched magic to fill my head with sounds.

“Inan—”

“We should interrogate them.” I ignore the concern in Kaea’s eyes. “If one of the villagers knew where they were headed, another might have information, too.”

Kaea hesitates and purses her lips. She probably wants to pry. But her duty as admiral comes first. It always will.

We walk over to the surviving villagers. I focus on the tide to ignore their shrieks, but the screaming only grows louder as we draw near.

Seven…,I count in my head.Eight… nine…

I am the son of Orïsha’s greatest ruler.

I am their future king.

“Silence!”

My voice booms into the night with a power that doesn’t feel like my own. Even Kaea gives me a surprised glance as the cries quiet into nothingness.

“We’re looking for Zélie Adebola. She has stolen something valuable from the crown. We were told she’s heading south, and now we need to know why.”

I scan the dark faces of those who refuse to meet my eyes, searching for any sign of the truth. Their fear soaks into the air like humidity. It seeps into my own skin.

“—gods, please—”

“—if he kills me—”

“—in the gods’ names did she steal—”

My heart slams against my chest as their voices attack in flickers, broken thoughts that threaten to overwhelm me. More turquoise clouds rise into the air. Like wasps, they dart toward me. I start to fall back into the blackness of my mind—

“Answer him!”

Thank the skies. Kaea’s bark pulls me back.

I blink and grip the pommel of my sword. The smooth metal grounds me in reality. With time, their fear fades. But the unnerving sensation remains.…

“I said,answerhim!” Kaea growls. “Do not make me repeat myself.”

The villagers keep their gazes to the ground.

In their silence, Kaea lunges.

Screams erupt as she grabs an elderly woman by her gray hair. Kaea drags the moaning woman through the sand.

“Admiral—” My voice chokes when Kaea unsheathes her sword. She places the blade against the woman’s wrinkled neck. A single drop of blood falls onto the ground.

“You want to stay silent?” Kaea hisses. “Stay silent and you die!”

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