Over generations, love of the maji turned into fear. Fear turned into hate. Hate transformed into violence, a desire to wipe the maji away.” - Tomi Adeyemi

Reality and logic don’t matter to her. She needs this so badly, failure isn’t even in the realm of possibilities.

Those are Father’s words, Inan. His decisions. Not yours. We are our own people. We make our own choices.”

A pit of guilt opens in my chest, tainted with the smell of burning flesh. The fires I watched from the royal palace resurface, the innocent lives burned before my young eyes. A memory I’ve pushed down like my magic, a day I longed to forget. But staring at Zélie now brings it all back: the pain. The tears. The death.