“It tried,” Sunny tiredly said.

Sasha and then Orlu came running. Sasha only touched Sunny’s wet hair and hugged her head to his hip. Sunny leaned against him as Orlu knelt before her and took her hands. “What happened?” Orlu asked. His eyes were red and twitchy.

“Ekwensu,” Sunny whispered. “She’s back. She threw a bead and it was real and . . .”

Chichi used a drying juju on Sunny. She had to perform the spell twice because the first one left Sunny still damp and mildew-smelling. The second one left her dry, perfumed, and warm. “Thanks, Chichi,” Sunny said. Chichi only looked at Sunny with stunned, puffy eyes. They hugged and didn’t let go of each other for several minutes.

“Wait,” Sunny finally said, pulling away from her friend. “I have to do something.”

She stood up and brought out her juju knife and did the flourishes. When Anatov had shown her, she’d noticed that the shape he’d drawn in the air reminded her of Nsibidi. It was a skeleton of lines that was then dressed up with loops and swirls. When she finished, a strong force blew through her flesh, leaving a green mist in the shape of herself facing her. She stepped away from it, feeling her nose tingle.

“What is that?” Chichi asked.

“Residue from the wilderness,” Sunny said. She blew and the green lost its shape and began to separate and mix into the air.

“You were in the wilderness?” Orlu asked.

“Partially, I think. Maybe that’s how I saw Ekwensu. It was like she pulled me in.”

“Like turning someone’s head to look,” Chichi said.

Sasha nodded. “She waited to catch Sunny when she was weak. It wasn’t you she wanted to see; it was Anyanwu.”

“I think the river beast was also a diversion,” Chichi added. “So Sunny could be too weak and distracted to stop Ekwensu from tearing into the physical world.”

The four of them were quiet for a moment.

Chichi turned to Orlu. “So what happens if you don’t get rid of the residue?”

“She’ll get sick,” Orlu said. “Physically.”

Sunny sneezed and rubbed between her eyes.

“Bless you,” Orlu said.

“Let’s cross and get you something to eat,” Chichi said, helping Sunny up. “Then I want to hear all the details.” She glanced at the river and then leaned closer to Sunny and whispered, “It’s time to deal with the river beast.”

Sunny nodded. “It’s such a sellout, siding with Ekwensu like that.”

“Do you think you can cross?” Chichi said. “I mean, you don’t have to . . .”

“I’ll cross,” Sunny said. “This time I’ll glide so it’s fast.” The soccer field and Leopard Knocks were the two places she felt she belonged. She was not about to let the river beast rob her of one of those. She rubbed the black stone and stepped up to the bridge. But she knew as soon as she raised her head and looked at the narrow bridge that even if she wanted to, her foot would not move. She felt pain at the tips of her sandaled feet, as if she’d knocked them against a wall. She stumbled back, her eyes wide.