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 majacite gas is excruciating. Zélie watches as Nehanda takes off her helmet to reveal a white streak marking her as a tîtán too. She summons her magic and her green ashê is so bright that Zélie can see her ribs in silhouette. Nehanda begins to draw ashê from her soldiers, killing them. Nehanda punches the ground, causing an earthquake that makes the dome start to crack. Zélie freezes, but Roën slaps a mask over her mouth and rolls with her under a fallen slab. Tzain and Amari gallop toward Zélie and Roën on Nailah, pull them up, and they gallop away.
Again, Nehanda’s extreme power here shows that the monarchy may be working with the same resource of magic, but they have tools beyond what the maji do to amplify it and make it infinitely more deadly. Roën’s choice to come back and save Zélie continues to develop their relationship and trust in each other, something that will be important as they work together in the future.