“Stand still, little girl,” Pale Snake demanded.
At the sound of his voice, Star Shell charged forward; whatever was happening, it couldn’t be good. As she cleared the plum bushes along the edge of the terrace, she could see the fire. Silver Water stood before Pale Snake, a defiant look on her face. He was doing something to her hair. Only as Star Shell closed for the kill did she see the comb.
Pale Snake looked up with annoyed eyes. “Doesn’t the child own a comb?”
“No. And stop that! I’ll comb her hair … and when she’s dressed]”
Pale Snake lifted an eyebrow. “Does it make a difference?
I’ve been combing hair for … well, for a long time. It combs as easily dressed as undressed.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
He made a smacking sound with his lips, as if being forced to eat something gruesome. “Hold still, Silver Water. Just because your mother’s sure that I’m a filthy leech, it doesn’t mean that I am. And . soon as we get this last tangle, you’ll be as pretty as polished conch shell.”
Star Shell stopped short. “Do not interfere between me and my daughter.”
He glanced up at her, noticing her attire for the first time, his eyes widening. “Now I know the old demon sent you to torture me. By the ancestors, Star Shell, you’re a beauty.” “Not yours,” she told him coldly. “And as soon as my clothing is dry, you may have your dress back.”
He finally freed the comb so that it traveled smoothly though Silver Water’s hair. “There you go, little one. Now, you just stand there and let the fire dry your hair. As soon as I get your mother straightened out, we’ll comb it one last time.”
He walked over to Star Shell, forcing himself to look her in the eyes. He lifted the comb and raised an eyebrow. “Turn around.”
“You’re presumptuous!”
“Very well, do it the hard way.” He laid the comb on her bundled clothing and returned to the fire. With a stick, he stirred the coals banked around the pot. Even from where she stood, Star Shell could smell the aroma. Her stomach, so long empty, growled in distress.
Pale Snake pointed to a framework of saplings he’d built beside the fire. “You could put the wet things there to dry out.
I don’t think you’ll be too uncomfortable in that dress, but Silver Water will want hers dry before it gets too dark.”
Star Shell forced herself . move, draping the clothes over the drying rack, then placing the Mask pack close to her as she combed out the snarls in her hair. Maybe he’d been right, it might have been easier if he’d done it. But he could rot like a log first.
“Were you one of his women?” Pale Snake asked softly.
“One of his … “
“Tall Man’s?”
“No. I wasn’t. He always treated me with a great deal of respect. Almost … sadness.” She glanced at him. “Doesn’t it worry you to say his name like that? His ghost is somewhere, and believe me, given some of the things he admitted to, it’s not a very happy ghost.”
Pale Snake studied her from the corner of his eye. “I’m sure of that. Tell me, did he ever give you anything? Twists of grass made into human shape? Little leather bags with arms and legs?
Bundles of feathers tied together?”
“No. Should he have?”
Pale Snake frowned before reaching up to feel Silver Water’s hair. “About dry, little one. If Mama will toss us the comb, we’ll make it shine.”
“I’ll do her hair. Come here, baby.” As Star Shell ran the comb through Silver Water’s hair, she shot a suspicious look at Pale Snake. “Is that how he did it? He said that he’d used his Power to fool one woman, to take her … and make her dream he was her husband.”
Pale Snake poked at the embers with more vigor than he needed. “Then he told you a great deal about himself. That, Star Shell, was a most unusual confidence. I wonder why he did it.”
She shrugged. “He had his reasons. And I suppose you have yours. This is quite a dress. Who is it for? Your wife?”
He chuckled in that irreverent manner of his. “I killed my wife seven years ago.”
“Killed?” The comb stopped mqfionless, halfway down Silver Water’s hair.
“She was sleeping with my father—of her own free will, I might add.” He studied the glowing embers. “I might have let it go, even so. She, said some things … well, enough to make me bash her brains out.”
“With your father?” Star Shell could only gape. “What kind of family did you come from?”
“The worst … but then, you’d know all about that.”