Page 87 of Children of Blood and Bone

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 thecliff 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 INVADESmy 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.

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