The Knife of Never Letting Go

Todd thinks they are headed towards Haven. He tries not to think about the Spackle and how frightened it was when he attacked it. After walking all night, he hears Noise. He is near two huts. There are men in one hut and women in the other. Todd hears the word Prentisstown in several of their dreams, a sign that they have heard about the army.

Farther down the trail, Todd sits and sleeps. He is hot when he wakes and realizes he has a fever. He takes two painkillers and then sees a turtle. Todd reaches for the knife, hoping to kill the turtle for food, but he can’t make himself.

He develops a cough that quickly grows worse. Soon, he is hungry enough to feel faint. That evening, he falls down a hill and passes out at the bottom. When he wakes, Manchee says there are people. Todd is in a ditch by the road. People in carts pass by, but he’s too weak to alert them. Then Wilf sees him.

Wilf puts Todd in the cart, where the woman with him makes a poultice. Wilf tells Todd that he knows their names were never Hildy and Ben. Wilf’s cart is at the rear of a caravan. The people listened to his warning about the army and left the settlement to go to Haven.

The woman’s name is Jane. She gives him bread and tells him he can’t leave because there are dangerous people in the nearby settlements. She hints that the people in some settlements have gone crazy. When Todd tries to leave, she says he can’t because he’s from Prentisstown and he’ll be a danger wherever he goes. Everyone hears her and looks at Todd.

Wilf convinces them that it is in their best interest to help Todd. Todd leaves, and Jane repeats that he must be on guard against the people in the nearby settlements.

Manchee finds Viola’s scent again. Todd’s fever and cough grow more severe. He remembers that he stabbed the Spackle with the knife before Aaron stabbed him. He wonders if the mixed blood on the blade is causing the fever. He hallucinates that Aaron is there, dressed in his Sunday robes.

He follows Manchee to a destroyed settlement. The army hasn’t been there; the settlement is simply abandoned. Todd imagines Aaron again. This time, Todd stabs him, but then Aaron turns into Viola before they both disappear.

Todd sees thousands of Violas, everywhere he looks, and thousands of Spackles. Then he sees one Aaron, kneeling over one Viola.

Todd sees a boy who looks like him. The boy asks what they will do if Viola is the sacrifice. Todd tells the boy to go away. He tries to make a plan, but at every step, the boy says that the plan won’t work. He says that Todd “can never get him to leave.” He also says that Aaron will kill Manchee. Todd makes a fire, builds a small boat, and prepares to leave.

Todd’s plan is for Manchee to take the burning stick ahead of Aaron. The wind will carry the scent, and Aaron will think they’re ahead of him. Manchee will lure Aaron away, and Todd’s boat will reach Viola and he can save her.

Todd reaches Aaron’s campsite. Viola is there alone, but she’s sluggish because Aaron drugged her. Todd can’t get her to wake up all the way, but they make it to the boat. Aaron catches them and grabs Todd’s feet before they can push away. Manchee jumps off Todd and onto Aaron, who lets Todd go. Manchee bites off Aaron’s nose, but Aaron holds him up and orders Todd to come back.

Todd knows he can only save Viola by leaving Manchee. He lets the current take them and watches Aaron break Manchee’s neck.