Shit.
“I am all right, warrior,” I tell him. My voice sounds steadier than I feel. Inside, my pulse is doing gymnastics. “It is good that you know the Woman’s secret name, which only the chosen Man will. Why is this man bound?”
Seeing him here is really alarming. A cold weight settles in my stomach. Where is Aker’iz? How long can she be alone without being fed? The idea gnaws at the back of my mind like an itch I can’t scratch.
Kenz’ox frowns as he’s forced to sit on the ground twenty feet away, three bare swords pointing at him. He sits stiffly, chin lifted, but I can see the tiny flinches every time he moves.
“He… he committed terrible crimes,” the chief says, glaring daggers at the six men who brought Kenz’ox here. “Now we have no choice but to execute him.”
My throat tightens.Execute.
“What were the crimes?” I ask, looking over at Kenz’ox. He’s bleeding from his throat and head, but he doesn’t seem gravely injured. I catch a quick, subtle smirk from him, even though swords are aimed at his heart.
“He killed three tribesmen,” the chief states loudly. “And he set fire to my hut, and the shaman’s hut too. Then he ran into the jungle.”
“Why?” I ask, pretending to be mystified. My eyebrows raise in the most innocent, wide-eyed way I can manage. “Why would the best man in the tribe do such a thing? He must have had a good reason.”
“No reason,” the chief says. “And he’s nowhere near as good as you think, Woman.”
Tribesmen come bearing grilled meat and drink. The smell makes my empty stomach twist, reminding me I haven’t eaten since I left the saucer. I take some, then point at Kenz’ox. “Give him food, and drink. Then explainwhy.”
“There was a… misunderstanding about the baby girl,” the shaman says. “Kenz’ox may have thought that we didn’t want her. He lost his mind and attacked his own tribesmen. Three lay dead when he ran out of the village, the baby in his arms.”
I bite into the meat. It’s not as tender as I prefer it, but it’s fine. Needs salt, though.
That normal thought is strangely grounding. “Oh, did someone try to stop him?” I ask, certain there was no misunderstanding at all. “Did someone try toharmthe baby girl? Which was sent to him by the Ancestors as a sign of my arrival?”
From the corner of my eye, I notice Kenz’ox being offered a drink. He drinks with stiff dignity, jaw tight. The swords never leave his line of sight.
“We only wanted to honor the child,” the chief says. “Kenz’ox thought we had something else in mind. It was terrible. We tried to explain, but?—”
“You wanted her to die!” Kenz’ox says loudly. His voice booms across the clearing, raw and furious.
“And that is the truth,” I state. I straighten my spine, letting command seep into my posture until it feels like armor. “Do you think we don’t know it? Do you think the Ancestors don’t know exactly what happened? Free that man! He is innocent of any crime!”
I put as much command in my voice as I can. Cate Blanchett would have done better, but she wasn’t under this kind of pressure. I think the key to this is to believe I can actually command these guys. They can’t help but pick up my expectation to be obeyed. Or at least, I desperately hope so.
“I think that may be fair,” the shaman says, but I sense that he doesn’t have the confidence to issue orders like that. His eyes are jittery, hands twitching as though he wants to hide them inside his loincloth.
The chief frowns and looks me up and down. “What did he call you? Bory?”
“Dorie,” I tell him as haughtily as I can. Damnit, the illusion is starting to crack. I can practically hear the seams popping. “The secret name of the Woman that only the chosen man may know. Is that not so, Shaman? Did not you also know it?”
“Dorie,” the shaman says, licking his lips. “Yes. It’s another secret part of the Prophecy.”
That guy is pretty easy to manipulate. His spine is as firm as a withered straw. He can’t back down, and he’s eager to show me how much he supports me. I’m sure he hasn’t given up hope about Worshipping me.
“Your speech is strange,” the chief says, frowning. “Dorie. That’s not a name I remember from the Ancestors. It doesn’t sound like a real name.”
Yeah.Thatguy is the problem here. His doubt feels like a crack widening under my feet.
I decide to change tactics. I have to keep these guys off balance.
I sashay towards the chief, slowly pushing my hair back. Every step feels like walking a tightrope with no net. I reach out and touch my fingertips to the soft side of his belly. His skin is warm and clammy. “Chief. You are the chief of this tribe, a mighty man. Surely you can’t be afraid of one man like that? Release him, and we shall talk more about Worship.”
I let my fingers slide down towards the edge of his loincloth, then off him. I look up at him and flutter my eyelids. My stomach twists like a wrung towel, but I keep my face serene.
“Untie Kenz’ox,” the chief barks hoarsely, eyes bulging in his head. “But keep armed men nearby. How is that hut coming?!”
