hard for even her to believe.
“Ah . . .” Hetta or the demon exhaled slowly. “I could tell you. But then you would have to swear by all your gods to let me go.”
“We can’t do that.” Petrick brandished his knife, though his voice lacked conviction.
“Kill this woman then,” Hetta said. “Though she was once one of your people and has no control over the things we make her do. Condemn more children to the pit to carry Kazak’s message to Yaz of the Ictha. And see what happens to your friend Thurin when you make us homeless.” A grin showing pointed teeth. “But whatever you do, do it swiftly for she is waking and when she does the time for talking will be over.”
“Why were you hunting me?” Yaz demanded.
The black mouth only smiled.
“What was the message?”
“Do you swear to our bargain?”
Yaz spat. She didn’t want to let the cannibal go but she didn’t want Petrick to slit the woman’s throat either. Especially not if Hetta was simply a victim of these monsters living under her skin.
“I swear by the Gods in the Sky and by the Gods in the Sea that if you answer my questions I will let you leave this cavern unharmed.”
“The others too?”
“By Eon of the Ice,” Thurin muttered. Petrick echoed him in a whisper.
“By the White-Hope-That-Burns-Above.” Quina named some southern deity unknown to Yaz.
“There,” said Yaz. “Now—”
“And the tiny one who wrapped the shadows around her,” Hetta said. “The fierce one.”
“By the Seven Gods of the Wind,” Maya said.
Hetta’s head turned to stare past Yaz. “And the gerant who is pretending to be unconscious.”
“By Eon of the Ice.” Kao sat with a groan, rubbing the back of his head.
“Ask your questions,” Hetta said. The purple stain wrapped her neck like a strangling hand.
“Why were you hunting me?” Yaz asked.
“We weren’t hunting you. We were hunting the new one.”
“New one?” Yaz wondered if Kazik had already thrown down another child.
“Most unusual. Seemed to be a grown man, not built like a gerant. Has a spear. Not tainted. Spying on the Broken. Cunning too. But we’ll catch him.”
“What was the regulator’s message?” Thurin asked, still keeping his distance. It was the question Yaz wanted to ask but one she wanted answered for her alone, not spoken in front of an audience.
“The regulator wants you back, little Ictha. You weren’t supposed to jump! If you come back soon he will allow you to bring Jaysin with you . . . oh . . . well, we still have his skull in our collection . . . you could take that maybe.”
“What else did he say?”
“Most of it was screaming. Some begging.”
Yaz ground her teeth together, regretting her oath. Hetta’s death might be a price worth paying if it destroyed the monstrosity speaking with her mouth. “About the regulator. What else did he say about the regulator or his message?”
“Nothing.”
“Go.” Yaz pointed. “Take her away before we forget our vows.”
Hetta got slowly to her feet, joints cracking, more blood sheeting down the side of her neck. She stayed hunched, growling as some awareness returned to her eyes, then lumbered off, moving as if nursing some great pain.
“We should leave too.” Yaz glanced around her. The others were all staring at her, making no move to go. “What?”
Quina stepped in close, quicker than quick, her face too near Yaz’s, staring.
“You jumped?”
10
POME INTERCEPTED THE group before Petrick could take them to Eular.
“Here comes the light-bearer to save us,” Thurin muttered.
“Does he carry that star everywhere?” Yaz eyed the approaching glow.
“It’s his way of reminding us all that he can tolerate having one so close to him,” Petrick said. “He thinks it makes him special. But they don’t shine any brighter for him than for the rest of us.” He shot Yaz a narrow glance.
Pome strode up