Legacy of Orïsha, #1
Children of Blood and Bone
by Tomi Adeyemi
Contents
Chapter Twenty-Three: Zélie
Overview
Zélie, Tzain, and Amari witness Ibeji’s arena transform into a sea for a brutal ship battle where enslaved divîner laborers are forced to fight. The announcer unveils the sunstone, claiming it grants immortality. As crews are massacred, Zélie is consumed by their deaths. No champion emerges, heightening urgency and peril.
Summary
As night falls over Ibeji’s arena, Zélie, Tzain, and Amari squeeze into the packed stands. Zélie shivers under the weight of countless trapped spirits, sensing apâdi within the walls. They decide to wait for the competition to start before searching for clues.
A masked announcer ascends a high platform and whips the nobles into a frenzy. Metal gates open and an impossible torrent floods the arena, creating a churning sea. Ten ships float in with richly dressed captains and terrified crews—enslaved divîner laborers among them, including the girl in white they met earlier.
The announcer declares the rules: the last surviving captain and crew win gold. He then reveals a greater prize—Babalúayé’s legendary relic—displaying the glowing sunstone and claiming it grants immortality. The sight confirms the stone they need for the ritual to restore magic.
The first cannons fire. Ships shatter, rowers are obliterated, and bodies fill the bloodied water. As each person dies, Zélie is wracked by their pain and memories, forced to endure every death through her Reaper bond to the spirits. She glimpses the girl in white consumed by blood.
When the massacre ends, the arena is strewn with wreckage and corpses; no champion remains. The announcer promises another attempt tomorrow and brandishes the sunstone, stoking the crowd’s appetite for more blood. Zélie, weakened and horrified, leans on Tzain, fearing they may die before ever reaching the stone.
Who Appears
- ZélieAwakened Reaper overwhelmed by countless deaths in the arena; identifies the sunstone and senses trapped spirits in apâdi.
- The AnnouncerCharismatic host who reveals the sunstone as the prize and orchestrates the deadly naval battle.
- TzainSupports Zélie, urges patience, and helps her endure the onslaught of deaths during the spectacle.
- Princess AmariObserves the arena, questions the sunstone’s powers, and plans to search during distractions.
- Girl in white (laborer)Enslaved divîner forced to row in the battle; her death contributes to Zélie’s torment.