Ren raced at him again, sprinting across the platform. Leaving a trail of curling steam in her wake. She stabbed at his torso, hitting him in the ribs, on the heart. Slicing through the flesh between his shoulder and neck. He screamed. Dropped to his knees and let out a chorus of curses. Ren didn’t back away. Didn’t slow down.
She pinned him there. Huffing.
51
Ren’s vision returned, the fire melting away. Her crystal empty. She pinned the Mafioso down, her hands shaking as they held the spear tight.
She couldn’t do it.
Driving the spearpoint closer to his chest, Ren bore down on him. “I’m not like you.” She swore. “I’m not a fucking murderer.”
He stared up at her, one hand up. Palm open in a show of surrender.
Ren drove the spearpoint into his chest, creating a shallow wound. She clenched it. Felt it sucking into him, stealing his power. Taking everything away.
“They’re cutting the bridge!” the guardswoman’s voice. Ren cursed under her breath and yanked the spear away. The Mafioso dropped to the platform, limp. But still breathing.
To Ren’s right, Mia picked herself up off the ground.
Ren almost couldn’t stop herself from rushing to Mia. The fight wasn’t over yet.
“Go.” Ren pointed toward the bridge that led into the trunk of a tree. “Follow them.” She said, indicating the retreating line of Mesh.
Mia shot her a confused look. Naked and shivering, her heart-shaped lips twitched.
“Now!”
Mia sprinted.
Ren rushed to the wooden sheds. Set the doors aflame one by one and freed the captives inside. Pointing to the bridge, she told them where to go. They went without incident. Double checking to make sure the sheds were clear, a shadow stepped onto the threshold of the final shed Ren checked. Ren couldn’t call the fire but she sure as hell wouldn’t die here after all of the shit she had just gone through.
“Ren?” Kato’s voice. Ren sighed. Her legs trembled. “Come on—we can’t hold the bridge forever.”
Ren nodded. Running out of the shed, she chanced one look at the Mafioso.
He slept like a soulless child.
Rushing across the bridge, Mia met the rest of the Mesh in the tree trunk. Rushing their way through the tunnel, at the tunnels end they climbed.
They met the Wilds at a breakneck pace. As the Mesh sprinted toward Nyx, Ren hung back and caught Mia. She brought Mia into a hug, holding her tight. When Mia pulled back, the two resumed walking. Following the Mesh.
“I’m sorry.” Ren said, avoiding Mia’s gaze. The girl was still naked. Stripping off her shirt, Ren offered it to her. Mia took it with a twisted grin. All she had was her sports bra now, but it didn’t matter. “For everything you’ve gone through—I’m so sorry.”
“Ren—I can’t tell you…” she shook her head and hugged herself. “You should’ve killed that son of a bitch. You should’ve.”
The acrid stench of smoke hit their nostrils like a smack to the face. Up ahead, Kato screamed in island-speak and the Mesh broke out into a mad dash for home.
“Are we…following these people?”
“They helped save you. So, yeah. We kind of owe them one.”
Mia shot her a poisoned glare. “I don’t owe them anything. Monsters like them did this to me!”
“The Kirabo and Mesh are two different groups of people, Mia.”
“They are all the fucking same, Ren. Don’t go defending them—but you know what?” she looked Ren up and down. “Look at you. You’ve basically become them. Of course, you’d defend them, right? Of course, you’d fucking defend them.” Mia spat but picked up the pace.
“They are not the same. The Mesh saved you! They’ve helped me—”
“When are we going to your grandfather’s?”
Ren clamped her mouth shut. Her jaw tweaked. “We aren’t.”
“Okay—now I know for sure you’ve gone off the deep end. We aren’t?”
A sigh escaped from Ren. “We can’t.”
Mia stopped cold. “What have you done?” she growled.
The outskirts came into view as the Mesh departed the Wilds. On the horizon, black smoke blanketed the sky as a symphony of screams clawed their way to the heavens.
52
They were like vultures, unable to leave a dead thing to die. Jackasses had to pick at it first. Lick its bones clean.
The constant snap of gunfire drained the color from Mia’s face, but Ren wouldn’t let her run. “I need to convince them to leave Nyx.”
“Nyx?” Mia spat.
“The village.” Ren pointed. “Stay close.”
“Or what? You’re fucking insane—we will die if we go anywhere near that place!”
“You heard me.” Ren said before sprinting. Mia huffed, panting to keep up. The closer they came to the village, the stronger the acrid stink became. The rat-a-tat of bullets hitting flesh and wood made Mia flinch and stop. But as Ren pressed forward, she had no choice but to keep up. The Mesh who returned fought for their home. But spears had no chance of standing up against bullets. Pulling her way onto the ravaged boardwalk, Ren watched the guardswoman from earlier go down in a hail of gunfire as she tried to protect the Shamaness. In response, the Shamaness shrieked and sent a rainbow of sediment crashing down onto the armed men.
Ren searched for Xavier but gave up as it quickly became obvious that the Mesh would die here. Ren couldn’t allow that.
Instead, she found Kato. “You need to leave.” She said, ducking a stray spray of bullets. “You’re all going to die here.” Ren said, her voice rising a couple octaves.
“If you hadn’t left, we could have fought them off!” the Shamaness shrieked, bringing up another wall of clay. Surrounding Nyx in her magic.
It wouldn’t stand for long. There were already gunmen in the village. It didn’t matter if she held off ten or twenty, one could take down two Mesh alone.
Ren ignored the Shamaness. “Nyx is dead.” She told them. “The water has dried up. The land has given up. The Wilds could be your home—but only if you decide to save yourselves.”
“The Outsider wouldn’t understand the meaning of home. The Outsider wouldn’t understand—”
“It is suicide to stay here.” Ren said. “You will all die.”
The Mesh knew. And as the makeshift wall crumbled to mud and dust, gunmen surrounding the village from the left and right, the Mesh sheathed their weapons and sprinted for the Wilds.
The Shamaness pinned Ren with a crazed glare, mouth twisted up into a feral snarl. “You knew their plans, Outsider. Yet, you elected to keep them from us.”
How did she know?
Ren shrugged. “It’s not like you would’ve believed me anyway.” She said, moving away from the Shamaness. “If I warned you, you would have ignored me.” Ren dared her to lie. To retort.
She didn’t.
“Stay and fight!” the Shamaness screamed, sending waves of sediment at their attackers. “Fight for your home—for Nyx!”
Merging in with the Mesh, Ren ran with them. Kato and Ren took up the rear as the Shamaness screamed. Eventually deciding to follow them. The gunmen tailed the retreating tribe, setting storms of bullets on their backs. Some Mesh went down, screaming as a line of bullets ripped up their backs and thighs.
They couldn’t afford to stop.
They met the outskirts and tumbled through. Somehow, Morgan Black’s men were still following. Scissoring through the brush, they shot at anything that moved.
How did they get to the village? How did they get through the Wall?
It didn’t take Ren long to realize that it had been her fault. To get back across the Wall, she destroyed a piece of it. If she had just gone back to the States none of this would have happened to the Mesh. Morgan Black would have waited it out. He would have attacked later.
He would have still attacked.
Slithering around trees and ducking under vines, the Mesh continued to retreat as t
heir attackers followed like shadows. Ren flung fireballs at them, Kato his air scythes and the Shamaness her screams. But there were too many of them. Too many for three Scions to fight on their own.
Bull Skull emerged from the brush. Along with his other skull-mates. They took up their flank and created a ring of bodies through the wood. Overhead, vines creaked and moaned as they grew toward the encroaching gunmen. A stilted face appeared on a nearby tree and grinned, gaps replaced much of its teeth.
“Human.” It said to Ren as she passed.
Ren shot it a smile. Had that been the same tree that saved her from the Wilds Spirit all those months ago? Did it matter? It was saving them now as it grew a wall of vines. Cutting the gunmen off.
“Thank you.” Ren muttered as the Wilds Spirits locked hands and claws and talons.
53
A silver stream cut through the Wilds like a trident, breaking off into three separate sections the further they tread on. At the three-pronged head of the stream, they came to a stop. Set up camp and looked between Ren and the Shamaness expectantly.
Ren didn’t like the looks she was getting. Least of all, the Shamaness’s white-eyed glare.
“She is going to challenge you.” Elder Lindiwe had said. “Be prepared, Fire Scion.”
But Ren was tired as hell of fighting. She hoped that whatever happened next would be quick.
Leaning up against a nearby bamboo stalk, Ren listened to Mia’s wheezing breath as the other girl slept. The moment she sat down she passed out, Ren snickered at that. Kind of saw her old self in Mia. Almost couldn’t believe she had been that weak at one point. That eager to go back to the States. There was no way in hell she was going back “home”. This was her home now—the island.
At least, here, she did things right. For once in her life, she didn’t run. She looked failure square in the face and spat. Who knew failure was easily scared off by that?
Ren cracked a smile as she watched the bustle of the camp, smelt the tantalizing aroma of cook-fires burning boar and listened to the bell-like chatter of the remaining Mesh. From time to time, eyes fell on her almost tentatively. They were waiting for something to happen—expectant of it. Ever since Ren rallied the Mesh twice against the Shamaness’s orders, it seemed like they expected her to continue leading. As if the Shamaness wasn’t in the camp quietly seething, uncrossing her arms only to cross them again against her bloodied torso. Ren watched as the woman paced, speaking quietly to herself.
As the moon hung high overhead, the camp quieted. The Shamaness tore through cook-fires and sleeping groups of Mesh to get to the center of the camp. With her eyes glued to Ren’s, she threw off her golden nail-guards and ripped off her bell-shaped skirts to reveal linen undergarments and brown legs overrun with black tattoos. Firelight crawled into the hollows of her face, flickering in the whites of her eyes.
Mia snorted awake as Ren stood, taking her spear off of her back. Alright, here we go.
“You have already challenged me.” The Shamaness began, her fingers contorting. Dancing by her thighs. “You all have challenged my leadership. My skills as Shamaness.” She whirled, pivoting on her heel. “Some say that I can no longer speak to the goddess. That Behemoth’s death rests on my shoulders and because of his murder, the goddess has pulled away from me. Thus, leaving my people to die. Thus, leaving all of you—” and she turned a slow circle, taking time to look into the eyes of all who respectfully stood. “—to die at the hands of the Outsiders—no—Invaders on the beach. Well,” she faced Ren again, snarling like a caged animal. “Here we are with a new contender for the title. For the rank and privilege. It is a shame none of my own people could brave the light of my fire. Or, rather—the filaments of my darkness. For you all are cowards!” she roared, throwing back her head. “All of you are cowards!”
Elder Lindiwe parted from the crowd. Her face was ragged, slick with black paint and dirt. “Understand, Shamaness, that challenging the Fire Scion means if you lose you will have to forfeit your title.”
The Shamaness nodded curtly.
“Then, please understand; Nakato, Ren. Once this ring is drawn only one of you can step out of it alive. And that one shall be Shamaness.”
Come again? “What?”
The Shamaness—Nakato—barked her laughter. “Afraid, Outsider? Backing out already?”
Ren gripped her spear tighter. Dammit, she hated Nakato but she didn’t want to kill her. She didn’t want to kill anymore. She gave Elder Lindiwe a pleading glance.
The Elder simply shook her head. “It is our way. The goddess will not accept two leaders. Only one.” And she backed away. Three Mesh peeled from the crowd and began to trace through the foliage with their feet. Creating a large ring in the dirt that felt like a damned cage.
Fuck.
Mia clasped her hands together, slowly shaking her head. Face strewn with disbelief. If Ren lost this Mia could lose her life. Then, there was Kato. Standing on the edge, fists clenching and unclenching as he worked his jaw. “This isn’t a fair fight.” He murmured.
Elder Lindiwe stood shoulder to shoulder with him. She had no words to say.
Nakato began to pace, prowling around her back to the crowd. “You killed him, didn’t you?” she said, fingers moving like they were marionettes on invisible strings. “I see it in your eyes—ah, a soul swims in your crystal without me refilling it. Nothing can quench your thirst, can it? Your thirst for fucking power.” At that, three more Nakatos rose up out of the ground. Brown as clay for one moment before filling with color. Spitting images of the woman who worked a slow circle around Ren. “I was like you once.”
“No more talking.” Ren gritted out, eying the three reflections before glaring at the real Nakato. “Either kill me or don’t. I don’t give a fuck about your manifesto.”
“Well said.”
The mimics lunged, all arms no magic. They came at Ren with their arms outstretched, talons growing from the beds of their nails. Ren swung her spear in a large arc, ripping through the images. Turning them back to clay and dust. My turn, Ren smirked. But as fire roared up her arms, the Shamaness disappeared.
And inky tentacles curled at Ren’s back. She pirouetted, spear clutched between her hands, batting the tentacles away. They melted to shadow as the Shamaness shoved the heel of her naked foot into Ren’s chest. Ren hit the ground with an oof. Her spear rolled away.
Fuck.
Silence fluttered through the crowd like a crow on broken wings. Ren brought her hands up to protect her face, fire spewing from her skin. But Nakato wasn’t coming down. “Get up.” Nakato hissed.
Ren rolled to her spear and sprang to standing as Nakato called three more mimics. They circled around her like vipers, grinning. Stretching their lips like they were wearing fleshy masks instead of faces. Ren speared through one, sending her screaming to the ground in a cloud of dust and dirt. The other two disappeared. Puffing out of existence only to reappear. One at her front, the other at her back. Slapping Rens spear out of her hands, the mimic at her front grabbed her face. Squeezing her cheeks. The one behind her snatched her hands, holding her wrists in a death grip.
Real Nakato reemerged, sauntering toward Ren with a seductive sway of her hips. Ren bucked. Fought against the mimics and kicked. But their hands were like stone, holding her in place. Melding around her like rivers surrounding an island.
The mimic before her broke into a cloud of black soot as Nakato sauntered right through it. Nakato bent, moving as slow as molasses as she searched for Ren’s spear, grabbed it and hoisted the tip right into Ren’s diaphragm.
“This is what you did to my brother,” Nakato cocked her head, “Correct?”
54
The crowd fell away as Ren stared at the spear. Soon, it would begin sucking. Stealing everything from her. Her power, her soul, her life force. It would leave her alive, but barely. Ren wouldn’t be a Scion anymore if she didn’t destroy it.
Nakato’s mimic still held Ren’s hands behind her back. Blood
dribbled from where the spear-point pierced her as her crystal hummed. The incision crying out. Gritting her teeth, Ren sent a tidal wave of flame spiraling down her right leg. Shoving her knee into the spear, the fire caught. Roaring up the spear and biting into Nakato’s hands as she held it. Dropping the spear, Nakato screamed as her hands became burning lanterns lighting up the appalled faces of the crowd.
“You bitch!” she wailed, collapsing to her knees as she tried to pat the flame out.
Behind Ren, the mimic yanked at her wrists. Hard. Both went sputtering toward the ground, falling into a tangle of hair and flesh. Rolling over, Ren braced her palms against the mimic and set it aflame. It became mud beneath her. A clay model in the shape of a woman.
Ren stalked toward Nakato. The fire had gone out, though Nakato’s hands were blackened and scorched. Much like Ren’s forearms.
“Stay away.” Nakato hissed, slithering through the dirt like a snail. “Stay the fuck away, Outsider.”
Ren’s spear was gone. Blackened and charred. There was no way she’d ever be able to use it to drain another Scion’s power again. Ren kicked it away as she advanced toward the Shamaness, hands bright with flame. Her crystal emptying as she held onto the flickering scarlet light. She wasn’t sure how she’d deal with Nakato, but she’d sure as hell do something.
“Do it.” Nakato hissed, forearms flush against the dirt as she glared up into Ren’s eyes. “My time is over. Do you want to know the truth, little Scion?” she grinned crookedly. “Moira is silent because she is dead.”
The crowd gasped.
Ren shrugged. She didn’t believe in goddesses anyway. She stood over Nakato’s body. Hovering. Her indecision would be the death of her—but she didn’t want to murder the woman.
“I am the goddess!” Nakato screamed. Falling to her back, she opened up her arms wide. “I am what protects you. What refills your crystal and restores the land. I am your goddess!” her crazed eyes snapped to Ren. A shadow passed through them, fluttering from eye to eye. Ren watched the shadow move and it tugged at her. The longer the Shamaness kept her eyes on Ren the less in control of her body she felt. It was like she was becoming a puppet, bowing to Nakato’s will.
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