Legacy of Orïsha, #2
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
by Tomi Adeyemi
Contents
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: INAN
Overview
Hoping for peace, Inan orders Lagos’s ruins opened to receive Iyika defectors, but the approach is a ruse. Nehanda showcases devastating tîtán power, a skirmish erupts, and Raifa escapes to incinerate half the city’s rations before being executed. Shaken, Inan’s idealism collapses as the rebels warn that Zélie is coming.
Summary
Inan and Nehanda ride through the repaired but ravaged merchant quarter to meet promised Iyika defectors. Nehanda reveals her unique tîtán ability to absorb and amplify others’ ashê, declaring that only cleansing maji can secure peace, unsettling Inan as he clings to a diplomatic path.
At the city ruins, Nehanda drains power from her tîtáns and blasts open Lagos’s barrier. Seven Iyika appear on the hill, including Raifa, the starving Burner Inan previously met. To demonstrate trust, Inan approaches unguarded to greet Raifa, but sparks at her fingertips reveal an attack. Nehanda orders a majacite assault, and choking gas blankets the field.
When the smoke clears, six rebels lie dead; Raifa has vanished. Ojore notices the missing body, and Inan spots Raifa fleeing toward the ration carts. Despite interception, Raifa casts blazing comets that ignite the stores, destroying half of Lagos’s food.
Captive, Raifa proclaims the campaign is just beginning and warns that the “Soldier of Death” is coming. Ojore executes her on the spot. Jokôye castigates Inan for his failed overture as soldiers and civilians confront the loss of vital supplies.
Reeling from betrayal and devastation, Inan abandons his hopeful posture, vows to fix the crisis, and recognizes Zélie as the looming threat behind the Iyika’s escalating war.
Who Appears
- InanKing of Orïsha; attempts a peace gesture, witnesses a deadly ruse, loses half the rations, and hardens his stance.
- NehandaInan’s mother; reveals overpowering tîtán ability, opens the ruins, orders majacite strikes, and advocates exterminating maji.
- RaifaYoung Burner posing as defector; escapes the skirmish, incinerates ration carts, warns of the Soldier of Death, then is executed.
- General JokôyeMilitary advisor; opposes Inan’s outreach and castigates him after the ration catastrophe.
- OjoreCommander scarred by maji; spots Raifa’s escape and executes her after the attack.