"What do you mean?"

Iyanipa had never been scared of Abrafo, but now, he was scared. He didn't know what to make of this strange being that spoke terrifying vague statements that did not give him any indication of how to save his family. Abrafo didn't seem to care though, closing the distance between them and, after a moment's pause, poking the egg with a fingertip.

"Your friend," he said, emphasising the word as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Your friend has brought bad luck upon us, Iyanipa. Our people are sick, dying, possibly dead, because you brought a demon to our village. Do not let it charm you - it is an evil spirit, and it has brought the sickness here. Our people have caught the Disease, and they are dying, and faster than they would be normally - and it is because of this."

He poked the egg again, and, to Iyanipa's disturbed surprise, it made a sound suspiciously like a growl. He dared say that had the egg teeth, it would have bitten Abrafo's finger off.

"You see?" Abrafo smiled triumphantly, pointing his finger at Iyanipa's face. "It wills you to think it is gentle and sweet and friendly, but it has caused you to allow it into the village where it can work its magic, where it can punish us for your crime of bringing it here from its home. It does not wish to be here." Then, softer: "It does not wish to be with you."

Iyanipa's face contorted, and he hugged the egg closer, feeling it wriggle reassuringly. The egg did want him, he told himself firmly, again and again, even as Abrafo went on.

"You must take it back," he said, his voice hushed but stern, commanding. For a moment, Iyanipa forgot that Abrafo was his age, and bowed his head as if accepting a charge from his father. He did not wish to take it back, and he did not trust Abrafo - even though he had known him almost all his life, for some reason, the egg kept his allegiance now. Maybe it was insidious, maybe it was an evil spirit that wished to infiltrate their village and had done so via Iyanipa, but he also knew that he had Babalawo blood and Babalawo ifà, while Abrafo didn't. He understood things, knew things that Abrafo did not, and could not, and he could not trust in Abrafo's explanation. He needed to cast, but he needed to do it away from where Abrafo could see and influence him, for Abrafo was not a believer. And he could only see one way to do that.

I'm sorry, little egg, he thought, and then looked Abrafo straight in the eye. "Yes," he said softly. "Yes you are right. I must take it back. Alone," he added when Abrafo smiled and made to join him. "It was my doing that brought this egg here, and my fault that my people are as they are. I was Wordbearer, I should have asked better questions, I should have..."

He trailed off, knowing full well what he should have done, and that there was only one thing to be done about it.