Page 34 of Children of Virtue and Vengeance

“That’s amazing.”

“You’re amazing!” His teeth clench, and I jerk back. He falls to his knees and bows. “Jagunjagun Ikú, I beg of you, take me as your Second!”

“By the gods, Mâzeli.” A maji with beads woven through her white braids laughs. “She just got here. Give her a minute to rest.”

“Ignore them.” Mâzeli grabs my hand, round eyes open wide. “I will serve you faithfully until I can take your place as elder of the Reaper clan. But by then, we will have fallen in love.” His grip tightens when I try to pull away. His voice rises in pitch. “You will be the mother of my children. I shall serve our family till my dying breath—”

“Alright,” Mama Agba cuts in, patting Mâzeli on the head. “The military patrols will pass through soon. Why don’t we continue this conversation behind closed walls?”

“Is he always like that?” I whisper to Mama Agba as we start walking.

“Like all great Reapers in the making, Mâzeli is quite determined.”

I smile, but stop when I see that Roën lags behind. A maji hands him a bag of gold, and something in my chest deflates when Roën doesn’t follow the others into the rain forest.

“That’s it?” I hang back. “You’re leaving again?”

“The job’s done. I need to meet up with my crew back in Lagos.”

“Lagos?” I ask. “You’re working for the other side?”

“There’s a lot of money to be made in a war,Zïtsol. If you stop messing around with all this fighting, you can grab some for yourself.”

I shake my head; I don’t know why I expected more. “Do you stand for anything besides gold?”

“I’m standing in front of you, aren’t I?” Roën leans in, so close I can see the faint freckles over his cheekbone.

“Don’t worry.” His lips graze my ear as he speaks. “Something tells me our paths will cross again.”

THE MAJI LEADus off the main jungle trail, walking along a gushing river. The flowing water cuts the rain forest in half, dividing the dense greens. Beneath us, the hilly terrain slopes up and down as the scent of fresh earth and wildflowers grow. Mammoth trees fill our path, creating rich emerald canopies above.

I keep my hand wrapped tight around Mama Agba’s as we dip under raised tree roots. Tzain, Amari, and I stay close, listening intently as she explains theIyika’s origins to us.

“I still don’t understand,” Tzain says. “You founded the rebellion?”

“In a way.” Mama Agba nods. “But it started as a defense. Your father and I were halfway to Oron when I had a vision of the three of you at the divîner settlement. We didn’t arrive in time to stop the monarchy’s attack, but we were able to find the survivors.” Mama Agba leans on me as we step over a fallen log. “The two of us were leading them here when more soldiers attacked.”

Her voice trails and I think back to the deaths of Zulaikha and Salim. Tzain and I exchange a glance as the pieces fall into place. This is the reason Baba ended up in Inan’s grasp. The reason Baba died.

“I promise, we fought with everything we had,” Mama Agba sighs.“But your father didn’t want us to get hurt. He offered himself up to the guards and they agreed to spare our lives.”

The flames of Baba’s casket burn in my mind as she speaks. Though we pass sunset blossoms, the stench of ash fills my nose.

“I am so sorry.” Mama Agba shakes her head. “More than you could ever know.”

“Don’t be.” I squeeze her hand. “It’s not your fault.”

The memory of Inan walking Baba to his death reminds me why I’m here. With theIyika’s help, we can take Inan and Nehanda down. I can wrap my hands around his throat.

“After the camp fell, we realized that we had an opening.” Mâzeli picks up in Mama Agba’s silence. “No one else knew that magic was coming back. We used that knowledge to plan an attack.”

“The night of the centennial solstice, we banded with other maji and crowded Lagos’s borders,” a petite maji jumps in. “The moment our gifts returned, we stormed the city. The monarchy didn’t know what hit them.”

Amari’s face falls, but I can’t keep the wonder from my eyes. I can’t believe they trusted me to bring magic back; that my sacrifice actually allowed my people to fight.

“What was it like?” I ask.

“Brilliant,” Mâzeli whispers. “We would’ve taken the palace if it wasn’t for Nehanda. But now that you’re here, we’ll break through their defenses. With the Soldier of Death, this war is ours!”

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