Children of Blood and Bone - Tomi Adeyemi Page 0,89

room, clutching the bloodied blade.

When I threw the sword to the floor, Kaea placed it back into my hands.

You’re strong, Inan. She smiled. Do not let that strength scare you. You will need it all your life. You’ll need it to be king.

“Strength,” I scoff. It’s that very strength I need now. I only used magic to protect my kingdom. Kaea of all people should’ve understood that.

Sand whips at my face as I pass the clay walls of Ibeji. I force thoughts of Kaea away. She’s dead. I can’t change that.

The threat of magic still lives.

Kill her. In the dead of night, I’d expected the desert settlement to be asleep, but the streets of Ibeji swell with the remnants of some celebration. Low-ranking nobles and villagers pull generous swigs from their cups, each drunker than the last. At times they cry out mythic names, cheering for “the Lionaire,” “the Commander,” or “the Immortal.” None pay any mind to the disheveled soldier who rides in their midst, or waste a glance at the dried blood coating my skin. No one realizes that I am their prince.

I pull on my panthenaire’s reins, stopping before a villager who looks sober enough to remember his own name. I reach to pull out the wrinkled poster.

Then I catch the scent of the sea.

Though I’ve pushed every part of my curse down, it hits. Distinct, like an ocean breeze. It strikes me like the first drop of water in days. Suddenly it all comes together.

She’s here.

I yank on the reins and urge the panthenaire toward the scent.

Kill her. Kill magic.

Get my life back.

I slide to a stop in an alleyway lined with sand ahérés. The smell of the sea is overpowering now. She’s here. Hiding. Behind one of these doors.

My throat tightens as I dismount the panthenaire and unsheathe my sword. Its blade catches the moonlight.

I kick down the first door.

“What’re you doing?” a woman cries. Even with the haze slowing my thoughts, I can see it’s not her.

Not the girl.

Not what I need.

I breathe deep and search again, letting the sea-salt scent guide my way. It’s this door. This ahéré. The only thing standing in my way.

I kick down the clay door and run forward, teeth bared in a growl. I raise my sword to fight—

No one is here.

Folded sheets and old clothes line the walls. All stained with blood. But the hut is empty, filled only with shed lionaire fur and the unmistakable scent of the girl.

“Hey!” a man shouts from outside. I don’t turn to look.

She was here. In this city. In this hut.

And now she’s gone.

“You can’t just—” A hand grips my shoulder.

In an instant, my own hands are around the man’s throat.

He lets out a yelp as I point my blade at his heart.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” he cries.

I draw my blade across his chest. A thin line of blood appears. His tears almost look silver in the moonlight.

Maggot, the girl whispers with Kaea’s voice. You’ll never be king. You can’t even catch me.

I tighten my grip on the man’s neck.

“Where is she?”

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

ZÉLIE

AFTER THE SIX DAYS traveling through the hell of the desert, the lush forests of the Gombe River Valley are a welcome sight. The hilly land breathes with life, filled with trees so wide one trunk could fit an entire ahéré. We weave in and out of the towering giants, moonlight spilling through their leaves as we travel toward a winding river. Its quiet roar hits my ears like a song, soft like the crash of ocean waves.

“This is so soothing,” Amari purrs.

“I know. It’s almost like being back home.”

I close my eyes and take in the trickling sound, letting it fill me with the calm that came in the early mornings spent drawing the fishing net with Baba. That far out at sea, it was like we lived in our own world. It was the only time I truly felt safe. Not even the guards could touch us.

My muscles relax as I settle into the memory. I haven’t felt this still in weeks. With the sacred artifacts scattered and Inan’s sword at our backs, every second felt stolen, borrowed at best. We didn’t have what we needed for the ritual, and the chances of us getting the artifacts were far smaller than the chances of getting killed. But now, we have it all: the scroll, the sunstone, and the bone dagger are safe in our grasp. For once, I feel more than