![]() Koffi and Ekon–each keeping their true motives secret from the other–form a tentative alliance and enter into the unknowns of the Greater Jungle, a world steeped in wild magic and untold dangers. Meanwhile, Koffi believes finding the Shetani and selling it for a profit could be the key to solving her own problems. Koffi’s power ultimately saves Ekon’s life, but his choice to let her flee dooms his hopes of becoming a warrior.ĭesperate to redeem himself, Ekon vows to hunt the Shetani down and end its reign of terror, but he can’t do it alone. In its midst, Ekon not only encounters the Shetani–a vicious monster that has plagued the city and his nightmares for nearly a century–but a curious girl who seems to have the power to ward off the beast. But on the night of his final rite of passage, a fire upends his plans. ![]() But the night her loved ones’ own safety is threatened by the Zoo’s cruel master, Koffi unleashes a power she doesn’t fully understand–and the consequences are dire.Īs the second son of a decorated hero, Ekon is all but destined to become a Son of the Six–an elite warrior–and uphold a family legacy. Indentured to the notorious Night Zoo, she cares for its fearsome and magical creatures to pay off her family’s debts and secure their eventual freedom. Magic doesn’t exist in the broken city of Lkossa anymore, especially for girls like sixteen-year-old Koffi. Once again, she'd reacted instead of thinking things through.Published September 28th 2021 by G.P. That opportunity had been generous, but she'd said no without real consideration. She focused on the woman's words, on her job offer, and felt the bite of regret. Their encounter felt increasingly dreamlike, though Koffi knew absolutely that it had happened. It was strange only a few minutes had passed, but she was already finding it difficult to recall the details of the woman's face. She thought back to the old woman sitting quietly with her blanket of trinkets, almost wistful. It was no longer a beautiful rhythm and flow the longer Koffi stayed in it, the more overwhelmed she felt. Someone barreling through the throngs bumped her hard to the right, which caused someone else to yell at her to watch where she was going. The roads, still packed with vendors, felt even more crowded than before, so compressed with people that it was impossible to walk without being jostled. If the city of Lkossa had been stirring when Koffi first ventured through its streets, it had fully risen in the time she'd taken to sit with the old woman. The sight of them had prompted an unpleasant reminder. She gnawed on her bottom lip until she tasted blood, until she could no longer see the three warriors. Two warriors had come after her and Mama, chased them down like animals. Newfound anger boiled her blood as she watched their retreating backs and remembered yet another piece of the night before. Not a single one of them even looked her way as they passed, but she still ducked behind a fruit cart until they were farther down the street. They looked smug, superior, like the kind of men who were used to holding power. Those were Sons of the Six in broad daylight, perhaps some of the very same ones who'd come into the zoo. A few of the vendors stepped out of their way as they walked, but most paid them little attention. They wore telltale blue kaftans and gold belts, and each had a hanjari dagger looped on his belt. A trio of young men had just entered from the opposite end of the street, weaving through it in single file. She searched the road, tensing, until she found where it was coming from. That new sound, the marching, was distinct from the rest of the city's morning din. She'd never seen any of that goodwill returned she never would now. That was all Mama had ever done, put others before herself. ![]() Even last night, before they'd run, Mama had been prepared to take a punishment that she hadn't deserved, to give up her own freedom so that Koffi didn't have to give up hers. Koffi suddenly remembered all the little moments too, the times Mama had shared her food when meals were sparse, or shared her blanket on colder nights. That sacrifice had ultimately made all the difference, but it hadn't been the only one. Mama had understood that there was a chance they wouldn't both make it out of the Night Zoo, so she'd followed a maternal instinct and told Koffi to climb the wall first. New truths took shape the longer she stared at them. Those two tattered rags were literal pieces of her mother, the only things she had left now. Koffi stared at her hands, still loosely wrapped in the bloodied strips of cloth Mama had torn from her own tunic to help her climb the vines.
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