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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

ZéLIE

A S THE SUN ARCS in the sky, the rest of the maji on the beach form a long line. One by one, they join me in the tides. Each time I lay my hands on their shoulders, the medallion pulses in my chest, and their magic comes alive.

One Tamer summons a pod of yellow-finned dolphins to the shores. A Grounder erects a line of small sand huts. Khani breaks down when the orange light reignites around her palms. Tears fall from her eyes as she uses the power to heal again.

Despite the way the medallion feeds on me, it’s given me the ability to make my people whole. The return of our magic transforms our fates. In just a few hours’ time, the small settlement turns into a functioning port.

“As many as you can get!” Nao calls. She works with Kenyon to lead the others as they prepare to make the long trip home.

Under their command, Tamers lure schools of fish into Grounder-made barrels.

Khani and the Healers tend to every maji’s wounds.

Tiders and Winders harness their reawakened gifts, combining their magic to boost the refashioned lifeboats.

By the time night falls, everyone gathers around the bonfire. A gentle chatter joins the nocturnal chorus of crickets. The seconds wind down as I prepare to brief the others on what I’ve learned.

Across from me, Khani lies against Nao’s hip. Kenyon leaves his Burners to join the pair. Beside the trio, Amari sits with Inan. The two of us haven’t spoken since we left Or?sha’s shores.

Since we were torn apart by the maji-t?tán war.

Looking at Amari now, I don’t know what to say. After she damned me and an entire village to die, I never wanted to speak to her again. I didn’t think anything could make up for her betrayal. I thought our friendship had come to an end.

But with the threat of the Skulls, I see the girl who’s wiped my tears. The girl who braided my hair, holding me close when no one else was there. Amari catches me staring, and her lips part. The question hangs in her amber eyes— are we still allies?

Despite myself, I reach out my hand. A small smile spreads across her narrow face. She laces her fingers with mine, and it feels right.

I can’t imagine facing the Skulls without her by my side.

But when Tzain joins our small circle, Amari drops my hand. She seems to shrink in his presence. I look back and forth between them, wondering where they stand.

“Here.” Tzain hands me another cut of swordfish, though I’m still picking at my first.

“Tzain—”

“You’re thin.” He forces me to eat. When I finish, he rises back to his feet. “I’ll get more water—”

“I’m fine.” I pull my brother’s hand. “Sit. It’s time to begin.”

With Tzain settled, the conversation around the bonfire begins to die down. I feel every maji’s eye on me. When Kenyon gives me a nod, I start to speak.

“We weren’t the first to be stolen.” I look around the crowd. “The Skulls took advantage of our war. They worked with the mercenaries and started raiding our shores moons ago.”

At the mention of the mercenaries, my mind flashes to Roen and my chest grows tight. I wonder where he is. If he survived the betrayal of Harun and the rest of his men.

A grief I don’t want to face rises inside me like a tidal wave. I take a deep breath to fight it back. After everything we endured at the hands of the Skulls, I pray he’s alright.

I pray he’s still alive.

“What’re the Skulls after?” Nao asks. Like this morning, I reveal the medallion in my chest.

“They were searching for a maji with the blood of the sun. A maji who could take this and survive. The medallion’s transforming my blood. It’s awakened a new power inside.”

The others drink in my every word as I explain what happened in the Silver Skull’s quarters. I describe King Baldyr’s golden mask. I share the way we battled before he shoved the bloodmetal into my sternum.

When I describe the maji lying dead on the floor, Khani shifts.

I give her a moment as Nao guides her to the edge of the camp.

I imagine the hole the same medallion left in her twin’s chest. The careless way the Skulls must’ve thrown Imani’s body to the seas.

A flood of guilt hits me at the thought of every maji the medallion’s touched.

Every maji King Baldyr’s killed in his hunt.

“I don’t know what their king is after.” I stare into the open flames. “But I’m only one part of his plan. He had two more medallions. One for another girl, and one for him.”

“Another maji?” Kenyon asks.

“Not a maji.” I shake my head. “A girl from another land.”

I start to explain the girl from my vision—her long black hair, her russet-brown skin. I speak of the way her eyes sparkle like diamonds. I tell them of the ancient voice under the glowing seas that told me to find her.

“I don’t know where the girl is,” I continue. “But I think I can find her using this.”

I unclip the Silver Skull’s compass from my waist. The others take turns inspecting the hexagon-shaped device. I wait as it passes through the circle. Most maji are too afraid to touch.

“What does it point to?” Nao asks. The thick red dial lies dormant in her hands. But when I take the bronze compass back, the metal hums. The medallion flickers beneath my wrap. The red dial starts to shift, pointing to my heart.

“It points to me,” I explain. “I think I can make it point to her.”

“But that would mean…” Nao’s voice trails off. She looks away from our camp, toward the crashing tides. I picture the lifeboats anchored to the sands, waiting to set sail.

“We have to split up.” I finish her thought. I can almost see the hope deflate in the air. We just reunited. It feels wrong to go our separate ways.

But Tzain slings his arm around my shoulders. Once again, Amari grabs my hand. Their touch warms something deep in my core. It’s been so long since the three of us were truly on the same side.

“Or?sha must be warned.” Inan breaks the silence. “They won’t understand what’s to come. It’s been centuries since we’ve been attacked by a foreign nation. Without a king, they won’t know how to respond.”

“You mean without your father?” Kenyon pushes back. “Or are you referring to yourself?”

“I didn’t mean—” Inan starts.

“If Or?sha still had its king, there’d be no maji for the Skulls to take,” Kenyon continues. “If Or?sha still had its king, we’d all be dead!”

With Kenyon’s words, the air around the fire changes. I tense as the tides shift. A line is drawn in the sand, breaking the fragile unity we just had.

“I wasn’t trying to…” Inan looks around the camp. “There is no excuse for what the monarchy’s done—”

But the maji drown him out. Amari rises as a few begin to swarm. My head spins as the discussion spirals out of control.

How is it we can still fight like this when we know of the Skulls?

“Enough!” I yell.

Tzain grabs my arm. “Don’t defend him. Not here.”

“This isn’t about him!” I rip my arm free and step forward. “We can’t keep doing this. We can’t keep fighting like this. We’ve brought our kingdom to its knees, and now their fiercest are at our door. How many of our fiercest lie in the ground?”

My voice cracks as I think of all the blood that’s been spilled—Mama Agba’s, Mazeli’s, Lekan’s. If the maji and the monarchy hadn’t been at war for centuries, would we even be here now?

“We are it.” I look around the circle. “We are the only true defense Or?sha has left. Whatever we’ve done to hurt each other, whatever scores we have to settle, it ends now. We can’t afford to be at each other’s throats.”

The bonfire crackles in our silence as my words ripple through the camp. Some of the maji hang their heads. But the crowd building against Amari and Inan begins to disperse.

“And if I can’t?” Tzain says, staring directly at the royal siblings.

“Then you’re dooming our kingdom to die.” I return to my brother and grab his hand.

“Please,” I whisper.

Tzain breathes deep. He still glares daggers through Inan. But he looks down at me and nods.

“For you. Not for them.”

I squeeze his palm, and he squeezes mine back.

“So what do we do?” Nao voices the question on everyone’s minds. “How do we fight?”

“We need to raise a defense,” Inan offers, tentative in his approach. “The Skulls may have come for Zélie, but they won’t stop until they’ve conquered all of us.”

“Is there even an Or?sha to go back to?” Amari asks. “We left Lagos in ruins. It’s been over a moon since we were taken from our homeland.”

Amari’s question ushers in a wave of doubt. I have to fight the fear that wants to come out. If Or?sha has fallen, we’re done.

What chance will we have against the Skulls?

“Our kingdom has stood for over a thousand years.” Inan rises to his feet. “Someone will be there to fight.”

“We can find the surviving elders.” Nao looks to Kenyon. “Rally the maji for a defense.”

“You’ll need more than the maji,” Inan says. “The t?táns, what’s left of the soldiers. Even the kosidán. We’ll all need to work together to mount a defense.”

“You should go with them.” I’m surprised at the way the words make my heart fall. But out of any of us, Inan is our best chance to unite them all. “Show the people what’s coming. Tell them what we’ve endured. It’ll take every single fighter to keep the Skulls from raiding our shores.”

Inan stares at me, and I feel how much he wants to stay. But he nods in agreement.

“And the three of you?” he asks.

I look down at the compass in my palm, staring at the triple arrowhead painted in blood.

“We’ll find the other girl.” I touch the glass face. “Before King Baldyr does.”