AnGangseh reached the water's edge downriver of Seh and waded in up to her waist. She reached into her sleeve and Hok thought that AnGangseh was going to pull out something to extend her reach in order to help Seh as he floundered in the water. Instead, AnGangseh's wrist snapped powerfully outward in the direction of Seh's bobbing head.
Even under the darkened skies and pouring rain, Hok saw the flash of metal sink into Seh's neck. He choked loud enough for Hok to hear, and his body went limp in the water.
“No!” Hok cried. It was a throwing dart, and judging by Seh's reaction, Hok was certain it had been tipped with poison.
Hok began to swim furiously toward Seh. Behind her, she heard Fu roar—and then stop.
“No! No! No!” Hok shouted. Whatever had just happened to Fu had knocked him out, or worse.
Hok slowed in the water and raised her head toward AnGangseh. AnGangseh threw back her black hood and flashed a deadly beautiful smile at Hok as Seh drifted into her arms.
Hok was powerless to help. AnGangseh reached into Seh's robe and removed the dragon scroll he carried. She slipped the scroll up her sleeve and did the unthinkable.
Still staring at Hok, AnGangseh flipped Seh facedown in the river and shoved him into the current. Then she turned up her hood and slithered back to shore.
Hok could not believe what she had just seen. She wished it was another bad dream but knew this was not the case. Seh was going to die.
Hok spread her arms wide and thrust them deep into the cold, muddy river, propelling herself forward at a frantic pace. Ahead of her in the darkness and pouring rain, Seh's unconscious body convulsed and rolled over in the river's current. At least he was now floating faceup. She might have a chance to save him.
Hok reached Seh and slipped behind him. She wrapped her arms around his chest, kicking her feet powerfully to keep both their heads above water. She leaned her head over Seh's shoulder and placed her ear in front of his lips. At the same time, she squeezed his narrow rib cage, hoping to hear something telling.
Hok got more than an earful.
Seh suddenly retched, a thick stream of dirty river water and stomach bile spewing out of his mouth. Hok shuddered and shook her head. She tilted her face toward the sky and let the heavy rain wash her skin clean. Through her arms, Hok felt Seh's chest heaving. He was breathing.
However, Seh was still very much unconscious. Hok would have to swim for both of them. With one arm around her brother and the other arm—her injured arm—paddling with all her might, Hok began to slowly make her way toward the shore.
With her good arm around Seh's chest, Hok felt something wriggle beneath his collar. It was his snake. She had forgotten all about it. Hok fought the urge to pull her arm away and shifted her grip. The snake's colorful head poked out of Seh's collar, into the rain-soaked gloom.
Hok turned away. She glanced back upstream and her eyes widened. Tonglong had pulled his dragon boat out beyond the willow's canopy and was launching it into the river! AnGangseh was with him.
Hok sank as low in the water as possible, pulling Seh and the snake down with her. They needed to find cover. Hok spotted a large tree leaning into the swollen river and made for it with every bit of strength she had left.
Hok reached the tree and its jumble of twisted limbs as Tonglong pushed the dragon boat out into the current with AnGangseh aboard. Hok slipped into the tangled mess with Seh in tow and locked one arm around him, the other around a thick, slippery limb. The current was much stronger here. If she wasn't careful, she and Seh would be washed out into the open.
The dragon boat raced downstream through the heavy rain with surprising speed. AnGangseh was at the bow, Tonglong at the stern. Each was rowing with a single paddle. Otherwise, the boat was empty. Soon they were close enough for Hok to hear them.
“Sssteer clear of that tree in the water,” AnGangseh said, pointing to Hok's hiding place.
“But what if the girl is hiding in there?” Tonglong asked. “Or Seh?”
“Forget about them,” AnGangseh said. “Ssseh is as good as dead, and the girl is no longer of value to us. HaMo is sssatisfied with the monkey and tiger boys as payment. Those boys will earn him a fortune. We have what we desire, and it isn't worth our time to capture the girl and turn her in to the authorities. We need to make haste.”
“Then make haste we shall,” Tonglong replied.
And just like that, the dragon boat passed.
Hok sighed with relief. She looked at Seh still locked under her arm. How could a mother talk about her son that way? she wondered.
Hok took a few moments to catch her breath, and her mind began to race. What was HaMo going to do with Malao and Fu? she wondered. Turn them in for the reward she'd seen posted in Kaifeng? At least they were still alive—for now.