Chp 39

She starts backing away, her hands held up, shaking the head in denial. "We can't fight them. They have the advantage. Queen Mother would make us weak with lust. Instead of fighting we'd tear each other's clothes apart and do it right there in the battlefield."
"Don't underestimate yerself." I take her hand and squeeze it. She stops. "Yer lifemate will already know their fear. Ya'll make their nightmares a reality."
We go silent.
When she finally speaks, her voice goes shrill. "But--"
"And besides, what would King Father do?" I grab onto her shoulders and shake her in an effort to make myself heard. "Strip ya naked and rape ya right there with all these witnesses? I mean, his gift doesn't have much weight. He's powerless outside the bedroom."
Her lifemate takes her hand the minute he reaches us, freeing her from my grip.
Smanga hovers around seven feet. His lifemate is shorter than me. She's so short in fact that her head barely reaches his chest.
"Are ya okay?" he asks her. He glares at me. He's searching for my fear. I think he's found it because his eyes widen just slightly.
While she nods. I ask him, "What is mine?"
He understands immediately. "Failer."
I turn to her. "Show me."
She shakes her head frantically. "I...It's...please understand."
Her father takes her hand. It's okay. I'm here. Breathe baby girl.
I look at him now. How does he do that? She's so calm now.
"Papa Zendaya, what's yer gift?" I ask.
"Peace," he says. "I can calm the angriest soldiers in battle. I can calm this whole stadium."
My mouth falls open.
Papa Zendaya will bring peace to my people.
I look at Tech. "How much longer? Are the chips ready?"
"Give me a minute," he says, wiping sweat with the sleeve of his jacket. "I'm a thousand short."
"Transmitter, start with these three." I sigh. "Do it now. I want them safe."
He cocks his head and I expect an argument but he nods. "Yes, Goddess Imani."
I roll my eyes.
I roll my shoulders. I'm doing this. "Zendaya, I'm all yers."
She nods and backs away from me. I think she's about to bolt until an image flushes in my head and I scream, bending to my knees. She stops at just this image. I open my eyes and the guards have swords to her throat.
"No. No." I say. "Leave her be. This is just an experiment."
"What's going on?" Papa asks, looking claustrophobic. "W-what's she doing to ya?"
He looks so worried that I'm thrown for a second. Why the sudden transformation? He'd never cared before. He never cared when Commodore died. He just didn't care. It's all for show now. I'm not his puppet. I'm not playing.
I wave them all off dismissively. The screens focus on me, on Zendaya with her brows drawn together, her eyes on me.
Then it begins. My screams echo, bouncing off the wall. And then dead bodies everywhere. Not a living animal in Noddon. A shadowed man stands at the throne, he has my crown, my throne. But that doesn't concern me. Children weep. They've lost their mothers. Children will grow up under this man's rule. They will never know their mother's love. What will become of them?
I've failed. My heart breaks into a thousand pieces.
D'ziko lies at my feet. His eyes open, like he’s staring into mine, but life has long left his body. I couldn't protect him. I couldn't protect any of Noddon's children and I can't protect any of the wailing babies. They cry and cry.
I'm a failure.
I can't bear to look at them. There's pain in my chest, lungs and throat. I clutch at my throat, gasping for air. This can't be happening.
"Please. Please," I beg. "Just stop. Stop."
The image disappears. I'm back in the stadium. Villagers standing on their feet. Watching me, not sure what to do or even if they should react at all. They point at Zendaya. She's a fascination.
Papa Zendaya helps me to my feet. I lean on him. Unable to shake off the horrors of Zendaya's abilities.
My father is upon me at once. He frowns. "What did she do to ya?"
"Nothing I didn't want her to." I take a step away from him and wobble. Smanga's quick. He catches me just in time. "Transmitter, do all my people now have shields?"
"Yes, Goddess Imani."
"Zendaya, Smanga, do ya guys accept my proposition?"
Smanga whirls to his lifemate. "What proposition?"
I fill him in when it becomes evident that Zendaya won't talk. Whispering close to his ear.
His face is harried, wild. "We don't have to marry every year, do we?"
That's why they're so perfect. They love each other. The bond they share will never allow them to step out of their union and most of these fifteen years olds will not die next year. The only battle we'll have is the Sibling Sword duel.
I offer him a smile. "No."
"Then we're so in," he says, smiling up to Zendaya. "Right babe?"
She shrugs. "Yeah, I guess so."
"I shall make the announcement." I'm tempted to do a victory dance.
"Wait, right now?" Zendaya asks me. Her voice raspy.
"Hell yeah." I pick up my mic, throaty giggles filling the stadium. "Now that we all have our shields," --the crowds whisper and murmur among themselves. But we didn't feel anything-- "Painless right? I have just been told that someone would like to challenge Queen Mother and King Father for their royal positions...in next year's ritual combat."
I've waited for long to say this. I dreamt about it. Obsessed over it. Now that I'm finally doing it, the feeling is amazing. Better than any drug I've ever heard of.
"Which fool would dare do that?" King Father asks.
"Zendaya and Smanga" I say to the mic. "They will never marry another. They're life mates."
I've never seen Noddon so happy, so excited. They laugh and hug. This is a new dawn for us. The parents will finally sleep peacefully at night. Without fear of the ticking clock. Without fear of the unknown. Will my child still exist this time next year? Well Noddon, worry no more. More children are safe.
The Gods can't blame me for this. They can't even kill anyone because of this. I didn't stop the combat ritual. The Queen Mother and King Father were challenged and just like all these teenagers whose blood now paints our arena and so will theirs.

Chapter Sixteen


“How does it feel?” Luleka wonders. “Having a lifemate. Someone created just for the sole purpose of loving ya?”
“It's a crazy high, better than any drug.”
“Hey, Imani,” Mondo calls.
I look up. “Mhm?”
“Isn't that yer mothering?”
I perk up. “Where?”
“There, look.” He points out my bedroom window. I squint, searching and sure enough there she is in a cloak, hurrying out of the woods, clearly not wanting to be seen. I watch her until she disappears into the royal palace.
“And what the hell is that?” Luleka asks.
This time I see it immediately. The yellow-eyed creature from the forest. I knew I recognised those eyes from somewhere. It's the forest guardian. An excessively hairy man whose skin is hidden by black hair.
Luleka's frown deepens. “Why is he following yer mother and watching her like she's his favourite brand of whiskey?”
I frown. “Beats me. He's a weirdo, that one.”
Mondo waves us off dismissively. “Probable, fancies her. What mostly interests I is why yer Mama is in the forest to begin with.”
I shrug.
Luleka springs to her feet. “It's dinner time, aren't ya coming?”