Legacy of Orïsha, #2
Children of Virtue and Vengeance
by Tomi Adeyemi
Contents
CHAPTER ONE: ZÉLIE
Overview
Zélie and Tzain attempt to lay their father to rest at sea, but Zélie’s ashê and grief overwhelm her and the torch fails. Amari arrives with oil and a spare torch, enabling the cremation. As they speak the sacrament, Zélie confronts the consequences of restoring magic and recommits to the struggle ahead.
Summary
Remembering her first, wonder-filled encounter with the sea alongside Baba, Zélie awakens on Jimeta’s storm-lashed coast to bury him. Grief and scarcity weigh on Zélie and Tzain as they prepare the Reaper’s ìbùkún with precious, bartered oil.
When Zélie begins the blessing, her ashê flares, pulling her into traumatic memories of the ritual that restored magic and the moment Baba died. Startled, she drops the torch and it extinguishes in the surf, leaving them without the means to ignite the casket.
Zélie blames herself for Baba’s death, but Tzain steadies her, insisting they must rely on each other now. Amari arrives from their warship with her own oil and a spare torch, her white hair marking the new magic nobles now share.
With Amari’s help, Zélie lights the oil-soaked rope, and Baba’s casket catches fire upon the waves. Zélie and Tzain speak the sacrament, “Títí di òdí kejì,” honoring Baba and recalling those lost to the struggle—Lekan, Zulaikha, Salim, Mama Agba, and Inan.
As the flames fade against the gray horizon, Zélie confronts the cost of bringing magic back, her heartbreak over Inan, and the shifting balance now that nobles wield ashê. She resolves that their battle is far from over and steels herself for what comes next.
Who Appears
- ZélieReaper mourning her father; ashê resurges during the ìbùkún, triggering traumatic memories and guilt. Resolves to continue the fight.
- TzainZélie’s older brother; supports and steadies her, helps conduct their father’s sea cremation and recites the sacrament.
- AmariFormer princess now marked with magic; brings oil and a torch from the ship, enabling Baba’s cremation.
- BabaZélie and Tzain’s father; remembered in tender flashback and laid to rest at sea after the restoration of magic cost his life.