THE FORTRESS TOWERS over Gombe’s horizon like an iron palace, casting its shadow through the night. Troops man every corner, leaving no meter unprotected for more than a few moments. My heart beats in my throat as we wait for the guards patrolling the southern wall to pass. Thirty seconds is all we shall have. I pray to the gods above that thirty seconds is all we need.
“Can you do this?” I whisper to Femi, stepping away from the overgrown kenkiliba bushes granting us cover. Since touching the sunstone, his hands do not remain still, running over his fingers, his beard, his crooked nose.
“I’m ready.” He nods. “It’s hard to explain, but I can feel it.”
“Alright.” I turn my attention back to the patrol. “Next time they pass, we go.”
The instant the guards round the corner, Femi and I dash across the manicured wild grass. Tzain, Kenyon, and Imani follow fast behind, sticking to the shadows to avoid being spotted by those above. Though many divîners from the tóju agreed to help, only Kenyon and his team were willing to touch the scroll and awaken their magic. I hoped they would be enough to take the fortress down, but not even all five of them could fight.
Khani turned out to be a Healer, and Ife awakened his powers as a Tamer. Without magic that could strike quickly, it wasn’t safe for them to enter. Thankfully, Kenyon turned out to be a Burner, Femi a Welder, Imani a Cancer. Not the maji army I had hoped for, but with the sunstone’s surge, they could be the only soldiers we need.
“Fifteen seconds,” I hiss, panting as we reach the southern wall. Femi places his hands against the cold iron, moving over the grooves and plates with the grace of an enlightened Welder. He feels around for something I can’t see, painfully slow as our time aches by.
“Ten seconds.”
Femi closes his eyes and presses harder into the metal wall. My chest clenches as time ticks away.
“Five seconds!”
Suddenly, the air tightens. A green light glows in Femi’s hand. The metal wall ripples open like water.
We all rush through the emerging tear, sneaking into the fortress as quietly as we can. Hard footsteps pound outside just as Femi slips in. He manages to close up the wall moments before the next patrol marches past.
Thank the skies.
I let out a long, slow breath, savoring the small victory before the next battle commences. We’re in.
But now the hard part begins.
Polished swords adorn the walls around us, reflecting our anxious faces. This must be the armory.… If this fortress’s structure mirrors the one in Lagos, we must be near the commander quarters on the upper level. That means the prison cells have to be below—
The door handle twists. I hold up a hand, signaling everyone to duck out of sight as the armory door groans open. I hear the sounds of a guard approaching and catch his reflection in the glinting swords as he enters.
I watch the guard, waiting, counting each step he takes. He’s close. One more step and we can—
“Go!” I hiss.
Tzain and Kenyon strike, tackling the guard to the ground. As they shove a rag into his mouth, I run and close the door before any sound leaks out. By the time I return, the soldier’s screams are muffled. I crouch down and release my blade, pressing the cold metal into his neck.
“Scream and I’ll slit your throat.”
The venom in my words surprises me. I’ve only heard this poison in Father’s voice. But it does the trick.
The soldier swallows hard as I rip the gag from his mouth.
“The maji prisoner,” I bark. “Where is she?”
“Th-the what?”
Tzain whips out his ax and holds it above the guard’s head, daring him to feign ignorance again.
“The cell is at the base! Down all the stairs, the farthest one to the right!”
Femi kicks the guard in the forehead, knocking him out cold. The guard hits the floor with a heavy thud as we run toward the door.
“Now what?” Tzain asks me.
“We wait.”
“For how long?”
I study the hourglass timepiece hanging around Kenyon’s neck, reading the grains as they fall past the quarter mark. Where is the second wave?
“They should’ve already hit—”
A blast thunders and booms, reverberating through the iron under our feet. We press against the wall as the fortress quakes, shielding our heads from the swords that rain from the walls. More blasts ring from outside, followed by the yells of running guards. I open the door a crack, watching soldiers fly by. They sprint toward a fight I pray they’ll never find.
The divîners who weren’t willing to awaken their powers agreed to fight from afar. Using the bar’s alcohol, we managed to make nearly fifty firebombs, building while others constructed the slingshots they would use to launch the explosives. With the distance, the divîners should be able to strike and flee on their ryders before the guards get close. And while the guards are distracted, we’ll make our escape.
We wait till the thundering footsteps are silenced before fleeing the armory and heading down the stairwell in the center of the fortress. We sprint down flight after flight of stairs, descending the floors of the iron tower. Just a few more levels until we can set Zélie free. We shall head straight for the sacred island. With two days left, we’ll make it just in time for the ritual.
But as we descend another stairwell, a group of soldiers blocks our path. When they raise their blades to strike, I have no choice but to scream.
“Attack!”
Kenyon strikes first, sending a prickle of fear through my skin as his heat warms the air. A powerful red glow swirls around his fist; with a punch, a stream of flame erupts, knocking three guards into the wall.
Femi lunges forward next, using his metal magic to liquefy the blades of the guards’ swords. As they skid to a halt, Imani steps forward. Our Cancer, perhaps the most terrifying one of all.
She leaks dark green energy from her hands, trapping the men in a malignant cloud. The moment it touches the guards, they crumble, skin yellowing as disease rages through them.
Although more guards filter in, the maji’s powers flourish, unlocked with threatening strength. They run on raw instinct, fueled by the unbreakable swell of the sunstone’s surge.
“Let’s go,” I say.
Tzain takes advantage of the hysteria, pressing against the walls to slip through the battle. I follow his lead and join him on the other side, racing down another stairwell to rescue Zélie. With this power, no one can stop us. Not one soldier will stand in our way. We can defeat the army. We can even face—
Father?
The guards flank Father on all sides, shielding him from attack while he runs along the upper level. As he surveys the uproar, his dark brown eyes find mine, zeroing in like a hunter targeting his prey. He stumbles in shock, but only for an instant. As my involvement in the attack sinks in, Father’s rage breaks free.
“Amari!”
His glare freezes my blood. But this time I have my sword. This time I am not afraid to strike.
Be brave, Amari.
Binta’s voice rings loud. The sight of her blood fills my head. I can avenge her now. I can cut Father down. While the maji take out the guards, my sword can free Father of his head. Retribution for all his massacres, every poor soul he has ever killed …
“Amari?”
Tzain pulls my attention, allowing Father to disappear behind an iron door at the end of his hallway. A door Femi could easily melt …
“What’re you doing?”
I blink at Tzain and keep my mouth shut. There is no time to explain. One day, I shall fight Father.
Today I must fight for Zélie.