throat close up. The restless nights I had spent in the Children’s Palace and in Yorua Keep, heaping piles of ice on my chest so the burning, the flame I kept hidden, would disappear. The countless times I had blinded myself to Dayo’s faults, white-knuckling my intellect into submission. Pretending that his decisions were best. Pretending I couldn’t have done it better.
“I don’t know what I am,” I said. “But believing in me could be dangerous, Jeet. And I’m tired of hurting you. I’m tired of hurting everyone.”
“I swore to serve the Raybearers of Aritsar, Tarisai,” he said. “I intend to keep my vows.”
I pressed my lips together. “We should find shelter,” I muttered. “It’s not safe this close to Bhekina House.”
“You have nothing to fear from The Lady,” said Melu. “Not here.”
I huffed in disbelief. “How can you be sure?”
“The Lady is not here. She was captured by Olugbade’s forces shortly after you left her on Nu’ina Eve.”
My veins ran cold. “What?”
“The emperor has never stopped looking for The Lady. Not once in thirty years,” Melu explained. “And you ended up being just the bait that Olugbade needed. Your public appearance on Nu’ina Eve was The Lady’s only chance to make you her weapon again. So she returned to Oluwan for the first time since her banishment, not knowing that the emperor’s spies were waiting.”
“What will he do to her?”
“I do not know. But death will not be enough for Olugbade. He has something to prove—to himself, as well as to the world.”
Sanjeet pointed out, “If The Lady is a Raybearer, then the emperor can’t kill her. Not if she has a council.”
“During her banishment, she succeeded in anointing only ten council members.” Melu shrugged. “This means she lacks an immunity. It will not take Olugbade long to discover which one.”
“We can reach her before he finds out,” I said. “Tell us The Lady’s weakness—we’ll fool the emperor somehow. Make sure he doesn’t use it.”
The ehru was silent. Slowly, I read the coldness in Melu’s face.
“You want her to die,” I whispered. “You’re glad Olugbade caught her.”
“Her death will free us both,” Melu replied. “If Olugbade wins, you will not have to kill Ekundayo. You need not claim your title as Raybearer, nor struggle to find your purpose. It is by far the simplest solution, and much faster than waiting for old age to claim her.”
I reeled, wanting to shake him … but my limbs were numb. Melu’s indifference was justified. The Lady had made him an ehru, and me a slave.
So why did my stomach turn at the thought of her suffering?
A battle festered inside me. The Lady was my mother: She had treasured me. The Lady was my enemy: She had created me to hurt people. But The Lady had been hurt as well. And though I still felt loyal to the emperor, I had begun to doubt his righteousness. Whatever he planned for The Lady, I suspected, would look nothing like justice.
“We’ll save her without your help,” I told Melu.
The ehru smiled. “Olugbade’s strongholds are too strong even for you, daughter. The Lady’s Hallowed council is her only chance of escape. One council member is here, at Bhekina House. She plots to free The Lady even as we speak.”
“Good,” I shot back. “Then we’ll help her. Come on, Jeet. We’ll spend the night at Bhekina House and leave at first light.”
Melu frowned. “That house was not a happy chapter of your story. Are you sure you want to return?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Melu considered, and then made a smooth gesture. Several yards away, a canopy appeared in the clearing. Creamy draped linen billowed in the night breeze, tinted gold by lamps in the grass.
“I will not bother you any longer,” he intoned. “But sleep here, and visit Bhekina House in the morning. The magic of that place is not gentle on one’s mind. Remember this, Tarisai: No matter what happens, I will always be glad that I named you.” Then he vanished in a cloud of dust.
“Let’s go,” I told Sanjeet, nudging him toward Bhekina House, but he looked uncertain.
“You could use the rest,” he countered. “And the house is still far off. We can’t see it from here.”
“It’s right there.” I pointed. “We can ask The Lady’s friends about Aiyetoro’s masks. There might even be clues in the manor; we can search …” I trailed off as Sanjeet squinted at Bhekina House, his expression blank. “Oh. Right.” My stomach sank. “The Lady wished for ‘a