People of the Black Sun(137)
Hiyawento thought about it. “No.”
“See? Someone would have noticed. People always notice such things.”
“You’re trying to take my mind off what’s ahead, aren’t you?”
Towa chuckled. “Just making conversation.”
“Yes, I see.” Hiyawento smiled.
In the distance, a man’s head appeared, bobbing along the trail. Hiyawento couldn’t see his body yet. He ran just below the swell of the trail.
“Runner coming.”
“Hmm?” Towa followed Hiyawento’s gaze, but apparently didn’t see anything. “How far away?”
“I forgot you can’t see well at distances. If we maintain our pace, our paths will collide in five hundred heartbeats.”
Towa squinted hard at the place he thought the runner must be. “If the runner has any sense, he’ll take one look at the crowd behind us and veer off the trail into the forest until we pass.”
“Unless he’s coming to find us. The Bur Oak scouts should have spotted us one-half hand of time ago. I’d hoped they would give my runner information about what was happening and send him back as I’d asked.”
Towa’s handsome face tensed. “Maybe the scouts saw the horde following us, and they’re still trying to figure out what to do—providing they’re not already under attack and too busy to care about us.”
“Towa, can you stay here? Slow Tiyosh down while I run ahead to see who he is?”
“Yes, go on.”
Hiyawento forced his legs to work harder, trying to get far enough ahead that he’d have at least thirty heartbeats before the masses arrived.
As he pounded down the trail, he saw the man crest the hill. Different cape. Not his messenger. Hiyawento pulled an arrow from his quiver, nocked his bow, and held it aimed at the ground—just in case.
The man shouted, “Hiyawento!” and pounded to meet him, his short black hair flopping over his ears.
“Disu?”
Sindak’s man, from Atotarho Village.
Disu’s broad face looked like sculpted walnut—tanned and shiny—running sweat. As he trotted up, Hiyawento opened his mouth to speak, and Disu said, “Don’t talk, just listen. First, your messenger is safe. He was just exhausted. That’s why I came. Second, Tagohsah did not lie to you. Bur Oak is about to be attacked by both Atotarho and Wenisa. And”—he took a deep halting breath—“Sky Messenger is Wenisa’s prisoner. I don’t know how it happened, but he—”
“Are you sure?” he asked in panic.
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Is he alive?” Hiyawento’s mouth had gone dust dry.
“For now, but his head wound looks bad.”
“Where’s Baji?” He didn’t ask about Gitchi because if Sky Messenger had been captured the dog had certainly been killed while trying to protect him.
“Baji? The Flint War Chief? I have no knowledge of her whereabouts. Are you expecting a Flint war party?”
“No. I—”
“Then please listen. We have no time. When your messenger told us you and the crowd would arrive around dawn, we gathered our warriors to discuss—”
“You have warriors?” He gripped Disu’s arm. “How many?”
Disu sliced a hand through the air to cut off the discussion. “It’s a long story. There are thirty-one of us hiding in the forest to the south of Bur Oak Village. In the spirit of the new alliance, Saponi wishes me to tell you that while he can lead them into battle, he is not a War Chief, and you have led warriors against Wenisa many times. If you will accept command of these warriors, they have each sworn loyalty to you. Including me.”
Hiyawento’s grip tightened. “Tell me quickly about the battlefield. How many warriors will we be facing?”
“Around two thousand from the Mountain People and another three to four hundred of Atotarho’s warriors.”
The numbers stunned Hiyawento. “Atotarho only has three or four hundred? What hap—”
“Will you command or not?” Disu asked impatiently.
“Yes, I accept. I don’t know how much we can do, but thirty good warriors can do something, and we will. Where exactly is Saponi holding his warriors?”
“In the hills just south of where Matron Zateri’s forces were camped a few days ago.”
Hiyawento swung around to look behind him. Towa and Tiyosh were still twenty paces away. He said, “Wait here,” and ran back to them.
Towa’s face had gone pale. “Is that Disu?”
“Yes. Bur Oak is surrounded and Sky Messenger has been captured. I must accompany Disu back to evaluate what’s going on. Can you lead the crowd to the hills just beyond the old sunflower fields south of Bur Oak Village? Keep them hidden. Even if they will not fight on our side, when the time comes the sight of so many people suddenly appearing will disrupt the battle and give Jigonsaseh a little more time. One last thing.” He put a hand on Towa’s shoulder. “Before you arrive, make Tiyosh remove that cape. If you and Tiyosh can arrive a few hundred heartbeats before the crowd, it will look like Sky Messenger was just captured by the Mountain People moments ago. There’s a slim chance it might rally the Landing warriors to join the Peace Alliance. If it does, we need to get the warriors separated from the rest of the crowd, and ready to fight. Can you do that?”