---
He went in low and to the left where the coil was about to return. His right hand closed on the thick muscle beneath the jaw hinge. His left hand struck the triangle between skull and first vertebra. He felt the shock of the blow climb the bones of his forearm. He slid inside the second strike so it wasted itself in the air. He twisted his right wrist. The mouth opened on reflex. His knee came up. The body folded. Three movements. The coil slackened. The head hit the earth and rolled once, then lay quiet. The body thumped along the ground in a slow surrender and went still.
Ikea's branch fell from her hands. She made a sound behind her teeth. He turned. She was still on her feet. She was still reading. She was already losing the thread.
"The thigh," she said through her teeth. "It bit my thigh."
