On the other side of the scar tissue would be a tiny strand of web. Attached to the web would be an egg, floating inside Tal’s body. When night fell, the egg would hatch and the baby Spiderkin would call to its queen to collect it. Sa-at ran a hand through his hair. He did not want Tal to die.

With a flutter of wings, Crowflies landed next to him and pushed his hands aside with its beak for a closer look.

‘Can you get it out?’

Sa-at held his breath while Crowflies inspected the entry point. After a few moments, it nodded.

‘Will you?’

Crowflies looked from Sa-at to Tal and back again as it considered the question. Eventually it hopped over and tapped Tal’s thumb with its beak.

‘No. He needs his thumb.’

Sa-at watched the beak hover, then tap an index finger.

‘No.’

This time the beak came to rest on Tal’s eyelid.

‘No!’ Sa-at tugged at Tal’s earlobe. ‘This bit?’

Crowflies shook its head.

‘What about both of them?’

There was a pause, then Crowflies nodded. It worked its head into the hole in Tal’s jacket, paused, then stabbed into his armpit. Sa-at saw the Birdkin’s throat swell as its proboscis thrust out.

Tal called out in pain and tried to twist away but Sa-at held him down while Crowflies worked.

The red-tinged sky faded to grey and then Crowflies pulled back, something trapped and wriggling within its beak. The Birdkin regarded the thing’s tiny legs with interest. There was a crunch and a small but audible pop, and the wriggling stopped. Crowflies tipped its head up and swallowed.

‘Did you stop the blood?’ asked Sa-at.

Crowflies gave him a look.

‘Thank you.’

He turned away while Crowflies took its due, only turning back when the wounds were pinched closed. Both earlobes were gone, snipped away so smoothly it was as if they were never there. Tal was groaning and muttering to himself, though his eyes were only half-open. It seemed as if his body were awake but his mind still lurked in some dream. He allowed Sa-at to pull him up and lead him stumbling the way the group had gone.

It was fully dark when they reached Sagan.

There was a space where there were no trees and the ground was scorched black by old fire, abandoned land that bridged the gap between the edge of the Wild and the fences and fields where Sagan began. Lights burned orange along the tops of the fences, and as Sa-at pushed Tal towards them, he heard people shouting.

‘Over here! I see Tal! I see Tal!’

More of the lights began to move, until they had picked Sa-at from the darkness. He squinted his eyes against the sudden glare and waved. Tal raised his hands over his face and groaned.

‘He’s in pain! And what’s that feathered thing next to him?’