Page 149 of Children of Virtue and Vengeance

“Next time let’s fall for a pair of siblings that don’t come with a crown.”

CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN

ZÉLIE

WIND WHIPS AT MY HAIRas we stand on the hilltop overlooking Lagos. Storm clouds thunder above, releasing a pelting rain.

Lanterns bathe the capital in an orange glow. Specks of light twinkle from door to door. The palace shines brightest of all, safe behind the city’s massive walls.

“Are you ready?” Tzain nudges me, and I nod as I take Lagos’s strongest defense in. The silver barrier around the city towers thirty meters into the air, nearly twice the height of any tree in the surrounding forest. But tîtáns and cênters be damned. We shall not lose tonight.

We carry the might of the gods.

I feel it with every beat of my heart, every chant waiting on my lips. There’s no stopping us now.

We’ve brought the war to them.

I turn back to Amari, still bound in metal restraints. She stares at the ground at a safe distance behind us, not even moving when I motion for Kâmaruto release her binds. Roën stands by her side, and we exchange a nod. I look back at Lagos’s walls, bracing myself for what’s to come.

“For Mama Agba,” I call. “Mâzeli.”

“Baba and Mama,” Tzain joins in.

“Zulaikha and Kwame,” Folake whispers.

We speak the fallen one by one, naming everyone the monarchy’s taken from us.

“Fight for them all.” I walk forward, tattoos igniting on my skin. Their purple glow flickers around my hands like a blaze, covering my body in twisting light. I close my eyes as it spreads over us all, concentrating on the sound of our twelve hearts beating as one.

Time holds its breath as our magic bleeds together.

Then I whisper the command.

“? t?nná agbára yin.”

The pulse of energy that explodes makes the ground beneath us crack. Gravel and dirt float around our feet. Bark splits in the surrounding trees.

The world moves in slow motion, illuminated by the rainbow of colors flooding from our eyes and mouths. The power of the gods burns through our beings as we march down the hill.

Kâmaruand Kenyon step forward, powerful ashês glowing around their forms. An emerald light shines through the Grounder’s skin as a red one burns through our Burner’s.

Together they shove their hands into the ground and the earth vibrates at our feet.

With a clench of Kâmaru’s fist, the entire ground lifts.

Kenyon follows, creating a wave of lava that spreads through the land.

Majacite mines explode, one after the other, mushrooming in clouds of black. The lava Kâmaruand Kenyon create churns through the earth. Black plumes of smoke shoot into the sky.

“Defenses ready!”

Alarms blare at our attack. The first wave of tîtáns charge as the majacite flies. But before the soldiers and gas can strike, Jahi and Imani lift their hands.

The air howls at our Winder’s command as the Cancer transforms the majacite before our eyes. The black clouds turn orange.

The sweat on my skin chills as a violent gust curves around our backs, so powerful the trees snap in half. The golden soldiers fly back into the wall as the transformed poison blows into them. Blood shoots from their mouths and their skin turns black like the villagers in Ibadan.

“Don’t let them through!” a tîtán screams.

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