“Mita’s dead,” one boy had said. “I saw him fall.”
“What of Met Hon?” Nang had asked.
“He was cut in two,” Duch had answered.
“Of Eng? Horl? Van? Ith?”
“I don’t know.” “Dead.” “Shot in the legs and couldn’t run. They’ll decapitate him while he still breathes.” “His company is lost.”
During the afternoon other stragglers had arrived. “Why didn’t they fight?” “Who?” “The yuons, the stinging red ants!” “They pulled back as soon as we attacked.”
“Ssshh,” Nang had hissed authoritatively. “Listen. Let this be our lesson. We must rely only on ourselves. Allies are enemies. Enemies are enemies. Let that bind us. Spread out. Search for others and bring them to me. Let’s teach the yuons a lesson, too.”
“That corrupt son of a b***h,” Sullivan cursed under his breath. All day and all night he’d
