“It’s a . . . grasscutter,” Orlu said. He looked as if he were trying to say more but could not.

“Grasscutters are the size of cats! That’s HUGE!” His eyes bulged and twitched as he held on to Sunny.

“I know,” Orlu said.

“Shit!” Chukwu screeched. “Look at the head!! Kai!”

“Please, we have to go.”

“I’m not . . . I’m coming with,” he said, still grasping Sunny’s arm and walking toward the grasscutter.

Orlu stepped in front of him. “You can’t! You don’t understand where we are going. I . . . I don’t know if you’ll survive.”

“I’m not letting my sister go somewhere like that without me!”

“Of all people,” Orlu said, “she will be fine.”

Chukwu looked at Sunny, sweat pouring down his face. She pleaded to him with her eyes. He turned back to Orlu. “If . . . if you can tell me where you are going, then I will stay.”

When Orlu could not, Chukwu let go of Sunny and pushed forward, about to grasp Grashcoatah’s fur. Lightning fast, Sunny made a decision and she felt Anyanwu come, settling just below her flesh. Sunny felt strong and aligned. She grabbed her juju knife and worked as fast as she could. She caught the juju bag in her shaking hand. She could hear a vehicle pull up to the compound gate outside. The council had arrived. She threw the Ujo at Chukwu. She hated to do it, but it was better than seeing him harmed. A Lamb would surely go mad or die in Osisi . . . or worse.

The terror that bloomed on her brother’s face made her want to weep. Hadn’t he been through enough in the last few weeks? His wounds from his beating weren’t even fully healed. The patch of healing skin from where they’d cut his face twitched as he backed away from Sunny.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, tears falling from her eyes. “Remember that. Tell Mom and Dad that I’m fine! And I’ll be back.”

But her brother wasn’t seeing her. She didn’t know what he was seeing. But whatever it was must have been horrifying for he opened his mouth and hollered loudly, turned, and ran wildly into the house. She just stood there. Then she felt someone grab the collar of her shirt. “Sunny, get on!” Chichi said, leaning almost upside down to grab Sunny.

But Sunny couldn’t get her feet to move. All she could see was her brother’s face. How it had broken into terror and how he’d run off like a madman. Had her Ujo been too strong? Had she just driven her own brother insane? Suddenly, her vision blossomed and she felt herself pulled physically backward. Then it was like she was a passenger in her own body watching herself climb onto Grashcoatah. As soon as she was on, Anyanwu mentally shoved her forward and Sunny gasped, looking wildly around.

Sasha was seated at Grashcoatah’s neck, Chichi clasping Sasha’s waist, and both staring at her with open mouths. She felt Orlu’s arm grab her tightly as they took off. Instinctively, Sunny grasped handfuls of the creature’s hair, her mind still trying to hold too many things at once. Grashcoatah’s body was hard; it reminded her of the thick hide of a pig or an elephant. But its strong hairs were soft to the touch.