Oronsen, daughter of the World and the Forest, brought into being when a hunter's arrow met with a duiker's heart, not quite human, not quite spirit. Newly married to a warrior and member of the royal council and his most favoured wife, she is ensconced in the royal household rife with political tensions and jealousy. But Oronsen is like no other there, and together with her sister Lakange, she becomes aware that something is drastically wrong in this new human world she finds herself in, something that could destroy all the beings of the Forest she knows and loves. 'Descendants of Balance' is the wonderful origin story to larger works and world rooted in Yoruba myth, legend, and wider Nigerian history, that Rafeeat has published and is working on further.

Rafeeat Aliyu was born and raised in Nigeria. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from North Carolina State University. Her work has been long listed for the Writivism Short Story Prize, Nommo Awards and the Island Prize for Debut Fiction. She received the Norwescon Scholarship to attend the Clarion West Workshop for science fiction and fantasy writers in 2018 and benefitted from the AKO Caine Prize Online with Vimbai mentorship program. Rafeeat is a 2023 Morland Writing Scholar. Her writing has been supported by La Napoule Art Foundation International Residency and La Maison Baldwin. Her works have been widely published in anthologies such as the Caine Prize: A Mind to Silence and Other Stories, Dominion, Africanfuturism, and AfroSF, and in the magazines Omenana, Fiyah, Lolwe, Strange Horizons, and Nightmare, to name a few.

"In 'Descendants of Balance' Rafeeat Aliyu tells us of a powerful spirit of the forest, taken human form out of love for a warrior king, the political and interpersonal conflicts that follow, and the betrayal that breaks things apart. It glows with the elemental force of myth and with the jealousies we find ourselves living whether or not we are gods, even when we don't know those stories that created us."

— John Kessel, author of The Presidential Papers.

"'Descendants of Balance' is a perfect serving of Rafeeat Aliyu's unique storytelling alchemy. The heft of the Forest as a living thriving organism brought a folktale thrill to this tale about the equilibrium expected of those who live between worlds. It centres textured characters while never forgetting the cinema and magic of their fantastic worlds, lineages, and origins. This story draws on precolonial history and indigenous myth to reveal a world wholly new, yet familiar as childhood. We found ourselves caught up in the unfolding of Oronsen's survival, in Lakange's strength and love, in the mystery of the iwin."

— Dare Segun Falowo, author of Caged Ocean Dub.

"'Descendants of Balance' is a beautiful short story that borrows from popular Yoruba mythology about women and reimagines it in ways that honor them. Rafeeat Aliyu paints a picture of how the children of the world, and the children of the forest were connected, and the cost of losing it, told through the lens of sisterhood and the supernatural walking quietly among men."

— Emmanuella Omonigho, author of Stars in a Beautiful Night.

The ZamaShort imprint series is solely focused on the amazing powerhouse that is the short story. We give each short story its own publication so that it may be read and enjoyed fully as a stand-alone publication. As per the StoryTime Publishing mandate initialised in 2007, ZamaShort continues to champion and add to the ever-growing canon of African literature excellence and diversity.

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