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This hy

She released Kataria’s hand and turned around Her companion did not, at first, but she waited patiently It would coreat difficulty It always did, but the reas always greater in co as Kataria tensed, as Kataria clutched the goh

She continued to sht her in the face with such force as to snap her head to the side

‘Wh-what?’ she asked, recovering from the bloith a hand on an astonished expression ‘I didn’twhipped out again, struck her in the side withshould be able

‘Okay, you’re not, but--’

‘I’ain it lashed out, found her elbow It snapped, leaving a redjuice She didn’t even have ti what re at her

‘I’ed, took Asper by the shoulders and hurled her to the earth No anger in her face, no sadness, no tears Nothing but so cold and stony loomed over her, a face as hard as the fist that came down and cracked upon her cheek

‘I’m not, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not, I’m not--’

No protests from Asper, no denial but for the feeble defence she tried toher hands to protect her face, futilely, as the shict blindly lashed out and struck her over and over, once for each word, each kiss of fist to face a confirmation, each bruise that blossoloating, without a reason, without even a noise Asper heard the shict flee, heard her running with all the desperation one flees for their life with

The sound faded into nothingness The trees whispered as the sun began to set behind thee, a whoop of celebration rose Their feast was starting

She should rise, she knew, and go to it She should rise, even though her body was racked with pain She should go, even though her legs felt dead and useless beneath her She should see the others, even though her eyes were filled with tears She should see theed her faith and tried to throttle her

She should

But she could not think of a reason why

ACT THREE

Feast a the Bones

Twenty-Six

WHISPERS IN DARK PLACES

The Aeons’ Gate

The Island of Teji

Fall, early … randfather, I don’t remember much Of my father, even less He was a farmer, a quiet man, always tithed Even as I’hly all I recall

Well, that’s not entirely true I do remember what he said to me, once

‘There are two kinds of men in this world: those who live ar and those who can’t live without it We can live without it We can live a long time’

I remember he died in fire

I had alanted to believe I could live without war Even after I picked up randfather’s sword, I wanted to know of a tiain I had alanted to say that this part ofmore I wanted to be able to tell my children that we could live without war

I wanted children

And for the past few days, I was certain I would have them and that I could tell the

I tried I really did Khetashe kno I did, how I tried not to think aboutsword or the tome or that life I left at the botto, to be the kind of man who isn’t obsessed with death – his or soht

The bones are everywhere on Teji I can’t take a step outside the village without stubbing my toe on someone’s bleached face The reek of death is always present, and so the Owauku light fires to scare away the spirits They survive off their roaches The roaches thrive off the island’s tubers The tubers are the only edible growing things here

And here, aht I would becoht this here I could sit back and stare at the sunset and not worry over whether or not I was going to live too, I was ready to leave this life behind

Maybe I rong

Things are tense It must be the water … the air … whichever one paranoia breeds in Crooked stares o quiet when I pass I hear them whisper as I leave

The Owauku try to hide it, forcing big grins, friendly chatter before they slip away froht The Gonwa aren’t nearly so interested in my comfort They stare, without shaue, in low murmurs, even as I stare at the we, they call him, the spokes it for a while and I just caught on or what But when I walk through the forest, down the beach, he follows me He only leaves if I try to talk to hiy

Granted, if he were going to kill me, he probably wouldn’t bother with either But then, if he were going to killhis time

Teji is one of the few places I’ve been able to sleep soundly, without worry for the fact thatAnd I happen to know froatchedbetween my kidneys and a knife is a thin strip of leather and a wall of reeds

So far, he’s done nothing And as strange as it sounds, I’ lizard that brazenly stalks me and possibly watches er concerns than that, but it would see it now

My companions …

I don’t think I’ve ever truly trusted them Really, I’ve just been able to predict thes are easy to see; their emotions are always apparent And while I’m not a man who considers himself in touch with – or interested in – such things, I can tell that all of the

Dreadaeleon skulks around the edges of we I say ‘alets a whiff of me I may have been harsh with him in the forest, but he’s never … well, rarely been this jittery before

Denaos tells es That’s about all he’ll ever tell ainst Denaos, drunkenness was not one until now If I don’t speak to him before breakfast, I’ll never understand hi his innards in the bushes Each tiot an alcohol-fuelled excuse that I cannot argue against It al each drunken snore, each incomprehensible rant Or maybe he just likes his list of sins well rounded

In such cases as this, Asper can usually provide insight, but she’s been just as silent And when I say silent, I mean exactly that Dreadaeleon flees, Denaos drinks, Asper doesn’t even look at et the occasional nod or rehearsed advice she’s said to a hundred different grieving s, but she won’t look me in the eyes I pressed her once; she screamed