Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha #2)(113)

“Work quickly!” I shout. “Free them!”

We surge forward, using our magic to rip through the chains. Kamarū disintegrates the links with one touch as Imani and Khani pull the maji free.

The moment Bimpe and Mári are released, I take them into my arms. I squeeze them tight as they sob, holding back my own tears of relief.

“It’s okay,” I soothe them. “You’re safe now. I’m sorry I ever let you get caught—”

But feet fly past our cell and down the hall, stealing the air from my chest. The relief of saving my Reapers fades when I turn to see Inan.

His spirit pulls on me like an anchor, dragging me back to him. He sprints down the opposite hall, two soldiers at his heels.

If I’m going to liberate Or?sha from his tyranny, I must do it now.

“Follow Imani,” I command. “I’m going after the king!”

My heart thrashes against my ribcage as I sprint after Inan. Victory lies in our hands. But it won’t be secure until he’s gone.

The words of his letters reverberate around me, growing louder the closer I get to him. I try to keep his poison from bleeding through my ears.

There are nights when you visit my dreams—

When it mattered the most I let you down—

All this time I thought I was choosing my kingdom over my heart. I was too blind to realize that you were both—



“Inan!” I shout when he sprints down another flight of stone steps. He stops in his tracks, tripping up the soldiers that run behind him.

“Your Majesty—”

“Go,” Inan orders his guards.

The soldiers look back and forth between us. But despite the way they hesitate, Inan urges them on.

“This is between us,” he tells them as he turns to face me. “Get out while you still can.”

With no other choice, the soldiers run off, disappearing into the shadows. Their retreating footsteps quiet as they leave us alone.

“Go ahead.” Inan’s chest falls. He raises his hands in surrender. “I’m not going to fight you. Not anymore.”

The vow in his letters hits me as I descend from the last step:

Should our paths collide again, I will not raise my sword.

I am ready to end my life at your hand.



He was telling the truth …

The thought makes my fingers numb. Tzain was right.

Even when we crash, we intertwine.

The bronze piece he left in my ahéré burns at my neck as I force myself to walk toward him.

“The treasuries are located in the catacombs beneath the royal gardens,” he begins. “When the madness ends, take Tzain and someone you trust. Be mindful of how you distribute the wealth. And the military—” Inan stops himself, closing his eyes. “You already know you have to start over. But don’t forget to clean out each fortress. Our majacite is stockpiled there. Lone soldiers will try to use it against you.”

“What are you doing?” I stop him. “Why are you telling me this?”

“By tonight’s end, everyone who knows those secrets will be dead. The only chance Or?sha has is with you at the helm.”

His words hang in our silence. He’s so calm.

As if he doesn’t speak of his own death.

I swallow as I approach him, pushing past the pain in my chest. He almost gives me a smile when we come face-to-face.

“I’m glad—” his voice cracks. “I’m glad to see you again.”

“Don’t speak.” My fingers tremble as I raise my hand, placing it over his heart. His lifeforce crackles like a fire, prickling against my fingertips. He tenses as I start to pull, ripping it away from him. Everything that’s passed between us hits me as his life fades.

I see the moment our paths first crossed in the marketplace. Feel the shock it sent through my veins.

The vibration of his blade against my staff. The roar of the waterfalls.

The knife that carved through my back.

The rush of his lips on my neck.

I feel everything I don’t want to let in. All the ways he entered my heart.

“I’m sorry,” he chokes.

“I know,” I whisper back. Though I’ve fought for his death, this feels like I’m killing a piece of myself. Inan’s breath stalls as I squeeze my hand. I close my eyes, unable to look as his heartbeat slows.

“Goodbye,” I whisper.

He chokes in response—

“Zélie!” Ro?n shouts. I whip around as he barrels down the stone steps. A mask hangs in his metal hand. He sprints from a moving wall of white.

Confusion overwhelms me as Ro?n throws the mask to me, his body falling the second the cloud engulfs him.

I don’t have a chance to put it on before the cloud of white takes me as well.





EPILOGUE


THE SEARING PAIN forces my mind awake. My head throbs as my lids flutter open, eyes only finding the dark.

The stench of vomit and urine fills my nose. My throat burns as I choke. I try to rise to my feet, but the moment I shift, I trip over chains.

What in Oya’s name?

I wince, tumbling to the wooden floor. Thick metal unlike any I’ve encountered before binds my ankles and wrists. The chains rattle through the silence as I struggle to break their hold.