“No, but it’s only a matter of time. The matrons voted.”
“We’re going to war to get the chief’s daughter back?”
“We are. Our elders do not believe we have the luxury of doing nothing. They say we must act quickly or the Standing Stone People will view our lack of response as a sign of weakness and attack us. That’s why I’m here. War Chief Nesi wants to see you. Pova will take your place as western sentry.”
“And do a better job,” Pova added.
Sindak grinned and scrambled down the tree, using the branches like a ladder. When he leaped off the last branch and landed in front of Towa, a burst of autumn leaves puffed up.
Pova chuckled at Sindak and climbed up to take the sentry position.
“Have I been chosen for the war party?”
Towa said, “You have.”
“What about you?”
He yanked a thumb toward his wound and looked miserable. “Nesi told me I can’t fight until the wind stops whistling through the hole in my shoulder.”
“Well, don’t worry. I’ll kill two Standing Stone warriors in your honor.”
Towa gave him an askance look. “Without me along to watch your back, I fear you may not even make it past our border. Be careful and don’t think too much. It always ruins your aim.”
“Thinking is for old women. I’ll take a good fight over a peace council any day.”
Towa walked beside him as Sindak headed back toward the plaza along the leaf-strewn trail. Fragrant autumn winds gusted through the trees, swirling leaves like tiny tornadoes. One careened along the trail in front of them.
“This war party is foolish, Sindak. If you can get out of it, do it.”
“Why? I need all the chances to prove my valor I can get. No one is ever going to marry me again if my reputation as a warrior doesn’t improve.”
“Maybe. But you and I both know that Atotarho’s daughter is probably dead, which means many of our warriors are about to die for no reason. Including you.”
“But the Standing Stone elders would be idiots to kill Zateri. They could demand a huge ransom of corn for her and get it.”
Towa gave him a somber look. “That would make things worse. If we emptied our food storehouses to buy Zateri back, we’d just have to raid someone else to replenish them. Besides, there’s nothing the Standing Stone People need. Their harvests were good this year. That’s the problem. Their storehouses are overflowing with food, and everyone wants it.” Towa exhaled hard.
Sindak shrugged. “We need it. Our people are hungry.”
“Yes, I know. We also need their hunting grounds, fishing lakes, nut forests, and especially their agricultural fields. As our numbers grow each year, our harvests get worse. To survive, we must take what they have. Where does it end? With all of us dead?”
Sindak frowned and kicked his way through a particularly high pile of leaves that blocked the trail. He didn’t like thinking. Towa was the thinker. Fortunately for the Hills People, they had the greatest number of warriors in the land. They could take what they wanted, and did. No one liked warfare, but if it kept the Hills People alive, it was necessary. Throwing away lives on a futile mission, however, seemed folly.
“I have worse news yet,” Towa said. “Because the council was divided on this issue, they only authorized Nesi to take twenty warriors on the war party.”
“Twenty?” Sindak stopped in the middle of the trail. “That’s idiotic.”
“I told you. Get out of it if you can.”
Sindak could suddenly envision his death, and he didn’t like the looks of it. He started walking again. “I can’t. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life making excuses for why I didn’t die with honor.”
“You’d rather be in somebody’s stomach than look cowardly?”
“Absolutely.”
Two little boys ran up the trail. They veered wide around an ancient maple that fluttered crimson leaves down upon them and laughed as they raced by. Towa smiled and turned to watch them as they splashed their way through a pile of leaves. Two summers ago, Towa had lost his children and wife to a fever. He never talked about it, but sometimes Sindak could still see the pain in his eyes. “Blessed Ancestors, I don’t—”
A shout rang through the trees: “Two Standing Stone warriors coming!”
They looked toward the northern sentry position, but they could just barely see him amid the dark hickory branches.
“The two travelers are Standing Stone warriors?” Towa’s bushy black brows lowered. “Are they imbeciles? We’ll slaughter them.”
Sindak broke into a run. “Maybe they bring news about Zateri?”