Zateri glanced at Wrass with terror glittering in her eyes. “Witchery,” she whispered. “She made Toksus catch his last breath.”
“You mean …” Wrass stared at the boy. “Sassacus’ afterlife soul is inside Toksus now?”
“That must be what she was doing. What else could it have been?”
Gannajero pulled her knife from her belt and bent over Sassacus. He was lying on his back, staring blindly up at the glittering campfires of the dead. He looked strangely peaceful.
As though she’d done it a thousand times, Gannajero slipped her knife into Sassacus’ right eye socket, severed the tissues that attached the eyeball to the skull, and popped it out into her waiting hand. Then she cut out the left eye.
Toksus looked stunned. He peered at the eyes without blinking or moving. The girls on the other side of camp sobbed until their guards threatened them with war clubs.
“Cut little Toksus loose,” Gannajero ordered in an unnaturally kind voice. “Sassacus’ afterlife soul knows what it must do. Give Toksus that special bag of dried huckleberries, then let him go.”
“The special bag?” Kotin asked, as though to clarify which bag.
“You heard me, and give him Hehaka’s blanket to take with him. We wouldn’t want him freezing to death,” she said with a toothless smile.
Toksus’ head suddenly jerked up. “You’re going to let me go?”
“Of course I am. But don’t eat those berries until you see someone. Understand?”
“All right.”
Gannajero didn’t even glance at him. Her gaze was riveted to the grisly prizes in her hand. She walked away clutching the dripping eyes to her chest.
As she passed, her warriors watched her with bright, alert gazes.
Zateri whispered, “How can Toksus live with a stranger’s soul inside him?”
Wrass shivered. “I don’t think he can. At least not for long. The souls will be fighting each other for control of the body.”
Kotin turned and glared at Wrass; then his evil gaze fell upon Zateri, and a shudder went through her.
Zateri gently touched Wrass’ shoulder and got to her feet. “I’d better go.”
“Be careful,” Wrass said.
“You, too.”
She made her way down the length of the canoe, where she jumped ashore. The guards watched her through slitted eyes as she walked back to the terrified girls.
Wrass returned his gaze to the boys.
Kotin had freed Toksus and tossed a bag of huckleberries down in front of him. Toksus just stared at it while he coughed and rubbed his injured throat.
Wrass studied him. Could Toksus sense another soul slipping around inside him? And what about Sassacus? Was he confused? It must be terrifying to suddenly find yourself in an unfamiliar body.
“We’re leaving,” Gannajero announced. “Get the children in the canoes.”
Conkesema and Auma climbed back in the canoe with Wrass. The Flint girl went to the other canoe with Zateri.
After the warriors were all in their places, with paddles in their hands, Gannajero knelt beside Toksus and gave him a hideous toothless grin.
“Find him for me.”
“Who?” Toksus wiped his runny nose on his cape. “Who am I supposed to find? That boy? Hehaka?”
Gannajero rose and climbed into the bow of her canoe. “Shove off, Kotin.”
Kotin pushed the bow off the bank and leaped inside.
The current caught them and carried them downstream.
Toksus stood alone on the bank, crying and scanning the darkness with terrified eyes.
“Who am I supposed to find?” he shouted.
The canoes rounded a bend in the river. Wrass lost sight of him. His nausea intensified. He eased back onto the packs and fought to keep the eels from slithering back up his throat.
Eleven
Frozen rocks and icy pine needles kept sliding beneath her moccasins as Koracoo carefully maneuvered down the frost-slick ravine. The only sound was her steps crunching frost. It was as though the blood in Great Grandmother Earth’s veins has stopped flowing, and Koracoo moved through a vast lifelessness. Instinctively, she glanced around to make certain of the positions of her warriors. They were all watching her, waiting to see what happened next.
When she reached the ravine bottom and started toward the two boys, her gaze shifted to the Dawnland people. Even the way they stood told her a great deal about them. The warriors moved constantly, their weapons aimed, keeping track of her, but they were sluggish, either exhausted or starving. Perhaps both. Desperation made warriors reckless. She needed to proceed with great caution.
Just before she got to Odion’s side, the Dawnland boy hissed in his face, “We’re going to kill you. We’re going to kill all of you.”