“Lana, no!” Dekka cried.
Lana didn’t hear the shot. But she felt the gun buck in her hand. She saw the jet of flame.
And she saw Edilio fall straight back.
She saw him land on his back.
His head bounced as he hit.
Lana shifted her aim. Sights lined up on Dekka who seemed paralyzed in shock.
Lana squeezed the trigger.
Click.
Click.
Dekka raised her hands. Her expression was furious, determined. But she did not use her power. Her eyes flickered. She lowered her hands and rushed to Edilio.
Dekka knelt over Edilio. She gasped. Pressed her hand against the wound in his chest. Trying to hold the blood in.
“Lana. Lana,” Dekka pleaded with tears running down her cheeks. “Help him.”
Lana stood confused. The gun wasn’t working. Why wasn’t it working? The question was not hers, the thought not her thought.
The gaiaphage was confused. Why did the weapon not kill? It did not understand. So much it knew. But not everything.
The gun slipped from Lana’s fingers. She heard it clatter on stone.
“Lana, you can save him,” Dekka pleaded.
I can save no one, Lana thought. Least of all myself.
Lana took two steps back.
The last thing she saw was Dekka rushing to Edilio.
Lana returned to her master.
FORTY
38 MINUTES
THE SUN WAS sinking into the sea. Shadows were lengthening in Perdido Beach. The plaza was full of kids, far more kids than Zil could possibly feed with one deer.
It worried him at first. But then he realized the simple solution: Those who would take part in the sacrificing of Hunter would eat. Those who would only watch, would not.
Those who laid hands on Hunter would be a part of Zil’s group. They would have demonstrated their loyalty beyond all doubt. Their bridges would be burned. He would own them, body and soul after that.
They would be lifetime members of the Human Crew.
A big fire had been built in the dried-out fountain. Someone clever had raided the hardware store and had rigged a spit onto which big hunks of the deer, chopped into slabs with an ax, were roasting.
The smell was amazing.
Turk had grabbed spray cans and tagged the fountain and some of the sidewalks with Lisa’s stylized “HC” logo.
“How we doing this, man?” Antoine asked.