Page 119 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

With a wave of her arms, the lethal plants strike, ripping through the Skulls who attempt to sail past. Bodies fly into the mountain lake, staining the turquoise waters with crimson. More vines pierce straight through the Skulls’ guts, collecting corpses on their long stems. Others wrap around the Skulls’ abdomens and pull, dragging them from their longships. The vines force their writhing bodies underwater, keeping them down until they drown.

But the vines Mae’e wields are only the first of her attack. Baldyr’s medallion still pulses in her chest, granting her new strength. Rivers ofmolten rock build at her feet, gathering in large heaps. Mae’e’s diamond gaze flashes red, and streams of lava shoot out in all directions, incinerating everything they touch. The Skulls she hits burst into flames. Their very bones evaporate.

The sacred hierophant transforms before my eyes, a ferocious beast raging from the skies. Together, we eviscerate the Skulls in waves. We fight beyond our exhaustion, we push through every ounce of pain.

But as we war, the ground shakes beneath us. The stone splits at our feet. Giant rocks crash down the mountain’s side, exploding like bombs as they land. When I see the dark clouds move overhead, my hands fall limp.

“To the shores!” a maiden shouts.

Before I can react, vines wrap around me, pulling me from the mountain’s base. The Green Maidens take to the air, using their vines to swing. I brace myself as I fly.

“Mae’e!” I call out. But the hierophant doesn’t stop her rampage. A dense fissure cracks up above, and Mae’e opens up her arms, embracing the impending eruption head-on.

The maidens move past the temples, traversing the rain forests that grow down the mountain’s slopes. Their vines snap from trunk to trunk, catapulting us through the dense foliage. Wind rushes at my face as they race for the island’s shores.

The entire island quakes as Mount Gaia explodes.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The blast rips through the trees. It cleaves through the vines we use to swing. With a rush, I tumble free, crashing into the black sands.

Heat sears the back of my neck. My ears ring with deafening force. I push myself onto my elbows, unable to believe the sight.

Columns of ash shoot high into the sky, darkening the red night.Vibrant bolts of lightning erupt from the crater, twisting together like a tornado. The lightning gathers in a circle above the mountain’s head, falling in brilliant golds, striking purples, and angry reds. Glowing streams of lava run free, raining down the mountain stone.

“Mama Gaia…” The Green Maidens around me drop to their knees and bow. A powerful pulse travels through the black sands. More sharp cracks erupt through the air.

Then the very mountains rise.

By the skies…

I stare up, unable to speak. Each figure carved into the mountain range surrounding New Gaia comes to life, creating an army of colossal beings.

Boulders fall from their bodies like rain. Lava passes through their rocks in branching patterns, creating veins. The towering figures crush the Skulls beneath them in mere breaths. The Skulls left in their wake shriek to their deaths.

Deep in the city center, Mae’e’s body lifts so high we can see her from the shores. The lava that spread beneath her coats her entire being. Molten vines emerge from the forest, each as thick as their trees.

The molten vines lunge at the fighting Skulls along New Gaia’s beach, searing straight through their flesh. They wrap around the carriers docked in the seas. The vines squeeze so tightly, the mighty vessels crack in half.

Fires rage as they burn through the bloodmetal. The smoldering crafts sink beneath the surface. Mae’e harnesses Mount Gaia’s eruption, wiping the enemy from her native lands.

A hum erupts from the summit. My eyes grow wide as the Reaper I once knew takes to the air. Zélie emerges from the volcanic ash, lightning twisting around her glowing form.

The winds roar beneath her feet. Her white mane crackles free. All at once, the skies rip open. A mighty flood rains down from below.

But if she’s here…

My hands fly to my heart as the realization dawns. I can’t fight the tears that well in my eyes.

“You’re gone.” I dare to speak the words aloud, and they cut through my heart like glass.

Grief drags me to my knees as Zélie lands on the thrashing seas.

CHAPTER EIGHTY

TZAIN

“RETREAT!”NÂO CALLS.

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