Page 31 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

“Get back,” I instruct my sister. She moves away as I pick up my fallen axe. Again, my blood feeds into the hilt. The foreign chants fill my head.

I breathe in as fresh anger rips through me. My muscles grow taut. The red glow surrounds the crimson blade. I lift it up, almost in a daze.

With one smash, Nailah’s padlock breaks. Our lionaire leaps out of her cage. She topples me to the floor, knocking the axe out of my hand before I feel anything more.

Nailah coats my face with her pink tongue in thanks before running to my sister. Zélie throws her arms around the lionaire’s neck and releases a sob. A moment is all I give them before returning to the fight.

“We need to go.” I raid a fallen Skull, removing the sheath attached to his back. Though I fear the power of the axe, I slide it into the leather handle. I won’t leave the only true power I have to attack.

“Back to the deck.” I grab the rope around Nailah’s snout and help Zélie up. “The ship is almost ours!”

We push past fallen Skulls and fallen cages as we make our way out of the ryder pen. The ship’s sway has increased threefold. It’s a struggle to stay upright.

We pull ourselves up the spiraling steps. With a powerful lurch, we make it back to the deck. Lightning dances above, illuminating the final battle that rages across the ship.

I hold Zélie back, watching as the maji attack. Our people strike with a vengeance. Blood pours like the rain that pounds from above. To our right, a towering Skull takes a sword to the gut.

To our left, a group of maji use a cannon like a battering ram. They knock a pair of charging Skulls overboard. The howling winds steal our enemies’ yells.

We’ve done it.…

I can’t believe it. Our victory draws near. One by one, every Skull falls to the deck. The masks of our enemies crack in half.

When the last Skull falls, Kenyon raises his fists to the flashing sky and roars. The other maji join his battle cry. I think of every maji we lost in this fight. The bodies tossed into the seas. Tears fill my eyes as I lift my hand and shout for them.

I pray they feel our victory.

“It’s really over?” Zélie squeezes my arm, and I nod.

We’ve survived this terror.

We have a chance to go home—

BOOM!

An explosion rings from below the deck. The entire ship quakes. The wooden panels at our feet are blown apart. Debris shoots into the air.

“What was that?” I turn toward the sound as a sharp crack reverberates through the boat. Two silhouettes rise from the lower levels, running onto the deck.

Lightning flashes against a girl’s terror-stricken face and I freeze. My hands fall numb.

Amari…

The sight of the princess I once loved still makes my heart stop.

She clings on to her brother, both soaking wet.

“We have to go!” Amari screams. “The ship’s going down!”

CHAPTER TWENTY

ZÉLIE

“GET TO THE LIFEBOATS!”Inan roars like the thunder above. All at once, everything shifts. Tzain launches into action, pulling Nailah and me to the other side of the ship.

The elements fight against us as we run. The rain cuts. The winds howl. The deck is slick with the blood of the slain Skulls. We slip and fall across the floor more than we’re able to run.

The other maji stampede across the deck. They trip over one another in their trek. We all race to escape the damaged ship, running toward the wide boats covered with animal skins.

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