Free The Wrong Grave by Kelly Link Page A

stairs as if it had never been dying at all.
    Halsa stood up. Onion was gone, but she could still feel the wizard standing there on the other side of the door. “Thank you,” she said. She followed the fox kit down the stairs.
    The next morning she woke and found Onion lying on the pallet beside her. He seemed nearer, somehow, this time. As if he weren’t entirely dead. Halsa felt that if she tried to speak to him, he would answer. But she was afraid of what he would say.
    Essa saw Onion too. “You have a shadow,” she said.
    â€œHis name is Onion,” Halsa said.
    â€œHelp me with this,” Essa said. Someone had cut lengths of bamboo. Essa was fixing them in the ground, using a mixture of rocks and mud to keep them upright. Burd and some of the other children wove rushes through the bamboo, making walls, Halsa saw.
    â€œWhat are we doing?” Halsa asked.
    â€œThere is an army coming,” Burd said. “To burn down the town of Perfil. Tolcet went to warn them.”
    â€œWhat will happen?” Halsa said. “Will the wizards protect the town?”
    Essa laid another bamboo pole across the tops of the two upright poles. She said, “They can come to the marshes, if they want to, and take refuge. The army won’t come here. They’re afraid of the wizards.”
    â€œAfraid of the wizards!” Halsa said. “Why? The wizards are cowards and fools. Why won’t they save Perfil?”
    â€œGo ask them yourself,” Essa said. “If you’re brave enough.”
    â€œHalsa?” Onion said. Halsa looked away from Essa’s steady gaze. For a moment there were two Onions. One was the shadowy ghost from the train, close enough to touch. The second Onion stood beside the cooking fire. He was filthy, skinny, and real. Shadow-Onion guttered and then was gone.
    â€œOnion?” Halsa said.
    â€œI came out of the mountains,” Onion said. “Five days ago, I think. I didn’t know where I was going, except that I could see you. Here. I walked and walked and you were with me and I was with you.”
    â€œWhere are Mik and Bonti?” Halsa said. “Where’s Mother?”
    â€œThere were two women on the train with us. They were rich. They’ve promised to take care of Mik and Bonti. They will. I know they will. They were going to Qual. When you gave me the doll, Halsa, you saved the train. We could see the explosion, but we passed through it. The tracks were destroyed and there were clouds and clouds of black smoke and fire, but nothing touched the train. We saved everyone.”
    â€œWhere’s Mother?” Halsa said again. But she already knew. Onion was silent. The train stopped beside a narrow stream to take on water. There was an ambush. Soldiers. There was a bottle with water leaking out of it. Halsa’s mother had dropped it. There was an arrow sticking out of her back.
    Onion said, “I’m sorry, Halsa. Everyone was afraid of me, because of how the train had been saved. Because I knew that there was going to be an explosion. Because I didn’t know about the ambush and people died. So I got off the train.”
    â€œHere,” Burd said to Onion. He gave him a bowl of porridge. “No, eat it slowly. There’s plenty more.”
    Onion said with his mouth full, “Where are the wizards of Perfil?”
    Halsa began to laugh. She laughed until her sides ached and until Onion stared at her and until Essa came over and shook her. “We don’t have time for this,” Essa said. “Take that boy and find him somewhere to lie down. He’s exhausted.”
    â€œCome on,” Halsa said to Onion. “You can sleep in my bed. Or if you’d rather, you can go knock on the door at the top of the tower and ask the wizard of Perfil if you can have his bed.”
    She showed Onion the cubby under the stairs and he lay down on it. “You’re dirty,” she said.