“Yes,” Sofia said. “By tradition, any member of the Black Order can make a request for the site of a fight to the death.”
“So where is this going to take place?” Magnolia asked.
“The Hive. It’s a weird request, but maybe she thinks it will distract you.”
“Good luck with that.” Magnolia finished buttoning up her purple vest. Then she put her Hell Diver armor on over her chest and torso. Armored kneepads and arm guards went on next.
Finally, she strapped on the two crescent blades, sheathed over her back, and a duty belt that held a long dagger.
“Let’s get this over with,” Magnolia said.
She followed Sofia and Rodger out of the room and through the capitol tower. No one spoke, but Rodger glanced over his shoulder several times.
“You sure you shouldn’t be working with Captain Mitchells and Samson on the airship?” she asked.
“Ha! And miss you kicking her butt? Forget it, Mags. Samson said they’re almost done anyway. Should be in the air tonight if all goes to plan.”
Rodger pushed his glasses up on his nose—his nervous tic.
She knew that he was worried about the fight, and her heart ached knowing how disappointed he was in their stagnant relationship. Between their many duties, they stole what moments they could together, and she still dealt with her own issues not wanting to get close to him—or anyone.
Perhaps someday, when the Vanguard Islands were finally safe and at peace, there would be time for her and Rodger, but for now, the timing just wasn’t right.
A cloudless sky greeted them outside. By the time Magnolia made it down to the docks, she was already sweating under the sun’s hot glare.
Sergeant Wynn and a contingent of heavily armed soldiers were at the dock. He gestured toward a ferry and reached out a hand as she approached.
“Ma’am,” he said politely.
Rodger, who had already boarded, reached out, and she took his hand, grinning at his jealousy. Six militia soldiers got on the boat with the three Hell Divers.
It was a short ride to the Hive, but enough time for a pod of spinner dolphins to find them. They jumped and gamboled next to the boat.
“They’re rooting for you,” Rodger said.
“I’m sure Moreto ate a dolphin or two in her life,” Magnolia said.
“I saw it with my own eyes,” Sofia replied. She watched the magnificent creatures, but Magnolia could tell that her friend’s mind was with Rhino.
Since her return to the islands, the grief had gotten worse, and she had slipped deeper into the darkness of depression. But Magnolia would be there to make sure her friend pulled through. In time, she would start to heal.
The dolphins scattered as the ferry approached the rig mounted with the decommissioned airship. Another boat of militia soldiers cruised over the waves around the platform.
There was plenty of security out, and only a few Cazador vessels, mostly fishing trawlers or runabouts. But one boat was different from the others.
Stacked with wood, it rode low in the water.
Sofia got up from her seat and put a hand over her mouth. The yellow petals in her hair blew away in the wind, fluttering out over the water.
“I should never have left him,” Sofia sobbed. “I should have stayed here and tried to convince him not to follow the mad king.”
Magnolia put her hand on her friend’s back. She would cut her some slack for calling X mad.
“Nick fought so hard for so long and didn’t even get to enjoy our freedom,” Sofia said. “It’s all he ever wanted.”
“I’m so sorry, Sofia, but he did what he did knowing it would safeguard your freedom.”
Sofia turned to face Magnolia. “What good is that if he’s not here?”
“I know it hurts,” Magnolia said. “But time will heal your wounds, like it has healed mine. And you never know, you might see him again someday.”
Sofia shook her head.
The boat putted into the marina built under the airship rig. Dozens of vessels were already docked along the piers between the rig’s massive uprights.
Wynn tossed the mooring line to a soldier, who pulled them in to the pier and tethered the boat to a pole. Rodger jumped out and reached for Magnolia’s hand.
More militia soldiers waited on the piers. Some were newly trained, coming from jobs that no longer existed now that the Hive was decommissioned.
Wynn sent them across the piers to await Colonel Moreto’s arrival. Then Magnolia and the other divers followed him over to the ladders.
Magnolia looked up at the massive ship. Porthole windows lined the hull, some of them darkened by interior drapes drawn by the sky people who lived there. Some residents stood in hatches that opened to newly constructed balconies.
A cage much like the one at the capitol tower took Magnolia, Sofia, Rodger, and Sergeant Wynn to the top platform installed over the airship’s domed roof.
Sofia wiped away a tear as she looked at the boat holding her lover’s remains.
Magnolia took her hand and Rodger’s. They were two of the dearest people in her life, and she would do anything for them.
At the top platform, the gate opened. Michael and Layla stood talking with King Xavier and Rodger’s parents. Several Cazadores were also there, including Imulah and two scribes. Notably absent was the crew of Discovery. Les, Samson, and Eevi were getting the ship flightworthy for whatever came next.
The small number of spectators was a significant change from the screaming crowds that normally watched from the stands of the Sky Arena. Four rows of chairs had been brought up for the spectators. The sand and dirt of the arena had been replaced with a metal deck, and red flags marked the ring for the combat. Ton and Victor, with spear shafts held vertically, stood at parade rest outside the ring.
At every corner of the rooftop, militia soldiers stood at their posts. Machine-gun nests and flamethrowers looked out over the water.
Although vegetable gardens still grew in long planters across the platform, most of the rooftop had been turned into a firebase.
The group of sky people parted, and X strode out. His open shirt revealed scars new and old. The king had seen better days. Bags hung under his eyes, one of them still swollen from the beating he took at the Purple Pearl. The bruises and scabbed cuts gave the only color to his pale skin.
But it wasn’t just exhaustion and injuries that made him look like a beaten old man. He was clearly hungover from a night of heavy drinking.
“You’re sure about this?” he said in a gruff voice.
“Do you really need to ask?” Magnolia replied.
Imulah walked over to her, his hands clasped behind his robe.
“I wish you the best of luck, Magnolia Katib,” he said. “With all honesty, I hope you end Colonel Moreto swiftly and without injury to yourself.”
“I’m still not apologizing for your hand.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
He bowed slightly, and Magnolia couldn’t help feeling a pang of remorse for the way she had treated him.
“You’re a good man who was forced to do some bad things,” she said. “And I am sorry about your hand.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry as well.”
A shout drew their attention to the fences on the south side. Magnolia went over to look. A dozen boats filled with militia soldiers were flanking another ferry. Even from this height, she could see it was Colonel Moreto sitting on the deck, with Lieutenant Sloan guarding her.
Magnolia waved Rodger away from the growing crowd. She crossed over to the flagged-off combat ring while the other spectators took their seats.
“When this is over, I want to talk to you, okay?” she said.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
Magnolia smiled and kissed Rodger on his lips. “Do not worry, okay? I’ve got this, and everything is going to be fine.”