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CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

ZéLIE

I T’S HERE.…

The moment I’ve feared comes to life before my eyes.

At the Blood Moon, Baldyr’s medallion ignites. Its golden veins spread to the farthest reaches of my skin. Lightning crackles at my core, stronger than it’s ever been.

Foreign chants fill my ears as the waters around us rise. The moon seems to increase in size, looming above the burning bay.

“ Secure the hierophant! ” a vineweaver shouts. All around us, the vines start to writhe. Panic cuts through me like a knife. Tzain is still locked into the fight.

A single red torch ignites on the Skulls’ black shores. Then another. A dozen follow. Torches flicker through the mist, soon by the hundreds, then by the thousands.

The torchlights travel far inland, creating a trail through the darkness. A towering mountain bluff comes to light.

Then I see him.

I feel King Baldyr like the wind. He stands behind the line of burning torches, his skull mask alive in the raging night. The golden veins of the medallion scratch their way up my chin. Mae’e watches in a trance. The red night coats her russet skin.

“No!” I lurch forward. Amari grabs me before I can dive overboard. The vineweavers jump into action. Our boat takes off.

This can’t be it. We can’t let King Baldyr win. The vision of a burning Or?sha plays behind my eyes. I don’t have a choice. I have to give everything to this fight.

We have to stop him here. Here and now. His blood will spill on his shores.

I won’t allow him to invade ours!

“Let me go!” I push out of Amari’s grasp. I charge at the vineweaver to my left.

“ Please ,” I speak in their tongue. “ Take me to the front lines! ”

Despite my pleas, the vineweaver ignores every word. Their vines whip through the water at top speed, dragging us farther away from the fight.

“You have to stop them.” I turn to Mae’e. “We need to attack!”

“The safest place for both of you is New Gaīa—” Amari starts.

“No place is safe!” I cut her off. “Not until this king is dead!”

Mae’e looks back and forth between us. Her gaze drifts to the shrinking shoreline. The Skulls howl into the night, praising the Blood Moon.

“Remember what Yéva said,” I push. “Remember what you saw!”

Mae’e stares at the medallion in my chest. Amari grabs the hierophant’s hands.

“Mae’e, no!” Amari pushes me out of the way. “If you go, you’re only giving him what he wants.”

“There are two ways this ends.” Tears come to Mae’e’s eyes. She balls her fists, seeming to call from something inside. “We kill him now, or he kills everyone we love.”

“Mae’e—”

“That means everyone .” Mae’e places her delicate hands on Amari’s cheeks, and Amari’s face falls as she feels the message behind her words. “You are not the only one at risk of losing those you love.”

Without warning, Mae’e pulls Amari into a kiss. My eyes widen as they embrace. Mae’e’s fingers dig into Amari’s dark curls. When Mae’e pulls back, Amari is in a daze.

“Forgive me,” Mae’e whispers.

Amari cocks her head. Her hands fly to her lips. “What are you—”

Mae’e’s diamond eyes sparkle. Then thick vines erupt from below.

Each vine strikes like a viper, snapping around every person in our vicinity. Mae’e even grabs the videiras that flank our ship, preventing them from coming after us.

When the vineweavers shout, new vines rise, wrapping around each weaver’s mouth. With another wave of Mae’e’s hands, the small circle of vines around us detaches from the rest of the videira, creating a boat of our own.

Amari’s muffled screams rage out of control. Mae’e gives her one last look before placing her hands into the woven floor.

With a rush, the boat glows, racing toward the Skulls’ dark shores.