Free Ship of Souls by Zetta Elliott Page A

From this point forward, even if you let go, I will not.”
    Nuru pauses and looks at me as if trying to speak with her eyes. I feel a chill go up my spine, but I still nod to show that I understand.
    “For the moment you may go and join your rather persistent friends. They are also bound to you, it seems,” she says. “I must prepare to send the signal that will wake the dead.”
    Nuru lifts herself up into the sky and flies to the center of the lake. I slowly skirt the shore trying to think of what I’ll say to Nyla and Keem. Keem’s got his hands jammed in the front pocket of his hoodie. Nyla’s arms are folded across her chest. Neither of them looks happy to see me.
    On the grassy slope next to the boathouse is a big pile of gray paving stones. The Parks Department must be planning to extend the café’s patio. I try to kick one of the heavy stones with my foot, but it hardly moves. Without looking up I say, “You should be at home. Isn’t it time for evening prayer?”
    “I’m allowed to miss prayer if I’m saving someone’s life.”
    Keem looks more like he wants to personally end my life, but I accept his answer with a nod.
    Nyla looks mad, too, but I think I can hear a hint of sadness in her voice. “So this is it, huh? You’re just going to leave and go to this other…realm?”
    I kick at the paving stone again and this time manage to make it roll over. “Why not? I mean, I told you what my life is like. My mother’s dead, I don’t even know who my father is, and my foster mother won’t miss me—she’s got another poor kid to take care of. What have I got to lose?”
    “Uh—how about your life? Or don’t you care about that?” asks Keem.
    I shrug. “Nuru needs me.”
    We all look out over the lake and wait to see what will happen next. For a long time, Nuru hovers above the water with her wings beating fast like a hummingbird. Then she morphs into a glowing orange orb and, like the setting sun, slowly sinks toward the surface of the lake. The orb spins rapidly until it touches the water, and then it stills and the air all around us throbs as if someone has struck a giant gong. The water ripples outward in gentle waves, lapping against the shore just inches from our feet.
    Keem puts a hand to his chest. His diaphragm must be vibrating just like mine. “Whoa…what was that for?” he asks.
    “You don’t want to know,” I answer.
    “Try me,” says Keem.
    “She’s raising the dead.”
    “Great,” says Nyla sarcastically. “I wouldn’t want to miss this party.”
    The orange sphere rises up into the sky and begins spinning once more. In the distance, the actual sun shoots streaks of red across the sky.
    “‘Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.’ My Gran used to say that whenever she saw a pretty sunset,” Nyla says.
    We’re so busy admiring the sky that we don’t notice the gray mist slithering past our feet. Suddenly one of the heavy paving stones rolls past us and splashes into the lake. We turn and watch with dread as the sinister mist seeps into the big pile of paving stones.
    “Oh, shit,” says Nyla. “What now?”
    Before Keem or I can answer, a loud rumbling erupts from the center of the pile and the paving stones begin to move. They seem to swirl at first, but then the brick-like stones rise in the air and come together to form a massive body that’s at least twice as tall as Keem. I expect to hear this beast roar, but it can’t—because it has no head! The stones that make up its limbs seem to be held together by the weblike mist, and we all jump back as a powerful stone arm takes a swing at us. The stone beast staggers, then finds its balance and reaches out—for me!
    Nyla shoves me as hard as she can. “Run, D—RUN!”
    I fall back into the lake, soaking my feet. My body wants to flee, but I can’t go anywhere without Nuru. I try to scan the sky while keeping an eye on the headless stone monster. “I can’t—I have to find Nuru!”
    Keem looks like