Chapter 26
When they arrived back in the village, tension and alarm had replaced the calm and hope that had filled the village when they had left. Maru headed for the hut where his father lay, Sartin close behind.
The chief lay on his pallet, his chest heaving for life-giving air. His entire body shone with perspiration. Maru’s mother dutifully sponged her husband’s body, the other women in the village keeping her supplied with fresh water and clean cloths.
Across the village, more offerings had accumulated outside Sartin’s hut. Torn between seeking shelter inside the hut and just leaving again, Sartin made it to his hut without notice. He stretched out in the pool and dozed. Sartin splashed awake when Kekoa entered the hut without warning. He nearly tore the door off the wall.
“How co
