Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha #2)(112)

They’ve come for the people we took.

“Run!” I shout. “Leave the palace now!”

The hall erupts in hysteria as people push against one another to escape. Goblets clank against the marble tiles. Tables crash to the ground as people run past.

“Get to safety!” I yell. “The Iyika are coming—”

Screams ring as the throne room windows shatter.





CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE


AMARI


BROKEN GLASS SPARKLES like diamonds, glittering as it arcs through the air. Jahi’s winds carry our fighters over the chaos, bringing us to the marble floors. It’s like waking up in a dream to land in the walls of my own home. I can’t see past the mass of bodies fleeing the throne room.

“Attack!”

Zélie’s command releases the storm. With a roar, the maji launch forward, unleashing their connected wrath. Imani levels a platoon with her rust-colored gas. Nao turns barrels of wine into battering rams. Kenyon’s blaze rips through the painted ceiling, burning through the banners that hold Inan’s seal.

Magic tears through the throne room, destroying the beautiful cage. A pressure lifts from my chest when Kamarū shoots forward, ripping the golden throne in half.

“They’re holding them in the cellars!” Zélie calls back, pushing into the main hall. Nobles and guards get out of her way. Elders follow after her as she races toward the stairs.

I sprint toward her to help, but then I feel the ground shake. Behind me, Mother nearly tumbles down the stairs, unsteady on her legs. Her cape rips off of her neck, spreading across the marble steps.

“No!” she yells.

Mother’s shriek is like a prison cell closing me in. Looking at her, I see myself. The path she set me on. I think of all the blood she put on my hands. The look from Tzain I’ll never see again.

She clutches the wall for support, muscles shaking beneath her ripped gown. Horror fills her face as she takes in the scene, but it turns to hatred the moment she spots me.

“You.” She bares her teeth, pushing her weight back onto her trembling feet. I raise my hand to strike, but she wrenches a chunk of marble up from the ground and shoots it at me.

My stomach clenches as the slab rams into my core. The impact knocks me into the wall, stealing the breath from my throat.

I’ve barely hit the ground when Mother hobbles forward, punching out a shaking fist up that glows with green. A pillar of earth crashes through the marble floors and hits me square in the chest. I wheeze as it collides, reaching for my lungs.

The impact sends me flying across the marble floor. My head spins when I crash to the ground, rolling across the cracked tiles. My vision blurs as Mother closes in. I raise my hand before I can aim.

“Stop!” I scream.

The blue comet twists as it flies from my palm. Time seems to slow as it shoots through the air.

Mother raises her arm to defend, but it gives her no protection. A smothered grunt escapes her lips the moment my magic hits her. Her amber eyes bulge. I push myself up from the ground, coughing up blood.

Strike, Amari.

I stumble toward her, rage washing over my pain. Father’s voice echoes in my head, guiding me as I raise my hand.

Fight, Amari.

Magic burns as it builds in my palm, but then another voice fills my head.

No.

The simple word binds me in its grasp. It holds my magic hostage, forcing me to stand still.

“What’re you waiting for?” Powders and paints streak down Mother’s face as she taunts me. But I drop my hand, blinking as I step back.

“It’s over…” The realization catches me off guard. I thought killing Father was the answer. It only turned me into a monster. “You’ve lost, Mother. The maji are taking over. The monarchy’s come to an end.”

“You spineless traitor!” Veins pulse against Mother’s neck as she fights to break my hold. Her words slur together as she yells. “You’re nothing. You’re not powerful enough to destroy the throne—”

“You’re wrong!” My shout echoes through the deserted hall. The portraits of old kings and queens stare me down. I look up at them, feeling the power in my blood. “If the past few moons have taught me anything, it’s that I’m capable of great things. I know I can be better. I choose to be better!”

I release my hand and Mother’s body falls to the ground. She wheezes as she hits the tiled floor.

“You have never been great!” she roars. “You will never be great!”

But as she shouts into the floor, I limp toward the cellar stairs.

Each step I take feels lighter than the last.





CHAPTER NINETY


ZéLIE


“HELP!”

The muffled screams echo through the cellar. We sprint across its stone floors, thundering past curved arches and wide pillars. Cries swell through the underground labyrinth, guiding us deep into its winding tunnels. I search for the Iyika when I see Mári at the end of the hall.

“Elder Zélie!”

My heart skips a beat when she presses her round face between a row of iron bars. Bimpe runs up behind her, both of them locked in a cell.

I nearly trip over myself as I sprint to them. The maji of our sanctuary lie in chains, screaming for our aid. Hundreds of bodies fill the cell, packed so tight I can’t see through to the back.