“Will they attack us?” Otter asked, glancing thoughtfully northward.
“Only once,” Black Skull promised.
Pearl translated the Ilini answer. “It depends. Trout says that you just can’t tell with those people. It would be better if we turned south again and Traded with their clan.”
“How far?”
“Three days,” Pearl answered. “A day south along the coast and two days upriver, past the dune fields and pine forests. Then you reach the oak-hickory forest, where this clan has its fields.”
Otter cast a suspicious glance at Green Spider. He appeared completely oblivious to the Ilini. His head hung over the side of the canoe, one hand cupped to his ear as if listening for something. “What is your advice, Contrary?”
“South! South! And never look back.” Green Spider didn’t even flinch as a wave slapped the side of his head. “Did you know that if you listen real hard, you can hear fish talking?”
“And I’ll bet they say things that are a lot more important than you do,” Black Skull growled irritably. Then to Otter: “I think we’d better keep going. But I’d like to know more about these wild men.”
“Agreed.” Otter motioned toward the beach. “Pearl, ask them if they’d land and share a meal with us … maybe Trade a couple of shark’s teeth and some shell for information.”
She turned to the Ilini, who maintained a careful distance.
“Will you camp with us tonight? Perhaps Trade?”
“It would be our delight!” Trout turned the canoe shoreward, and he and Thin Belt bent to their paddles.
Pearl realized that Otter was trying to gauge the surf. “Have you ever landed a canoe in breakers?”
“No. You just race in, don’t you?”
“There’s a trick. When I give the signal, everyone paddle hard. We should be able to ride Wave Dancer right up on the sand.”
She timed the waves and called, “Paddle!”
Otter whooped as the canoe caught the wave and rushed forward.
Catcher barked and jumped from side to side as they were borne up onto the beach. As the wave receded, Wave Dancer canted to one side on her keel.
The Ilini were already ashore, unpacking and bearing goods up to the white sand beyond the scalloped line of the surf. Killdeers, phalaropes, and gulls retreated, leaving the stick-littered beach to the humans.
“How high does the water rise … you know, the tide?” Pearl asked the Ilini.
Trout spread his arms wide in bafflement. “Unless there’s a storm, the water will be the same. It doesn’t get any higher or lower.”
What? No tide? That didn’t make sense to a person used to saltwater. Pearl inspected the Ilini. Trout was young, a little older than she, muscular, tall, and with a subtle humor in his .warm brown eyes. Clay earspools hung from his earlobes, indicating a man of modest means. A strong jaw, firm cheeks, and straight nose made him extraordinarily attractive.
Thin Belt, on the other hand, had been built short, round, and stout. Those fleshy lips were meant for smiling, and laugh lines had indeed formed on his chubby face. He wore a battered shirt, the fabric frayed around holes that had worn through on the elbows.
Trout’s attention fastened on her, and when he smiled, straight white teeth flashed. “This shall indeed be a pleasure. We don’t always meet Traders of your beauty and charm.” He glanced over at Black Skull, who had picked up his weapons and was trotting toward the dunes on his usual evening scout. “Your husband is a warrior?”
Clever man, this Trout. “No, my friend is a warrior. My other friend, Otter, is a Trader, and the skinny man, Green Spider, is a Contrary—a most holy man.”
“A real Contrary?” Thin Belt stared, ru’s mouth open.
At that moment, Green Spider didn’t look particularly holy.
He had dropped on all fours to follow Catcher around their camp. Each time the dog urinated on a piece of driftwood, Green Spider lifted his leg and tried the same. From the trickles streaking his thigh, dogs were more efficient.
“He sees things, does things differently than we do,” Pearl said. “I don’t understand, but Power fills him.” Only an idiot would try to explain Green Spider.
Trout’s grin had widened. He bent down to scoop out a fire pit, nodding a greeting when Otter walked up with a pack. Pearl noticed that Trout looked Otter up and down, giving him a full inspection. Sizing up the competition?
She paused thoughtfully. “You are married, Trout?” Thin Belt smiled and poked his friend in the ribs. “What do you tell her, eh, friend? That you’re married to your canoe and nets?” He glanced at Pearl. “That’s the joke told about my friend here. We’re all still waiting for him to come back to his senses.”