I nodded slowly. “And I’d go anywhere to keep Dayo safe.” Overhead, the tutsu from last night had dimmed, and they drifted in aimless patterns against the clouds. “But so much of my life has been a lie. I … I don’t think I want my death to be one too.”
Sanjeet’s features flooded with relief. “Then choose life,” he said. He locked his fingers through mine, as though I were in danger of vanishing. “Your greatest good, your best desire—whatever it takes, we’ll find it. All we need is time.”
After a long moment, I let my hand curl around his. “If we’re not going to fake my death, then I have to answer the emperor’s summons. I can’t afford for him to get suspicious and come looking for me.”
Kirah beamed. “So we’ll go to An-Ileyoba. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find your purpose there. There’s also a good chance Aiyetoro’s masks will be at the palace. Woo In told me that The Lady has searched for them everywhere except there.”
“Dayo will be at An-Ileyoba,” I pointed out.
“We’ll be careful—”
“I won’t see him,” I said firmly. “Don’t you dare let me. At the palace, I’m staying far away from him until I’ve found my cure. And thanks to Melu …” The ehru’s words curled around me like smoke. If you are ever to find your purpose, then you must know who you really are. Grimly, I set off toward Bhekina House. “I know just where to start looking.”
“You shouldn’t go in there alone,” Sanjeet countered as he and Kirah hurried after me.
“She won’t,” said Kathleen. She and Woo In were waiting by the gates of Bhekina House, leaning against a wall that Sanjeet and Kirah could not see.
Sanjeet shuddered, then scoffed. “You expect us to trust you?”
“We expect you,” Woo In droned, “to consider that we’ve protected her for six years.”
“You should have protected her from The Lady,” Kirah retorted, crossing her arms. Then she winced and uncrossed them, having clearly forgotten about her sprain.
“Can’t you fix that?” Woo In asked, eyeing her wrist with concern.
She scowled at him. “Soul-singers can’t heal themselves. That’s like—like trying to exhale and inhale at the same time. My Hallow doesn’t work that way.”
“Then I’ll help with the pain,” Woo In insisted, and before Kirah could protest, a whirlwind materialized in the savannah. The whipping air condensed into a shimmering ball, which Woo In directed toward her. “Your hand,” he said. “Please, Kirah.”
Slowly, she placed her bandaged hand into the levitating ball of wind. The ball attached itself to her arm, making it float, and her features relaxed instantly. “It isn’t throbbing anymore,” she muttered.
Woo In made an effort not to look pleased. “It’s the same airstream we used to fly. It doesn’t heal, but wounds tend to stabilize.”
I considered him suspiciously. “You never fully explained your Hallow to me,” I said. “It’s more than flight, isn’t it?”
“Much more,” Kathleen said, smirking at Woo In. “In a way, it’s really not even a Hallow, is it, princey?”
He sighed, rolling his eyes. “What you Arits call my Hallow,” he explained, “Songlanders call sowanhada: the language of nature. Unlike your Hallows, sowanhada can be taught, though some forces respond only to certain bloodlines. The silent language of wind and air, for example, may only be spoken by the royal family. Our military exclusively recruits fire-speakers. That’s why The Lady wants Songland’s army,” he added. “Sowanhada warriors can do a formidable amount of damage, even against Olugbade’s vast Imperial Guard.” He nodded at Kirah’s hand. “That ball of air should last a few hours. Enough time to search the house for clues about a certain person’s bellysong.”
My eyebrows shot to my hairline. “How did you know about—” Then I remembered a breeze whisking around Melu’s pool as I had spoken to Kirah and Sanjeet. “You were eavesdropping. Again.”
“Old habits, Lady’s Daughter.” Woo In bowed. “Shall we?”
Sanjeet bristled, but I only sighed. I didn’t feel like going anywhere with Woo In, but I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. He was too loyal to The Lady for that. Still, I crossed my arms at him. “Why would you want to help break my curse? Don’t you want Dayo dead?”
“I never wanted anyone dead,” Woo In said. “I just wanted The Lady crowned so she could save the Redemptors. But I have long felt …” He rubbed the bruise on his cheek and shot a furtive glance at Kirah. “More suffering is not the