When night fell, Shuri, Ramonda, and I wrapped ourselves in blankets as a disguise and sat on a log surrounded by a thicket of trees to wait for Nakia. Grief stricken, the two royals held each other closely as I wished I could help them in any way.

"First Baba, and now my brother," Shuri said quietly. "Mama, we didn't even get to bury him." Ramonda had no answer, simply stroking her daughter's head sadly. We heard a rustle in the trees, and I jumped up as Ramonda moved to protect Shuri. Nakia quickly emerged from the foliage, Ross just behind her.

"It's me," she said quickly. Ramonda looked at Ross.

"Nakia," she said. "Who is this man?"

"He's a friend of T'Challa's. He saved my life." Ramonda studied Ross intently before looking back at Nakia.

"Where is Okoye?"

"Okoye is not coming. She and Dora Milaje will serve the new King." She sighed. "Wait here." She looked at me. "Chris, come with me." I nodded and followed her through a thick patch of foliage.

"Where are we going?" I asked her quietly.

"Without T'Challa, we have no way to fight N'Jadaka," she said. "We have to have another Black Panther if we want to keep him from tearing this country apart." I nodded, and she pulled back some vines on a rock wall, revealing a tunnel in the rock. I ducked inside, and she quickly followed. "This will take us to the garden of the Heart-Shaped Herb."

"The one that gave T'Challa his powers?" She hummed a 'yes,' and I quickly reached the end of the tunnel, dropping into the cavern silently. Nakia dropped beside me, and we looked around the large room. Killmonger was standing in the middle of the room, walking towards a dirt plot filled with the glowing purple plants.

"The Heart Shaped Herb did that?" he asked. The shaman in front of him nodded. "This is all of it?"

"Yes," she said. "So when it comes time for another King, we will be ready."

"Another King...yea go ahead and burn all that." The shamans didn't move, and I looked at Nakia, wide-eyed.

"My King, we cannot do that. It is our tradition-" Killmonger smiled, then grabbed the shaman by the throat.

"When I tell you to do something, I mean that shit." He dropped the woman and looked around. "Burn it all!" Shell-shocked, the shamans moved into action, and Nakia looked at me, pointing to the herbs. I nodded and darted forward, grabbing one of the purple plants and running back to her. She nodded, and we darted back for the catacombs, glancing back at Killmonger from the shadows.