“Goodeagle’s dead. You said it yourself.”
“Goodeagle knows the rules too well to be dead. Surely he’ll fill you in on all of my plans. It’s in his interest to get out and as far away from me as he can get.”
She let out a frustrated breath. “I don’t understand you, Windwolf. Why are you just sitting here? Goodeagle—assuming he’s alive—can hurt you.”
A small thread of warm emotion tinged that last. He noted her flushed cheeks, the anxious movements of her hands around her cup. She was good.
“Maybe I’m foolish enough to believe in old friendships.”
“You’re going to let him work his poison? Just like he did at Walking Seal Village?”
His control crumbled. She’d done that deliberately, taking charge of the conversation.
“Careful,” he advised. “Be very careful. What are you getting at?”
He saw the change in her eyes, as though she’d come to a difficult decision. When she lifted her head, her tanned skin gleamed in the firelight. “At Walking Seal Village, you knew he was off plotting behind your back, didn’t you? Surely someone tried to tell you that your best friend—”
“Bramble tried to tell me. Didn’t matter. I trusted him.”
“Like now? If you lose this gamble, they’ll kill you!”
His gaze drifted slowly from his cup to her piercing eyes.
Blessed gods, does she know what I’m doing?
She was a shrewd warrior. Had he misread her motives? The possibility struck him like a blow to the belly. “What are you trying to say?”
She rubbed both hands over her delicate face as though in disbelief. “Nothing, I—I’ve lost my wits.”
“Are … are you trying to help me, Deputy?”
She stared down at her hands, slowly shaking her head. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know what you’re doing. If you think that because you and Goodeagle were friends once … well, don’t! There is no redemption. Not in his worthless soul.”
She looked suddenly weary, weary beyond exhaustion. After peering interminably at the floor, she lifted her right hand—her throwing hand—and opened the palm to the soft light. A somber expression came over her face. She stared at it, then slowly closed it to a tight fist and shook it at some inner foe. He understood that gesture better than any of her spoken words. Tens of times in battles, he’d cursed fate with that same soundless ferocity.
She said, “I hated you for summers. You killed so many of my friends.”
A familiar ache swelled in his chest. He stared at the fire, letting her finish.
“But as I watched what you did, I came to grudgingly admire you. You were so perfect. Every move was clean, precise, no emotion.”
“That’s how it looked from the outside?”
“Yes, and I suggest you continue the practice. You’re in an impossible situation. What are you going to do? Nashat may already know what’s happened here. He will combine Karigi’s and Blackta’s war parties, and together they will overrun these caves.” She thrust her arm out. “All of those faithful camps out there are going to be destroyed, the people murdered. And you’re just sitting here like …”
She closed her eyes, a look of defeat on her face.
“Then, what would you suggest?”
“If you wish to stop these attacks, you have to do it at the source: our Elders. But you’ll have tens of warriors waiting for you at the Nightland Caves. You can’t—”
“Maybe I can.”
“Windwolf, think! No matter how well these children fight, they’ll never be good enough to match Nightland warriors. And you sent all of the other warriors away, didn’t you? All of the adults? So they’re waiting, expecting orders to attack the Nightland Caves. But what if Karigi locates them in the meantime?”
He blinked at the question. “Shall I tell you all the details of my plan?”
She met his gaze with a severity that stopped him short. “I’ll know soon enough. Your best friend, Goodeagle—if he’s alive—will undoubtedly tell Kakala exactly what he expects you to do. And here you are—”
“Being far too honest with a woman I like far too much.”
Their gazes held, and he noticed how hers softened. He shook his head sternly. “You should go. Otherwise we’ll both make fools of ourselves.”
“Don’t hate me for asking about your strategy. I figured you needed help.”
He chuckled softly, unsure now if she really cared, or if they were still sparring for advantage. “As a matter of fact, I do. Tell me how Kakala plans to escape.”