Legacy of Orïsha, #2
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
by Tomi Adeyemi
Contents
CHAPTER SEVENTY: ZÉLIE
Overview
Bombs rigged in the tunnels detonate, collapsing the cave and trapping Zélie underwater. Near death, Zélie sees visions of loved ones and realizes the monarchy laid a trap targeting the Iyika and elders above. Choosing life, she harnesses her power to free herself and reach the surface.
Summary
Explosions chain through the tunnels, collapsing the cave and hurling Zélie into darkness and water. Struck by falling rocks, she is pinned by a boulder and begins to drown, unable to see or call to Roën through the chaos.
As Zélie nears death, she sees shimmering silhouettes of Mama and Baba, then Mâzeli, whose presence triggers clarity. She recalls the red flash and gas before the blasts and recognizes the breadth of the charges: the monarchy set a trap meant to annihilate their force, not just block passage.
Realizing the Iyika and the gathered elders are in grave danger above, Zélie fights the pull of death. Thinking of Tzain, Amari, and the Reapers she must protect, she rejects surrender and focuses on survival.
Zélie ignites the tattoos on her skin, amplifying her dwindling lifeforce. Through agony, she wrenches her leg free from the boulder and summons Reaper shadows, latching onto a hold above to pull herself upward.
She breaks the surface, leaving the embrace of death behind with a renewed commitment to live and to confront the monarchy’s broader trap threatening her people.
Who Appears
- ZélieTrapped underwater after tunnel bombs; faces death, realizes monarchy’s trap, chooses to live and escapes using Reaper power.
- MâzeliAppears as a vision; sparks Zélie’s realization about the trap and fuels her will to survive.
- RoënSeparated by the blasts; Zélie calls for him but cannot find him in the collapse.
- Mama (Zélie’s mother)Visionary silhouette comforting Zélie at the brink of death.
- Baba (Zélie’s father)Visionary presence alongside Mama, anchoring Zélie’s memories and resolve.