Zélie Adebola
Zélie is a seventeen-year-old divîner from Ilorin, a fishing village. Zélie has dark brown skin, stark white hair, and distinctive silver eyes; she is hot-tempered, resourceful, and seeks justice for her people. A Reaper, she has the power to reanimate spirits of the dead. She is also a novice warrior trained by Mama Agba. Memories of her mother's murder haunt Zélie, who, along with her brother, Tzain, takes care of her father.
Mama Agba
A Seer in hiding, Mama Agba teaches divîner and kosidán girls to fight using the staff, a weapon meant to protect, not kill. Mama Agba receives visions, including a vision that Amar, Tzain, and Zélie would restore magic.
King Saran
A powerful tyrant, King Sara fears magic after his family was tortured and killed in a Maji uprising. King Saran ordered the Raid to keep maji in line, and he trains his children, Amari and Inan, to be strong, decisive leaders by forcing them to spar with swords. Though he is married, he has an affair with Admiral Kaea.
Tzain Adebola
Tzain is Zélie's brother. He is a skilled agbön player, which is a disc-throwing game. Unlike his sister, Tzain is a kosidán, a person who doesn’t have the potential to do magic. He helps Zélie in her quest to restore magic and falls in love with Princess Amari.
Amari Olúborí
Amari is the daughter of King Saran. Though she lives a life of luxury, she is discriminated against for her darker skin tone, and she is forced to stay in the palace at all times. Amari's closest friend is a divîner named Binta, who King Saran murders. Amari bears many scars along her back from when her father forced her to spar with her brother, Inan. Amari is a skilled warrior but is afraid of killing and becoming like her father.
Inan
Inan is King Saran's son and the commander of the Royal Army. Inan desires to prove himself to his father, and suffers from shame and self-loathing. Inan discovers that he is a maji with the ability to influence dreams and minds. He falls in love with Zélie after they connect spiritually.
Admiral Kaea
Kaea is King Saran's closest advisor and his lover. She strongly believes that the maji are dangerous and goes with Inan to hunt down Amari and the scroll. She coldly murders everyone who stands in her way.
When Kaea discovers Inan is a maji, she threatens to tell King Saran, and Inan accidentally murders her with his magic.
Zu
Zu is a thirteen-year-old maji with healing powers. The first person to touch the scroll and reconnect with magic, Zu leads a community of divîners.
Kwame
Kwame is a Burner, a maji with the power to control fire. He is also a follower of Zu who tortures Tzain to get information about the scroll. During the battle with the royal guards, Kwame touches the sunstone, sacrificing himself to save the others.
Roën
Roën leads a team of mercenaries in Jimeta. He is from Sūtōri, a land east of Orïsha. He constantly jokes and flirts with Zélie but also reveals that he too endured torture. He agrees to take Zelie to the holy temple in exchange for a position in the royal court when Amari takes the throne.
Nailah
Nailah is Zélie's lionaire, a massive domestic beast like a lion. Nailah protects Zélie and transports her from place to place.
Baba
Baba is Zélie and Tzain's father. After his divîner wife was murdered during the Raid, Baba's health and mental stability deteriorated. Once a skilled fisherman, he relies on his children to support him. King Saran uses Baba as bait to retrieve the artifacts from Zélie; Baba sacrifices his life to save Zélie's.
Yemi
Yemi is Zélie's wealthy kosidán adversary. Zélie is the first person to beat Yemi in combat at Mama Agba's school. Humiliated, Yemi gives Inan and Kaea information about Zélie as an act of revenge.
Binta
Binta is Amari's closest friend and a divîner. Binta gave Amari her headdress after the princess was injured in a sparring match with her brother. King Saran tests the scroll on Binta, and promptly murders her after she displays magic.
Lekan
Lekan is the last living sêntaro who teaches Amari, Zélie, and Tzain about the history of the Sky Mother, and helps Zélie reconnect with her magic. After saving Zélie, Lekan is murdered by Kaea.
Folake
Folake is a divîner who follows Zu. She accidentally lets Amari and Tzain escape.
Kenyon
Kenyon is Tzain's divîner friend and agbön competitor who lives in Gombe. He uses his Burner powers to help Tzain and Amari rescue Zélie.
Khani
Khani is the freckled maji from Gombe who heals Zelie after King Saran tortures her.
