Tom looked down at the body, angered that this had happened. Toby had been so eager to follow Joel’s orders that it had made him careless and disrespectful of the jungle, to the point of succumbing to an entirely avoidable threat. And now he was dead, for no good reason, and Tom felt a sudden, almost physical urge to be away from him.

“Up to you.” He didn’t wait for an answer, but turned and walked back up the hill.

CHAPTER 10

He guessed no words were said because Chris and Shen and Barney were right behind him by the time he regained the ridge. What use were words anyway? He remembered lots of words at his parents’ funeral, people talking about what amazing friends they’d been, how they’d never be forgotten, and even at that young age he’d wondered what the point of it all was.

Tom stopped on the ridge. The rest of the group was still busy but most of the luggage had been cleared off the slope now.

Chris stood next to him and said, “I think I should be the one who tells them.”

He seemed to think Tom might object, as if there were some glory in being the one who broke the news, but Tom said, “Fine by me.”

Chris nodded, then glanced at Shen and Barney, perhaps fearing they might try to steal his thunder, and set off down the slope, gaining speed as he went, his bulk and his eagerness to share the news propelling him downward.

Shen and Barney were talking quietly as they looked out at the jungle. It was clear Shen had mentioned the line of the river, because Barney studied it before pointing at the low hills in the distance and the cleft that suggested the river might run between them.

Then Barney said to Tom, “Shen told me about your plan.”

“It’s hardly a plan.”

“All the same, I want to come, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all.”

Chris had almost reached the tail of the plane and the people higher up the slope dropped what they were doing and followed after him, the crowd quickly gravitating to hear what he had to say. Distressed responses rose up to them on the heavy, still air.

Apparently ignoring the commotion, Barney focused his attention on the small mountain of luggage that had built up in front of the open tail section. “What are they doing? That’s exactly where we’ll need to build the fire.”

“I said that, but Joel doesn’t think a fire is important right now.”

“Idiot.”

Tom said, “Maybe we just need to give him a good enough reason to build one. Come on.”

He set off down the slope and the other two followed him. The whole group was gathered together, Joel and Chris at their center, surrounded by too many voices, too many questions, not enough answers.