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CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT

ZéLIE

W HEN I BLINK OPEN my eyes, green is all I see—bright ferns with feathery leaves; the long, narrow stems of sweetgrass. Meadows of mint stretch far, filling the air with their cool, crisp scent. An endless field of reeds spreads out before me, tickling my bare feet as I walk.

It can’t be…

No sun lies above. A gentle haze surrounds me like a thin layer of fog. Shock pricks my body like needles. I turn in a slow circle, taking everything in.

Though I inhale, I don’t breathe in air. I don’t feel the brush of wind. I float in walls of white, brought back to a place I never thought I’d see again.

“You’re here.”

I look beyond my shoulder—Inan stands tall. Dressed in a white silk kaftan, a brilliant smile spreads across his face. A soft peace radiates around him, as tangible as light.

He keeps me under his gentle gaze, beyond fear. Beyond pain.

Under his amber eyes, the weight of the world falls away.

“Are we…” The question I’m too afraid to ask hangs on the tip of my tongue. But Inan shakes his head. He runs his fingers through the reeds.

“Mae’e came to me before the battle,” he explains. “She kept seeing visions of the two of us. She told me to bring you to the mountaintop. That up here we could exchange the breath of life.”

Inan closes the space between us, lacing his fingers with mine. It’s then I see our difference—with every exhale Inan releases, his body fades. His skin grows more transparent by the second. Mine only grows more opaque.

“What did you do?” I whisper.

“Kept my promise to you.”

I watch, bewildered, as our lives transfer. My connection with Mount Gaīa pulses through me like another heartbeat. The sacred mountain anchors our exchange.

“We still need you.” Though his spirit fades, Inan’s smile stays. “Baldyr’s launched his assault. I can’t stop him, but you have a chance.”

The bite of tears stings my eyes. I fight the urge to let them fall free. Inan takes my face into his fading fingers. I don’t know if he’s ever held me with such tenderness. Such grace.

He presses our foreheads together, and I inhale his musky scent. I feel every moment we’ve ever shared in his caress. Training with him on the mountains outside Gombe. Teaching him how to use his gift. Running through the forest with him in the maji festival.

The very first time we kissed.

The scars he created with his betrayals. The wounds only his touch could erase. We were supposed to bring about a new dawn.

We were supposed to change the fate of Or?sha.

“You still can.” Inan squeezes me, breaking through my thoughts. “The Or?sha you will fight for is different than the one we left. It’s one where you can reign—” Inan’s voice strains, and I feel the pull on my soul. The last of his breath is waning.

Our time is slipping away.

“Find King Baldyr,” Inan instructs. “Defeat him once and for all. Take charge of the nation and create the Or?sha we dreamed of. One that can stand against any foreign kingdom.”

“What if I’m not strong enough?” I whisper.

“You’re the strongest force I know.” Inan takes hold of the majacite crown. With a lurch, it breaks free of my temple. Purple light leaks from my head like blood, warming me as it hits my skin.

“Death doesn’t destroy you, Zélie,” Inan continues. “It frees you. It answers your call.”

As the purple light runs down my body, I feel the power once lost. The ability to raise the dead. The magic embedded in my blood.

“I love you,” Inan exhales. I look away, unable to take in the words. A sob escapes my throat. The fog around us intensifies, erasing our world.

Despite every time I’ve come against him, every moment I’ve held his life in my hands, something sharp tugs at my chest. I’m not ready to say good-bye.

I’m not ready for our story to end.

Inan tucks a lock of hair behind my ear, and my skin starts to glow. His lifeforce kneads through my being. A sharp heat fills my lungs as they expand, beginning to breathe again.

“Inan, I—”

He kisses me, and for one perfect moment, the rest of the universe stands still. His love breaks straight into my heart. It burns through my tears.

The world around us fades as our lips part for the last time.

Though he disappears, I hear him in my soul.

“I know.”