CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
Once five seconds had passed, and he still didn’t feel a spear through his head, Alf opened his eyes. He was still standing in Chief Andy’s tent in the middle of a tight ring of hostile Mudokon warriors, and they were still surrounded by a wall of spears, but for some reason the Mudokons were not attacking.
Also for some unknown reason, they were staring at something, something Alf couldn’t see from his current vantage point. He took a step toward the spearmen, who took no notice of his motion and kept their attention fixed on whatever it was they were looking at.
After a moment, Alf saw it. Actually, saw him.
It was Jake. “Hey, Andy!” the shaman called out. “You really pulled a sour one this time.”
The chief shook his head. “These tried to –”
“You have a problem with them asking for help?” Jake snorted. “You really have no brain on your broad shoulders, Andy, if you think you can just be so rude to everybody without problems.”
Andy pointed his spear at the shaman. “You not insult me or we kill.”
Jake laughed. “I don’t know how you got to be tribe chief, Andy, but all the people who voted for you were just as big fools as you are now.”
The chief’s eyes stretched wide. “You insult me –”
“It’s kinda hard not to, when you’re so touchy,” Grunn said from behind Alf. “And Abe needs our help out there.”
Jake pointed away with one finger. “He’s right, Andy. Abe is Oddworld’s best chance to be ruled by nature – and you’re just gonna let him get killed? I’m sure he’d do the same to you.”
Andy grinned. “If he smart, he would.”
“He’s certainly a lot smarter than you,” the shaman snapped. “And unless you want thousands of Sligs burning your village to the ground, you’ll help him out.”
The chief scratched at his head. “But…but why?”
“He’s a hero,” Alf said with a smile. “And since heroes have all the luck, he has better chances of winning than any of us.”
“He’s got a good career report,” Ferg said.
Jake gestured away. “Do as I say, Andy. ‘Bye, guys; I’ll be off collecting some more tribes to help us out.”
With a flash of blue sparkly light, the shaman vanished into the air. All the Mudokons stood staring at the place where he had been for a moment, as if they simply couldn’t believe they had just been scolded and ordered around by some magically-poofing-here-and-there shaman.
Then Andy sighed, a rumbling sound that came from deep within his chest. He pointed with his spear. “Fine. We go.”
Alf’s grin went wider. “I knew you’d come to see the light eventually, my friend.”
* * *
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