I was so puzzled by what was happening to Sarra that I decided to start watching her comings and goings from Devil’s Rock. The evening before her sixteenth birthday celebration I followed her up there.
She walked up late in the afternoon as usual and arrived about an hour before dark. I walked on a little further and circled around so I could observe her from the bushes on the overhang.
When I got into position I could hear her practicing her elocution, although after a while it didn’t sound much like practice to me. Her voice was clear, beautiful, and ringing, and she sang part of the time. But it sounded like she was carrying on a conversation with a nearby person; she’d listen and then talk and even interrupt herself. But I never heard or saw anyone she could be talking to.
As the sun touched the horizon and shadow moved up the cliff face she lay down on the altar and started singing softly and rhythmically. She was singing to someone but I still couldn’t tell who. I looked around and the only one in sight was me. At least I thought so, until I saw a party of men armed with nets and clubs moving slowly along the base of the cliff. Slavers!! It was clear they’d heard the singing and were coming to investigate.
Sarra was still lost in her rhythmic chanting so I had to do something. When the party was right below me, I started yelling. I grabbed big rocks and heaved them over the edge. It worked. I heard knocks, thuds, grunts, and yells. The men split up, looking for a way up the cliff. I looked over through the twilight to see if Sarra had taken advantage of the commotion to escape. She hadn’t, but what I thought I saw made me stand motionless, staring. There was a dark, eel-like shape slithering up over the edge of the altar toward Sarra. A few moments afterward it disappeared under her and she stopped singing, got up, and headed into the trees.
“Total success,” I whispered to myself. “Mikal, you’re a hero.” I was about to head into the trees myself and scoot home when all of a sudden this net dropped on me and I got a large clunk on the head that knocked me senseless.