“Remember, Mags,” he said. “You are fearless, fast, and freaky.”
“Been a while since you reminded me.” Magnolia recalled the words from a card game with Commander Rick Weaver on the Hive long ago. It seemed like yesterday.
Rodger reached into his pocket. She half expected another wood carving, but instead he pulled out a white and purple seashell.
He said, “When I was in captivity, this was my talisman. I rubbed it each night for good luck. Now I want you to have it.”
Rodger placed it in her open palm and kissed her on the cheek.
“May it bring you luck now, Mags.”
Then he walked over to stand next to his parents, leaving her with the smooth purple shell in her hand. Her heart thumped. Rodger was a goofball, but he was her goofball and a sweet, sweet man. She closed her fingers over the shell and tucked it into her vest pocket.
Layla came over and gave Magnolia a hug. So did Michael.
“Trust yourself and stay wary,” he said.
“I will.” Seeing Layla’s worried expression, she smiled and said, “Don’t worry. It’s not good for the baby.”
“You’re a brave gal,” Cole Mintel said, putting his arm around Rodger. “For putting up with my son, that is.”
Bernie shook her head, but Magnolia chuckled—until she saw the cage rising back up to the top of the roof.
Lieutenant Sloan opened the gate to let Colonel Carmela Moreto out. The handcuffed colonel walked toward the flags.
Magnolia glared at the woman, who was twenty years her senior. The colonel had opted not to wear her body armor or cape, instead donning a light shirt with brown leather arm guards that partly covered her tattoos. A turquoise necklace hung at her throat.
She held Magnolia’s gaze as she halted and Lieutenant Sloan unlocked the cuffs.
Thank God they didn’t let her bring that dumb bird, Magnolia thought.
King Xavier walked over, limping slightly. His face had taken on a new greenish color, and for a moment Magnolia thought he might puke. Imulah stepped up to translate.
The entire rooftop fell silent but for the whistle of the wind and the distant call of a seagull. X cleared his voice and wiped his forehead with his stump.
“Carmela Moreto, you stand before me today accused of treason and plotting my death,” X said. “If it were up to me, I’d kill you myself, but seeing as how I lost my arm recently, I’m going to let Hell Diver Magnolia Katib have the honor.”
Imulah relayed his words while Moreto kept staring at Magnolia.
“You have been granted your request to fight for your freedom, and you have also been granted your request to do so here, on this rooftop.” X tapped the ground with his sandal. “If you survive, you will be exiled to the Iron Reef in Belize, to hold the fuel outpost for the rest of your days.”
Imulah translated, and Moreto bared her sharpened front teeth to X.
“I will be glad to be rid of you,” X said. He nodded at Magnolia and stepped away.
Lieutenant Sloan tossed a cutlass onto the deck. Moreto walked over and picked it up while Magnolia unsheathed her two sickle blades.
The people straightened in their seats. Rodger, standing in the back, brought two fingers to his mouth. She smiled at him and then turned to Moreto.
“Any final words, bird lady?” Magnolia asked.
Imulah spoke, and Moreto replied with something about an octopus and death.
“Yeah, yeah,” Magnolia said.
All across the rooftop, militia soldiers turned from their posts to watch. Wynn stepped up beside Sloan.
Moreto moved first, charging faster than Magnolia had anticipated. Backing, she let Moreto take the first swing.
The colonel struck hard, and Magnolia brought up her two blades together to deflect the powerful blow. The newly sharpened blades clanged against the rusted metal of Moreto’s cutlass.
Magnolia screamed and kicked Moreto in the shin, but the old woman responded with a punch that almost caught Magnolia on the jaw.
Moreto swung again, screaming in a raspy voice. Her blade arced from the side this time, and Magnolia parried the blow with the blade in her right hand, then sliced with the left.
The tip found purchase, cutting the turquoise necklace from Moreto’s neck. It hit the deck, drawing the colonel’s gaze downward. Magnolia used the stolen moment to strike again, bringing the curved sword in her right hand upward.
Moreto moved at the last moment, but not fast enough.
Sharp metal cut through cartilage and flesh, severing the colonel’s ear. It fell to the deck, beside her necklace.
Moreto let out a screech and swung the cutlass several times, forcing Magnolia backward. The crowd got to their feet.
Moreto jabbed, but Magnolia jumped out of the way.
Instead of keeping her momentum, Moreto stopped and went back to her necklace. A trail of blood dripped from her head as she hurried away.
Magnolia didn’t give chase but just watched, curious. The necklace must have sentimental value.
“Kill her, Mags!” someone shouted from a machine-gun nest. All across the roof, soldiers had paused to watch the fight.
Moreto brought the necklace up, but instead of putting it back on, she brought it to her lips. Her cheeks expanded as she blew into it. The whistle sounded much like the one that el Pulpo used to call the Octopus Lords from the depths.
Magnolia’s heart skipped when she realized that this wasn’t to summon the beasts—it was a signal.
“Oh shit,” she said, and started walking toward Moreto, who was running toward the north side of the rooftop.
A gull flew overhead and then swooped down. Not a gull. It was Moreto’s white cockatoo.
Moreto stopped and reached up for the bird to land on her wrist.
“You got to be kidding me,” Magnolia said. She almost broke out laughing. “You called your dumb bird to help you, huh? Guess it’s the best you could do, since your soldiers didn’t come to help.”
Imulah, who had followed them across the roof, translated to Moreto, who put the bird on her shoulder.
She spoke rapidly and then blew into the necklace again.
Imulah looked over to Magnolia, eyes wide. “She says her soldiers are already here.”
Footfalls sounded across the deck as people left their seats and milled about. X drew his sword and walked over.
“What the fuck is she talking about?” he asked.
“Horn,” Imulah continued. “El Pulpo’s bastard has come to the islands.”
Moreto spoke again and then brought up her whistle.
“Her bastard,” Imulah corrected.
“Somebody, shoot her!” Magnolia yelled.
Several soldiers aimed their rifles, but X held up his hand.
“Wait,” he said. “I don’t—”
An explosion tore into the Hive, rattling the entire airship and knocking Magnolia to the deck, beside X.
Screaming chaos sounded in all directions.
Another blast hit a machine-gun nest, erasing the two militia soldiers aiming their rifles at Moreto.
Magnolia pushed herself up and ran. Three strides later, a third impact knocked her down again. Then the realization struck her.
Moreto had requested to leave the capitol tower and fight on the Hive instead of the Sky Arena, to draw the king and his soldiers into the open.
Magnolia got up and bolted after Moreto as gunfire hit positions around the north side of the airship. Another militia soldier dropped to the deck, his head blown open by a high-caliber round.
Moreto was running right for the machine-gun nest now.
She’s going to freaking jump.
“No you don’t, you fucking bitch,” Magnolia growled.