Her eyes narrowed. “Is this what you do? Agree with everything Leelo says? No wonder she liked having you around.” She ground her knee farther into his stomach. The singing, which had been a distant hum up until now, seemed to be growing closer. “You’re my kill,” she said, and with that, she slowly drew the knife across his throat. Just deep enough to draw blood. Just deep enough to let him know that next time, she would cut to kill.

Chapter Fifty-Three

“Mama, wait!” Leelo screamed as she ran after her mother through the Forest. She’d never known Fiona could move so quickly, especially given how ill she’d seemed just moments earlier, but she was driven now, not trying to save her strength for later.

“We have to tell Ketty,” Fiona rasped. “She can’t kill him if she knows he’s an Endlan.”

“Are you sure?” Leelo wanted so desperately to believe her mother was right. And her theory made sense. Jaren had never reacted to Endlan singing the way an outsider should. And his voice, though untrained and unpracticed, was as sweet as any Endlan’s. Saints, let Mama be right.

“I’m sure,” Fiona said, pausing just long enough to take Leelo’s hand and pull her along down the trail.

The singing was everywhere, and Leelo wished she could block it out somehow. She’d always hated this song, punctuated by shrill shrieks and guttural cries, but she loathed it now. A family of raccoons hurried across the trail; she wasn’t sure if they were running toward the singers or fleeing. The Endlans wouldn’t kill any animals tonight. That wasn’t the goal of their Hunt.

Finally, they reached the pine grove, but only a few elderly Endlans were there, sitting on log benches, waiting for the main event to start. Leelo glared at them.

“What are you doing out?” an old man asked. “You’re supposed to be under guard at your house.”

“Our guard left,” Leelo spat. “Where is Ketty?”

“Hunting, of course,” the old man said. “And based on the way things are quieting down, I’d say he’s been caught. It won’t be long now.”

He was right. Only a few minutes later, which Leelo spent pacing, her hands pressed against her ears, the Endlans began returning to the pine grove. “Who caught him?” someone asked. A few people shook their heads.

And then Sage entered the clearing, and they had their answer.

Leelo gasped at the sight of blood running from a wound in Jaren’s neck onto his tunic. Sage had her knife to his back, her intent clear. Leelo pushed her way through the crowd until she reached him.

“Leelo?” he breathed.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, a moment before she was ripped away by several Endlans.