She ran the fingertips of her other hand along the angle of her jaw. But, do I want to do that? In all honesty, she rather liked The Panther. Not for some time had anyone dared to look her in the eye with the same audacity he did. That, for some odd reason, refreshed and entertained her.
At the sound of giggling, Hunting Hawk scowled at Quick Fawn. Yellow Net had turned to the Great House slaves, directing them to see to the hominy pot in the next room. White Otter had entered, back bent under a corn husk basket brimful of shelled corn. Now she and Quick Fawn were giggling, nervously next to the room divider and casting uneasy glances at Copper Thunder. What silly grouse young girls were.
Hunting Hawk turned her thoughts back to the problem at hand. Her third option was to marry Shell Comb to Copper Thunder. The Panther had been right—and she’d been a fool not to see it. Unlike Hunting Hawk’s desperate gamble, Copper Thunder needed this alliance. She’d naturally assumed that he’d been hanging around looking for weakness, but in truth—as The Panther had observed—the Great Tayac was an opportunist looking for a way out of his own dilemma.
Thank The Panther for it, her position had strengthened in relationship to the Great Tayac. If she married Shell Comb to the man, she could bargain for a great deal more from the upriver villages and their indispensable trade route to the interior. Concessions could include territorial access, shared resources, and who knew, perhaps even some token tribute.
White Otter and Quick Fawn were still laughing, but had started shoving each other. The action seemed oddly stiff and forced, as if they were putting on a show. But for who? Her? No, they’d know better than that.
White Otter had picked up a section of matting, cavorting around as if it were dancing, and she mimicking its gyrations. In the process, she tipped over a jar of chestnuts, spilling them along the sleeping bench where Copper Thunder’s few possessions were stacked.
“Here!” Hunting Hawk finally snapped. “You two stop that silly foolishness!” She gestured at them to desist. “You clean up that mess, and then pick things up around here. Go on, get to work.”
“It’s the weather,” Shell Comb said absently. “The cold is keeping people inside.” Her nimble fingers continued driving the bone awl through the leather, the peak now forming a pattern of overlapping chevrons.
To Hunting Hawk’s satisfaction, the girls looked duly chastened and scrambled to their duty. White Otter rolled the mat into a tube and laid it aside as she bent down to scoop up the spilled chestnuts. Quick Fawn busied herself by picking up the bowls that Copper Thunder’s warriors had left scattered around the long house
Hunting Hawk sighed. “Yes, the cold is terrible this year. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a gray winter. The solstice celebration is almost upon us. The greening of spring won’t come a bit too soon for me.”
Copper Thunder made a fist, watching the muscles slide and knot under the smooth skin of his forearm. “The time has come for a choice, Weroansqua. I would have been happy to wait for you to consider all options, but I think the old man has forced us to cast the reeds.” He raised his hard black eyes to meet hers. “What are you going to do?”
The muscles tightened in Hunting Hawk’s rickety back as she met Copper Thunder’s challenge. “I will do nothing, Great Tayac, until I know who killed my granddaughter, and why.” She raised a placating hand.
His eyes narrowed. “Am I to think that you believe me to be the killer?”
“No, Great Tayac.” Careful, Hunting Hawk. This must be done with the greatest delicacy. “Were I convinced that you had killed her, you would already be dead.” She smiled slyly. “And, since you’re alive, I’d say that speaks for itself.”
He laughed, the sound bitter. “Thank you for your confidence and reassurance.” He shot a quick glance at
Shell Comb, “I will wait… but not for long, Weroansqua. In the meantime, the old man will continue to work his poison into our bodies and souls.”
“We’ve cleaned up,” White Otter called, all the while looking as if she’d been caught stealing food from the elderly.
Did I snap at the girl that harshly? Hunting Hawk took a deep breath. The tension was wearing on them all. “All right. Go now, and thank you.” She waved her frail old hand to dismiss the girls. Quick Fawn and White Ottej scooped up the rolled mat, carrying it between them as they hurried for the doorway.
Copper Thunder rubbed his hands together, the callused skin rasping as his biceps swelled and rolled. “I warn you now that I will not put up with his accusations. Weroansqua, please, think about what he’s doing. He has come here on his own to work his evil. What is his purpose? To find the person who murdered Red Knot? I ask you, why? What interest does he have in a girl he never met? Why would he do this? Answer me that.”