Legacy of Orïsha, #2
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
by Tomi Adeyemi
Contents
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: ZÉLIE
Overview
Zélie spirals in grief over Mâzeli until Roën arrives, calms her panic, and reveals the elders hired him. Sharing his own loss, Roën steadies her enough to face a hard truth: she wants to leave Orïsha. He hints an imminent window to escape but withholds details, raising new stakes.
Summary
In her quarters, Zélie is overcome by grief and guilt over Mâzeli’s death, suffering a panic attack as she fails to wash away his blood. Tzain calls her to the sanctuary assembly, but Zélie refuses, consumed by loss and exhaustion with endless fighting.
Roën enters unexpectedly, bandaged and steady, and centers Zélie’s breathing by holding her face and guiding her through the panic. He explains the sanctuary elders pooled their resources to hire him for help, then gently cleans the blood from her skin.
As Zélie voices that Mâzeli is gone, Roën shares his own buried wound: he once lost a partner who had rescued him from the streets. His confession opens space for Zélie to articulate her deepest impulse—to leave the war and the kingdom rather than keep burying those she loves.
Roën asks if escape is truly what she wants, then hints that now is the best chance to go, though he cannot say more. Suspicious of his coded warning, Zélie grabs his hand and demands answers, pressing him to reveal what he knows.
Who Appears
- ZélieProtagonist; grief-stricken over Mâzeli, suffers a panic attack, admits she wants to flee the kingdom.
- RoënMercenary; hired by the elders, calms Zélie, shares past partner’s death, hints at a timely chance to escape.
- TzainZélie’s brother; calls her to the sanctuary assembly outside her door.
- MâzeliZélie’s fallen Second; present as a haunting memory and source of her overwhelming grief.