Skin of the Sea

Simi isn’t sure if her vision means trouble in Kola’s village, but she decides not to mention it until she understands its meaning. A few yumbo hunters return to the glade and report that Esu is nearby. Knowing the truth about Kola’s siblings makes Simi sure Esu’s presence isn’t a coincidence. Furnished with supplies from the yumboes, including a small bag of ground abada horn, she and Kola strike out for his village with Issa, a yumbo child, as a guide. They come to a river, where Simi enters the water to rejuvenate herself while Issa and Kola cross a bridge, which gives out under Kola’s weight.

As Kola swims to shore, Simi smells rot, and then Kola is dragged beneath the water by a Ninki Nanka (devil-dragon). Drawing her dagger, Simi dives after Kola, slicing at the monster until it releases him. The monster disarms her and lunges, and only then does Simi remember to try commanding it as she would sharks near ships. The creature obeys, and Simi asks why it attacked. It tells her it is hungry because the land has changed. Everything will slowly turn to rot, and “soon you will die with it” (132).