Legacy of Orïsha, #2
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
by Tomi Adeyemi
Contents
CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO: ZÉLIE
Overview
Zélie survives the underwater blast, then dives back to rescue Roën, who is pinned beneath a slab and near death. Unable to move the stone, she forges a shadow blade and amputates his arm to free him, sacrificing her last breath. The moment cements her resolve and the brutal cost of survival.
Summary
Zélie bursts from the water, coughing and disoriented amid unfamiliar mountains and pale yellow light. Regaining breath on a rocky ledge, she realizes Roën was closest to the collapse and may be dying below. Determined to help, she immediately dives back into the depths.
Guided by the moonstone’s glow and her Reaper sense, Zélie locates Roën’s faint lifeforce diminishing rapidly. She finds Roën pinned by a massive slab crushing his bicep, a cracked breathing mask barely keeping him alive. Attempts to shift the stone fail as time and air run out.
Roën squeezes Zélie’s wrist, silently urging her to leave, but Zélie refuses, recalling how often he has saved her. She summons shadows to push the slab, but they are too weak. With Roën’s eyes rolling back and his body floating limp, she chooses a desperate solution.
Forming a serrated shadow blade, Zélie prays to Oya and wraps shadows around Roën’s trapped arm. In a final, agonizing decision driven by the need to free him, she slices through his shoulder, using the last of her breath to ensure his survival.
Who Appears
- ZélieProtagonist; resurfaces after the collapse, locates Roën, and amputates his arm with shadow magic to save him.
- RoënWarlord and ally; found pinned underwater, near death; loses his arm when Zélie frees him.