Conversations eddied like waves up and down the length of the house, people repeating her words to elders who couldn’t hear very well, questions washing back. A general cacophony rose, people murmuring, “Jigonsaseh has a plan.… She’s in charge of our warriors.… She’s never lost a battle in her life!”
Kittle lifted her chin and stared down her straight nose at Jigonsaseh. “Explain.”
Dehot, Sihata, and Daga turned to Jigonsaseh, awaiting her next words. Jigonsaseh looked around the circle, meeting each elder’s eyes, then scanned the listeners in the longhouse, and at last looked back at Kittle. When she wanted to, Jigonsaseh’s gaze could pierce like an arrow to the heart—as it did now.
“War Chief Deru has informed me that there may be five hundred enemy warriors in Yellowtail Village. They’ve already started repairing the palisades and longhouses, which means they plan to stay.”
“To use it as a stronghold from which to attack us?”
“Yes. They won’t allow us to venture beyond our gates for food or water. While they repair Yellowtail Village, however, they’ll probably conserve their arrows. They’ll kill anyone who tries to go outside, and entertain themselves by firing a few random shots at our cat-calling warriors. Once they’ve secured their defenses, though, they’ll start launching volleys of arrows into Bur Oak Village, probably flaming arrows into our longhouses. That will force us to use what little water we have to put out the fires. We must kill them before they can do that.”
More murmurs echoed through the house, questioning voices. Speculations were running rampant.
“How?”
Jigonsaseh replied, “We’re going to burn down Yellowtail Village with as many of them inside as we can. If we plan it correctly, we can kill all five hun—”
“Burn down Yellowtail Village?” Sihata asked in a frail elderly voice. “How will we accomplish that? They watch our gates like falcons. Any warriors we send out will be killed instantly.”
“Not if we select the right warriors,” Kittle said as her thoughts raced.
Dehot leaned toward Jigonsaseh and placed a clawlike hand upon her arm. “Who? If Sky Messenger were here, perhaps the Faces of the Forest might protect him long enough for him to—”
“Sindak and Gonda have volunteered for the task. They are the right people.”
Kittle unfolded her arms. Like everyone else in the circle, she gaped at Jigonsaseh, who gazed back stoically. Kittle had to admit that she liked Sindak, but trust him? That was quite another thing.
Dehot said, “Gonda, of course, but War Chief Sindak? What makes you think he will fire the village instead of traipsing right over there and spilling every detail of our defenses?”
Kittle suddenly felt shaky. Everything might depend upon this, and Jigonsaseh wanted to send Sindak, rather than a group of their own loyal warriors? She went to the fire and sat down in her usual place, on a fire-warmed deerhide. As she dipped her cup into the teapot sunk into the coals at the edge of the flames, she said, “Let us all think about this for a time.”
“Sindak is here because he was chosen by Power,” Jigonsaseh said.
Dehot laughed. “Is that your opinion? Are you certain enough that you would risk everything—”
“I am,” Jigonsaseh interrupted. She stared unblinking at Dehot, her eyes narrowed.
Kittle took a drink of tea to give herself time to consider the ramifications of what would happen if Sindak betrayed them.
Daga said, “Only two days ago he apparently betrayed Atotarho. If he would betray his own people, why wouldn’t he betray us even more easily—perhaps for a price?”
Dehot nodded vigorously. “I think he’s unreliable. We need—”
“We need Sindak,” Jigonsaseh countered. “He’s not here by accident.”
Kittle said, “Please explain why you think he’s necessary for the assault.”
The jeering and obscene calls coming from outside were growing louder. Something thumped the wall right behind Kittle. She spun around to see an arrow lodged in the bark wall just above her sleeping bench. The warriors had been exchanging shots all day, but this was the first one that had skewered her bedding hides. She hoped it wasn’t one of the arrows smeared with feces.
She turned back and gave Jigonsaseh a “hurry, will you?” look. “Explain, please.”
“First, Sindak knows the weaknesses of every warrior occupying Yellowtail Village. He knows if they tend to aim left or right, if they have vision problems, who their wives and husbands are, the names of their children, what frightens them. More important, Sindak was a greatly beloved war chief. I believe that if he’s spotted, his warriors might hesitate for an instant before letting fly, and often that is enough time to kill an opponent.”