Page 16 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

My anger pulls King Baldyr back to me. He gets so close, I inhale the scent of mead on his breath. He brushes my cheek with his dirt-stained nail, inspecting me again.

“Such rage,” he mutters. “More anger than fear.”

My eyes drift back to my staff. He follows my gaze to the wall of weapons.

“And a warrior.” Baldyr steps back. He studies me once more. “Merle, I think you are the one I have been looking for.…”

Before I can strike, the Silver Skull grabs my shackled wrists. He holds me tight against his muscular frame. King Baldyr moves to the back room. He returns with an ornate chest, setting it down in front of the wood carving on the back wall. A golden key hangs from Baldyr’s throat. It glimmers in the candlelight as he nears.

“Years ago, my people were nothing.” Baldyr’s voice darkens. A sharp hatred coats his tongue. “We were battle worn. Starving. Worse than the worms crawling out of the mud. But one day I heard a promise.” Baldyr takes in the man made of storm clouds as he reaches for the golden key around his neck. “A promise that my people could be more than the mere mortals we were born as. A promise that we could become gods.”

I think of the Skull I impaled, the way the hammer fed on his blood. Though he was mighty to begin with, the crimson alloy magnified his strength. His entire being transformed.

“Then that’s what you think you are?” I challenge Baldyr. “Gods because of the weapons you wield?”

“It takes more than a weapon to be a god.”

My pulse spikes as the chest creaks opens. Whatever’s inside casts the king’s face in a warm glow. Baldyr steps back to reveal a trio of ancient medallions. Carved into different shapes, the bloodmetal is sculpted from antique gold.

“Our blood grants us strength, but it doesn’t come close to giving me the power I was promised. But your blood is different.” Baldyr glances back at me. “Your blood carries the power of the gods.”

Ashê.My eyes widen as I realize what he seeks. The divine power of the gods that runs through our blood. The reason maji can do magic at all.

Baldyr removes one of the medallions, and it shines in his palm. Even from a distance, I can feel the golden metal buzz. My eyes trail over the same triple arrowhead I saw in the compass of the Silver Skull.

“Legend says there is one of your kind who carries the blood of the sun.”

Thunder rumbles outside the captain’s quarters, and my throat dries.

These men aren’t just searching for maji, Zélie.Inan’s words return.They’re searching for you.

“If someone like that existed, she would never fight for you,” I declare.

Baldyr steps closer. Hunger drips from his form like sweat.

“I don’t need her to fight.” His eyes comb down to my chest. “I need her heart.”

CHAPTER NINE

ZÉLIE

NO!

The moment I feared rushes at me. There’s no place for me to run. Blood pounds between my ears. The little time I had to strategize is gone.

I try to escape, but the Silver Skull holds me tight. He mutters a curse against my ear. Baldyr raises his palm and aligns the golden medallion with my heart. As he moves, the gaping hole in the maji’s chest flashes into my mind.

Her blood still coats my feet. The stench of charred skin still taints the air. In an instant, I understand how she died. Her and every other maji they’ve tried.

I can’t let that medallion touch me.

If it does, I won’t survive.

“Strike, Zélie!” Mama Agba’s voice rings through my head, and I force myself to act. I drive my elbow into the Silver Skull’s groin. With a sharp grunt, the captain keels over.

The swaying ship makes him lose his footing. I pivot and kick back. My heel collides with his stomach, sending the Silver Skull flying into the back door.

Baldyr reaches for me as I scramble forward. I launch myself acrossthe bloodstained floor. I head for the table, reaching for the knife I spotted before. Baldyr’s goblet of mead crashes to the floor as my fingers graze the knife’s wooden hilt—

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