“It could’ve happened to anyone,” Hadjar remarked philosophically.
“I was too arrogant.” With great difficulty, the islander sat up. Sniffing, he took a pre-prepared cup of medicine and drank it in one gulp. “I looked down on them, and the Great Turtle punished me for it. While I was meditating, these chekhars managed to put the collar on me. If not for the horror that followed, I would even admire their dexterity. They’d placed it around the head of an arrow... Apparently, I’m not the first they’ve caught like that. I managed to feel it happening, but couldn’t react in time.”
“And then they only cut into you with knives,” Hadjar guessed from his wounds.
“To prevent disturbances in the World River,” Einen nodded. “And they kept me conscious with some drug.”
“What did they want?
“
