got within range the animal would see or smell him and freeze, becoming almost completely invisible. Sometimes it took a long time before the animal moved and Nafai could see him. This was going to be one of those waiting games. Nafai hated it that he would have to do his waiting on this traverse, but he was perfectly visible now, and if he moved any closer the animal would bolt and they would have to start over.
He gingerly shifted his hands so that all his weight was on his feet and the hand without the pulse, then brought the pulse to where he could easily aim at any point on the face of the mountain before him. Was the animal in those shrubs? Perhaps behind a rock, ready to emerge at any moment?
Holding the same pose in that awkward place was hard. Nafai was strong, and used to holding still for long periods of time - but this posture was one he had never had to hold before. He could feel sweat dripping down his forehead. If it got in his eye it would sting mercilessly, mixed as it was with dust from his face. Yet there was no way he could move to wipe it away without spooking the animal.
An animal I haven't even seen.
Forget the animal. Just get off the face of this rock.
No, I'm stronger than that. I need to get the food for the family - I won't go back and say we'll have no meat today because I was afraid to wait in stillness on a rock.
He could hear Vas moving behind him, traversing the rock. That was stupid - why was Vas doing that?
To kill me.
Why couldn't he shake that idea? No, Vas was coming because he could tell that Nafai hadn't seen the animal yet, and he wanted to point it out. But how would he do that? Nafai couldn't turn to look at him, and Vas couldn't pass him to get into his field of view.
Oh, no. Vas was going to talk to him.
"It's too dangerous," said Vas. "You're going to slip."
And just as he said it, the friction holding Nafai's right foot in place suddenly gave way. His foot slipped inward and down, and now with the abrupt movement his left foot couldn't hold and he began to slide. It must have been very quick but it felt like forever; he tried to dig in with his hand, with the butt of the pulse, but they both just rubbed along the rock, doing almost nothing even to slow his fall. And then the rock grew steeper and he wasn't sliding, he was falling, falling, and he knew he was going to die.
"Nafai!" screamed Vas. "Nafai!"
Chapter 13
Luet was at the stream, washing clothes, when suddenly there came a clear thought into her mind: (He's not dead.)
Not dead? Who's not dead? Why should he be dead?
(Nafai is not dead. He'll come home.)
She knew at once that it was the Oversoul speaking to her. Reassuring her. But she was not reassured. Or rather, she was reassured to know that Nafai was all right. But now she had to know, demanded to know what had happened.
(He fell.)
How did he fall?
(His foot slipped on the face of the rock.)
Nafai is sure-footed. Why did his foot slip? What is it that you're not telling me?
(I was watching Vas very carefully with Sevet and Obring. Watching all the time. He has murder in his heart.)
Did Vas have something to do with Nafai's fall?
(Not until they were traversing the rock did I see the plan in his mind. He had already destroyed the first three pulses. I knew he meant to destroy the last one, but I wasn't concerned because there are alternatives. I never saw it in his mind, not until the last moment, that the simplest way to destroy the last pulse was to lead Nafai to a dangerous place and then push his foot so he would fall.)
You never saw a plan like that in his mind?
(All the way down the mountain he was thinking of a route to the sea. How to get down to the bay so he could walk to Dorova. That's all that was in his mind as he led Nafai after quarry that didn't exist. Vas has remarkable powers of concentration. He thought of nothing but the path to the sea, until the very last moment.)
Didn't you warn Nafai?
(He heard me, but he didn't realize it was my voice