IT STARTS WITH A SHAKE.
A shift beneath the earth.
The first hill explodes as monstrous animations twist from the dirt.
They claw their way out of the ground, each as big as a gorillion. Even at my strongest, I can only summon dozens of animations. In seconds, Mâzeli and I create hundreds.
“—mo ké pè yin ní òní.”
Veins bulge against our necks as the tide of spirits rises. Dirt rains from their bodies when they charge, a tsunami of animations surging over the land.
The cênter releases her blade, blowing our monstrous animations to smithereens. But it’s not strong enough to take out the whole wave. Her wind dies half a kilometer away.
“Keep going!” I shout. I feel Mâzeli’s heart beating in my chest. My body burns as our ashê bleeds together.
The magic of the moonstone binds our souls, creating a force unlike any I’ve commanded before. Animations crawl onto the carts, ripping the soldiers apart. The tîtáns’ screams ring as our soldiers attack. But the longer we push, the greater the strain. The more I feel our pain.
“Zélie…” Mâzeli’s voice scratches through his clenched teeth. His screams turn sharp as strips of skin peel away from his arms.
The powerful ashê rips through our veins. It burns through us both. But despite how I want to let go, the Winder cênter still stands.
“Just once more!” I shout. “Ẹmí àwọn tí ó ti sùn—”
I grit my teeth against the pain. More hills explode into animations as we chant. The power of Oya races through our veins.
New spirits rise like mountains, closing the distance in mere seconds. The general wails as our animations descend upon her. An explosion of silver light flickers from beneath their earthly bodies as the general falls. When the animations move away, her corpse lies over the wreckage like a rag doll.
“We got them!”
I turn to Mâzeli, but he doesn’t move. Blood drips from the corners of his mouth. His fingers fall limp.
“Mâzeli?”
The deep purple glow fades from his gaze. His eyes roll as he stumbles back. I see the strain of our combined magic, the great power that’s eaten through his being.
His hands go to his chest and I feel his heart seize beneath my own ribs.
“Mâzeli!” I reach out for him when he falls.
But the moment his body collapses, my own legs crumble.