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CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

INAN

W HERE DID

I

GO WRONG ?

The awakened Blood Moon reigns above us. It coats the black night in red. The waters in the bay continue to thrash as the crimson circle spirals below.

The warnings of Yéva’s prophecy return. I fear the night we’ve fought to avoid.

If we can’t stop Baldyr as a king, how in the skies will we stop him as a god?

My mind spins in circles as I stare at the burning bay. The few videiras that have endured the blast race back in retreat. The woven vessels carry the injured survivors, bodies ravaged by angry burns.

The corpses of fallen Laminas float through the waters. I can’t bear the graveyard of my mistakes. We were supposed to decimate the Skulls.

This was meant to be the end of their fleet.

How did he know? I shake my head. We’ve played right into Baldyr’s hands. The king already had the maji he needed to sacrifice. I delivered him the New Gaīans, too.

If King Baldyr gets his hands on Zélie and Mae’e, we’re finished. There’ll be no stopping his onslaught. We need to escape while we still can. We need to make another plan.

“We have to leave!” I run to Emperor Jorah. The flames dance across the leader’s square jaw. Jorah stares at the destruction, shark-tooth blade clenched in his shaking hands.

A new wave of guilt weighs down my shoulders. The New Gaīans trusted me with their best. I’ve not only failed them here.

I’ve left their nation vulnerable to the Skulls’ attack.

“Your people need you,” I urge. “There’s no time to waste.”

Emperor Jorah hangs his head. Anguish twists the creases in his face. But Jorah slides his weapon back into his skin. With a sharp shout, he gives the order and our videira sets sail.

Think. I push myself to restrategize. With the improvements made to the videiras, we propel across the seas with unearthly speeds. The trek back to New Gaīa will only take a few hours. Even Or?sha is within our reach.

I look up to the Blood Moon. In our lands, I know they must see this harbinger of doom. We have to find a way to get back.

We’ll need all of us to stop King Baldyr’s attack—

“Help!”

The sound of muffled shouts brings us to a stop. In the distance, red moonlight illuminates a tangle of vines. They tie a collection of videiras together. More wrap around vineweavers from head to toe, keeping them locked in place.

Dread numbs my fingers when I recognize the empty pedestal that Zélie sat on. At the first sign of trouble, Zélie and Mae’e were instructed to retreat. But the videira looks like it was attacked by one of our own.

“Quickly!” I say. Emperor Jorah echoes the command. The vineweavers bring us in. Another videira beats us to the confined ship.

Tzain disembarks as I hop on. He starts to cut the hostages free.

“Amari?” My brows lift when I see my sister struggle. I rush to her side. She fights against her restraints, amber eyes wide with worry.

Tzain’s quick to slice through her vines. With a gasp, Amari falls into my arms. She pushes me away and stumbles to the edge of the ship, scanning the burning mist.

“Where are they?” Tzain asks.

Amari points back to the Skulls’ shores.

“They went to the front.” Her voice cracks. “They’re taking the fight to the king!”