People of the Nightland(21)

Nashat stepped into the room and lowered himself on the thick folds of hide. He carefully placed the lamp on the woolly hair and crossed his legs.

Satah, ancient and white-haired, studied him through dim eyes, mostly clouded with white. He was an emaciated wreck of a man, but his clan still doted on every word the old fool uttered.

“Something came up. The prisoners from Nine Pipes Village were brought in by Kakala. The Guide had a special interest in this raid.”

“And what was that?” Ta’Hona asked, his bright eyes gleaming in the flickering lamplight. “You never tell us these things!”

Nashat waved it away. “The Guide doesn’t elaborate on all of his wishes.” He narrowed his eyes, glaring at old Ta’Hona. The man’s face was deeply scarred, and his right arm didn’t work—results of a mammoth hunt gone wrong when he was young.

“What of the Lame Bull People?” Khepa asked. “Is it time to turn on them now?”

“Perhaps.” Nashat placed his fingertips together. “I wasn’t ready—”

“Perhaps?” Khepa’s expression turned sour. “I’m starting to believe I’ll never live long enough to see the Long Dark! I didn’t think this would take so long. I was ready to follow the Guide through the hole in the ice the day after he delivered Raven Hunter’s Dream.”

Grunts of assent came from around the room.

Nashat spread his arms wide. “As am I. But you heard the Guide. He said that none of the old believers must follow us. Or do you want their heresy in the Long Dark with us?”

“No,” Khepa snorted, “I do not. My sons were both killed long ago in raids against the Sunpath People. I’m sick enough of the problems they cause as it is. But for them, we would have been gone from this place long ago.”

Nashat nodded, fingering the fine buffalo-calf hunting shirt he wore. No one tanned hides like the Sunpath People; this fine shirt with its fringed shoulders had been brought to him as a gift from Kakala, who had taken it as plunder from a destroyed village. In fact, none of his people complained about the fine things the warriors brought home from the raids.

“Think back,” Nashat said. “Before the Guide’s vision, we lived hand to mouth.” He gestured around. “These caverns in the Ice Giants have protected our people for generations. The Thunder Sea draws waterfowl by the tens of tens every summer. It provides us with fish, seals, walrus, and whale meat. On the tundra, mammoth, musk ox, caribou, and elk feed. Every summer, we have hunted the bounty, carrying it into the caves to freeze for winter. The fat we render from the seals and walrus, as well as the other game, provides us with fuel for our lamps and cooking.”

He glanced around. “Yes, it’s cold here in the summer when the air drains off the ice, but it’s comparatively warm in the winter when we’re out of the wind. Over the years, our clans have flourished, supplying us with warriors. Perhaps that is why Raven Hunter came to the Guide when he did. We were finally ready—not only to hear his words, but we had the strength to drive off those who still cling to the old ways.”

“And the heart to really wage war,” Ta’Hona reminded. “That is our strength in this world, as Raven Hunter is among the Spirits.”

“That, too.” Nashat didn’t remind them that it had been his idea to abandon the old ritual of petty raiding parties and send the warriors out in strength. Or that attacking the Sunpath People first had been his emphatic demand prior to dispatching Kakala on the first massive raids.

“How many of the Sunpath bands remain?” Satah asked. “How soon before we unleash ourselves on the Lame Bull People and their pollution?” He looked around. “This is the very night that they consecrate their arrival in this world. It is an affront to Raven Hunter and his Guide.”

“They will get their due … soon,” Nashat promised. “Kakala reported that at least one Sunpath band has pulled down their lodges, heading west. According to the story, they are leaving for good. If the others follow, we can turn our full attention on the Lame Bull People. Then, as soon as they are broken, dead, or dispersed, we will be prepared to leave.”

“And the Guide?” Khepa fingered his snowy hair. His hand trembled as he did. “Is he ready?”

Nashat managed to avoid making a face. “He muttered something about finding a woman first.”

“I thought he didn’t lie with women!” Ta’Hona declared hotly. “Isn’t he the one who claims that coupling masks the path to the Spirit World?”

Satah chimed in, “If he takes a woman, will he still keep Raven Hunter’s favor? Can he show us the way?”