Page 46 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

IT’S HARD TO SPEAKwhen the other maji set sail.Tzain, Amari, and I stand at the shores. All at once, everything is too quiet. The only sounds among the three of us are the lapping tides.

We watch as the ships disappear over the horizon. When they leave our sight for good, a lump rises in my throat. The only thing that kept me fighting on that ship was the thought of home.

Without the others, I feel so alone.

“Find her.…”

I exhale, wrapping my resolve around the command. With the Skulls closing in, there’s no time to waste.

I have to stick to the plan.

“Let’s move,” I say. I’m the first to break away. Tzain follows my lead, axe strapped to his back. Amari trails after him.

With no Winders or Tiders at our disposal, we have to work the boat ourselves. Amari opens up the sails as Tzain pushes us through the cresting waves. I take position behind the steering lever and open the bronze compass in my hands. I run my finger over the glass face, staring at the triple arrowhead painted in blood.

“Are you ready?” Amari asks, and I nod. The medallion warms in my chest as I reach for the girl, pulling on whatever thread we share. WhenI close my eyes, different images start to swirl through the blackness of my mind.…

Rich green trees. Ripe papayas. Banana leaves.

Thick vines crawling over emerald stone.

Ceramic bowls of black beans and warm rice.

Fried plantain baking under the hot sun.

I breathe in as I sink into the girl’s world, and I smell thick plumes of volcanic ash. I hear the chant of women’s voices joined in song. The jingle of bangles against brown skin. The trickle of turquoise waters.

The compass starts to hum, and I open my eyes. The red dial spins away from my chest. Its needle points to the south, directly opposite from where the other maji set sail.

“I think this is the way.” I grab hold of the steering lever. Tzain and Amari don’t question the path I take. The sun arcs in the sky as we sail away from the island chains.

Time passes, and I hang my fingers over the side of the boat, allowing them to drift through the ocean waves. I relish the chill against my skin, but in the peace of sailing the open waters, the horrors of the Skulls’ ship return.

Though sea-salt air hits my face, I choke on the putrid stench of death. I feel the weight of the shackles they closed around my neck. The face of the young girl in the Silver Skull’s quarters returns to me. I wonder where her body lies.

Please stay with her.I lift up the silent prayer to Oya, though the skies are clear.Be with her spirit. Save every maji who fell.

By the time night comes, the three of us prepare for a long rest. Tzain’s snores mix with Nailah’s. Swatches of stars sparkle above our heads. In their twinkle, I see the faces of those I’ve lost.

Mama’s smile returns to me first. Baba’s warm hug follows next. Mama Agba’s entire form seems to dazzle, just like the cosmos she was able to draw between her palms. Their faces blur together around me as I drift off.…

Pale hands come at me from all directions. They drag me into their caves. I can’t fight as they throw me against a stone slab. Corded ropes tie me into place.

Baldyr appears before me, his golden skull glimmering in the torchlight. Hisgaldrasmiðargather in a circle around us, each magicworker hidden by the heavy furs and the horned animal skulls they wear. Bloodmetal covers their frail bodies like garments, stretching from the collars on their necks to the round medallions hanging from their leather belts. Thegaldrasmiðarmove as one, closing in with a menacing step.

“For the Father of the Storms—” thegaldrasmiðarchant.

Rocks fall away as the ground opens up. The sacred well of their bloodmetal burns beneath me, fiery lines traveling through the molten ore. Its heat sears my skin. The well echoes with the screeches of the dead. The ropes pull tight as I struggle to break free.

Then their torture begins.

“Drain her.” Baldyr gives the order. Thegaldrasmiðarraise their bloodstained hands. I cry out as cuts rip through my skin. An angry gash spreads across my chest. Another splits down my abdomen. Thegaldrasmiðarattack me from within. Their cuts cover my face, my arms, my legs.

The runes of their people spread across the cave walls as my blood leaks into the well. The molten ore lifts into the air. There’s nothing I can do as it covers my body like a cast.

It tears through my flesh, burning straight through my bones. Baldyr smiles as the molten ore reaches past my throat, covering the top of my skull—

“Zélie!”

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