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“War.” The queen’s mouth spreads into a terrifying grin, teeth the size of daggers seeming to split that beautiful, lush mouth. “You called us to…devour, to destroy, to wreak…havoc on the Oteran gods. As…queen…as the…mightiest…I could…not refuse…such honor…The…time will soon come…our goddess.” I watch, shocked and slightly horrified, as the monstrous and beautiful queen of the ebiki sinks to her knees, that terrifying light shining in her eyes.
“Call upon…us, and we will come. And we…will destroy all your…enemies and any that…stand in your way. When the…barrier falls and the world…begins to collapse, call…on us, and we will…come to your side.”
I’m so unnerved now, all I can manage is a small, tense nod. “My thanks,” I say hoarsely.
“A deity does…not need to thank their godsworn,” the queen replies, as if she did not offer an entire celestial genocide on my behalf. “Not for…fulfilling our purpose, and certainly not for this.”
She gestures and a group of ebiki suddenly emerge from the water, their humanlike male bodies graceful even as their tails carve undulating tracks in the sand. They’re carrying something behind them, what looks to be a chest carved out of mother-of-pearl.
Britta squints at it, intrigued. “Wha’s that?”
“A gift for…our…honored deity,” Queen Ayo replies, gesturing to the nearest ebiki, large with bright silver edging the blue of his scales.
He bows solemnly to her before leaning down to open the chest, whose interior is so bright, it takes my eyes a moment to adjust. The moment they do, my eyebrows rise. There’s a piece of clothing inside. It looks somewhat similar to the dress the godsworn gave me, with its scale-like blue cloth that shimmers with gold, except there’s much less fabric, and the garment ends in pantaloons instead of a skirt. What’s more, it seems like it’s meant to mold to the body like a second skin.
“It’s armor…made from our…flesh,” Queen Ayo explains when I turn to her, puzzled.
My eyes widen. “Wait, you mean you—”
“Our last…molt,” the queen continues, allowing me to breathe.
For a moment there, I thought the armor might be made of dried ebiki flesh, but thankfully, no, it’s just scales. The thinnest flakes of ebiki scales, given how thick and tough the ones I’ve seen on them are.
“It contains our…essence,” Queen Ayo continues. “Wear it always and it will keep your body…whole, prevent you from falling into…disrepair. Protect you from harm.”
I frown. “Do you mean these scales will keep the wounds from reappearing?”
She shakes her head. “Only…as long as…you do not use…too much…power. As long as…you…wear…it, this…will keep…your body from…disintegrating…until you reconnect…with your kelai. It contains…our prayers…and our…power.”
She gestures, and the ebiki obligingly lifts the garment up, wraps it around his arm, then points it away from himself. He nods at her. With a speed so fast, I nearly don’t catch it, Queen Ayo moves, slicing at the material with the dagger-sharp tip of her barbed tail. The ground splits where her tail lands, but the armor on the ebiki’s hand doesn’t move. Doesn’t even budge.
I gasp. “So that is—”
“The most…durable…armor known to all…Kamabai. Not even the blood of the…Oteran gods can cut through it.” Retrieving it with her sharply clawed hand, she extends it toward me, head bowed. “This…we offer to you, our…deity. Our flesh to…protect you on your journey. Such that you will…ascend when and only when…you are prepared.”
I slowly take the armor, marveling at the almost buttery softness of it. For some reason, I expected it to be hard—immovable, even. “My tha—” I stop myself before the words come, remembering the queen’s earlier correction about thanks. Instead, I just nod at her. “It is much appreciated,” I finish.
She inclines her head, turning back to the water. “We are…glad.”
She pauses to pick up Ixa, who has now emerged from the water and is glancing up with curious eyes. Holding him to her cheek, she carefully nuzzles him, that strange purring sound I heard earlier now emanating from them both. It’s as if they’re communicating, saying a last goodbye. Once she’s done, she puts him down again and slithers into the water, where all the male ebiki are waiting. Seeing her there, floating among them, I finally understand her words: the ebiki are one of those groups of creatures that are all born male. The strongest turns female and becomes queen. There are no female ebiki other than Queen Ayo, just as there are no baby ebiki other than Ixa. I glance at him, finally comprehending, for the first time, how truly precious he is.
I’ve always known he meant the world to me, but now I understand he means much more than that to the world itself: The first ebiki born in a millennium. The last of a race of creatures powerful enough to rival the gods.
And he is my companion.
Queen Ayo smiles dotingly at him, those alarming teeth gleaming. Then she turns to me. “Take care of our…offspring, Angoro Deka,” she instructs. “He is the…last we will ever have before we…continue on to the deep waters and another queen…ascends.”
I kneel to gather up Ixa, who’s transformed to his usual adolescent form, then nod at the queen. “I will,” I say. “Ixa is more to me than a companion. He is my dearest friend.”
The queen blinks, what appears to be a glassy second eyelid swiftly closing across her eye. “For…this…we are…glad,” she replies. Then, just like that, she’s gone.
And now Britta is looking at me, tears in her eyes. Relief so strong, she’s nearly shaking with it.
“What?” I ask, confused. “Is something the matter?”
Britta points at the armor, which doesn’t look like armor. “Oh, Deka,” she gasps excitedly. “It’s a cure. The queen gave ye a cure! Just seconds ago, ye were worryin’ about it, an’ now this.”
I shake my head as I glance down at it. “It’s not a cure, precisely,” I begin carefully. “But it is a reprieve. I can keep my body safe for now—”
