I knew my mouth gaped open, but I couldn’t help it. I didn’t know what to believe. Had Sammy really stolen away to the Outskirts in the hope of curing us? And then what, she gave up and went home to warn Jocelyn to stay clear of Kory? After which, she willingly handed over her blood to make the bug army stronger? None of this made any sense. Just when I thought I was getting it, finally understanding Sammy better, I felt like I was starting completely over again.
Kalepe, who’d stood back listening, stepped forward, motioning to Kory. “I think we are ready for the ceremony now.”
Alek and Otto’s explanation must have appeased Kory’s earlier anxiety because a grin spread across his face.
“Wonderful, Kalepe,” he said, “Shall we continue this down on the beach? The Defenders have something special planned for us tonight.”
Now my anxiety heightened. Just what kind of ceremony were we talking about? Surely, Kory wouldn’t try injecting me now, right? Knowing how jumpy Jocelyn felt about this, he wouldn’t dream of making a public display of her injections… would he?
Kalepe let out a loud whooping noise as we wound down the fire-lit path to the beach. I was surprised to hear several other Tongans match the sound. It reminded me a bit of wolves in a pack, howling to one another. Not sure if it was an island or Defender thing, I stepped a bit closer to Kory. For some reason, the mild-mannered Kalepe was giving me a different vibe now. There was a manic energy about him, a wildness in his gaze when he glanced back at me. The grin that had dimpled his cheeks, giving him an almost boyish feel all day, now left me feeling sick with adrenaline.
Kory gave my arm a squeeze. “Relax. They have some songs they want to sing and dance to; it’s nothing too scary.”
“Okay,” I said, noticing how more and more Tongan men were crowding around us as we waded through the soft sand. They still wore their lavalava skirts, but now I noticed they wore some kind of grass skirt around them as well, adding color and fullness. All were bare chested, and a few of them sported flowered leis around their necks.
The bonfires from earlier were now raging, three total, one definitely larger than the others. It was at this fire that we gathered around. Two old lawn chairs stuck out like sore thumbs. When Kory beelined for them, I supposed they were meant for us. With the others sitting directly on the sand, it felt funny to be the only ones sitting in chairs. With a yelp from Kalepe, all the Tongans were on their feet, and we were the ones being dwarfed.
Somewhere, drums began to droll out. I found the source quickly as bodies moved to clear our view. I could only stare. One monstrous Tongan was in the forefront, manning four drums by himself, each drum easily five feet high, three feet wide. Three more Tongans were behind him, forming a line, each one drumming furiously on one tall drum. I’d never heard such a rhythm before. My entire frame shook with the reverberations.
With the drumming, the energy around the fire spiked. I watched in wonder as Tongans began catcalling out different sounds and rhythms, their bodies beginning a slap dance like I’d never seen before. The drums didn’t stop, just increased in speed and force, and the Tongans frenzied movements sped up too.
Kalepe danced around in and around the other men, calling out commands I didn’t understand. Then, as the drumming reached the pinnacle, the fire leaping around, lighting up the bodies leaping and bounding around us, Kalepe let out a call that I did understand.
“Defenders! Transform!”
I gasped, my eyes darting to Kory. His eyes danced with the same manic energy Kalepe’s had. This was the big ceremony? The sound of angry flesh being torn away, along with roars and screaming, assaulted my ears. I couldn’t help but jump to my feet, readying to bolt. Really, I wanted my own wings to burst out and take me from this.
Kory grabbed on to me, shouting to be heard above the insane noise surrounding us, “Don’t worry! These Defenders are perfectly safe!”
Kory’s crazed stare was enough to make me look away and meet the horror before me. No longer men, the Defenders’ enormous heads turned, black, bug-like eyes all gazing back at us. One stood out from the rest, and from the shredded remains of his lavalava, I knew it was Kalepe. Though not as scare-ridden as Jaxon, their heavy-corded wings, oversized frames, hunched shoulders, and elongated claws reminded me of the bug Jaxon tried to overcome within himself. To my shock, none of them rushed us. If anything, they continued in their chants and half-slap-half-jumping around the fire. With monstrous roars, Kalepe seemed to be calling out commands still.
“See?” Kory called back to me. “The Defenders are completely in control of themselves!”
I sickened at Kory’s pride—at the impossible feat we had before us. How can we stop this now? We can’t just destroy them. If they could be reasoned with, maybe I could convince Kalepe he was being misguided. That Kory didn’t have their best interest at heart.
Maybe I could…
My thoughts were shattered by a long, high-pitched wail making its way through the dancing and beating drums. The timbre was definitely female, the note surprisingly on key for how loud it was. The drums suddenly stopped, and with it, the dancing. The Defenders suddenly appeared restless, more black eyes glancing my way than I’d like.
Kory stiffened and turned to stare at the shoreline, swearing.
“What was that?” I asked, my nerves already frayed by the sight of the Defenders slowly meandering closer to me. Why didn’t Kory notice them?
“The Irukas,” Kory muttered. The feminine cry sounded again. This time, the melody was haunting.
Knowing Jocelyn wouldn’t have a clue what that meant, I asked, “The what?”
He didn’t answer me, just marched away, motioning for Kalepe to follow. I shrunk back, almost tripping against the lawn chair as Kalepe went to pass me. I didn’t trust bugs, no matter what you called them. Kalepe glanced my way, inhaling deeply. His black eyes gave me a questioning look before he hustled to catch up to Kory, who had made his way to the shoreline. Being away from the light of the bonfire, they may as well have disappeared for all I could tell.
Something brushed my arm, and I jumped, spinning around at the same time. An enormous black head peered down at me, the eyes too far apart and the nose too small.
“Hi… you’re a… one of the Defenders? Right?” I asked, trying to dodge the lawn chair and move back a step or two.
The Defender nodded, its mouth splitting into a wicked grin as it inhaled deeply through its pinched nostrils. “Yes,” he purred back at me. “And you are not what you seem.”
I wasn’t sure what terrified me more, his proximity or the fact he knew I was a fraud. How can he possibly know?
I was surprised to hear Kory crow loudly, and thankful I was saved from the Defender bearing down on me. He moved back quickly, perhaps not wanting Kory to see him pressuring me. Kory made his way back toward me, the fire lighting up the whites of his eyes and teeth with how big he was smiling now. What could possibly make him happier than seeing his Defenders dancing around the fire?
My answer came with arms and wings pinned back by Kalepe’s monstrous Defender form. His head was held high with his blond hair wet and curling at his neck.
Blake.