Power has kept me alive because it’s me. Me, Green Spider. I have not fulfilled my purpose yet. And I would do that. It is my right to see it done.”
“Are you saying you want to die?”
Black Skull smiled, aware that it chased the twitching muscles into hideous contortions. “You asked me once if I would be the most beautiful man or the most ugly when we reached the Roaring Water. Well, Contrary, I can tell you. I’m both.”
The Contravy’s gaze centered on the flames. “Can you be two things at once, warrior?”
“Of course, fool. Steam and ice are just different ways of being water. That girl at Wenshare chose me because she saw me in a way I never had. When I looked into her eyes, I was beautiful.”
“Death will rob you of that feeling. Why do you seek it?”
Black Skull folded his hands. “I always expected to die in battle. Dying’s not hard. But to go on living, knowing that my death might have saved my friends … I would never see myself as beautiful again. Do not condemn me to that, Contrary. I ask you as my friend. Let me be the one.”
“You are asking that I ignore Otter’s plea.”
“Yes.” Black Skull felt oddly at peace inside himself, as though his soul knew the Tightness of this decision. “You didn’t see him on the beach with Pearl today. They came rising out of the water like Spirits, each so taken with the other’s love. I would buy them eternity if I could.”
“Otter thought that perhaps you would take care of Pearl.”
Green Spider craned his neck to peer more closely at the fire, as if he saw a Vision forming there. “Fire is Powerful. Little Dancer barely understood.”
“Who? Don’t try to distract me, fool! I love Pearl, of course.
She is a warrior, and my friend. But don’t you see, I owe her this. She saved my life, and by doing so, gave me the chance to be reborn. If my death can save Otter for her, then that is the most precious gift I can give her in return.” He slumped back on the sand and glared at Green Spider from the corners of his eyes. After several moments of silence, he added, “And don’t give me any of your backward crap, either. I know this to be true.”
“You love them both that much?”
“And you, too, you silly fool.” He chuckled then. “I think the world needs a Green Spider more than it needs a Black Skull. I’ve taken a lot of lives, Green Spider. I’ll take a few more Khota with me, too. But I would give mine to keep yours in this world a little longer. You keep going backward, and maybe a few more idiots like me can go forward. That’s a reasonable strategy, don’t you think?”
Green Spider gazed at him through wide, clear eyes. “But how will we get home without you and your strength?”
Black Skull shook his head. “I can’t get anyone home. I don’t know the rivers, the customs. I was just lucky that I didn’t start a war by coupling with Shinbone’s daughter. If the two of you hadn’t had the sense you did, I might have gotten us all killed at Meadowlark, or Hilltop, or who knows where. The point is: Otter is the only. one who can make sure that everyone—and the Mask—gets away safely.” He jammed a callused thumb into his chest. “I can’t.”
“I see.” Black Skull sighed, finally summoning his courage. “Green Spider, I ask you this as a friend. I don’t know the whys and ways of these things, but work it out with Power. I’ll take care of the Khota, whip them all, right down to the last breath in my body. Tell Power I want the chance to save my friends. My life, for all of yours. Otter can live with his Pearl, and you will be able to go on teaching people … teaching them … well, teaching people how to live inside their bones.”
“Do you seek glory, warrior?”
“I no longer know what that means. But, no. If necessary, I’ll slip away, face the Khota alone. My name and my ghost may be forgotten. My body can rot among the leaves or in the darkness under the falls. I wish only the safety of my friends.”
Green Spider smiled and reached out to pat Black Skull’s broad shoulder. “You’re a good man, Little Mouse. I will speak for you. Many Colored Crow was a warrior once—he will understand.”
Black Skull gripped Green Spider’s hand and pulled him forward, embracing him so hard that he drove the air from the Contrary’s lungs in a gush. “May the ancestors bless you, my friend. Take care of Otter and Pearl. Help them. That is the last thing I will ask of you.” He tightened his embrace one last time, unaware of the look of suffocation on Green Spider’s frantic face.
Black Skull rose and headed back toward his bedding.