Return to Eden

feeling the tension drain away. "Now—let's get out of here."
    Harl led the way in an easy lope, back along the track they had followed when they had entered the city.
    As he came around the end of the embankment there was the sharp crack of a hèsotsan and he collapsed.
    Dead before he hit the ground.
    CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
    Kerrick stopped, fell backward, huddled against the earthen wall. Harl lay crumpled just before him. His mouth hung open and his eyes stared sightlessly at the sky. The bundle of hèsotsan lay across his chest with the creatures writhing slowly against their bonds.
    Harl was dead. Killed by a hèsotsan. A Yilanè, it had to be a Yilanè who was out there, lying in wait. It had been a neatly planned trap. There was no way out of it. If he moved or tried to retreat he would be exposed. He could not go forward—and there was no way back. The instant they saw him they would shoot: a marauding ustuzou would be killed on sight.
    Then he had to be Yilanè again.
    "Attention to speaking!" He called out. Then added, "Death… negative!" It did not make much sense, but he wanted those who were waiting out there to hesitate before they fired. He laid the bundle of hèsotsan aside, rose slowly to his feet—then stepped out of cover calling out loudly as he did, his arms and thumbs held in the form of submission.
    "I am unarmed. Do not kill me," he said as firmly and clearly as he could. His skin quivered, expecting the dart that would bring instant death. The Yilanè stood just ahead of him in the dense shrubbery. She had emerged from the shelter of the trees. Her hèsotsan was aimed directly at him. She appeared to be alone. All he could do was stand rigidly still, signing submission.
    Intepelei looked at him, never moving her weapon. But she did not fire.
    "You are the ustuzou who is yilanè. I know of you."
    "I am Kerrick who is Yilanè."
    "Then you must be the one who went to Ikhalmenets and killed the uruketo of our city. You are that one?"
    Kerrick thought of lying; there was no point to it.
    "I am."
    Intepelei signed pleasure of discovery—but still kept the hèsotsan aimed at his chest. "Then I must take you to Lanefenuu who has talked much of the ustuzou and her hatred for you. I think she wants to see you before you die. Did you kill the three Yilanè and put them into the pit with the hèsotsan?"
    "I did not kill them."
    "But your kind of ustuzou did?"
    "Yes."
    "It was my thought that this was the explanation of their deaths. No other agreed with me. I did what had to be done. I have had fargi hidden near this place ever since that day. Fargi instructed to come to me if any ustuzou pass. One came to me this day. Now we go to speak with Lanefenuu."
    "It is almost dark."
    "Then you will hurry. For if it grows dark before we reach the ambesed I will kill you. Move quickly."

Kerrick stepped reluctantly forward, searching for a way out, finding none. This Yilanè was a hunter, he could tell that, knew he would be killed instantly if he tried to attack. She signed with her top thumbs as she stepped forward. Then shivered and almost fell.
    The arrow made a thunking sound as it struck deep into her back.
    She raised the hèsotsan, her hands shaking, pointing it towards Kerrick. It cracked once, the dart missed.
    She raised it higher.
    The second arrow took her in the neck and she fell. Herilak ran silently up the path, looked down at the two bodies.
    "I did not see the marag until it killed the boy. I did not have a clear shot until it moved into the track."
    "You followed us."
    "I did. I did not bring a death-stick but I followed you. There was a danger just the two of you alone. We must get rid of the bodies. Into the pit…"
    "No, no need," Kerrick said wearily. "I talked to that one before you killed her, you heard me. She had guards posted to watch this track. They told her that we were coming."
    "We must leave quickly!"
    "No, she is a hunter, she came here alone. It is too dark now for others to follow her. But the watchers who saw us come and told her, they are in the city. Others will be here in the morning. We cannot hide the fact that we were here. They know now. I didn't want any killing, I thought it would be better without you. But you followed anyway. We should bury Harl."
    'Foolish, waste of time. His tharm is in the stars and he cares not for the meat left behind. I will cut out my arrows, we will take the death-sticks and leave. By morning when they come here we will be far down the