In the limp afterglow, she’d wound her arms around him, then tricked him so that she could lick the end of his nose. He laughed, his reflection in her eyes.
“Will you stay with me?” she asked again.
“I won’t be gone that long, beloved. If you must marry, tell them yes. Tell them I’ll marry you upon the return from the south. The time to go is now. I have this new copper—big plates—and some of the fabrics can’t wait. Neither can the packs of dried meat.”
She’d seemed to fade then. “I understand, Otter. It’s the river.
But do you understand? I can’t tell you I’ll be yours when you come back. I’m a woman … with responsibilities of my own.”
“I understand, but I promise—”
“It’s morning. I’ve got to get back.”
They’d dressed, and he’d helped her comb out her glossy black hair.
Just before they separated, she’d hugged him close and whispered, “Be careful, Otter. May your River Spirit cherish you as much as I do.”
And then she’d gone.
He’d been so drowned in the memory, he’d only half-known where he was or what he was doing. During the reverie, he’d walked down the steep, zigzagging path that led to the canoe landing.
He paused for a moment and took stock. A fire had been burning in one of the fire pits—a landing light for anyone crossing the river from Tall Cane territory. Untended, it had dwindled to red coals from which periodic flickers of flame valiantly shot up.
Otter found the woodpile the children had left and added a couple of splintered limbs to the coals. As the flames danced up, he thrust his thumbs into his belt. His breath puffed frosty against the night sky.
The familiar musk of the river soothed him, and he sniffed to draw it deeply into his lungs. A man might do the same with the scent of the woman he loved—breathe it in and hold it in his lungs to enjoy it for as long as he could.
Ten
As he walked toward the water, his fingers traced the smooth curve of hull on Wave Dancer. At the water’s edge, he crouched to wet the tips of his fingers. Closing his eyes, he could feel the Power, endless, roiling, moving. The river pulsed and lived within its banks.
Otter exhaled wearily; at last he understood Red Moccasins’ words on that day they’d parted. He straightened, crossing his arms as he leaned against Wave Dancer’s stern. A chill wind blew down from the north. Up there, at the head of the river, the land would be shrouded in ice and snow. Fierce blizzards would be roaring down Moonshell River, driven by all the anger of the north.
How much time do we have to get to the Roaring Water?
How will we know where to find it?
Presumably, Green Spider had that knowledge locked away inside his Contrary head. But even if he tried to explain, could Otter translate it? Would it all be backward jabber?
“Can you spare a woman a moment?”
Otter stiffened; his heart skipped at the sound of her voice.
Despite the flutters in his breast, he forced himself to relax.
Turning, he found her silhouetted against the light of the landing fire.
“I didn’t hear you. You startled me.”
She gave him that curious nod of acceptance, a halfcocked bob of the head. “Otter, I had to come. I had to talk to you.
To see if there were any way I could … I don’t know, stop you from feeling the way you do.” She slapped frustrated hands against her thighs and turned away. “Now that I’m down here, I feel pretty silly. There’s nothing I can say, is there?”
“No.”
She stared at him, fists knotted, and in an agonized voice, said, “I did what I had to do, Otter. No matter how much I loved you, I couldn’t spend the rest of my life alone. I couldn’t stand to have only a sliver of your life while the river and Trade had the rest. Don’t you see?”
He glared at her. “So you chose the next-best thing. My brother.”
“I took your advice—the way I always have. You yourself told me that if I didn’t marry you, you’d prefer that I marry him.” She bowed her head. “Look at me, ready to rip you into pieces. I’ve been hating your return, knowing how hard it was going to be. And now I’m just mad at you, Otter.” She paused, her gaze fixed out over the inky waters of the river. “I guess it’s because I’m still so terribly in love with you.”
“And what about Four Kills?”
She rubbed the back of her neck, kicking at the muddy beach. “I love him just as much … but differently. I guess I knew that twins had magic, but I didn’t know how much I could get bound up in it.” She kicked harder at the ground.