Katuo had always been a crybaby, but never had Ramii and Hudyn seen him weep so long and so hard. His eyes remained puffy for ten days straight, ever since Mr. Rono was taken into the Labyrinth. Ramii did not know whether his mother could save him. He had seen how shallow Mr. Rono’s breathing was when they carried him into the Snaketongue Tree. Now, only a miracle could wrench him from death’s grasp.

  Tlyna never revealed anything to Ramii about the afflicted, nor about what occurred within the Snaketongue Tree. Such was her rule. Yet this time it was Mr. Rono, and Ramii hoped for an exception. No matter how often he pressed his mother, her answer remained unchanged: “I cannot speak yet. Await the thirteenth day.”

  Hudyn and Ramii kept vigil at Katuo’s home through those days, taking turns to look after him. And so the thirteenth day arrived at last. At first light, the three of them gathered near the Labyrinth’s entrance. They sat beneath the shade of an old fig tree, gazing toward the dark opening before the thorn forest.

  Tlyna had told Ramii to go there and wait for word of Mr. Rono, yet she had said nothing of whether he lived or died. The day before, she had said to him, “Do not bring Katuo. Tomorrow I will tell you first. Then you may find a way to speak to your friend later. Whether one lives ten more years, or a hundred, all must one day return to the earth. Pray for him.”

  In the end, Ramii chose to disregard his mother’s words and brought both his friends along.

  “Would you quit it already?” Hudyn grumbled. “You’re bawling like a girl. Your eyes look like a pair of snails—it’s freaking me out.”

  “I only had grandsire…” Katuo choked out. He picked up a dried fig leaf and bit down hard so he would not cry.

  “He’s gone… who will I live with now? My grandsire loved me more than anyone…” At this, his voice caught in his throat, and then he burst into louder sobs.

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  “Then you’ll live with me and Ramii. Who else?” Hudyn said loudly. “I don’t either…” He nearly said that he had no kin of his own, but swallowed the words. His face drooped; he looked ready to cry too. “I’m just saying—don’t worry, alright? Your grandsire’s tough as old boots. And Tlyna? She’s the finest Divine Healer there is. There’s none better. I’m sure Mr. Rono will pull through. He still has to be our referee… Right, Ramii?”

  Ramii’s heart clenched. Words failed him. How could he offer comfort when he himself dared not believe in it?

  The sun had set behind the thorn forest. A faint glimmer still lay upon the clouds. The noise around them ebbed. Not only the children, but many others as well fixed their eyes upon the sole entrance. Those chosen to enter either stepped forth on their own, or were carried out upon a cot by the lynxes, no longer breathing.

  “Look!”

  “Someone’s coming out!”

  “He’s out!”

  Voices rose in unison, and the crowd surged toward the Labyrinth’s entrance.

  Katuo dashed forward at the first shout, the other two close at his heels. There was no mistaking the silhouette that stepped out from the Labyrinth. But then their run faltered. The joy on their faces gave way to stunned disbelief. For before them stood Mr. Rono. Alive, with both legs intact and both ears.

  ~~~

  Mr. Rono returned home with the children. In the early days, Hudyn and Ramii still harbored misgivings about this changed Rono. They pressed him with questions about the past, and he answered each one clearly and without error. His speech, his habits, and his deportment, none strayed from the Mr. Rono they had always known. Even Mr. Rono was not without doubt, and he understood their unease. He answered every question willingly, for he, too, wished to test whether he was still truly himself.

  He recounted that he could not remember a single thing from within the Labyrinth. Only when he was led back through the entrance did his consciousness slowly return. In that moment, he felt as though he had been granted a second birth.

  Only Katuo had little doubt about him. Or perhaps, he did not wish to.

  “My grandsire is my grandsire, with or without his legs,” he told the other two. “Just seeing him return is enough to make me happy. Surely this is thanks to Lady Tlyna’s miraculous healing. Why don’t you both think so?”

  ~~~