Page 24 of Wind Rider

“She should’ve blamed Thaddeus!” Mari said, stroking the water harder to relieve her frustration. “It was his fault.”

“Anger does strange things to people,” Nik said.

“There has to be more to it than that,” Mari said. “I was so, so angry when I walked into the Tribe tonight. Angrier than I’ve ever been in my life, but I wasn’t filled with hate. I’m sorry we had to leave Ralina and the others who seem so decent back there with Thaddeus.”

“I know about anger.” Jaxom’s voice was hesitant at first, but as he spoke his confidence grew, and his words reflected that. “All Earth Walker men know about anger. I believe it takes more than anger to turn someone into the kind of hate-filled monster you describe Thaddeus and his followers as. It takes self-loathingandself-deceit. I tried to fight the Skin Stealer disease—the anger and the hatred that festered within me with the sickness. But not all of us did. Remember Joshua?”

“I do,” Mari said. It was Joshua, along with Brandon and Jaxom, who, under the influence of the Skin Stealer disease, attacked Sora not longago. “Joshua was one of the two infected Earth Walkers Nik killed protecting Sora,” she explained to Davis and Nik.

“Yes, well, we were all infected together. Brandon seemed to try to fight the disease like me, but Joshua gave in to it quickly. It was like he found pleasure in his growing anger. He tracked Sora. I say this not to take away my personal responsibility. I will spend the rest of my life trying to atone for what I almost did to Sora. But remember the kind of man Joshua wasbeforehe was infected?”

“I didn’t know him well,” said Mari. “But I do remember one thing about him, because Mama admonished him for it—he cheated at net ball.”

“Yes, so much that no one wanted him on their team,” said Jaxom.

“Net ball?” Nik asked. “What’s that?”

“A game the Clan loves to play,” said Jaxom. “I can show you the next time we make land and have some free time.”

“I’d like that,” Nik said.

The young Earth Walker’s words piqued the interest of the healer within Mari. “So, Jaxom, what you’re saying is how the Skin Stealer disease affects people might be tied to the ethics of each person. I’ll have to make note of that in my journal.”

“It’s an interesting theory,” said Davis.

“And, hopefully, one we won’t need to test because we’re leaving the poisoned city behind,” said Nik.

“Another good thing about this river, right, Nik?” teased Davis.

Nik snorted, and Mari poked him gently with her paddle again. Nik playfully batted it away, which she was glad to see. He wouldn’t be waving that arm around after her paddle if his wound had broken open and was bleeding again.

They settled back into silent paddling as Mari considered what Jaxom had said. It did make sense. Wilkes and Claudia had been infected—just like Thaddeus. But they had remained themselves—sick and dying versions of themselves, but they hadn’t succumbed to hatred and anger like Thaddeus. Sora, too, had been infected, and though her anger level increased, they had been able to reason with her—she’d still been their Sora.

“Nik, you knew the Hunters and Warriors who were shooting arrows at you, right?” Mari asked.

“Yeah, of course. I grew up with them. And there was only one Warrior shooting at me—Maxim. The rest were Hunters.”

“What was Maxim like before he was infected?”

Nik paused in his paddling as he considered. “He was arrogant. He used to make fun of the Terriers. He called them miniature dogs, not even canines, and encouraged his Shepherd to bully them. Hey, Jaxom may have a point. Though I liked Maeve. It was after Father died that she changed.”

“Maybe not. I didn’t like her,” Mari admitted. “Sorry, Nik, but the night I met her and your father she was cold—distant—a lot different than how Sol greeted me.”

“It does give Jaxom’s theory more weight,” said Nik.

“Hello, the boats!” Antreas’s call interrupted their conversation.

Mari squinted, trying to make out which blob belonged to the Lynx Companion’s boat.

“We’re bringing up the rear, but we’re all together!” Nik shouted back.

“Circle up!” Antreas said.

It only took a few minutes for all the boats to gather in a bobbing, lopsided circle. Antreas and Danita paddled their little canoe into the middle. Mari noted with pleasure that Danita seemed to already be an expert on the water as she mirrored Antreas’s strokes perfectly.

“Okay, can all of you see the metal spikes sticking out of the water there?” Antreas pointed upriver.

There were still clouds in the sky, but they were more like ghosts flitting past the moon, allowing silver light to shine through. As the gentle wind parted their gauzy shrouds Mari could see two distinct hulks jutting from the river not far from either bank. Almost exactly in the center of the wide waterway another ruin protruded, though it appeared that section of the bridge had come to rest on its side, so that a wall of rust formed an ominous, watery barricade.