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MIKAIL

CITY OF JEUL, GAYA

D espite my minimal protests, the four of them come with me. We take halibred horses from the stable and ride through town and out the city gates. In truth, I do need them, but I did want the others to stay safe at the palace. I suppose self-sacrifice on my part will have to wait.

Royo has his axe strapped to his back. Sora has nothing but poison, but I’ve seen the damage she can do with that. Aeri has her relics in case things go wrong, and Tiyung is…here.

We ride until we reach the beach bordering the Strait of Teeth.

It’s the middle of the night, but the giant monsoon moon illuminates the water and white sand.

The sky is filled with thousands of stars, and hundreds of soldiers are marching from the east. They will have to come this way along the Perimeter Road to get to Jeul. This is a good place to wait for them.

Once the group stops, I ride onto the sand and fling the bag containing Yong’s head into the sea. He was the one who ordered the same for my family—not even releasing the souls of the children. I’ll hang his body from the city gates after I finish with this.

I feel strangely detached as I watch the spot where the bag disappeared. The rings of moonlit ripples dissolve into the regular rhythm of the sea as his head sinks. I hope the iku enjoy the snack.

My friends join me on the sand, facing the road. I look through the spyglass. The soldiers are close now. They’ll reach us in a few minutes.

“Are you drowning them all?” Aeri asks. There’s no judgment in her tone, just curiosity.

Tiyung, however, eyes me like this is a test.

“I will give them a chance to surrender,” I say.

He relaxes his posture slightly as he holds his reins.

But then he twists around in the saddle to look back, and my entire body tenses. Footsteps approach us from the opposite direction—from the other side of the Perimeter Road. Did we fall into a trap?

The scepter hums, begging to be used.

There are more torches, and they’re much closer to us than the soldiers coming from the east. I look through the spyglass, and Aeri puts out her hands. I know she’d turn them all to gold to save us, even if it would doom her.

But as I look, I don’t see standards or king’s guard uniforms. Instead, they’re Gayan civilians with clubs, pitchforks, torches, and swords. Leading the group is the groundskeeper I spoke to earlier. He’s marching alongside Teo and Calier.

“Allies,” I shout.

At least, I hope.

I ride toward them, and Aeri spurs her horse to keep pace with me. She doesn’t say it, but she’s acting as my bodyguard.

“Your Majesty,” the groundskeeper says in Gayan. He drops to one knee.

“Uncle,” I say. I wait for him to fill in his name.

“Fremo,” he says. “We saw the soldiers marching and gathered to fight. We, the rebels of Keen Hill, are with you.”

The other three or four hundred men and women take a knee to me as one.

My chest expands, and a new feeling flows through my veins. It’s like euphoria, but it’s warmer and more addictive, like laoli. I don’t recall ever feeling as good as I do now with loyal citizens behind me.

“Your loyalty to Gaya and the Miats will be rewarded,” I say. “But I will handle the soldiers with the aid of Alta and the God of the Seas. Watch tonight and witness who the gods favor now.”

The Water Scepter pulses in my hand, ready. Every muscle in my body aches from the dehydration and lack of rest, but I’ve also never felt so alive.

Aeri and I ride back to the others. By the time we reach them, the soldiers have assembled on the road, maybe a hundred to two hundred yards away.

There are more than I thought—probably four hundred men.

The captain must have gathered all king’s guard within a day’s march of Jeul.

They have two rows of archers, and I’m slightly worried about the crowd behind us.

They’re within striking distance, but the soldiers’ bows and arrows won’t matter soon.

I will do whatever it takes to protect the people.

The soldiers hold, but the captain rides out of the line. Another man trails him. That has to be his aide or second-in-command.

I urge my horse forward, and the five of us close the distance to them. It’s time for a parley, I suppose. This should be interesting.

“Criminals!” the captain of the guard says.

It’s a strong opener.

“Mikail of Yusan, Naerium of Yusan, and Sora of Yusan, throw down your arms and surrender by order of King Seok,” the aide says.

I laugh to myself at Seok calling himself a king. Obviously, none of us drop our weapons. Ridiculous suggestion.

“I am Adoros Miat, the rightful king of the realm of Gaya,” I say. “You are trespassing on this island and raising arms against a sovereign. I will give you one chance to surrender, or I swear by the stars that you and your men will die tonight.”

The captain barks out a laugh. “We will bring you to justice by force, then, and hang the rebels who have joined you.” At his gesture, the lines of archers move forward while the rest of the soldiers remain in place. The archers in the front row kneel to give the back row clear shots.

“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear,” I say. “Allow me to demonstrate what I mean.”

“All right. Demonstrate , then.” The captain smirks.

I smile. I love someone convinced they’re invincible.

I ride out onto the sand and then dip the scepter into the ocean.

Immediately, the water responds to me, the sea churning and begging for direction, a plaything in my hands.

I pull the water into the shape of a drowning wave.

In a matter of seconds, an unnatural surge builds and crests over the captain, his aide, and the rows of stunned archers.

One hundred paces behind them, the army breaks rank to run away as the sixty-foot-tall tidal wave glimmers in the moonlight, hovering and waiting for my command.

Whispers of awe and prayers to the God of the Seas flood in from the rebels with us. The captain of the king’s guard fights to control his horse, his jaw dropping in astonishment.

“Surrender!” I yell.

“Never!” There’s no smug mockery in his tone now. Behind him, several of the archers have summoned enough courage to raise their bows again, prepared for his signal.

So I let the wave fall and send a smaller wave to wash out the road behind the army, cutting off a quick escape. The water crashes with such a force that mist hits my face from this far back. The captain, his aide, and the hundred or so archers are now flailing in the Strait of Teeth.

They shouldn’t do that. It will attract the iku.

Come to think of it, that’s a good idea.

I dip the scepter into the water and then send a riptide to pull them deep into the strait, where the iku love to hunt.

Without even looking to see what happens to the men, I ride close enough to the remaining soldiers for them to hear me.

“Let me repeat myself: surrender or die,” I say.

Almost as one, the soldiers throw down their swords and raise their hands in surrender, their arms shaking.

I still consider drowning them all—these men are far from innocent. But it’s not worth the argument with Tiyung. Braya said to give the people something to believe in. They can believe in my power but also my word.

“Flee,” I say. “Leave your weapons, return to Yusan, and tell them that Gaya has declared her independence.”

I turn and ride back to the rebels. The others turn, too. Royo is last, making sure the soldiers leave their swords and don’t try to attack with our backs turned. I appreciate that he’s thorough, but there’s no threat from men who soil themselves in front of real power.

I canter toward the crowd of Gayans and raise the Water Scepter.

“En Gaya!” I yell. “The cowards’ weapons are yours.”

They cheer as they run to collect the swords, and their joy drowns out the screams of the men struggling in the water.