Legacy of Orïsha, #2
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
by Tomi Adeyemi
Contents
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: AMARI
Overview
Amari reaches the Iyika elders and watches them elevate Zélie while dismissing Amari. News arrives that King Inan lives and offers amnesty and rations to defecting maji. Zélie and the elders distrust the decree, order the rations burned, and schedule a Reaper challenge to formalize Zélie’s leadership. Isolated, Amari seeks Zélie’s help mastering her magic.
Summary
Amari arrives with Zélie, Nâo, and Mâzeli at the Iyika sanctuary’s bustling cafeteria, where the elders gather. The crowd reveres Zélie as the Soldier of Death while ignoring Amari. Ramaya, the Connector elder and de facto leader, honors Zélie and proposes placing her on the throne after destroying Nehanda and the monarchy.
Before debate continues, Na’imah, the Tamer elder, brings a message: King Inan is alive and offers food, gold, and amnesty to defecting maji. Amari seizes on the decree as proof of Inan’s potential for peace, hoping for negotiation that could end the conflict without further bloodshed.
Zélie rejects the offer as a trap, comparing it to past betrayals. The elders, led by Ramaya, agree and push for immediate retaliation. Amari publicly warns that burning rations will harm Lagos’s civilians and escalate war, but Ramaya silences her with open contempt, blaming Amari’s family for past atrocities and denying Amari any standing.
Ramaya declares that rations at the front should be burned by sunrise and announces a Reaper challenge to formalize Zélie’s council ascension. Amari confronts Zélie for not advocating peace; Zélie insists the decree is bait and urges sticking to their plan to topple Amari’s family using the Iyika.
Realizing the elders will never trust her lineage, Amari pivots. Determined to earn respect through capability, she asks Zélie to help her control and strengthen her magic.
Who Appears
- AmariPOV; sidelined by the Iyika elders, defends Inan’s decree, rebuked, and decides to train her magic.
- ZélieRevered as the Soldier of Death; distrusts Inan’s offer, backs burning rations, asked to help train Amari.
- RamayaConnector elder; de facto leader who elevates Zélie, rejects amnesty, orders ration burnings, threatens Amari.
- Na’imahTamer elder; delivers news of Inan’s decree and supports the hardline stance against the monarchy.
- NâoGuide within the Iyika base; backs Ramaya’s plan to burn rations.
- MâzeliBoastful Reaper youth; escorts the group and shows sympathy toward Amari.