Page 110 of Wings of Ebony
He shudders. “The poison… I don’t know how much time I have. We must move fast.”
“This is all my fault. I did this, coming here all alone.”
“If this is anyone’s fault, it’s mine. Come on now, we don’t have long. Minutes.”
An antidote. Where can I find him an antidote? That would take forever. We don’t have forever… not anymore.
His eyes droop and his warm skin drains to pallor. A gust of wind sweeps through, blowing the pile of ashes that once were my cuffs.
“H-help me lie down. Hurry, Rue, before the bits of the cuffs are all gone.” He speaks as if each word pains him as he settles on the ground. I tuck my head under his chin. I can’t believe this is happening. My father’s here to save me, but saving me means death.
His chest is firm against my face, thumping with life, his beard, grayer than I remember.
This can’t happen. I won’t let it.
It’s a lie, but I cling to it. Squeezing my eyes shut tight, I imagine I’m little. The hem of his shirt is soft like silk, rising and falling with each breath.
Seconds zip by and I try to hold on to each of them.
“You were raised to be a thinker,” he says. “Quick on your feet. No one gets one over on you, Rue. You’re stubborn to a fault. That is your determination. Your mother swore to me, raising you here in East Row would make you resourceful, protective, a thinker—a leader.”
Sh-she said that?
“And when you were ready, she’d bring you to me. Let you see your other home. Embrace your other half.”
Embrace my other half…
Embrace that I-I’m Ghizoni…
The cuffs.I gasp. The cuffs started to respond when I whispered to the Ancestors that I am their daughter, their chosen.
When I embracedallof who I am.
“You are destined for greatness, Jelani. I tell you not to be sentimental, I tell you because it is true. Look at what your Ancestors have come through—that greatness flows inyourveins.”
I am greatness.…
He pulls himself up on shaky elbows. His eyes are all fire. “If you remember nothing else, remember this…”
Tears swallow my face. I don’t want my daddy to die.
“Do not let the past chain you.” He grits his teeth, his words pained stutters as the poison sets in. “Make it your strength.”
I am strength.…
“You’re a warrior for your people—allof them—every little onewithout white skin. They look to you to guard them from those who would destroy them. They look to you to heal generations of pain. This is your destiny, child. I am just a mere step along the way.”
“No, please stop.” I bury my face in his chest. “I can’t. I-I can’t.… Moms gone, you leaving me too? I-I can’t do this all alone.”
“Rue, look around you. From East Row to Yiyo, you’re never alone.”
“I can’t—”
“Youcan.And youwill.”
I am unstoppable.…
He plants a kiss on my forehead. The kiss of a father to his daughter.
