DESPITE ALL THE YEARS spent fighting my brother, watching him now is like watching a stranger spar. Though slower than usual, Inan’s strikes are merciless, fueled by a burning rage I cannot comprehend. As he and Zélie trade blow for blow, their battle flows to the constant clinks of his sword and her staff. When their fight pushes them farther into the forest, Tzain and I run after them.
“Are you alright?” Tzain asks.
I long to say yes, but watching Inan, my heart fractures. After all this time, he’s so close to doing the right thing.
“They’re going to kill each other,” I whisper, flinching at their hate-fueled blows.
“No.” Tzain shakes his head. “Zél’s going to kill him.”
I pause and study Zélie’s movements, powerful and precise, the fighter she’s always been. But she’s not trying to knock him down—she fights to take my brother out.
“We have to stop this!” I run forward, ignoring Tzain’s pleas to stay back. The battle pushes our siblings down a hill, deep into the forested valley. I sprint to reach them, though the closer I get, the more I don’t know what to do. Should I extend my blade or stay defenseless and throw myself in harm’s way? They charge at each other with such a vengeance, I don’t know if either plan would stop them. I don’t even know if either would make them hesitate.
But as I run, a new dilemma distracts me; the pressure of unseen eyes. It’s a weight I would know anywhere, honed from a lifetime of carrying it inside the palace walls.
As the sensation grows, I stumble to a stop, searching for its source. Did Inan summon other soldiers? It isn’t like him to fight alone. If the army’s approaching, we could be more vulnerable than I thought.
But the seal of Orïsha doesn’t appear. Instead, leaves tussle above us. Before I can extend my blade, a whipping sound cracks through the air—
Nailah crashes to the ground with a yelp, thick bolas wrapped around her legs and snout. I pivot as a net shoots over her massive frame, capturing her with the ease of a practiced poacher. Caged roars shrink into frightened whimpers as Nailah fights in vain to get free. Her whimpers shrivel into silence. She’s helpless as five soldiers emerge from the forest and drag her away.
“Nailah!” Tzain jumps into action, skinning knife brandished. He bounds forward with impressive speed, blade poised to cut—
“Ugh!”
Tzain tumbles to the ground like a boulder with bolas binding his wrists and ankles. The hunting knife skids against the forest floor as a net is launched, trapping him like a jungle cat.
“No!”
I run after him and extend my own blade, heart slamming against my chest. I dodge a whipping bola with ease, but when the five figures who took Nailah reappear, I don’t know where to turn. They blend in and out of the shadows, masked and clad in black. In brief flashes I catch their beady eyes. Not soldiers …
But if not more of Inan’s guards, who are these fighters? Why do they attack us? What are they after?
I slash at the first figure who approaches and duck to avoid another’s strike. Each attack wastes precious time, time Tzain and Nailah do not have.
“Tzain!” I call after him as more masked figures emerge from the darkness and drag him away. He fights against the net with all his might, but a swift blow to the head leaves his body limp.
“Tzain!” I slash my sword at a lunging assailant, striking a moment too late. The masked man grabs my weapon and disarms me. Another covers my face with a soaked cloth.
Its acidic smell burns to a vicious sting, raging as my vision darkens.