Calmly, Wren said, “Do you know where he lives?”
“I think so. Once, when I was very little, I heard my mother whispering to my grandmother about it. She said that after my father discovered she was heavy with child, he decided to go far away, to the Picture Rocks in the north.”
Wren sank to the floor. “Aren’t the Picture Rocks the place where all the Faces of the Forest gather for grisly ceremonials? They eat baby’s hearts, and decorate themselves with human bones?”
Rumbler nodded. “Yes. But they won’t be doing those things now, Wren. They hold their ceremonials in the spring and autumn.”
She blinked. “They do?”
He nodded.
“Rumbler, I didn’t think anybody knew when they held their ceremonials.”
“The Faces don’t want people disturbing their rituals. That’s why they keep them secret. But some people know about them.”
“Rumbler, I—”
“I won’t let them eat you, Wren. They know me. They’ll listen to me.”
She tucked the yellow bag into her pack, and tried to force nonchalance into her voice. “I’ll go with you wherever you want me to, Rumbler, but we should think more about this. Tomorrow, when we’re rested, we’ll—”
“Wren? Little Wren?”
The voice froze her blood.
Rumbler whirled to his left, peering breathlessly at the southern end of the shelter. “Wren? Who—”
“It’s my uncle. Rumbler, they’ve found us! Oh, gods. You have to get out! Hurry! Get out of here!”
Wren grabbed her bow and quiver, then suddenly jumped for the pile of dirt she’d dug from the fire pit. She scooped it over the fire, dousing the light.
In the sudden darkness, she heard Rumbler scramble toward her on his hands and knees. He breathed the words in her face: “Wren, where should I go? What should I do?”
“I don’t … I …” She’d started shaking, and had to clench her fists to get a hold on her nerves. “Rumbler, here, take my bow and quiver.” She shoved them into his hands. “Do you remember that trail that leads over the hill and down toward Leafing Lake?”
“Yes.”
“If I can, I’ll meet you down on the lakeshore tomorrow morning. Do you understand? Run! If you get killed then everything I’ve done was for nothing. I want you to live. I’ll try to find you tomorrow.”
“But Wren, I …” Tears constricted his voice.
Wren found his shoulders, hugged him, and said, “Wait until I’ve stepped out the opposite end of the shelter before you go.”
She spread the wall poles as quietly as she could. Moonlight streamed in, shining on Rumbler’s terrified face, and the bow and quiver in his hands. “As soon as I’m gone, you crawl out through here. Shinny up through that crevice in the rocks. No one should be able to see you. Understand?”
“Yes.”
She crawled for the other end of the shelter and moved the poles aside. “Ready?” she whispered.
Rumbler whispered, “I love you, Wren. Goodbye.”
Wren gave him a confident nod, then lurched through the opening and madly dashed down the hill, hoping to lead the hunters on a good chase before they caught her.
“Wren? Wren, it’s Uncle Blue Raven! Wait! Stop!”
She leaped a fallen log and ran headlong for the deer trail she’d seen as they’d climbed the hill at sunset. In the moonlight, the trail gleamed like a slithering white snake. When she hit it, she ran flat out, her legs pumping for all she was worth.
Feet pounded after her.
“Wren, for the sake of your ancestors, stop! I’ve come to help you!”
Wren ran harder, her lungs panting.
The trail rose steeply, then plunged down through a fragrant grove of spruces. Thick roots laddered the trail. Wren leaped the first two, but the third jutted up sharply. She tripped over it, and toppled face first into the frozen dirt. She scrambled to her feet, and started to run again, but someone tackled her from behind, bringing her down hard.
“No!” she shouted. “Let me go! Let go!”
“Wren, it’s me! Stop fighting!”
He forced her onto her back, and she gazed up at her uncle’s face. His soft brown eyes tightened when he looked at her.
“Oh, Uncle.” The choking sobs caught her off guard.
Blue Raven picked her up and hugged her against his chest. “Blessed gods, I’ve missed you, Wren.”
Twenty-Six
“Uncle?” Wren said as she pushed back and searched his face with blurry eyes. “My heart soars to see you, but why are you here?”
Blue Raven gently brushed her tangled hair behind her ears. “You mean why is there no war party with me?”