Manus Xingue (26 page)

‘Do it,’ orders Maria. ‘The arrow has missed the soldier’s heart and lungs – the Cat-people do not use poison.’

‘How do you know he is not dead?’ Chevez asks.

‘Don’t you know the difference between ordinary blood and the blood that flows through the heart and lungs – don’t you know anything about blood?’ Maria scolds, pointing to the blood on the arrow shaft. ‘Open your eyes and see. Blood from the heart is dark – blood from the lungs is lighter, full of oxygen – this blood is normal blood!’

Chevez helps Maria raise Jack Lacy into a sitting position; he is nervous they are vulnerable in the open!

‘Hold his head and shoulders,’ Maria orders. She then removes the flight feathers from the arrow. Opening her cloth bag she takes out a bottle of liquid anti-biotic, given to her by Lacy. She pours it along the shaft of the arrow then, telling Chevez to hold the stricken Lacy firmly from the back, she faces Lacy and places her right foot on his chest.

With one mighty tug, she pulls the arrow through from the front. Jack Lacy lets out a groan – opens his blue eyes and exclaims – ‘Gordon Bennett!’

The End

All rights reserved

Copyright © Brian Devereux, 2011

Jack Challis is hereby identified as author of this

work in accordance with Section 77 of the Copyright, Designs

and Patents Act 1988

ISBN in epub: 978-1-908596-20-8

ISBN in mobi: 978-1-908596-21-5

The book cover picture is copyright to Inmagine CorpLLC

This book is published by

Grosvenor House Publishing Ltd

28-30 High Street, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3EL.

www.grosvenorhousepublishing.co.uk

This book is sold subject to the conditions that it shall not, by way of

trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated

without the author's or publisher's prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and

without a similar condition including this condition being imposed

on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP record for this book

is available from the British Library