Page 106 of Children of Virtue and Vengeance

ZÉLIE

MY PALMS GROW SLICKwith sweat as I prepare to address the maji. The elders stand in a broken ring around me. Tzain moves between me and Amari.

My throat dries as I look at her, but I keep her role in our attack to myself. I can’t deal with her now. I don’t have much time.

I can smell the maji’s bloodlust from here. Their desire to run right into battle. But the information I squeezed out of Roën creates a choice we’ve never had. For once, we don’t have to fight. We can live beyond this warzone.

“The king isn’t in Lagos,” I shout. “He’s hiding in Ibadan. The monarchy’s expecting us to march on the palace and exhaust our forces in the wrong location. They plan to annihilate us when we’re divided.”

“What does that mean?” Nâo’s forehead creases. “We go to Ibadan?”

“We shouldn’t take the bait,” I respond. “We should take the opening.”

I ball my fists, steeling myself for their reaction. It would be so much easier to run. To slip away in the middle of the night. But the thought of Mâzeli forces iron into my spine. He would never leave the maji behind.

Neither can I.

“If the monarchy’s forces are split between Ibadan and Lagos, we havea clear path to safety.” I address the crowd. “We can break for Ilorin’s coast. Sail beyond Orïsha’s borders.”

“You can’t be serious.” Nâo stumbles back. “You want us to run?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I want us tolive.”

I’m not prepared for the flood of anger that is hurled my way.

“You’re just going to let the monarchy win—”

“This is our home! Where would we even go?”

“What about the rest of the maji?”

How do I get them to see the truth? That there’s more beyond this endless fight? What’s the point of staying here if we know we can’t win?

“I’m not leaving.” Kenyon stomps forward, taking charge of the opposition. “I don’t care if you lost your Second. Burners don’t run.”

“Then you’ll die.” I march up to him, meeting his fury head-on. “Who knows how many more cênters the monarchy has? After this last attack, they know exactly where to find us!”

“Then let them find us!” Kenyon shouts, a battle cry others rally behind. “Let them come to our walls again! Let them try to capture us!”

“Do you know what happens when they catch you?”

Silk brushes against my skin as I yank my kaftan over my head, exposing my back to the world. A collective gasp runs through the crowd the moment I reveal my scars.

My cheeks burn with shame, but I refuse to hide my pain. They have to understand that there is no winning this fight. Only bloodshed awaits us in a kingdom that will always see us as maggots.

“Our enemies have no honor,” I say. “No restraint. When they find us, they will carve through our bodies. They’ll destroy us from within.” As I pull down the kaftan, I find Mári and Bimpe in the crowd. The sight of them pushes me on.

“I made a vow to protect my clan. This is the best way I know how. I can’t keep fighting.” I lift my hands. “I can’t keep losing the people I love.”

Heads hang in the face of my words. For a moment, the entire mountain stays silent. Even Kenyon backs away, returning to the circle of elders.

“But this is our home.” Kâmarusteps forward, deep voice shrunk to a whisper. More than confusion, more than rage, he offers his heartbreak. I know he speaks the pain none of us want to face.

“When the elders built this place, it was only bare mountaintops.” I look to the crowd. “It didn’t become a home because they filled it with towers. It became a home because they built it together. This land, these temples—they’re not what matters. As long as we have each other, we will carry Orïsha in our veins. No one can ever take that away.”

I hold my breath as I wait for the elders’ response. The whispers start to shift in the crowd. I can almost see the acceptance I crave.

But when Amari walks forward, her face lights up as a new idea takes hold in her mind.

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