by Claire Luana
“Hiro wasn’t what made you strong, or brave. Hiro didn’t make you foolhardy enough to take on the queen of a nation when you were eighteen, untrained, and powerless.”
Kai let out a little laugh at that.
Quitsu piped in. “She’s right. Hiro didn’t banish the tengu from our world when they threatened to rip it apart.”
“I had the Creator’s help with that,” Kai said.
“But the Creator knew only you were worthy to wield his power,” Emi said. “I miss Hiro too. But you have always been enough. Just you. We need you to be enough now.”
Kai nodded, though she knew it was a lie. How could she be in this world when her husband and daughter were gone? All these people depending on her…
“For Koji,” Quitsu said, knowing in that seishen way what her heart needed. “We hold the walls for your son.”
Emi nodded. “And my daughter.”
A surge of weary determination swept through Kai, and she nodded. “We hold the walls. And pray for a miracle.”
“And if the time comes,” Emi said. “We’ll go out fighting. Together.”
Kai pulled her friend into a tight embrace. “Together.”
CHAPTER 26
ENERGY THRUMMED IN Rika’s veins. She was done waiting, done convalescing, done worrying about her and Vikal and her feelings. She wanted to fight, to storm the castle, to end these creatures, and then ride home on a star to save her people. She briefly imagined her mother’s face as she blasted the soul-eaters from the walls of Yoshai—love, awe, relief. She had disappointed her family—herself—for so long. It was time to change that. “Vikal, I know you wanted to rely on the element of surprise. But our position’s been compromised. We should attack now.”
Vikal frowned, rubbing the dark stubble covering his jaw. “The leeches are a hive. Information travels between soul-eaters, and between those they hold in their thrall. They know we are here. They know we are coming.”
“It is unfortunate,” Kemala said, “but we must retake Nuanita. We have little choice.”
“I do not like it,” Vikal said, shaking his head.
“What is to like?” Ajij asked. “Our world has been invaded by hostile soul-eating monsters. But we finally have a chance to hit back. We should attack.”
Vikal held up his hands, as if he needed quiet to think. “I know, I know. Something just…seems off. Did they just happen upon us?”
“They must have found our soldiers, who led them back to us. The island is crawling with leeches. There’s no time to wait, bak,” Bahti said.
Vikal closed his eyes, as if working on a complex problem.
Ajij tried again. “They know we are coming, but they do not know how. The tunnels to Nuanita are secret. I am the only one who can access them. We will be under their noses before they know what hit them.”
Cayono chimed in. “We could send some men to advance towards the palace walls, to distract them, draw their attention while the rest are sneaking in the tunnels.”
Bahti nodded. “That sounds like fun. I will go with Cayono.”
Vikal shook his head. “It is a good idea, but I will not send you in undefended. Bahti, you are powerful, but Rika is our only true weapon against them. If you walked up to the front gate, you would be eaten or compelled in seconds.”
Rika looked at the sky, her power thrumming. She had an idea. Perhaps a crazy idea, but she needed to bear it out. To see how deep her powers lay. “What if… What if they weren’t undefended?” she asked.
They looked at her quizzically.
“Just…let me try something.” Rika opened her third eye, eager to feel the power fill her again, to see the threads tying her to the heavens. She squinted into the blue, following the silver filaments past the daylight to the stars beyond. The twinkling lights spread across the cosmos, but some clustered, bonded together in a form that Rika could just make out. The constellations. Like Cygna. If she could send Cygna all the way to Yoshai, perhaps she could instruct a few constellations to attack the front gate while they snuck in through the tunnels. She called to a constellation in the form of a roaring lion, its forepaw raised to strike. Then a strange water buffalo with fierce twinkling horns and a hump on its neck. Their threads in her hand, she willed these great beasts to come to her aid, to take form and descend to Earth.
Rika shivered with excitement as she felt the answering vibration through the tethers. They were coming.
The constellations landed with a shuddering crash upon the seashore, talons and sharp hooves tumbling sparkling furrows. They were fierce, wild and untamed, utterly unlike Cygna. They towered above her—as tall as two men. Powerful muscles rippled under coats that shimmered like diamonds in the sunlight, and when the lion roared, Rika could swear she saw the darkness of a black hole within its maw. Doubt flickered through Rika, but she cast it down, stepping up to the constellations with far more confidence than she felt. With her third eye open, the shimmering threads ran from her hand to the constellations’ hearts. Liliam’s voice flickered through her memory. All she needed was within her. They were hers. She was theirs. She needed only the boldness to claim them.
“My allies. My friends.” She addressed each one with a deferential bow of her head. “Travel with these men.” She pointed to Bahti and Cayono. “Protect them. Destroy any who try to harm them.”
The lion let out a great roar that reminded her painfully of Ryu. The buffalo tossed its horns, snorting and pawing the ground. They would comply. They had no other choice. No—that wasn’t true. They wished to obey her. Because she had their respect. She needed to be careful to earn it. To keep it.
She turned to Bahti. “Treat them with respect. And they will clear your path.”
Bahti nodded, backing away slightly. Awe softened his hard features. “I will do as you say, goddess. Do not let them eat me.”
“Better be nice,” Rika said with a wicked grin.
Cayono and Bahti took half the men, whose ranks had swelled with the thralls Rika had freed from the soul-eater’s compulsion. Vikal, Rika, Ajij, and Kemala took the others, picking a path down to the beach and along the surf.
“How are we so sure that the soul-eaters haven’t discovered these paths?” Rika asked Kemala in a low voice.
“Because they do not have Ajij,” Kemala replied.
“I don’t understand.” Rika said, unable to disguise the hint of annoyance in her voice.
Ajij, who was leading the group, stopped at the sea’s edge. Nuanita castle stood in the distance, its golden roofs glinting in the sunlight. It was like a palace from a dream, perched on dark rock above an aquamarine sea. Its pale walls, bleached by the light of the tropical sun, rose in four graceful tiers of balconies and wide verandas. “This is as far as we should go on the beach. We are close.”
Rika pressed her lips together in confusion. On the beach? What did he mean? Where was this godsforsaken tunnel?
Ajij raised his hands and his fingers undulated in an intricate motion. He was moving the tethers of the sea. Masterfully—pulling together many moving parts in a complex pattern. The waves began to shudder, white foam tumbling as the surf swept apart. At their passage, they left a sandy path leading into the ocean, water hovering on either side as if held back by invisible walls.
Kemala grinned at Rika. “The leeches do not know about the tunnel because it is normally underwater.”
“Stay close,” Ajij said. No one required additional encouragement. The group huddled around the god of the deep sea. The waters closed behind them as they began to move forward. Their little circle of wet sand grew darker as the walls around them grew higher. An enormous shape flickered in the water to Rika’s left, her steps slowing as she searched for it, trying to catch sight of it in the gloom. Was it a fish? A shark?
Vikal’s hand closed around hers and she looked up, surprised, to see that the group was now a few steps ahead of them. “Incredible, is it not?” he said. “Easy to get distracted.”
She merely nodde
d, her body flushing hot and prickling cold, the heat of his hand contrasting the misty coolness around them. “Have you done this before?”
“We would sneak out of the castle to come to the beach some nights,” Vikal said. “Ajij stepped on a sea urchin once and almost killed us both. He was so surprised, he let the walls go and it all came crashing down on us.”
Rika’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked up to the spot of blue in the distance above them. If the weight of this water fell upon them, they’d be crushed.
“We were not so deep as we are now,” Vikal admitted. He was still holding her hand. He hadn’t let go, and she didn’t want him to. She wanted…she banished the thoughts. What did it matter what she wanted? All that mattered was what was before her. Get her totem, kill the leeches, find an astrolabe, and get back to Kitina before her family was sucked dry.
A set of cracked stone pillars covered with rosy coral appeared like a specter before them out of the ombré water. “We are close,” Vikal said. “The pillars, then the upside-down man, then we are at the doorway.”
“The upside-down man?” Rika asked. But she saw what he meant as they passed the pillars. A giant stone head appeared before them—its hair buried in the sand. It looked like it had toppled off a statute many eons ago.
“We were not very creative at naming when we were young.”
“Some things don’t change,” Rika muttered, and Vikal flashed a grin. That grin. Gods. It lit up his whole face. This must have been the Vikal that Sarya had known. Bright and joyful and alive. Sneaking out of a palace to play with his friends. How much of that person was left after the leeches had had their way with Vikal?
Rika’s foot bumped against a step, and Vikal steadied her. A slimy stone staircase ascended before them, its edges rough with barnacles and coral. As they walked up the stairs, the waters receded until they found themselves in a sort of cavern with an elaborate doorway carved into the far wall.
Vikal helped Rika up onto the ledge that bordered the cave, and once the remaining soldiers stepped onto the ledge, Ajij let the waters fall, closing his third eye. The ocean was no more than a gentle pool lapping at their feet.
“Amazing,” Rika breathed. “You’d never know it’s here.”
“When the tide is low, you can see some of the steps. But no one but Ajij can get in and out.” Kemala said.
Vikal released Rika’s hand and she tried not to mourn its absence. “We are two floors under the main level. The floor above us holds the treasury, which should have Rika’s totem. Be careful. Silent. We could encounter anything out there.”
Kemala took the lead, followed by Rika and Vikal. If they ran into any unsuspecting soldiers, Kemala would confuse their emotions and fill them with fear long enough for the group to slip by. Rika freeing them was a last resort. Vikal had explained that the leeches might know when they lost control of a thrall and would be alerted to their presence.
They encountered no one as they ascended to the next floor of the Nuan royal castle—Nuanita. Here, Rika caught her first glimpses of the life that Vikal used to live—bright woven mats dampened their footsteps while elaborate carved mirrors reflected their silent progress. She caught a glimpse of herself and started. Between the Nuan clothing, the gaunt planes of her hungry cheeks, the tattoo crowning her forehead, and the glittering silver of her irises, she hardly recognized herself. She looked fierce. Nuan. Not like a burner of Kitina. Not like herself at all. She wasn’t sure how it made her feel. She glanced at Vikal, but his face was set in stone, intent upon their mission. He must have his own ghosts to face, coming back here.
Kemala took a right turn and slowed as they reached a set of double doors with handles of brass carved like a sinuous dragon. “Do you think it has stayed locked?” Kemala asked in hushed tones.
“Only one way to find out,” Vikal replied, brushing past Rika to push open one of the doors. It swung open on silent hinges. The room inside was dark. Vikal stood aside and motioned for the group to slip inside, out of the exposed hallway. Rika was the last one through, followed by Vikal, who latched the door behind them, plunging the room into darkness.
“Vikal,” Kemala whispered. “We are not alone.”
One by one, pairs of glowing green eyes winked open in the darkness. Four, five, ten, a dozen. Rika’s breath hitched in her throat. The soul-eaters were waiting for them.
CHAPTER 27
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT was a blur of frantic screams and shadowed movements. Rika snapped her third eye open, threads filling her sight like glowing strings in the darkness. She pulled starlight towards her desperately, acting purely on instinct. Someone barreled into her from the side, knocking her to the ground. She hit the stones hard, her elbow exploding with pain that blurred her vision. She groaned, calling on more stars, who finally arrived, exploding through the ceiling above, showering them with debris. The celestial light illuminated a scene of chaos. There were three soul-eaters crowded into the treasury, their shell-like helmets almost grazing the ceiling. One had Kemala by the throat, while Vikal and Ajij did their best against the other. The third—the third was a few feet away, its malevolent gaze locked on her.
Acting on pure instinct, she scrambled to her feet and leaped onto the creature’s back, hooking her arms around its armored shoulders. It shied back in surprise, whirling, but she hung on, refusing to relinquish her grip. Bile rose in her throat as the creature’s sulfur smell enveloped her. Reaching out desperately with one hand, she grasped a tether connected to one of the waiting stars, yanking it towards her, willing it to burrow into the leech’s face.
When the star hit, the monster let out a keening wail that raked across Rika’s eardrums. She dropped to the ground, her ankle twisting painfully under her. She grunted in frustration, scrambling to her feet. No graceful warrior here. Ignoring the dying screams of the soul-eater, she turned her attention to the creature that had Kemala, willing a tethered star to blast into the cracks in its armor.
“Rika!” Vikal screamed. She whirled and dropped to the ground—a thrall’s blade slicing through the air above her. Thank you, Emi, for your endless drills, she thought gratefully as she directed a star to savagely sever the green tether pulsing from the man to the final soul-eater. Ajij was pummeling the final leech with powerful blows from his trident, but they were clanging uselessly off the creature’s armor, serving only to keep it distracted. Rika willed the stars she had summoned to join together into one massive, pulsing ball of purifying fire. “Ajij, duck!” she cried before releasing the light at the leech like a rock from a slingshot.
The soul-eater saw her attack coming. It dodged to the side—impossibly fast. The blow struck it in the shoulder, glancing off, without the force she was hoping for. But still the starlight obeyed her intentions, clinging to the monster, worming into its armor like a deadly plague. It was enough. The last soul-eater fell to the ground, thrashing and screaming until it cracked apart, the light in its green eyes dying.
Rika brushed her hair out of her face and released all but one of the stars with a fervent thank you. The light zipped back through the gaping hole in the ceiling of the treasury while she pulled the light from the final star to float on her palm, fashioning it into a little ball like the moon orbs back at the citadel in Kyuden.
“I think she is getting the hang of this goddess thing,” Kemala remarked, a hand on her hip, the other rubbing the red patch on her throat. It appeared her totem had saved her windpipe from being crushed, its glittering form hard as armor.
The freed soldiers were shaking their heads and groaning, coming to. Rika surveyed the damage. They had lost three of their own men and had killed two of the compelled soldiers. It could have been much worse. It wasn’t enough, Rika thought as the heat of battle cooled. She couldn’t fight the soul-eaters one by one. There were too many of them. She needed to summon the constellations—it needed to be as natural as breathing.
Vikal watched her, seeming to understand her thoughts. “You did well. We wi
ll find your totem, and you will be able to fight the whole hive in your sleep.”
“What are we waiting for?” she asked.
“Everyone, look for a peculiar weapon. It has curved blades on each side of its handle,” Vikal said.
“Here’s the lasso of the goddess of open air,” Kemala called, already deep into the shelves of sparkling treasure. “I think I found it!” She emerged from between two tall shelves, holding a weapon on her outstretched palms. It matched the drawing in Sarnak’s book perfectly. The weapon’s handle was wrapped with creamy white leather, and from each end came a curving blade, about half the length of a regular sword. The keen blades curved away from each other, lending the weapon an undulating look, like a wave on the sea.
“It’s beautiful,” Rika breathed, though she had no idea how to wield such a weapon.
“According to the legends, when you throw it, it will come back to you,” Vikal explained.
“Come back to me and stick me straight between the eyes?” Rika asked doubtfully.
“I doubt it is designed to do that,” Ajij said. “Take it!”
With a deep breath, Rika reached out and took the weapon from Kemala. The moment her fingers touched the leather of the handle, her third eye blew open. She reeled, her hand over her forehead, grasping the weapon in the other. The threads of the stars and constellations glowed brilliantly, nearly blinding her sight. And there were more—thousands waiting for her to summon. It was the most beautiful and most terrifying sight she had ever seen. She had believed in her power—believed she could summon stars and constellations—but a small part of her had still doubted she could ever be a true goddess. Had still felt human. Weak. Like someone had made the wrong choice, and she would be found out. But with this weapon in her hand, she could travel the worlds. She felt invincible.
The others were grinning at her. “A heady feeling, is it not?” Ajij asked.