Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orïsha #2)(56)

Cosmic energy leaks into the space between us, rainbows of smoke twisting through the air. With Amari’s touch, hundreds of voices fill my head, voices I haven’t heard since the sacred ritual.

àwa ni omo re nínú èjè àti egungun!

A ti dé! ìkan ni wá …

As the incantation thunders in my head, dozens of heartbeats ring in my ears. They pulse harder and faster, growing as my tattoos spread along my skin. It’s then that I see the cobalt ribbon of light twisting from Amari’s chest.

My eyes bulge as I remember my ìsípayá and all the colorful threads of power weaving together. The same sight appears before my eyes now, but instead of a rainbow of color, Amari’s ashê is all navy blue.

The cobalt ribbons intertwine before her body, creating a sphere of energy so powerful its light flashes through the room. Blue ashê crackles around Amari’s form like lightning. Its glow shines through her amber eyes—

In a breath, everything disappears.

Pain rattles through my body as I fall to the floor with a heavy thud. Amari hits the ground across from me, flashes of blue sparking as she falls.

I groan and grab my shoulder, rolling to the side as the soft orange light of the room reappears.

“Jagunjagun!” Mazeli rushes over. “Are you okay?”

In seconds, the library returns to normal. There’s not one sign of the chaos I just unleashed.

“What was that?” Dakarai asks.

“I don’t know.” I shake my head. I look down at the golden tattoos still glowing on my skin. No longer confined to my neck, the swirling symbols now spread across my shoulders and down my arms. I feel their searing heat all the way down my back.

As they glow, everyone’s hearts beat like drums thundering in my head. The louder they pulse, the more I can see the ashê glowing under each maji’s skin.

“By the gods…”

I blink, bewildered at the sight. Ashê moves through everyone’s veins like blood, traveling a path intertwined with their skeletons. Emerald light flickers beneath Kamarū’s heart like a flame. Mazeli’s deep purple glow shimmers through his dark skin. But when I look to Amari, I can’t believe my eyes.

Her navy light surges through every limb of her body like a torch.

“What is it?” she asks.

I can’t find the words. Ashê radiates from her heart like a star. It’s so dark with power it’s nearly black. With this much ashê running through her, Amari shouldn’t be able to survive two minutes, let alone two moons. I reach for her hand, igniting the navy glow in her chest again.

“What are you doing to me?” Amari gasps when the navy light rises to her eyes. Cobalt waves drift through the glassy walls as her magic swells.

As the scroll room changes again, I think of the blue ribbons of light that spiraled from her. The vision Oya showed me in my ìsípayá. That day, I didn’t know what I was looking at, but I understood the vast power all those intertwining threads of light had.

I let go of Amari’s hand, turning to the other elders as it all clicks. Suddenly everything makes sense. The source of Nehanda’s vast strength.

“This is what Oya showed me during my ascension,” I breathe. “I think I know how to beat the queen.”





CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE


AMARI


“I DON’T UNDERSTAND.” Mazeli reaches for Zélie’s hand, but nothing happens. Her tattoos dim as Kenyon, Jahi, and Kamarū take turns trying to cause a reaction.

But when she touches my hand again, the cobalt glow ignites in my chest. I rest my fingers against my sternum and I can feel it: the vibration as my magic swells.

“I can see it,” Zélie says. “Your ashê. There’s so much swirling around your body, more than one person could form alone.” She studies me, seeing something the rest of us can’t. “I think you might be able to absorb t?tán magic like your mother!”

“What?” I squint. That doesn’t make sense. The way Mother moves, the way she casts—even at my strongest, I’ve never come close to that kind of strength.

“Zélie, you were with me on that hill.” I say. “My magic doesn’t work like that.”

“How do we know? You’ve barely spent any time around other t?táns!” She drags me to the parting wall, forcing my hands open. “When Nehanda attacked at the rally, the other Grounder t?táns were around her. She sucked their magic into her palms.”

I start to pull my hand away, but stop when I feel something beyond the wall. My magic swirls in my chest, sending shivers through my bones.

“Can you feel it?” Zélie asks, but I’m not sure if I can say yes. The pulse of distant heartbeats trickles into my ears when I press my hands against the closed wall.

Three … four … five … I count the different rhythms in my head. They grow louder the more I concentrate.

“Just try,” Zélie coaches me, putting her hands on my back. The navy light glows in my chest before softly shining out of my eyes. It builds in strength, coloring the world before me in shades of blue. I breathe deeply and concentrate on each heartbeat I sense beyond the wall.

“That’s it.” Zélie lowers her voice. “I can see the magic growing inside your core.”