People of the Longhouse(45)
“Very little.”
He frowned at the fire. “I arrived at the same conclusion. That complicates our plan.”
“In more ways than one.” She used her chin to indicate Sindak and Towa. “How much do you think they know?”
“About Atotarho’s plans? Probably nothing. But we need to find out.”
“Yes. Just in case this turns into a brawl, we should loose our clubs.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little obvious? They’ll think we plan to crush their skulls.”
“Depending upon what they do or do not know, we may.”
“Now you’re talking like a Standing Stone war chief.” Gonda untied his club and rested it within reach near the tripod.
As she stood up, Koracoo untied CorpseEye from her belt and propped it on her shoulder.
Towa and Sindak noticed, started murmuring to each other, and loosed their own clubs.
“Are you ready?” Gonda quietly asked.
“Of course.”
Nineteen
Sindak swung his club up over his shoulder and whispered, “I don’t like this. They look too eager to see us.”
“They probably just want to get started on the trail.”
“I don’t think those are impatient expressions on their faces—they’re murderous.”
“You’re imagining things.”
A soft morning breeze whispered through the trees, shaking the branches and swirling brown oak leaves across the clearing. Sindak studied Gonda and Koracoo. Neither looked happy this morning. Both wore their capes hooked back over their weapons’ belts, which made it much faster to pull out a stiletto or knife. Sindak’s eyes lingered on Koracoo. With her red cape pulled back, he could see her brown war shirt beneath … and the curve of her hip and the outline of one long muscular leg. Looking at her affected him like a Spirit plant in his veins. His pulse pounded and his mouth went dry. The only thing that ruined the image was CorpseEye resting on her shoulder.
“If they just want to get on the trail, why did they loose their war clubs?”
“Maybe they heard something in the forest?”
“Maybe they heard us. That would certainly explain why Gonda looks like he swallowed a handful of rabbit droppings.”
“Well, don’t worry about it. We’ll find out soon enough. In the meantime, let’s pretend there’s nothing wrong.”
Sindak readjusted his weapons’ belt. His collection of stilettos clacked against his stone knife. “I’m not good at pretenses, Towa.”
“Just make the effort, will you?”
“Right up until someone jumps me.”
Towa brazenly walked toward the Standing Stone warriors, wading through knee-deep leaves. The colors stirred up by his feet were stunning: brilliant scarlet, pale yellow, and a red so deep and dark it looked purple. As well as a hundred shades of brown. When Gonda saw Towa coming, he stood up … and Koracoo walked a short distance away to stand beneath an oak tree.
“I don’t like it,” Sindak whispered to himself, and followed Towa with his eyes narrowed.
As they entered the clearing by the fire, Towa said, “A pleasant morning to you,” and circled around to stand opposite Gonda.
“And to you,” Gonda replied. The firelight flickered from his clenched jaw and heavy brow.
Sindak glanced to where Koracoo stood, then gave Gonda a solid appraisal. Their positioning reminded him of a war council, where one warrior was always stationed a few paces from the fire so he could leap forward and commit murder if necessary.
Towa smiled uneasily, knelt, and rested his club across his lap; then he extended his hands to the flames to warm them. “It’s frigid this morning.”
“Yes, and I fear I smell snow on the wind,” Gonda replied. He almost sounded friendly.
Sindak continued to stand, glancing from Gonda to Koracoo. Gonda appeared tense, but Koracoo’s face might have been cut from stone. She wore no expression at all.
Sindak and Gonda stared at each other in uncomfortable silence for a time; then Gonda gestured to the fire and said, “Please, sit down, Sindak. Warm yourself.”
Sindak waited for Gonda to slowly drop to a crouch before he did the same. He glanced at Gonda’s club, which rested near the tripod, within easy reach, and clutched his own more tightly in his hand.
“We didn’t have time to talk about the children’s trail last night,” Towa said. “Is it close?”
Gonda pointed to the northwestern edge of the clearing. “Right over there.”
Towa twisted around to look. “Does it head east or west?”
“Due east.”
Sindak gazed at Koracoo again. She hadn’t moved a muscle. It was unnatural. And he swore CorpseEye was watching him. The red cobble head had two black spots that resembled shining eyes. “Well, we should eat and be on our way.”