The Dawn Country(25)

The impact threw Sassacus forward. He shouted, “What?” and tried to twist around to see what she’d done.

Toksus screamed, flopped on the ground, and rolled away. He didn’t make it two paces before Kotin grabbed him by the feet and dragged him back. “Stay here you little worm, or I’ll cut your—”

“Let him go, Kotin!” Wrass cried. “Leave him alone!” He flailed uselessly against Zateri’s arms. When had he gotten so weak?

In his ear, she pleaded, “Stop it, Wrass! Please?”

Kotin glared at Wrass, and his gaze promised death a thousand times over. Where she held him, Zateri’s arms started to shake. Kotin looked like he was debating whether or not to walk over and crush Wrass’ skull for good.

“Please, please, Wrass!” Zateri hissed.

Gannajero’s bizarre birdlike squawk made Kotin shift his gaze to her. With her arms spread, the old woman tiptoed forward to loom over Sassacus.

The boy wept, “Why are you doing this?”

She tucked her dripping knife in her belt and pulled Hehaka’s blanket from around her shoulders. As she held it in front of Sassacus’ face, she said. “See this? Smell it. I want your soul to go find him for me.”

Sassacus blinked at her like a clubbed dog. “What?”

“Smell it!” She put one hand behind Sassacus’ trembling head and jammed the blanket over his nose. Blood was streaming down his back. It looked black in the firelight.

Sassacus writhed and tried to squirm away, but as more and more blood filled his lungs, his strength failed him. He sagged in her arms, sobbing so hard he couldn’t breathe.

Gannajero tossed the blanket aside and turned toward Toksus.

“No!” he screamed and fought against Kotin’s grip. “Let me go! She’s going to kill me, too! Let me go!”

Gannajero threw back her head and let out a bloodcurdling shriek that seemed to echo from the trees. Toksus froze.

Gannajero’s cape resembled gigantic wings as she leaped upon Toksus like Eagle downing Rabbit, knocked him flat, and clamped her hands around his throat. Toksus kicked and shrieked, “Help me! Someone help me! Wrass?”

Wrass fought against Zateri’s arms, but she held him tighter and whispered, “Don’t! Don’t even think about it. It’s too late now.”

Tears streamed down Wrass’ face as he watched Kotin grab the boy’s legs and pin Toksus’ feet to the ground.

“Stop it! Let me go! Please, please!”

Gannajero leaned over until her shriveled nose almost touched Toksus’ and stared into his panicked eyes. “I’m not going to kill you.”

Choking and writhing, Toksus could only stare at her with bulging eyes.

Zateri’s hold momentarily relaxed, and Wrass saw the disbelief that slackened her face. “Do you think she’s telling the truth?”

“No.” Wrass shook his thundering head. “She’s lying. Just like always.”

As Gannajero’s gnarled fingers tightened around Toksus’ throat, he croaked like a tormented frog. “Don’t hurt me!”

“There, there,” Gannajero soothed. “Don’t be afraid. This isn’t going to hurt.”

Toksus thrashed as her grip tightened, cutting off his air. It took a long time. When Toksus’ eyes rolled back in his skull and he went limp, a hideous smile came to Gannajero’s face. She crawled off the boy and walked over to Sassacus. Her black eyes flickered in the firelight.

“Is Sassacus still alive?” Zateri whispered to Wrass.

“Probably, but just b-barely. It takes a while to bleed to death from a punctured lung.”

Gannajero twined her fists in Sassacus’ shirt and dragged him over to Toksus. A faint groan climbed Sassacus’ throat.

Wrass felt as though his heart had turned to wood. Every beat sounded hollow, empty.

“Help me,” Gannajero told Kotin.

They lifted Sassacus on top of the younger boy; then she straightened Sassacus’ arms and legs. Finally, Gannajero knelt and arranged Sassacus’ gaping, bloody mouth right over Toksus’ mouth.

“What’s she doing?” Zateri said. “I don’t understand.”

Wrass shook his head. He felt numb. “I don’t know.”

It took another twenty or thirty heartbeats for Toksus to start coming around. His eyelids fluttered; then he suddenly gasped in a huge breath and woke staring straight into Sassacus’ dying eyes. His high-pitched scream lanced the night. He writhed like a fish out of water, trying to get away, and managed to shove out from under Sassacus.

Gannajero rose to her feet.

“You caught it,” she said. “Good.”

“Caught … wh-what?” Toksus gasped, and fell into a coughing fit.