“It does not matter if Shaun is no longer King. It was never about Shaun.” Her nails dig harder into my skin. “You do not understand, Jelani.” Her eyes are glazed, and it’s only then that I notice her gloves are gone. Scratches streak her arms, like magic burned her skin.

I’ve seen marks like this before, it confuses me. I reach to touch them, but she grabs my hand, her pulse raging through her fingertips.

“It’s about the future of our people,” she says. Her nostrils flare and her chest huffs. “Who would she think is best to carve out our path forward?” Her whisper is thick. “You? From some faraway place? Or her, a direct descendant of the Mother?”

“Well, I-I’d hoped we could maybe do it together or…”

“This war will end either us or them. And whoever wins, Kai intends to be on top. I have to go. You did not see me.”

“Thank you for this, Zora.” I want to ask about the other Yakanna, but how do I word that without… I bite my tongue.

“Saisa.” She grips my shoulder.

“Saisa.” I grip hers, too, trying to keep my frazzling nerves calm. If we have to fight against all the Yakanna… that could be a big-ass problem. I blow out a breath. One issue at a time.

She shifts on her feet, the location insignia on her armor glowing. “True Yakanna stand with you, Rue.” She sets my hand back on my bare right shoulder. “Remember who we truly are.” She rubs the scars on her arm, her eyes tilting at the corners. “Some of us had almost forgotten,” she says, before running off.

An eeriness keeps me crouched there, still, watching her go. When we ran for our lives, were almost burned alive by those traps, Zora didn’t flinch. A chill skitters up my arm. But here, just now, Zora was utterly terrified.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

BRI IS HUDDLED OVER her bag of gadgets, and there are actual wires coming out of her hair.

“You have a little something.” I point. But she misses the joke, pressing her glasses to her nose. Sweat rolls off her brow, but she catches it with the back of her hand before pressing the thin end of a wire into an open hole in her suction gadget.

“You sure this is gonna work?” I ask.

She chews her lip, unblinking, as she braids three wires and presses them into another end. Her eyes widen and she taps a red button at the top. It lights up, flies from her fingers through the air, and snaps to my wrist with a clink.

“Yes!” she says. “It’s the same technology I used in the HologrifX, from the heat-seeking fire arrows. You remember?”

“We almost died. I definitely remember.”