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As the rain lets up, Kimo spots Windkin and the human boy being chased by warriors
on the tower. Windkin flies off. A protesting Ahn Lai jumps and grabs his ankle.
Windkin cannot hold them both up. Ahn Lai yells, "You must! You must! Please
please please!" Windkin grits his teeth, I...am...trying!" Suntop and Chot
(who is not so good at getting through these rump poking plants) see Windkin and
Ahn Lai fall out of the sky. Chot tells him to run ahead with Jethel. He will catch
up and he tells them to be careful. Jethel stretches his bare upper body from the
plants, "Wooo! Pricklies!" Suntop calls Windkin, who doesn't answer. Dart
does answer. Dart heard the war drums long before GeñO. When Suntop reaches out to
se Door...all he sees is black. Dart gives GeoñKa the other paddle, "We are
needed!" GeoñKa asks, "We?" Dart has a feeling everyone will be called
upon to do their part before this is over. Yun tells Pei Lar to try to be less noisy.
Pei Lar tells Yun she moves like a shadow in this forest. Yun hopes that knock brained
bird elf is the way she is going but she thinks but doesn't say out loud, "I'm
beginning to think this jungle will kill us all!" Windkin's unconscious head
is in the lap of Ahn Lai, "Please sky spirit, wake up! I...I don't want to be
alone any more...I'm sorry if I was too heavy...I just thought you were going to
leave me there." NOTE: He was. The human also tells the big red bug to shut
up, "Please just shut up!" A half bald shirtless human warrior named Fleeg
leads other warriors (who have rags over their heads with red circles on them) through
the jungle, close to Ahn Lai and Windkin! The hunters don't want to make Door angry.
Aramak sees Suntop and Jethel fighting their way through the grass, "So...so
beautiful...my little spirits..so perfect and delicate...let me.." Suntop (with
his navel drawn high up into his stomach) tells Jethel not to run from him, "I
don't think he wants to hurt us..." Pei Lar hits him over the back of his head,
"Die, you murdering butcher!!" Suntop yells, "Nooo!!" She hits
him again and again, telling him he has slaughtered his last baby, "Attained
Slug. Die hard, you pig!" She hits him when he is down. Jethel is gasping, "Oh...oh..."
Suntop tries to stop her, "Pei Lar, no, you don't understand...but he wasn't...she
didn't have to..." Pei Lar, comes up with blood on her club, "Yes, I did,
child..." Pei Lar says, "For my son...for my tribe...I had to do it."
Shenshen calls to Dart who sees her on the bank. She tells Dart she is worried about
Suntop. Dart tells her, "You wouldn't be you if you weren't. I'll bring him
back, and Windkin, too!" Dart tells GeñO to stay with Shenshen. Windkin stirs,
"Suntop!" Ahn Lai tells him, "Sshhhhh." Fleeg finds them. He
wants to kill them and take back their heads. Willowsnap hides behind Windkin's arm
but Ahn Lai jumps in front of Windkin, spreading his body over him, "No! I won't
let you hurt theSky Spirit!" Windkin says, "Don't...!" Kimo attacks
and slices Fleeg. Dodia gets Windkin. Chot tells them, "Yesñññthis way! Now
that Kimo's told the whole poking forest where we are!" Fleeg lies with a cut
up chest and upper stomach, Kimo's sword bloody. He still seems to be alive as he
says, "Aagghk!" A little later...Dart finds Suntop and Yun with Jethel...and
the body of Aramak. Dart sees Suntop is sad. Sun tells him, "They killed him,
Dart. He was their chief and they just..." Dart says, "He was sick, cub."
Sun defends him, "He needed help, not...not this. Mother could have..."
Dart says, "They all die, Suntop. Sooner or later. It's Door I'm most worried
about." Chot tells them to break it up, the humans are all over the place. Door
talks about doing no one's bidding while the red haired dreadlocked boy has rocks
in a bowl, nearby. Other humans have arrived with Aramak's body. Door tells them
to cast it into the fire with all other useless relics, "Let him burn with everything
else that spoke of the false ways!" Door makes the hand statue close up into
a fist. He claims he will lead them to the far off places, "I am the way! I
who once was Door!" Door and the red head boy go to a tent. In it, the slave
boys have cut off each other's hair so that they are bald. They have a blue jewel
in their foreheads as before. Now there is a blue jewel in at least one of their
belly button's maybe both. Three blond boys, one taller than the others, wearing
red circle jewel on their yellow neck collars are brought to Door and the red headed
boy. These yellow haired boys have a small thin belt around their waists just above
or below their belly buttons. Door holds one's face in his hand, "It...disgusts
me to look upon this...abomination!" The boy (with green eyes) whimpers. Door
pushes his face away and takes a rock from the redheaded boy's bowl. The only soldier
who survived the attack on the humans who were after Windkin is given a stone to
eat. All the slaves swallow stones as an act of loyalty to Door. The soldier swallows
it, telling Door he is not a slave. Door uses his fire magic to make the stone open
up inside the man's belly. The stone becomes red spikes that stock out of his belly,
killing him. He falls with a thud before Aramak's woman and three blond slave boys.
Aramak's woman takes a stone and swallows it willingly, telling Door she can serve
him and teach him much. Door will find it amusing...if he lets her live. Door says,
"The woman can stay. Throw the rest into the fire. And cut her ears off...they
offend me! And I will not be offended." |