Wind Leaf cupped a corn cake in his callused hand as he scooped bean paste from a corrugated cooking jar beside the warming bowl. He lifted a thinly sliced strip of turkey breast from a warm stone platter and placed it over the beans before he took a bite. As he chewed he watched Desert Willow. The Matron was occupied with dressing for the day. She had just finished drawing a bone comb through her long glistening hair until it shone. Now she was going through her cedar box, lifting dress after dress, holding it against her naked body, and discarding it to try another.
“I like that one,” Wind Leaf told her as she held up a white cotton dress decorated by four-pointed black stars. He liked the way it molded to her body.
“You think?” She smoothed it against her flat belly.
Wind Leaf chuckled. Yes, she was vain. But given the pressure that was brewing around her, she deserved any relief she might find. When he’d taken his final survey the night before, it was to find a hundred new camps dotting the flats above Flowing Waters Town. His warriors reported that refugees by the thousands would be trickling in, looking for food, protection, and salvation.
All things we cannot provide.
He should have been out at first light, checking on his guards, ensuring that the morning bore no threat. But knowing the magnitude of the disaster they faced, he preferred to watch as Desert Willow slipped the dress over her head and wriggled into it like a larva into a cocoon. Who was to blame him for taking a moment to enjoy the sight of this beautiful woman when the whole world would be turning ugly in the coming days?
“What should we do with Webworm?” she asked. “He’s starting to stink.”
“Our runner should have reached Leather Hand yesterday. He will be on his way as we speak.” Wind Leaf finished his corn cake, reached for another, and dipped it in the beans. What a luxury to eat such a delicacy while people picked among the spoiled crops for mere scraps.
“Can you trust him? He was, after all, Webworm’s creature.”
Wind Leaf rolled the flavor of the smoked turkey over his tongue. “I think he can be persuaded to serve us, provided I approach him correctly.”
“And how do you propose to do that?”
“That depends on you.”
“Me?” She turned, flipping her shining hair over her shoulder. “I don’t even like him.”
Wind Leaf arched an eyebrow. “Did you enjoy having me back in your bed?”
A smile curled her full lips. “I have never had to pretend when your staff sends shivers of delight through my sheath.”
“Then I propose that Webworm ‘die’ while fighting to protect some isolated village from raiders. No one need see him leave here; no one but Leather Hand need witness his ‘heroic battle’ to maintain order and calm. No one need view his corpse until after it is carried back to Dusk House several weeks from now. By then he’ll be dead so long no one will be able to tell. His funeral will be a symbol of the sacrifices we must make to maintain the peace.”
“Why would Leather Hand agree to this charade?”
Wind Leaf gave her a flat stare, placing it all on this one cast of the gaming pieces. “Because after you name me Blessed Sun, I will name him war chief of the Straight Path Nation. If we name Seven Stars as Sunwatcher, it will give us a unified command.” A pause. “And Matron, you are going to need loyal warriors and Priests as you’ve never needed them before.”
She took a deep breath, brow lined with thought. “I will consider this. Not that I have a lot of choice. There are so few First People remaining. In the meantime, how many warriors do you expect to arrive today?”
He shrugged. “Perhaps another ten or twenty.”
“When they arrive,” she said, “I want you to arrest the Made People clan elders.”
“Arrest the … Why?”
“I don’t like the looks they’ve been giving me. I’d swear they’re up to something. Their manner worries me. I see the anger behind their eyes. They’ll blame me for the early frost, you mark my words.” She shot him a challenging look. “I want them taken care of. Quietly. Perhaps with the same mysterious efficiency that was demonstrated when White Cloud Woman was removed?”
“I can take care of the Made People Matrons. We can use this rumor that they have captured Night Sun as part of the excuse. I have a few trusted warriors. They can apprehend them in the night and bring them here where we can quietly dispose of them.”
A hard voice behind him said, “I think not.”
Desert Willow grasped, eyes large. Wind Leaf twisted, seeing two brown-shirted warriors, bows drawn, as they ducked in. A hardness glittered in their eyes. They were followed by a tall gray-haired warrior, and then Creeper and Yellowgirl ducked into the room.