“She saved your life,” Ngozi hisses. “And all you have ever been is ungrateful. The comfortable life you have in the Colonies? That is because of her. Your precious job as a doctor? That is because of her.” She leans in toward Ify. “The very fact that you are breathing. That is because of her.” Those last words turn into a snarl. After a beat, Ngozi settles against the wall. “And you are upset because she did not ask your permission.” She sucks her teeth. “You are mad.” With her finger, she jabs her temple. “Mad.”

Fury bends Ify’s fingers into fists, but there’s nothing she can say. It is foolishness to resent Onyii for what she did, but Ify can’t bring herself to let it go. Then she realizes that a part of her had wanted to stay. Even if it meant being chased by the government for the rest of the war. Even if it meant never knowing another moment of peace. Even if it meant watching Onyii die before her very eyes, she would have been with her. She could have held her hand in her last moments, and Onyii denied her that. Took that choice away from her.

Ify looks to the ceiling. “What do we do?”

“Um . . .” But Grace doesn’t finish.

Ify turns her way, then sees her looking at Uzo, who is looking straight back at Ify.

“She’s awake,” Grace says at last.

CHAPTER

48

Ify is playing with her hands.

“Are you being nervous?” I am asking her, but it is scratching my throat, so I am forcing myself not to be asking more question.

Then she is stopping playing with her hands, then she is looking at the floor, then she is looking at me. “In ancient Inca society,” she begins saying, “there was a thing called a khipu.”

As she is saying this, I am accessing network and downloading image of khipu and all information about it and I am seeing row of knotted string that is being tied to single braided rope and the knotted string is having different color. And I am knowing that this is ancient devices that is being used to record thing like people name and people hair color and people status in society, whether they are big man or whether they are small small. The knot in the string and the number of string and the number of knot and the color of all of these thing are telling whoever is looking the name and location and detail of people who is living in a village. I am knowing all of this before Ify is finishing her sentence.

“We think there is something like that in your braincase.”

She is saying we and I am knowing that she is meaning her and Grace. Not Ngozi.