Raybearer

Several years pass, and Tarisai continues to learn about the history of the Arit empire. She learns that the current emperor is Olugbade, the descendent of the first and most perfect emperor, Kunleo, who defeated the abiku, the demons of the Underworld, and ushered in an era of peace by uniting the various regions of Arit under one empire. One day, Tarisai observes a trade caravan passing by her window and overhears them singing a folk song about the 11 realms of Arit, each of which attends to the emperor. Tarisai is intrigued, but her tutors will not explain the song’s meaning.

On Tarisai’s 11th birthday, her mother, The Lady, returns to Bhekina House with two guests, whom she introduces as Tarisai’s new guardians. The first, Kathleen, is from the land of Mewe and is isoken, a word for someone who has a bicultural heritage. The second, Woo In, is from Songland. His body is covered in tattoos, marking him as a Redemptor. Tarisai recalls that Redemptors are children who must enter the Underworld as a sacrifice to the abiku. Their tattoos are a map that will allow them to make their way back to the surface, but few ever return. (The sacrifice of the Redemptors is part of the treaty agreement that Kunleo struck with the abiku to appease them and keep them at bay.) Redemptors used to be born throughout the lands of Arit, but now, they are only born in Songland, which is not officially a part of the empire. The Lady declares that Kathleen and Woo In will accompany Tarisai to Oluwan City, the capital of the empire. She shows Tarisai a portrait of a young boy and uses her final wish to command her daughter to kill the boy after he “anoints” Tarisai and after Tarisai grows to love him.

The journey to Oluwan City is difficult because they are using a magical means of transport called Lodestones. These way-stones allow users to move across the empire quickly via teleportation, and travelers sometimes become ill. Because Tarisai feels so sick, the group has switched to overland transportation for the final part of the journey. When they enter the city, Tarisai tries desperately to look out the window of their carriage, but Kathleen tells Woo In to make sure that Tarisai does not see the “Watching Wall.” Tarisai sneaks a peek at what she assumes is the Watching Wall and sees a portrait of the first emperor, Kunleo, with 11 people surrounding him.

Kathleen and Woo In take Tarisai to Ileyoba, the emperor’s neighborhood, and check her in with a guard. They then leave her to wait in a long line of other children who are from many different regions across the empire. Tarisai becomes friendly with a girl named Kirah, who comes from the Blessid Valley and wears a prayer shawl over her head. Kirah has a lovely voice that almost sings Tarisai to sleep. She explains that singing is her gift, or Hallow; all the children waiting here must have a gift to be considered “candidates.” Tarisai is still not sure what is happening or who she is waiting to see. Eventually, she ascends a staircase and enters a large room, in which 12 people are waiting.

Tarisai recognizes one of them as the emperor, Olugbade Kunleo, but she does not know who the other 11 are. However, they immediately recognize her as the daughter of The Lady. She doesn’t understand how they know The Lady or why they look so surprised to see her. She simply tells them that her mother promised to come for her “when the time is right” (31). Some of the courtiers are fearful of Tarisai. Olugbade gives her a dagger and tells her to try to kill him. Tarisai is shocked but obeys. The dagger cannot pierce the emperor, and he shows her that a mask shaped like the face of a lion is hanging around his neck. There are 12 stripes in the mane, and as Tarisai tries to stab him, one of the stripes glows. He tells Tarisai that this mask represents the power of the Ray. Because of this protection, only a member of the emperor’s Council of Eleven is capable of killing him.

Tarisai continues to express her confusion about who the “eleven” are and why she is here at all. The emperor thinks she is dissembling, but two of his council members—Thaddace and Mbali—believe that she really is ignorant of what is happening. Another council member, Nawusi, states that even if Tarisai is unaware of who her mother is and of the nature of the Council of Eleven, she must not be allowed to meet the emperor’s heir, Ekundayo (or Dayo for short). Mbali asks Tarisai if she was sent to kill Dayo, and she protests, saying that she didn’t even know who he was until today. The Council members appear to believe her but remain reluctant to let her meet Dayo if she doesn’t have a Hallow. Tarisai explains that her gift allows her to see the stories and memories of anything she touches. When she touches Mbali, she initially sees a memory of an intimate moment between Mbali and Thaddace, which flusters her. When she tries again, she sees Mbali beating a drum and singing a song in front of the emperor. The song is about a farmer’s son and a mango tree. The farmer’s son eventually cuts down the mango tree when it no longer needs him to care for it anymore. When Tarisai relays the song to the group, the emperor becomes angry.

The Council, especially Nawusi, is still reluctant to let Tarisai pass through to meet Dayo. Nawusi decides to test whether Tarisai has the same power as her mother and offers her a piece of poisoned fruit. Tarisai is overwhelmed and begins to cry. Finally, they determine that she means no harm to the prince and decide to let her attempt the trials. Mbali explains to Tarisai that Prince Ekundayo will select his own Council of Eleven from the children who have gathered; they will have to pass many tests to prove their worth. The most important test is that a child must truly love the prince to be chosen for his council.

Mbali takes Tarisai to the Children’s Palace. The children there are looking for Prince Ekundayo, who is hiding. Tarisai uses her intuition and observational skills to determine his location, leading Mbali to him. When Dayo steps out from his hiding place, Tarisai recognizes him as the boy in the portrait that her mother showed her, and she feels an intense urge to harm him.

Tarisai subdues her urge to kill Dayo by reminding herself that Dayo must anoint her before she can kill him. Dayo asks Tarisai if she loves him and is surprised when she answers in the negative, as the other children who are vying for a spot on his council all claim to love him. Tarisai attempts to scare Dayo by telling him that she is half-demon, but he finds her intriguing. She demonstrates her Hallow on him and views his memories of the other children fawning over him. He tells Tarisai that he wants to try a test on her so that she doesn’t have to return home. Suddenly, Tarisai’s head is filled with intense pain and light, and she is knocked to the ground. Dayo has attempted to connect with her mind via the power of the Ray. Mbali enters and chastises Dayo for testing a candidate’s connection with the Ray; she reminds the boy that the test can only be administered once. She starts to take Tarisai away, but Tarisai declares that she is only loyal to the prince. Pleased, Mbali lets Tarisai know that she has passed this particular test and will be allowed to stay with Dayo and the other children. Dayo is so happy that after Mbali leaves, he tries to anoint Tarisai. Because she knows that this is the necessary condition to fulfill her mother’s wish, Tarisai refuses. The effort she exerts to resist her mother’s demands causes her to faint.

Tarisai awakens in a large, empty chamber to find Kirah tending to her. Kirah has used the healing powers of her Hallow to revive Tarisai. The other children are currently completing another test. Kirah is envious that Tarisai already experienced Dayo’s Ray; she explains that once they are anointed as council members, the Ray will be the sustaining force that connects them all. Kirah tells Tarisai about a nearby candidate named Sanjeet, who is fiercely protective of Dayo. The other children call him the “Prince’s Bear.” In a play on the idea of “bear-baiting,” they have chained Sanjeet to a pillar in the room. Tarisai notes that this joke is not very humorous.

After Kirah leaves, Tarisai realizes she needs to relieve herself. Sanjeet points out the chamber pots, and Tarisai asks him where to find food. Tarisai uses her power to trace the location of the key to Sanjeet’s bonds, using the floor to trace its “story.” Sanjeet reveals that his power is to perceive others’ weaknesses. This talent led him to become a particularly strong cage fighter in his homeland of Dhyrma. Tarisai asks Sanjeet why he has refused to let Dayo anoint him, and he explains that if he were anointed, he would be required to stay in the capital forever and could not return to his mother, Amah, who lives alone with his abusive father.

Several years pass at the Children’s Palace, and Tarisai becomes a teenager. She and the other candidates spend most of their time practicing combat drills, solving puzzles, and learning Arit empire history. There are now only three spots remaining on Dayo’s Council, and it is understood that two of them should go to Tarisai and Sanjeet, who still refuse to be anointed. Kirah is now a member of the Council, and she and the other members have the privilege of sleeping close to Dayo and being served first at dinner, among other benefits. Sanjeet and Tarisai have become very close. Every evening Tarisai uses her power to view and take away Sanjeet’s memories of home, especially his most painful memories of his father forcing him to fight for money. She also transmits memories of her childhood, though she is careful to omit the details of her parentage and upbringing. One day, at the start of history lessons, Sanjeet is called away to receive a message from home. Tarisai listens to the origin myth of the Arit empire and the Kunleo dynasty, which she has heard countless times. She asks the priest what will happen when and if there is an empress, rather than an emperor, but he explains that this is not possible. He adds that the role of women on the council is to maintain the balance of power and to potentially bear the emperor’s children.

Tarisai’s questions are interrupted by an intense, burning pain in her chest. This has happened many times throughout her childhood but has increased in frequency after her move to the Children’s Palace. Kirah promises to sing in order to soothe her, as they have done nearly every night. Now, they both attend Dayo’s daily Prince’s Court, which mimics the regular court meetings of the emperor. During the Court session, a candidate from the realm of Nyong’o lodges a complaint about the Dhyrmish candidates, whom he claims are causing those from Nyong’o to do poorly on their puzzles whenever the two groups are paired together. Dayo attempts to placate everyone by continuing to group candidates from different realms together, but he will also require the Dhyrmish candidates to receive extra tutoring. Tarisai balks at Dayo’s decree, which she thinks will only cause tension between the groups to worsen.

She and Kirah later reflect on the issue of empresses and female representation on the council. Although there was historically an empress Raybearer named Aiyetoro, she has been written out of much of the official history, and the priests claim that her power was a fluke. That evening, after the council members have gone to bed, Tarisai talks with Dayo. He acknowledges that Tarisai would have been able to issue a better ruling in the Prince’s Court today. As Tarisai prepares for bed, Sanjeet finally returns and announces that his mother has died and that his father has been arrested.

Tarisai comforts Sanjeet, who admits that he spent most of the day contemplating how to leave the Children’s Palace and kill his father. He also reveals that he has always felt guilty for “abandoning” his mother and younger brother; Sanjeet regrets his failure to prevent his father from selling his brother to a group of mercenaries. Tarisai and Sanjeet are interrupted by a test-maker, who announces that a surprise trial is about to begin. They separate Tarisai from the other candidates, stating that Dayo wishes to see her. Tarisai recognizes the accent of one of the attendants and realizes that it is her mother’s companion, Kathleen, who is using her Hallow to disguise herself. She and Woo In reveal themselves and scold Tarisai for taking too long to fulfill her mission to become anointed and kill Dayo. They have decided to take matters into their own hands and set a fire in the Children’s Palace. Woo In has discovered that death by burning is one of the only remaining ways by which Dayo can die.

Tarisai runs off to search for the prince but is removed from the palace by another test-maker. They realize too late that Dayo is still inside the burning building, and without thinking, Tarisai runs in to rescue him. Dayo reaches out with the Ray to tell her his location. Remembering her childhood experiences of reaching into the fire and remaining unburned, Tarisai concludes that she cannot be harmed by fire. She runs through flames to rescue Dayo and safely brings him out of the palace, though he does suffer a burn on his face and neck. In the aftermath, Dayo pleads with Tarisai to let him anoint her, and she finally agrees, knowing that she wants to keep Dayo safe forever. However, before becoming a member of his council, she removes her own memories, in hopes that she will be able to forget the wish that her mother has ordered her to fulfill.