The day Mr. Rono returned was also the day the entrance to the Labyrinth became choked with thorns. And the pack of lynxes no longer came to the infirmaries to bear away the afflicted.

  From then on, the number of sudden deaths in Diang surged inexplicably.

  Throughout the city, funeral processions wound through every thoroughfare. The clamor of horns, drums, and weeping rang across the streets. The mortuaries ran out of coffins. Thus, the kinsfolk of the dead were compelled to fashion rude wooden caskets with their own hands, for burial, before the corpses could dissolve into green paste. Not since the war ended nearly twelve years ago had the city witnessed such woeful days.

  The children no longer gathered in great numbers. During this mournful period, Ramii was no longer seen among them.

  Hudyn and Katuo had searched for him for days on end. At last, Katuo recalled a place where Ramii often went to leave offerings of fruit and flowers. They found him there, seated with his back against a grave, his father’s.

  Dusk was drawing near. Ramii’s face was ashen, like a sky laden with rain, and his eyes had sunk deep into their sockets.

  “You little rascal—so you’ve been hiding here.” Hudyn bent down and flipped Ramii’s hair back from his face. “By the heavens! It’s only been a week, and you already look like a moldy loaf left out in the rain. What, you think we’re still playing hide-and-seek, huh?”

  Katuo kicked Hudyn in the shin, making him jump with a yelp. Without a word, Katuo placed a hand on Ramii’s shoulder and sat down beside him.

  Hudyn dropped down heavily across from the other two. His mouth itched to speak, but he fell silent under Katuo’s threatening glare. His jaw set, his head low, he began plucking at the grass around him, one blade at a time.

  The moon was veiled by dark clouds overhead. The familiar graveyard now felt cold and forbidding to Katuo. He leaned closer to Ramii. No children’s laughter or chatter lingered here anymore. Silence settled over the graveyard.

  ~~~

  “Those green corpses…” Raymii spoke up, making the other two flinch. “I don’t want to keep this from you anymore…”

  “Lady Tlyna is my mother.” His voice broke. “Those blue bodies are all tied to her. I’m afraid that one day… Mr. Rono will end up the same.”

  Katuo drew his hand back from Ramii’s shoulder. He recoiled, staring at him in wordless shock.

  Ramii confessed everything he knew about his mother. What had long weighed upon him could no longer be kept hidden. The sudden deaths that left behind green corpses were spreading throughout the city. Then came the uncanny return of Mr. Rono. All of it fed Ramii’s growing dread that his mother’s work within the Snaketongue Tree concealed something dark and wicked—something beyond mere healing.

  Crowds had begun to gather around the entrance to the Labyrinth, shouting and cursing, demanding that Tlyna show herself. Ramii said it was only a matter of time before they tore through the thorn forest and forced their way into his home. When that happened, he and his mother would have no choice but to flee.

  “At first, I was afraid when I heard all that,” said Katuo. “But when I thought about it, I knew better. If it weren’t for you and Lady Tlyna, my grandsire and I would have died long ago. Don’t weigh your heart down with it.

  My grandsire always said that when things feel hopeless, it’s best to leave them be for a while. Press too hard and nothing moves. In time, the path shows itself.”

  “Heavens above, Katuo!” Hudyn exclaimed. “You sound just like those old monks I’ve been stuck with. Sounds fine enough, though I don’t get much of it. If you were a fair maiden, I’d plant a kiss on you right now—” He puckered his lips, only to catch a sharp elbow to the jaw.

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  “Ouch, you little devil!” Hudyn rubbed his chin and snorted. “Still, it’s true. Without Ramii, I’d be worm food by now. It’s a simple thing, really. You’re the one making it heavy. So prick up your ears and listen to me.”

  Hudyn’s idea was as straightforward as he had put it. If there were doubts, they should go and see for themselves—sitting around in gloom would solve nothing. When all was laid bare, they might still clear Tlyna’s name. His friend needed to take action to untangle his doubts.

  ~~~

  The following day, Ramii told Hudyn and Katuo to bathe, rinse their mouths, and wash their clothes carefully with lemon-leaf water, so the lynxes would not catch the scent of strangers.

  When night fell, Ramii led his two friends along a circuitous path through the Labyrinth. Upon reaching his house, he bade them hide in the small shed at the back, then went inside to eat his dinner.

  As always, Tlyna had laid out the meal. Ramii sat with his head lowered, saying nothing. She swallowed. “My child, I can see you’re hurting. I know something weighs on you. I hope one day you’ll understand what I’ve had to bear. Be patient a little longer. When the time is right, I’ll tell you everything.”

  Tlyna ladled a bowl of porridge and set it before Ramii. “Eat while it’s hot. I made the fish porridge you like...”

  “In a few days, once I have guided the last of the patients on their way, I must depart for another place. Stay with Mr. Rono for a season. I have already written to him. The lynxes will watch over you. I shall return before long...”

  Ramii nodded faintly. He finished his meal. Then he went into the study chamber, took down a book, and climbed into bed to read. After a while, he closed his eyes and lay still.

  At midnight, the moment Tlyna crossed the threshold, he sprang up, slipped to the back of the house, and quietly summoned the other two inside.

  Through a narrow crack in the front door, the three pressed their faces close and peered outside. Tlyna was already standing before the Snaketongue Tree. A vertical slit in the trunk slowly split open. Ramii was all too familiar with the sight, while the other two felt goosebumps rise the moment they saw it.

  As soon as Tlyna vanished from view, Ramii urged them to run. They sprinted toward the entrance as it began to close. Ramii sent the other two in first and slipped through at the last instant.

  ~~~

  Within the Snaketongue Tree, everything was bathed in a hazy greenish glow. It radiated from clusters of small orbs embedded all around them. These tiny lights emitted faint squeaks and blinked, as though watching the children’s every step. All about them, the uneven surfaces heaved and rippled without pause. Scattered throughout were great cocoons, wrapped in interwoven strands that spread like mold. From their casings protruded fleshy lumps, throbbing steadily like living hearts.

  The children trembled as they edged forward and wove through the twitching cocoons. Now and then, grotesque bulges swelled suddenly along their surfaces, sending a jolt through their chests.

  Katuo’s face was deathly pale, his thoughts caught on the fear that something—or someone—stirred within. “No… it cannot be,” he murmured under his breath. “I must not believe it. May divine mercy keep us.”

  Ahead, Hudyn caught sight of a shadowy silhouette and motioned for the others to follow. As they drew nearer, they saw that it was Tlyna, descending into a pit that led underground.

  The three crept along a spiraling slope inside the pit. When they reached the bottom, the sight before them froze the blood in their veins.

  Cocoons identical to those above hung upside down, suspended the fleshy vault high above. Many were not fully wrapped in their outer strands, exposing human heads or partial bodies. Katuo clung to Ramii’s arm. Tears gathered in his eyes. Hudyn, too, covered his mouth with both hands.

  Tlyna’s silhouette loomed faintly in the hazy mist. They had gone too far to turn back. The children gathered what courage they could and stepped closer for a clearer look. Then they split up and hid behind three cocoons.

  Standing before Tlyna was a bizarre creature. The two were conversing in an unfamiliar tongue. It had arms, legs, and a face, yet it was unmistakably inhuman. Its head was pallid white, cloaked in long crimson scales, and its slanted eyes gleamed with a reddish-brown hue. Ramii suddenly realized. It was the very face his mother had drawn in the study.

  “AHHH!”

  A hand shot out from a cocoon and clamped around Katuo’s wrist. His scream reverberated through the hollow, rousing the hanging cocoons. They began to sway and writhe violently all at once. Human forms thrashed within them. Arms reached out, as though pleading to be freed. Katuo felt as though he had stumbled into a living hell, his mind reeling in panic.

  As he struggled to gather his wits, the creature lunged at him, its green flame-blade arcing upward. In that split second between life and death, he could only raise his hands by instinct, eyes squeezed shut, awaiting death’s judgment.

  Katuo hit the ground. Blood splattered across his face. Someone had just thrust him aside. He peered through half-opened eyes. A figure lay motionless before him, a long gash torn across his back. Katuo knew who it was.

  Ramii had taken the blade in his place.

  ~~~