Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Children of Virtue and Vengeance, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power and Systems of Oppression
Cycles of Violence
Tradition and History
Love vs. Duty
Summary
Analysis
The black liquid from the orbs froths and then becomes a gas. It does nothing to kosidán and makes tîtáns cough, but the maji scream in pain as their skin burns. It’s majacite gas. Zélie shouts at Tzain and Amari to run; they need to get out before the gas hits them. Nehanda orders her guards to let no one escape as a group of personal guards surrounds her. Zélie realizes they’re Grounder tîtáns as they raise sand pillars and trap maji in the earth. One tîtán cries for help as he loses control of his magic and dies. Zélie watches in horror, as she’s felt the same strain that guard did: the strain of blood magic. Tzain dives after Amari as a noble tries to snatch her. Zélie struggles to find her way out and screams when the majacite hits her.
The new threat of majacite gas represents an even more powerful weapon for the monarchy, showing again that the monarchy may be on more equal footing in terms of magic—but they have more resources to come up with other ways to best their opponents. That the tîtán dies using his magic suggests that being a tîtán at all isn’t a great state to be in; those tîtáns are only powerful because of their proximity to Nehanda, not because of their magic.
Themes
