CRISP AIR FILLS my lungs. I’ve returned. The dreamscape lives. Just seconds ago I sat beneath Orí’s image—now I stand in the field of dancing reeds.
“It worked,” I breathe in disbelief as I run my fingers along the sagging green stems. The horizon still blurs into white, surrounding me like clouds in the sky. But something’s different. Last time, the field stretched as far as I could see. Now wilted reeds form a tight circle around me.
I finger another stem, surprised at the coarse grooves that radiate from its center. My mind runs through escape routes and attack plans, yet my body feels strangely at home. It’s more than the relief of not suppressing my magic, the sensation of breathing once again. The air of the dreamscape holds an unnatural peace, as if more than anywhere else in Orïsha, it’s here that I belon—
Focus, Inan. I reach for my sênet pawn, but I can’t hold on to it here. I shake my head instead, as if I could shake out the traitorous thoughts. This isn’t a home. A peace. It’s only the heart of my curse. If I accomplish what I need to do, this place won’t even exist.
Kill her. Kill magic. My duty writhes in my mind until it takes hold of my core. I don’t have a choice.
I must follow my plan.
I imagine the face of the girl. In a sudden breeze, the reeds part. She materializes like a condensing cloud, her body forming as blue smoke travels from her feet to her arms.
I hold my breath, counting down the seconds. When the blue haze lifts, my muscles tense; her obsidian form blows to life.
She stands with her back to me, hair different than it was before. White locks that once fell in smooth sheets now cascade down her back in flowing waves.
She turns. Softly. Almost ethereal in her grace. But when her silver eyes meet mine, the rebel I know emerges.
“I see you dyed your hair.” She points at the color hiding my white streak and smirks. “You might want to add another coat. Some of your maggot’s still peeking through.”
Dammit. It’s only been three hours since I last dyed it. Out of instinct, I touch the streak. The girl’s smile widens.
“I’m actually glad you called me here, little prince. There’s something I’m dying to know. You were raised by the same bastard, but Amari can’t kill a fly. So tell me, how’d you become such a monster?”
The peace of the dreamscape evaporates in an instant. “You fool,” I hiss through my teeth. “How dare you slander your king!”
“Did you enjoy your visit to the temple, little prince? How’d you feel when you saw everything he destroyed? Were you proud? Inspired? Excited to do the same?”
Lekan’s memories of the sêntaros flash through my mind. The mischief in the running child’s eyes. The ruins and rubble of the temple made it clear those lives were taken.
The smallest part of me prayed it wasn’t by Father’s hands.
Guilt hits me like the sword that went through Lekan’s chest. But I can’t forget what’s at stake. Duty before self.
Those people died so Orïsha could live.
“Could it be?” Zélie steps forward, taunting. “Is that remorse I see? Is the little prince hiding a little shriveled-up heart?”
“You’re so ignorant.” I shake my head. “Too blinded to understand. My father was once on your side. He supported the maji!”
The girl snorts. I resent the way it crawls under my skin.
“Your people took his family!” I shout. “Your people caused the Raid!”
She steps back like I’ve punched her in the gut.
“It’s my fault your father’s men broke into my home and took my mother away?”
A memory of a dark-skinned woman fills her head with such clarity it leaks into mine. Like the girl, the woman has full lips, high cheekbones, a slight upturn in her eyes. The only difference is her gaze. Not silver. Dark as the night.
The memory steels something inside of her.
Something black.
Twisted with hate.
“I can’t wait,” the girl breathes, barely above a whisper. “I can’t wait till he finds out what you are. Let’s see how bold you feel when your father turns on his own son.”
A violent chill runs down my spine. She’s wrong.
Father was willing to forgive Amari for treason. When I take magic away, he will forgive me for this.
“That’ll never happen.” I try to sound strong. “I’m his son. Magic won’t change that.”
“You’re right,” she says with a smirk. “I’m sure he’ll let you live.”
She turns and retreats into the reeds. My conviction withers with her taunts. Father’s blank stare invades my mind. With it, the air around me thins.
Duty before self. I hear his voice. Flat. Unwavering. Orïsha must always come first.
Even if it means killing me—
The girl gasps. I tense, whipping around to scan the blowing reeds.
“What is it?” I ask. Have I summoned Father’s spirit here?
But nothing appears. No human, at least. As the girl steps into the white horizon binding the dreamscape, reeds bloom under her feet.
They grow nearly up to my head, a rich green that reaches for the sun. She takes another tentative step toward the horizon, and the surge of reeds expands.
“What in the skies?” Like a wave crashing over sand, the reeds spread throughout the horizon, pushing back the white boundary of the dreamscape. A warmth buzzes in my core. My magic …
Somehow she’s wielding it.
“Don’t move!” I order.
But the girl takes off, running into the white space. The dreamscape yields to her whims, wild and alive under her reign. As she sprints, the reeds growing under her feet change to soft dirt, white ferns, towering trees. They grow high into the sky, obscuring the sun with their jagged leaves.
“Stop!” I yell, sprinting through the new world that grows in her wake. The rush of magic makes me faint, sliding down my chest and thrumming in my head.
Despite my yells, she keeps running, a fire in her step as the soft dirt under her feet transforms to a hard rock. She doesn’t skid to a stop until she’s face-to-face with a staggering cliff.
“My gods,” she breathes at the sight of the grand waterfall created through her touch. It foams in an endless wall of white, pouring into a lake so blue it shimmers like Mother’s sapphires.
I stare at her in bewilderment, head still pulsing with the thrum of flowing magic. Over the edge of the cliff, emerald-green foliage fills the crevices along the jagged stone. Beyond the lake’s outer rim, a small bank of trees blurs into white.
“How in skies’ name did you do that?” I ask. There’s a beauty to this new world I cannot deny. It makes my entire body buzz as if I’ve consumed a whole bottle of rum.
But the girl pays me no mind. Instead, she shimmies out of her draped pants. With a shout, she leaps from the cliff and hits the water with a splash.
I lean over the ledge as she resurfaces, soaking wet. For the first time since I’ve known her, she smiles. True joy lights her eyes. The image brings me back, faster than I can stop it. The memory of Amari’s laughter feeds into my ears. Mother’s cries follow.…
“Amari!” Mother shrieks, grabbing on to the wall when she almost slips.
Amari giggles as she dashes away, soaking the tiled floor with the remnants of her bathwater. Though an army of nurses and nannies chase her down, they’re no match for the determined toddler. Now that Amari’s made a decision to escape, they’ve lost.
She won’t stop till she gets what she wants.
I jump over a fallen nanny and take off, laughing so hard I can barely breathe. One moment my shirt slips off my head. The next, my pants fly through the air. House servants laugh as we run by, stifling their giggles at Mother’s glare.
By the time we reach the royal pool we’re two naked menaces, jumping in just in time to drench Mother’s finest gown.…
I can’t remember the last time Amari giggled so hard water came out her nose. After I hurt her, she was never the same with me. Laughter was reserved for the likes of Binta.
Watching the girl swim brings it all back, but the longer I gaze, the less I think of my sister. The girl slides out of her top and my breath falters. The water shimmers around her dark skin.
Look away. I turn my head, attempting to study the grooves in the cliff instead. Women are distractions, Father would say. Your focus is on the throne.
Just being near the girl feels like a sin, threatening the unbreakable law designed to keep maji and kosidán apart. But despite the rule, my eyes pull me back. She makes it impossible not to stare.
A trick, I decide. Another way to get inside your head. But when she resurfaces, I’m at a loss for words.
If it’s a trick, it’s working.
“Really?” I force out. I try to ignore the curves of her body under the rippling water.
She looks up and narrows her eyes, as if remembering I exist. “Forgive me, little prince. This is the most water I’ve seen since you burned down my home.”
The crying villagers of Ilorin creep back into my mind. I squash the guilt like a bug. Lies. It’s her fault.
She helped Amari steal the scroll.
“You’re mad.” I cross my arms. Look away. I keep staring.
“If your water cost a gold piece per cup, you’d be doing the same exact thing.”
A gold piece a cup? I ruminate as she dives below the surface. Even for the monarchy, coin like that is a stretch. No one could sustain those prices. Not even in—
Ibeji.
My eyes widen. I’ve heard of the crooked guards who run that desert settlement. They’re crooked enough to overcharge, especially when water is scarce. It takes everything to keep a smile off my face. I’ve got her. And she doesn’t even know it.
I close my eyes to leave the dreamscape, but the memory of Amari’s smile makes me pause.
“My sister,” I call above the roaring water. “Is she alright?”
The girl stares at me for a long moment. I don’t expect an answer, but something indecipherable burns in her eyes.
“She’s scared,” she finally responds. “And she shouldn’t be the only one. You’re a maggot now, little prince.” Her eyes darken. “You should be scared, too.”
* * *
THICK AIR INVADES my lungs.
Dense and heavy and hot.
I open my eyes to find Orí’s painted image above my head. I’m back.
“Finally.” Despite myself, I smile. This will all be over soon. When I catch her and that scroll, the threat of magic will die for good.
Sweat drips down my back as my mind runs through the next steps. How close is the bridge to completion? How fast can we ride to Ibeji?
I spring to my feet and grab my torch. I must find Kaea. It’s only when I whip around that I realize she’s already here.
Sword outstretched. Pointed right at my heart.
“Kaea?”
Her hazel eyes are wide. The slightest tremble in her hand rocks her blade. She shifts, steadying its aim on my chest. “What was that?”
“What was what?”
“Don’t.” She speaks through her teeth. “You were muttering. Y-your head … it was surrounded by light!”
The girl’s words echo through my ears.
You’re a maggot now, little prince. You should be scared, too.
“Kaea, put the sword down.”
She hesitates. Her eyes go to my hair. The streak …
It must be showing again.
“It’s not what you think.”
“I know what I saw!” Sweat drips from her forehead, pooling on her upper lip. She steps closer with her blade. I’m forced to back into the wall.
“Kaea, it’s me. Inan. I would never hurt you.”
“How long?” she breathes. “How long have you been a maji?” She hisses the word like it’s a curse. Like I’m the spitting image of Lekan. Not the boy she’s known since birth. The soldier she’s trained for years.
“The girl infected me. It’s not permanent.”
“You’re lying.” Her lips peel back in disgust. “Are you … are you working with her?”
“No! I was looking for clues!” I step forward. “I know where she is—”
“Stay back!” Kaea screams. I freeze, hands in the air. There’s no recognition in her eyes.
Only unbridled fear.
“I’m on your side,” I whisper. “I have been this entire time. In Ilorin, I felt her going south. In Sokoto, I sensed she’d been to that merchant.” I swallow hard, pulse rising when Kaea takes another step forward. “I’m not your enemy, Kaea. I’m the only way to track her down!”
Kaea stares at me. The tremble of her blade grows.
“It’s me,” I plead. “Inan. The crown prince of Orïsha. Heir to Saran’s throne.”
At the mention of Father, Kaea falters. Her sword finally drops to the ground. Thank the skies. My legs wobble as I collapse against the wall.
Kaea holds her head in her hands for a few minutes before looking at me. “This is why you’ve been acting so strange all week?”
I nod, heart still slamming against my chest. “I wanted to tell you, but I had a feeling you would react like this.”
“I’m sorry.” She leans against the wall. “But after what that maggot did to me, I had to make sure. If you were one of them…” Her eyes return to the streak in my hair. “I had to ensure you were on our side.”
“Always.” I grip Father’s pawn. “I’ve never wavered. I want magic to die. I need to keep Orïsha safe.”
Kaea studies me, keeping the slightest guard up. “Where is the maggot now?”
“Ibeji,” I rush out. “I’m sure of it.”
“Very well.” Kaea straightens up and sheathes her sword. “I came because the bridge is finished. If they’re in Ibeji, I’ll take a team and leave tonight.”
“You’ll take a team?”
“You must return to the palace at once,” Kaea says. “When the king finds out about this—”
I can’t wait, the girl’s voice returns. I can’t wait till he finds out what you are. Let’s see how bold you feel when your father turns on his own son.
“No!” I say. “You need me. You can’t track them without my abilities.”
“Your abilities? You’re a liability, Inan. At any moment you could turn against us or endanger yourself. And what if someone finds out? Think of how it will look for the king!”
“You can’t.” I reach for her. “He won’t understand!”
Kaea eyes the hallway, face ashen. She starts to back away.
“Inan, my duty—”
“Your duty is to me. I command you to stop!”
Kaea takes off in a sprint, tearing through the dimly lit halls. I race after her and lunge forward, tackling her to the floor.
“Kaea, please, just—ugh!”
She drives her elbow into my sternum. Air catches in my throat. She breaks free of my hold, scrambling to her feet to scale the stairs.
“Help!” Her screams are frantic now, echoing through the temple halls.
“Kaea, stop!” No one can know about this. No one can know what I am.
“He’s one of them!” she shrieks. “He has been all along—”
“Kaea!”
“Stop him! Inan is a maj—”
Kaea freezes as if she’s run into an invisible wall.
Her voice shrinks into silence. Her every muscle shakes.
Turquoise energy swirls from my palm to Kaea’s skull, paralyzing her just like Lekan’s magic did. Kaea’s mind struggles to break free of my mental hold, fighting against a force I didn’t even know I could control.
No …
I stare at my quaking hands. I can’t tell whose fear surges through my veins.
I’m really one of them.
I’m the very monster I hunt.
Kaea’s breath turns ragged as she writhes. My magic continues to swell out of control. A strangled scream escapes Kaea’s mouth.
“Let go!”
“I don’t know how!” I shout back, fear wrapping around my throat. The temple amplifies my abilities. The more I try to push my magic down, the harder it fights to get out.
Kaea’s cries of agony grow. Her eyes turn red. Blood trickles from her ears, trailing down her neck.
My thoughts run a million meters a second. All the pawns in my mind crumble to dust. There’s no way to fix this.
If she feared me before, she abhors me now.
“Please!” I beg. I have to keep her contained. She has to listen to me. I am her future king—
“Ugh!”
A shuddered gasp escapes Kaea’s lips. Her eyes roll back.
The turquoise light binding her evaporates into nothingness.
Her body hits the ground.
“Kaea!” I run to her side and press my hand to her neck, but her pulse beats weakly under my fingers. After a moment, it’s nearly gone.
“No!” I shout, as if my cries could bind her to life. Blood leaks from her eyes, down her nose. It trails from her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” I choke through my tears. I try to wipe the blood from her face, but I only smear it over her skin. My own chest tightens, filling with the echo of her blood.
“I’m sorry.” My vision blurs. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Maggot,” Kaea exhales.
Then there’s nothing. Her body stiffens.
The light fades from her hazel eyes.
I don’t know how long I sit holding Kaea’s corpse. Blood drips onto the turquoise crystals lining her black hair. A mark of my curse. As they glint, the smell of iron and wine fills my nose. Fragments of Kaea’s consciousness take hold.
I see the first day she met Father, the way she held him when the maji murdered his family. A kiss they shared in the secrecy of the throne room while Ebele bled out at their feet.
The man who kisses Kaea is a stranger. A king I’ve never met. For him, Kaea is more than his sun. She’s all that’s left of his heart.
And I took her away.
With a start, I drop Kaea’s body, backing away from the bloodied mess. I push my magic so far down the ache in my chest is debilitating, sharp like the sword I might as well have put in Kaea’s back.
Father can never know.
This monstrosity never occurred.
Maybe Father could’ve overlooked me being a maji, but he will never forgive this.
After all this time, magic’s stolen his love once again.
I take one step back. Then another. I step again and again, until I’m fleeing the horrible mistake. There’s only one way out of this mess.
And she’s waiting in Ibeji.