“He said only that he would be sending a warrior along with Koracoo at dawn, a man who could verify his offer.”
Ober’s eyes widened. In a worried voice he asked, “Did he say which warrior?”
“No.”
“I hope it isn’t me,” Akio whispered. “I’m afraid of Koracoo. I’ll have to sleep with one eye open, which means I’ll never get any rest.”
“Another brave friend.” Ober jabbed him in the ribs with his war club, and Akio danced sideways.
“Hey! Stop that!”
Sindak said, “Atotarho wouldn’t pick Akio. Half the time, he’d be puffing like a wounded elk and stumbling around through the brush, lost. Gannajero would hear him coming from a full day’s walk away.”
Akio grinned. “Spoken by a legendary warrior destined to wind up with an arrow in the back of his skull. That is, unless someone can finally convince you to turn around and face the enemy.”
Ober and Towa roared with laughter, and half the dogs in the village started barking. Two dogs near the Hawk longhouse got into a fight, and a whirlwind of flying fur broke out. The larger dog must have gotten in a good bite, because the smaller one yipped and ran off limping.
Ober said, “Woosh, even the dogs get upset by stories of Sindak’s bravery.”
Sindak scowled.
Towa said, “All right. Let’s get back to the subject. I suspect Koracoo has sworn blood oaths against many, or all, of our families. Any man ordered to accompany her may be getting a death sentence.”
“Surely she wouldn’t kill the man who could verify the chief’s offer?” Ober said.
“Not before he verified it,” Sindak replied. “But after? Who knows?”
They stood around staring at each other for thirty heartbeats, and Sindak enjoyed the dismay he’d conjured. Fortunately, with his reputation as a warrior, he didn’t have to worry about any of this.
“Maybe he’ll send Nesi. Nesi can take care of himself.” Akio swiveled around, and his plump face and buck teeth reminded Sindak of a beaver.
“He can’t send Nesi. The war chief needs to stay in the village to protect it. Though he might—”
A loud knocking sounded inside the prisoners’ house.
Akio’s eyes went wide. He hissed, “They’re knocking on the door. What do we do? Are we supposed to talk to them if they call out?”
From inside the longhouse, Gonda answered, “Yes, you idiot. Since we can’t sleep, we’ve been talking about your chief’s offer.”
Towa walked over to the door. “Have you arrived at a decision?”
Koracoo answered, “We have. Please tell Atotarho that we accept his offer.”
Towa nodded somberly. “Very well.” He turned. “Akio, deliver this message to our chief: War Chief Koracoo has made her decision, and she accepts his offer.”
“Yes, Towa.” Akio puffed away across the plaza toward the Wolf Clan longhouse with his chubby belly jiggling.
“Do you think the chief will come down here after he knows?” Sindak wondered. “Or will he wait until just before dawn?”
“If it were my daughter out there, I’d want the search party on the trail immediately. Or at least before Ober’s relatives find out I’m letting Koracoo go.”
“So. We wait?”
Towa gave him a skeptical look. “Would you really want to miss this?”
Fourteen
Koracoo stood across from where Gonda knelt warming his hands over the oil lamp. He watched her in the dim light. Her beautiful face and chopped-off hair glowed faintly orange.
“What are you thinking?” he finally asked.
“I was just wondering what I would do in Atotarho’s place.”
“Well, I can tell you what I’d do. I’d pick a warrior I trusted to deliver my message exactly. This is going to be very delicate. One wrong word could bring disaster.”
She folded her arms beneath her red cape, and the hem swayed around her long legs. “The simple solution is to pick someone who fears him.”
“You mean a man who is terrified of what Atotarho will do to him if he fails?”
“Of course. Anyone who is afraid of being executed in front of his beloved family will probably do as instructed.”
Gonda got to his feet and expelled a breath. “That’s why you are war chief. You’re pitiless.”
Koracoo’s expression hardened. “I’m practical. I remember the lessons old Faru taught me.”
“Faru, the Healer? What lessons?”
Koracoo hesitated. She toyed with her sleeve, smoothing it. “When I first exited the Women’s House, she sat down with me to tell me my duties as a new woman. Her first lesson was about men.”