Chapter 46 Sonam
We chase the Maskmaker over the canals, around sharp corners, through narrow alleyways.
The layout of Longhao is perhaps our only advantage.
I know these streets. Every building and secret passage and dead end.
Even though we no longer have to worry about the walls coming alive and turning us around, in many ways, this city is just as much a living, breathing thing.
Yue is hot on his trail, just within striking distance when the Maskmaker stumbles out into an open street. He turns toward us, eyes bloodshot and teeth bared.
“Imbeciles. You really think you can stop me? You’re too late.”
“Call off the attack,” I growl.
“I have no control over them now, don’t you see? They’ll feast and feast until nothing—not even the Heavens—can stand in my way.”
Yue snarls. “Then you’ll be the ruler of nothing.”
“I’ll be the ruler of a world of my own making,” the Maskmaker corrects. “Whatever I want shall finally be. These simple-minded fools are merely a tool. I’ve let them loose to blank the canvas.”
Before either one of us can make a move, the Maskmaker holds up his hands.
His palms burn red hot, the air around him sizzling.
His whole body ignites into flames so intense he’s nothing but a white blot upon my vision.
I’d nearly forgotten that the Maskmaker, much like his siblings banished to Hell, was once a star god on high.
“You are nothing,” he seethes. “I can’t wait to watch you burn.”
Flames erupt around us, catching everything they can in their wake.
Smoke billows into the skies above, covering Longhao in an ominous black shroud.
Fire consumes everything: the moon bridges, the drooping wisteria trees, the nearby buildings—people.
If the demons don’t destroy my home, this inferno certainly will.
Yue takes a step back, her ears pressed flat. My heart roars with fury. The Maskmaker knows how much she hates fire. But she stands firm nonetheless, growling with stunning ferociousness.
“I survived your first branding,” she says. “I can survive another.”
We leap together. We don’t need to exchange words to know how badly we both want to tear this bastard limb from limb.
Even with his almighty powers, the Maskmaker still runs—no doubt out of habit—and leads us farther into the hellscape.
Little by little, inch by inch, the fires he’s set turn the city into Hell itself.
We chase him through the streets, bounding down alleys and ripping around corners. Flames singe our fur and burn our eyes.
“A-Ba!” the voice of a child reaches my ears. I see a little boy, no older than four, pointing up at me with slack-jawed terror. “A-Ba, look!”
I come to a halt, claws digging into the roads. A man hurries out and pulls the boy into his arms and stares at Yue. I’d recognize that unruly hair and lean stature anywhere. It’s Wen.
“We’re going to lose him!” Yue shouts.
“Keep on him,” I say. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She nods and dashes off, leaving the Maskmaker no time for reprieve. My heart worries for her, but I know she’s capable.
“Where’s the rest of your family?” I ask hastily, shoving my mask to the side. Wen breathes a sigh of relief when he recognizes me.
“Sooah saw them out to the jungle’s edge. Lost my little one and stayed behind to find him.”
“Get in the water,” I command. “And tell anyone else you come across. It’s too late to evacuate now. Climb into the canals, and the water will protect you until the worst is over.”
“But what are you going to do?” Wen asks, already making his way to the edge of the canal wall. The water is deep and murky, but he knows how to swim.
“I have to help Yue,” I say.
But the unspoken question lingers over our heads: How? To believe we can kill a god is both arrogant and foolish. And with enemies on all sides, how can we ever hope to gain the upper hand?
Behind us, a vicious growl. I turn just in time to see two demons disguised as humans, their hideous faces blistered and contorted by the very fire their master set alight.
They must have brute-forced their way through the flames, driven only by their insatiable appetite.
They dash toward us, eyeing the little boy in Wen’s arms with keen interest, but I’ll have none of it.
Drawing a dagger from my belt, I whip it toward them.
It meets its mark, driving into the demon’s chest directly in the heart.
The second one doesn’t so much as blink at the loss of his comrade.
He comes for me, attacks me with his bare hands, but I rear back and land a flying kick.
His neck cracks as his head twists nearly the whole way around before he slumps to the ground in a limp heap.
“When it’s safe, get the boy out of here,” I tell Wen. “Come back to help if you’re able.”
No sooner does Wen nod that I bring my own finished mask to my face and feel the transformation take hold. This—this is the only thing we have to turn the tide.
“Go help her,” Wen says.
He doesn’t have to tell me twice. Digging my claws into the ground for traction, I run off, leaving thoughts of the burning city behind me.