Page 85 of Children of Virtue and Vengeance

“Skies.” I struggle to swallow as I roll up the scroll. Despite our differences, Zélie’s helped me learn the Yoruba I needed to train the Connectors. By this point, I’ve taken dozens of scrolls to her for assistance.

But if she figures out why I want to learn this one…

I shake my head and exhale as I walk out the temple’s navy door. I just need help with an incantation.

That’s all she needs to know.

“Watch out!”

I throw myself back as Mâzeli zips past. His large ears practically flapin the wind. The end of an incantation flies from his lips as he leaps from the nearest cliff.

“Yí padà láti owó mi!”

A lavender cloud erupts from his back, engulfing him as he falls. He screams with delight as the cloud begins to solidify, forming wings around his arms.

“I’m doing it!” Mâzeli stretches out his hands in triumph as he nears the landing at the waterfall’s bank. But right as he’s about land, the cloud disappears. He claws at the air before hitting the water with a loud splash.

“Dammit!” Mâzeli breaks through the surface, glaring at all who laugh. He slaps the water with his hands. “I don’t understand. There were wings that time, I saw them!”

“More like feathers than wings!” Mári calls out as she glides down on shadows from the ledge above him, a triumphant smile on her young face. She wields her shadows with a particular finesse, practically floating to the ground.

“Mári, hush.” Zélie walks into the water, beckoning for her Reapers to follow after her. “You’re close, Mâzeli, but your ojiji are still too soft. Your shadows are light because the spirits are struggling to keep form.”

I watch from my perch on the ledge above as the three Reapers form a circle around Zélie despite the setting sun. The two of us wear the same collar, but Zélie’s seems to fit like a second skin. With the way her golden tattoos shimmer beneath the rippling water, I am far from the only person who stares. What I wouldn’t give to have just one maji look at me that way.

“Amari!” Zélie catches my eye, waving at me from below. I force a smile as she sends her Reapers ahead. “How’d today’s training go?”

“Better,” I lie. “But I need your help. I was thinking of teaching this incantation tomorrow. Could you help me with the words?”

I walk down to the bottom of the ledge and hand Zélie the scroll when she exits the water, but her smile fades as she reads the sênbaría. “You want to teach them about the dreamscapes?”

“You say it like you’ve heard of that before.”

“I have.” Her gaze grows distant. I’m surprised at the way her face softens. “Your brother took me into one a few times. I never knew if it existed in his mind or mine.”

“How did he get you there?” I lean in. “Could you summon it as well?”

Zélie starts to answer my question, but stops, pulling the scroll to her chest. “Why this incantation? What use will it be when we march on Lagos?”

My ears heat as I scramble for a lie.

“For gods’ sakes.” Zélie shakes her head. “Tell me you’re not this stupid!”

“How is it stupid to want to contact my brother?” I ask. “To explore the possibility of peace? I know you hate him, but Inan saved your life—”

“It’s what hedoes,” Zélie snarls. “He’ll do the right thing when it’s easy, but when it matters most, he’ll stab you in the back! You can’t trust him, Amari. All he leaves us with are scars!”

“Is this because you don’t trust him, or because you don’t want to be honest with yourself?”

Zélie’s eyes flash and she stiffens. “You’d better choose your words with care.”

“You keep pretending all you want is to kill my brother, but I saw the way you two looked at each other at Chândomblé. I know there’s more in your heart than rage!” I point at her chest. “If you want to lie to yourself about how you really feel, fine. But if you damn us to this warpath, you’re putting innocent lives on the line!”

I reach for the incantation, but Zélie pushes me back. As I stumble, she throws the scroll in the natural baths, stomping it out with her foot.

“Stop!” I scream, running into the water. I try to rip the scroll from her foot, but I only rip it in half. Ancient ink bleeds into the water as I fumble with the fraying parchment. My hands shake as I look back up at her. “What’s wrong with you? That incantation could’ve ended this war!”

“You said it yourself,” Zélie pants, walking back to the bank. “In the hands of an enemy, those scrolls are a weapon. Don’t try to communicate with your brother again.”

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