CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: ZÉLIE

While trekking across the Olasimbo Range toward the Iyika, Roën halts the group to check their cover. They discover two slain maji bearing blade wounds and majacite burns. Zélie performs the ìbùkún despite avoiding magic since the ritual, stirred by grief for Baba. Tension flares as Roën teases her about leaving and returning, hinting at his feelings and her unresolved pull toward Orïsha and Inan.

Tzain’s alarm draws their attention to a cliff where armored soldiers, including swift tîtán Grounders, prepare to descend. As the enemy rapidly closes in, Amari attempts to unleash her blue magic, but her power misfires and burns her, confirming her lack of control. With no escape, Zélie invokes the dead, summoning spirits to animate for defense.

In a startling twist, a young soldier in golden armor repeats Zélie’s incantation. Instead of raising separate warriors, he fuses spirits into a towering, single animation that eclipses the sun, displaying skill beyond previous encounters. Confusion stalls both sides as the animated forces hold.

The supposed enemy removes their helmets: the boy reveals white hair, marking him as an Animist, and a limping Seer steps forward—Mama Agba. Recognizing Zélie, Mama Agba warmly embraces her, transforming a perilous confrontation into an unexpected reunion and signaling hidden allies within enemy ranks.