Kerrick saw the flame gush out surrounded by a growing cloud of black smoke, the ring burning, the fire flashing up the lead towards his face.
Unthinking, he hurled himself backward, away from the scorching heat. Fell splashing into the stream.
When he spluttered and rose to his feet again he saw the red weal across his arm and midriff where the burning lead had touched his body. It ended on his chest. With wondering fingers he touched the stub of the lead that ended there as well.
It was gone. This connection that had dominated his life, this restraint that had been with him all those long years. It was gone. He stood up straight, not feeling the burns, aware only that a great burden had been removed. His last tie with the Yilanè severed.
As they rubbed deer fat onto their burns, Ortnar pointed to the length of lead still hanging from the ring on Kerrick’s neck.
“We could burn that off too. You could lie in the water, just that much above the surface, I could get some burning wood…”
“I think we’ve done enough for one day,” Kerrick said. “We’ll wait until the burns heal before trying anything like this again.”
Ortnar kicked the hot metal ring into the water. When it had cooled he examined it with great interest, rubbing it with a stone. “It shines like skymetal. They have great skills, the murgu, to fit it about your flesh like that.” He reluctantly gave the ring to Kerrick when he reached out for it.
“It was molded in place by one of their animals,” he said.
“You will keep it?”
There was hope in Ortnar’s voice and Kerrick almost gave the ring back to him. But as he clutched it in his hands he felt the same repulsion that he had when he took off the breech covering for the last time.
“No. It is Yilanè, murgu.” He threw it out into the stream where it splashed and sank. “I still wear one about my neck. That is enough to have.”
They were ready now to leave, but Herilak stood, leaning on his spear, looking back the way they had come.
“If more had escaped they would be here by now,” he said. “And we have been running like frightened women. Now we must stop and consider our trail ahead. Tell me about the murgu, Kerrick, what are they doing now?”
“I do not understand.”
“Are they still following us? Are they waiting still on the beach where they attacked?”
“No, they will have gone by now. They were hunting for food and had brought very little preserved meat with them. The object of the expedition was to come this far north to destroy the sammad. Then return. Nothing would be accomplished by remaining here. With the Eistaa’s death no one else would be in command. There would have been a lot of confusion and they would certainly have returned to the city by now.”
“That is what the main body would have done. But would there be others left behind to search for us?”
“There might be. Stallan might be doing that—no. Of all of them she is the one who was closest to second in command. She would surely have ordered their return.”
“Then you believe they are gone?”
“Almost certainly.”
“That is good. We will return to the shore.”
Kerrick felt a thrust of fear at the words. “They may be hiding, waiting for us.”
“You just assured me—that they would not.”
“We are hunters,” Ortnar said. “We will know if they are there.”
“We have no reason…”
“Every reason.” Herilak was firm now, once more in command. “We have two spears, one bow without arrows, nothing more. When the snow falls we will die. All that we need is back there. We return.”
They went fast, too fast for Kerrick. It was too much like returning to certain death. By dusk they were in the foothills above the shore and could see the ocean beyond.
“Ortnar, you will go carefully,” Herilak ordered. “Without sound, unseen. Look carefully for any sign of the murgu.”
Ortnar shook his spear in acknowledgment, turned and slipped away through the trees. Herilak settled down comfortably in the shade and promptly went to sleep. Kerrick was too upset to do anything other than worry, to look towards the shore and let his fear populate the forest with stalking Yilanè.