“Sorry, bro.” Rives didn’t move. Johan was making the sign of the cross over Rory, then he crossed himself, his lips moving in silent prayer.
“Are you sure?” I asked Rives. “He’s dead?”
“I’m sure. Whatever got him ripped him wide open. He just bled out.”
I stared at Rory, thinking he should look worse, thinking there should be more blood. The ground around him was pristine. Green growth, brown dirt. No red. But Rives was sure, and I trusted Rives.
He’s gone.
“What was it?” Sy blurted. “What got him?”
“I don’t know,” I said, knowing he had to ask but still feeling like it disrespected Rory. Rory, who lay a meter away, a fresh Nil kill, his satchel slung uselessly across his shoulder. Silver knives spilled out, glinting with accusation.
He’d never tried to pull one out.
The knives winked at me as I spoke. “Some kind of wild boar. At least three hundred pounds of ugly, with two set of tusks. And it was female.” I paused. “I think it was protecting its baby. Or babies.” Who knew how many more little beasties were growing up on Nil? More fun for the future.
“A pig did this?” Bart asked, his voice an annoying mix of amusement and disbelief.
Charley’s golden eyes flashed. “Thad didn’t say a pig. He said a ‘wild boar.’ With tusks, two sets, and mean. That doesn’t sound like a pig to me.” Even her sugary accent didn’t warm her words.
Bart blanched. “Right,” he mumbled.
Rives ignored Bart completely. “Where was this?” he asked.
“A couple kilometers past the Cove. The boar jumped from the trees and charged. It was fast.”
Rives frowned, looking thoughtful. “Fast and ugly, two sets of tusks. Sounds like a warthog. They’re bad news; kill lions and shit in Africa. Did it take off?”
I shook my head. “No. It’s dead.”
“Are you hurt?” Charley asked, gently turning over my hand. Her skin looked incredibly clean against mine. The blood on my hands and forearms had started to dry, making it blacken and crack, and fresh red oozed from a gash near my wrist. More blood coated my legs in sticky rivulets, mixing with sweat and dirt, a hideous collage of Nil death.
“Thad?” Charley’s voice was worried.
“Huh?”
“Are you hurt?” she repeated softly, her eyes searching.
“Not really.” Suddenly I couldn’t wait to wash off the blood. I pulled back my hand; I didn’t want Charley to touch it. To let any more of Nil’s blood touchher.
Getting to my feet, I addressed Rives. “Two things. First, we need to bury Rory. Second, we need to salvage that hog. It’s too much to waste. I’ll help with the burial, then a team can go get the hog.”
“No.” Rives shook his head. “You’ve done enough. Go get clean. We’ll take care of Rory, then the hog.”
I hesitated, torn between wanting to help Rives and wanting to be rid of the blood.
Rives’s voice was soft. “We’ve got this, bro. Now go.”
As I started away, Rives threw out an arm to stop me. “Not the sea. With all that blood, you’ll be chum. Go to the Cove.”
You’ve done enough,Rives had said.
But not enough, I thought, glancing at his eyes full of pity. I’dfailed Rory, and now I’d brought back a dead body for Rives to bury. I couldn’t bear to look at Charley.
Like I’d told Rory, it was a total cluster.
Whipping around, I broke into a run, back up the same bloody path I’d just carried Rory down. Blood on the ground. Blood on me.
