“It’s okay.” I rub her back. “You were trying to protect your people. You did what you had to do.”
I lock eyes with Amari and Tzain, and they nod in agreement. We can’t blame her. Not when we would do the exact same thing.
“Here.” Zulaikha pulls the scroll from the pocket of her black dashiki and presses it into my hands. “Whatever you need, everyone here is behind you. They listen to me because I was the first to touch the scroll, but if what Amari said is true, you’ve been chosen by the gods. Whatever your command, we’ll all follow it.”
Discomfort bristles beneath my skin at the thought. I can’t lead these people. I can barely lead myself.
“Thank you, but you’re doing good work here. Just keep these people safe. Our job is to get to Zaria and charter a ship. The solstice is only five days away.”
“I have family in Zaria.” Folake speaks up. “Traders we can trust. If I go with you, I can get you their ship.”
“I’ll go, too.” Zulaikha grabs my hand, hope tangible in her tiny grasp. “There are enough people here for security, and I’m sure you guys could use a Healer.”
“If you’ll have me…” Kwame’s voice trails off. He clears his throat and forces himself to meet Tzain’s and Amari’s eyes. “I would like to fight with you. Fire is always a good defense.”
Tzain fixes Kwame with a cool glare, hand rubbing his wounded thigh. Though Zu stopped his bleeding, she wasn’t strong enough to take away all the pain.
“Protect my sister, or the next time you close your eyes, you’ll be the one with a dagger in the leg.”
“I can accept that.” Kwame extends a hand. Tzain reaches up and shakes it. A comfortable silence fills the tent as an apology travels between their grips.
“We have to celebrate!” A wide smile erupts on Zu’s face, so bright and innocent it makes her look like the child she should get to be. Her joy is so infectious, even Tzain finds himself with a grin. “I’ve been wanting to do something fun, a way to bring everyone in the camp together. I know it isn’t the typical time, but we should hold the àj?y0 tomorrow.”
“àj?y0?” I lean forward, unable to believe my ears. When I was a child, celebrating Sky Mother and the birth of the gods was the best part of my year. Baba would always purchase Mama and me matching kaftans, silk and beaded, with long trains that flowed down our backs. In the last àj?y0 before the Raid, Mama saved up all year so she could buy gold-plated rings to braid throughout my hair.
“It would be perfect.” Zu’s voice speeds up as her excitement grows. “We could clear out tents and hold the opening procession. Find a place for the sacred stories. We could build a stage and let each maji touch the scroll. Everyone can watch their powers return!”
A prickle of hesitation runs through me, burning with the echo of Kwame’s flames. Just a day ago, turning all these div?ners into maji would’ve been a dream, but for the first time I pause. More magic means more potential, more wrong hands for the sunstone to fall into. But if I keep a close eye on it … if all these div?ners already follow Zu …
“What do you think?” Zu asks.
I look between her and Kwame. He breaks into a smile.
“That sounds amazing,” I decide. “It’ll be an àj?y0 people will never forget.”
“What about the ritual?” Amari asks.
“If we leave right after the celebration, we’ll have enough time. We still have five days to get to Zaria, and using Folake’s boat will cut our time in half.”
Zu’s face goes so bright, it’s like its own source of light. She squeezes my hand, and I’m surprised at the warmth it fills me with. It’s more than another ally. It’s the start of our community.
“Then we’ll do it!” Zu grabs Amari’s hand, too, almost jumping up and down. “It’s the least we can do. I can think of no better way to honor the four of you.”
“Three,” Tzain corrects us. His terseness cuts through my budding excitement. He nods at Inan. “He’s not with us.”
Tightness gathers in my chest as Inan and Tzain lock eyes. I knew this moment was coming. I just hoped we’d have more time.
Zu nods stiffly, sensing the tension. “We’ll let you talk among yourselves. There’s a lot we have to do if we’re going to be ready for tomorrow.”
She rises to her feet, and Kwame and Folake follow, leaving us with only silence. I’m forced to stare at the scroll in my hands. What now? Where do we—are we even a “we”?
“I know this will be hard to digest.” Inan speaks first. “But things changed when you and Amari were taken. I’m aware that it’s a lot to ask, but if your sister can learn to trust me—”
Tzain whips to me, his glower hitting like a staff to the gut. His face says it all: Tell me this isn’t true.
“Tzain, if it weren’t for him, I would’ve been taken, too—”
Because he wanted to kill me himself. When the fighters attacked, he still wanted to drive his sword through my heart.
I take a breath and start over, running my hands over my staff. I can’t afford to mess this up. I need Tzain to listen to me.
“I didn’t trust him, not at first. But Inan fought by my side. When I was in danger, he threw himself in harm’s way.” My voice seems to shrink. Unable to look at anyone, I stare at my hands. “He’s seen things, felt things I could never explain to anyone else.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?” Tzain crosses his arms.
“Because…” I look back at Inan. “He’s a maji.”
“What?” Amari’s jaw drops and she whips toward Inan. Though I’ve seen her eye the streak in his hair before, now the realization dawns.
“How is that possible?”
“I don’t know,” Inan says. “It happened sometime in Lagos.”
“Right before you burned our village to the ground?” Tzain yells.
Inan clenches his jaw tight. “I didn’t know then—”
“But you knew when you cut Lekan down.”
“He attacked us. My admiral feared for our lives—”
“And when you tried to kill my sister last night? Were you a maji then?” Tzain tries to rise but grimaces, hand flying to his thigh.
“Let me help,” I start, but Tzain throws off my hand.
“Tell me you’re not this stupid.” A different kind of pain flashes behind his eyes. “You can’t trust him, Zél. Maji or not, he isn’t on our side.”
“Tzain—”
“He tried to kill you!”
“Please.” Inan speaks up. “I know you have no reason to trust me. But I don’t want to fight anymore. We all desire the same thing.”
“What’s that?” Tzain scoffs.
“A better Or?sha. A kingdom where maji like your sister don’t have to live in constant fear. I want to make it better.” Inan locks his amber eyes with mine. “I want to fix it with you.”
I force myself to look away, afraid of what my face will betray. I turn to Tzain, hoping something in Inan’s words moved him. But he’s clenching his fists so hard his forearms shake.
“Tzain—”
“Forget it.” He rises with a wince and heads for the tent exit, fighting through the pain in his leg. “You’re always screwing everything up. Why stop now?”
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
AMARI