Chapter Twelve: Zélie

Exhausted after fleeing, Zélie, Tzain, Amari, and Nailah stop to rest in the forest. Zélie’s anger toward Amari cools to wary disdain. Seeking strength, Zélie prays to Oya, voicing fear about failing her task and asking protection for Baba and Mama Agba, which briefly calms her.

Zélie then finds herself in an otherworldly field of towering reeds, unscarred and clothed in white. There she encounters the guard captain, recognizing him as Prince Inan. Both lack weapons, and Inan accuses Zélie of invading his mind with magic.

As they argue, Zélie realizes Inan must be a Connector—his dream-link and the white streak in his hair reveal awakened magic. She reasons the scroll triggered his power during their clash in Lagos, unlike other royals who touched it without change.

Testing this discovery, Zélie asks if the king knows, concluding he does not, since Inan would be executed. She offers a threat-laced bargain to keep his secret if he leaves her alone, provoking Inan to lunge at her.

Zélie jolts awake in the forest, shaken but safe. Accepting the revelation of Inan’s magic, she concludes he will not stop hunting her, heightening the stakes of their flight.