People of the Sea(198)

Kestrel felt the knife lower to her throat again, and a trickle of blood flowed as the sharp obsidian pricked her skin. “Lambkill, wait. I… I want to talk to you more about Little Coyote. Y-you said earlier that you’d brought him to life. Does that mean …” She gasped for a breath. Lambkill was staring at her intently. His whole body had gone rigid. The knife hadn’t moved. “Does that mean that you’ve actually been able to hear him speak? Has he … talked to you?”



Lambkill’s wrinkles fell into reverent lines. “Oh, yes. He speaks to me almost every night, guiding me, helping me to find you. I didn’t just chance upon Otter Clan Village, wife. Our son led me here.”

Kestrel wet her lips. “What else has he told you? Does he—”

Out in the forest, a snuffling sounded, then a snort. Lambkill shoved away and lurched to his feet to stare down their back trail Kestrel rose behind him on trembling legs. A low growl echoed through the trees. It had been cycles since she’d heard that sound, but her body remembered it better than her soul did, and a wave of new fear blinded her.

On the trail, a huge black shape blotted out the moonlight. It had its blunt muzzle to the ground, sniffing out their tracks. Taller in the front than in the rear, the short-faced bear had a chest as broad as Kestrel’s height. It looked up and went who of in surprise. Its eyes glinted in the darkness, and it bared long white teeth. The growl that issued from its massive jaws this time warned them to run … But Lambkill had his back turned to her!

If she didn’t take the chance now, she would never have another. She leaped on Lambkill like a cat pouncing on prey, grabbed the back of his mammoth hide necklace and twined the braided hide in her fist to take up the slack. Lambkill lost precious, moments, tottering from foot to foot, reaching for her as she spun around and yanked him off his feet and onto her back.

He tried to scream, but the strangling cord allowed only a panicked ach! that choked to nothingness as he flailed. Frantic hands beat the air around her as she used her hips against him, turning as she pulled, keeping him off balance.

Gargling sounds rasped in his throat. He gripped her skirt and tugged furiously, trying to make her stumble, while he battled to flip over.

Kestrel tightened her grip on the thick braid, praying it would hold, and staggered forward up the trail. She struggled to stay on her feet. Her wounded leg wanted to buckle.



Behind her, she heard the short-faced bear growling, closing. The ground shook as the huge animal bounded forward.

Don’t look! If you don’t kill Lambkill, you’ll be dead before Bear can get his jaws around you!

Lambkill released her skirt suddenly and kicked out with all his strength. The force sent Kestrel toppling forward. Her knees struck the ground hard before she flopped on her stomach, but she kept his necklace thong pulled tight over her shoulder.

Twist it! Tighter! Her forearms ached, her hands were going numb. The viciousness of Bear stunned her. He bawled and snorted. She heard the sound of hide clothing ripping while Bear tore at the struggling Lambkill, who kept making strangling sounds that she knew would be screams if he could breathe. He lashed out with his hands and feet.

A deafening crack! erupted when the enraged beast batted a dead log and ripped it up from the damp forest floor. Splinters of wood showered Kestrel as Bear flung the log down. It struck with a thunderous crash, and LambkiH’s wild flailing grew to desperation, forcing Kestrel to twist madly to keep her grip on the necklace. She heard a horrifying sound, and at first she didn’t recognize it as her own agonized screaming. Lambkill’s hands tore at her hair and clawed her face.

Then Lambkill frantically braced a knee on the ground and rolled off of Kestrel, turning his back to Bear.

Kestrel jerked the necklace with all her might, hauling Lambkill to the ground again as she fell on her back. Bear reared, standing up on two legs, watching them with unearthly concentration.

For an eternal instant, Kestrel stared into Lambkill’s face. The image burned into her soul: his bugged-out eyes, wide in panic; the tongue protruding from his open mouth; the muscles in his face working spasmodically.

She refused to let go as he dragged her across the forest floor, trying to break her hold. He slammed a fist feebly into her face. Kestrel sobbed in misery. His face had turned



crimson. The heaving of his lungs, sucking at the choked throat, racked his entire body.

He mouthed, “I… curse you … wife!”

Behind Lambkill, Bear took a step forward and used one huge paw to rip at LambkilFs legs. The force of the slap sent Lambkill tumbling sideways into the deadfall, hauling Kestrel with him. Lambkill struck her once more on the side of the head, trying to get out of Bear’s reach as well as hers, but gradually his body went limp.