Page 96 of Children of Virtue and Vengeance

“Èmí òkú, gba ààyé nínú mi. Jáde nínú àwon òjìjí re—”

My body warms as the shadows swirl around me, twisting like ribbons of light. Different spirits circle my Reapers when they follow suit, their ashêfusing with mine.

“Yí padà láti owó mi!”

Our shadows bleed together like mixing paints, deep purples turning black with raw power. Our voices rise as the shadows take shape, condensing until they funnel into one giant arrowhead. With the final words of our incantation, we unleash our attack. The arrowhead shoots forward, a rush of wind blowing around us as it twists through the air.

“Look out!” a tîtán shouts. Time seems to slow as the caravan speeds toward us. Sound muffles to a low hum.

The first wagon skids to avoid the attack, sliding off the dirt trail as our shadows swarm. But the soldiers crouched inside don’t stand achance. The moment they meet our shadows of death, they crumble into ash.

I hear the beginning of screams, but the cries of agony wither into nothing. Our shadows cut through their path, taking out three transports in one blow.

“Zélie, look!” Mâzeli points behind us as more maji run into the fight. The sight of them spurs me on. Together, we can defend the sanctuary.

Though my chest heaves up and down, I charge down the warpath.

“Come on!” I shout at my Reapers. “Let’s do it again!”

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

INAN

“STOP THE ATTACK!”

Though I shout, my voice is little more than a hoarse whisper. My head spins from Amari’s attack. I can barely stand.

As I stumble through the jungle, the world around me descends into a battlefield. Maji flee from their base in droves as my forces continue their attack.

“Wipe the rebels out!” a lieutenant shouts, sending another line of wagons speeding down the dirt trail.

A burly maji with a metal leg slaps his hands to the ground. Other maji in matching green armor follow his lead.

“Odi àw?n òrì?à—”

Their magic seeps into the earth. Towering walls of dirt shoot into the air, hardening into stone. The wagons try to skid out of the way, but they’re not fast enough. Wood and metal fly as the transports crash and explode.

Skies!

I take cover, bracing myself against a tree. Majacite gas leaks into the air, but a twisting cyclone from theIyika’s maji blows it all back.

Though my soldiers lead the charge, the maji overpower their every maneuver. This isn’t working.

Whoever mounted this attack is losing.

“Inan!”

Ojore’s voice is a lifeline and a curse. He runs to me through the madness, wrapping my arm around his shoulder. Troops cover our tracks as a Tamer runs forward, a large girl with sunflowers in her curls. Clouds of pink magic fly from her hands, turning our ryders rabid.

Soldiers scream as they’re flung from their panthenaires’ backs. The ryders foam at the mouth. I look away when a rabid panthenaire sinks its fangs into its soldier’s throat.

“How could you do this?” I shout. “I gave you a command!”

“I didn’t have a choice!” Ojore pulls me forward. “I couldn’t lie to your mother!”

“Mother ordered this?” My hands fall limp as realization takes hold.

“She said Amari would kill you the moment you met. She ordered us to save you from this trap—”

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