Page 134 of Children of Blood and Bone

“After Warri, I knew we needed a place where we could be safe. A place where the guards couldn’t hunt us. It started as only a few tents, but when we sent coded messages to the divîners of Orïsha, the camp began to grow.”

Inan lurches forward. “You built this settlement in under a moon?”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” Zu shrugs. “It’s like the gods kept sending divîners this way. Before I knew what was happening, the camp built itself.”

The ghost of a smile comes to Zu’s face, but fades when she turns to Amari and Tzain. She swallows hard and looks down, running her hands up and down her arms.

“The things we did to you—” Zu stops herself. “The things Iallowedthem to do… I’m so sorry. I promise you, it made me sick. But when our scouts saw a noble with the scroll, we couldn’t take the risk.” She squeezes her eyes shut, a thin line of tears breaking through. “We couldn’t let what happened in Warri happen here.”

Zu’s tears make my own eyes prickle. Kwame’s face pinches with pain. I want to hate him for what he did to Tzain, but I can’t. I’m no better. If anything, I’m worse. If Inan hadn’t stopped me, I would’vestabbed that masked divîner to death just to get answers. He’d be facedown in the dirt instead of lying on a cot, being treated as he awaits Zu’s healing.

“I’m sorry,” Kwame forces out, voice low and strained. “But I promised these people I would do anything to keep them safe.”

My mind paints the flames around his face once more, but somehow they aren’t as menacing. His magic made my blood run cold, but he fought for his people.Ourpeople. Even the gods wouldn’t fault him for that. How can I?

Zu palms the tears away from her cheeks. In that moment she appears so much younger than the world has allowed her to be. Before I can stop myself, I reach out and pull her into my arms.

“I’m so sorry,” she cries into my shoulder.

“It’s okay.” I rub her back. “You were trying to protect your people. You did what you had to do.”

I lock eyes with Amari and Tzain, and they nod in agreement. We can’t blame her. Not when we would do the exact same thing.

“Here.” Zulaikha pulls the scroll from the pocket of her black dashiki and presses it into my hands. “Whatever you need, everyone here is behind you. They listen to me because I was the first to touch the scroll, but if what Amari said is true, you’ve been chosen by the gods. Whatever your command, we’ll all follow it.”

Discomfort bristles beneath my skin at the thought. I can’t lead these people. I can barely lead myself.

“Thank you, but you’re doing good work here. Just keep these people safe. Our job is to get to Zaria and charter a ship. The solstice is only five days away.”

“I have family in Zaria.” Folake speaks up. “Traders we can trust. If I go with you, I can get you their ship.”

“I’ll go, too.” Zulaikha grabs my hand, hope tangible in her tiny grasp. “There are enough people here for security, and I’m sure you guys could use a Healer.”

“If you’ll have me…” Kwame’s voice trails off. He clears his throat and forces himself to meet Tzain’s and Amari’s eyes. “I would like to fight with you. Fire is always a good defense.”

Tzain fixes Kwame with a cool glare, hand rubbing his wounded thigh. Though Zu stopped his bleeding, she wasn’t strong enough to take away all the pain.

“Protect my sister, or the next time you close your eyes, you’ll be the one with a dagger in the leg.”

“I can accept that.” Kwame extends a hand. Tzain reaches up and shakes it. A comfortable silence fills the tent as an apology travels between their grips.

“We have to celebrate!” A wide smile erupts on Zu’s face, so bright and innocent it makes her look like the child she should get to be. Her joy is so infectious, even Tzain finds himself with a grin. “I’ve been wanting to do something fun, a way to bring everyone in the camp together. I know it isn’t the typical time, but we should hold theÀj?y0tomorrow.”

“Àj?y0?” I lean forward, unable to believe my ears. When I was a child, celebrating Sky Mother and the birth of the gods was the best part of my year. Baba would always purchase Mama and me matching kaftans, silk and beaded, with long trains that flowed down our backs. In the lastÀj?y0before the Raid, Mama saved up all year so she could buy gold-plated rings to braid throughout my hair.

“It would be perfect.” Zu’s voice speeds up as her excitement grows. “We could clear out tents and hold the opening procession. Find a place for the sacred stories. We could build a stage and let each maji touch the scroll. Everyone can watch their powers return!”

A prickle of hesitation runs through me, burning with the echo of Kwame’s flames. Just a day ago, turning all these divîners into maji would’ve been a dream, but for the first time I pause. More magic means more potential, more wrong hands for the sunstone to fall into.But if I keep a close eye on it… if all these divîners already follow Zu…

“What do you think?” Zu asks.

I look between her and Kwame. He breaks into a smile.

“That sounds amazing,” I decide. “It’ll be anÀj?y0people will never forget.”

“What about the ritual?” Amari asks.

“If we leave right after the celebration, we’ll have enough time. We still have five days to get to Zaria, and using Folake’s boat will cut our time in half.”

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