Goodeagle said, “Do you have any idea where Windwolf is?”
“No.”
“All right, here’s what I suspect is going on. Anyone who knows Windwolf understands the way his gut works. He’s made an alliance with the Lame Bull.”
“Yes, so?”
“You’d better hurry.” Goodeagle slowly lifted his eyes to meet Kakala’s.
“Explain that.”
“When we attacked Headswift Village, we made our own future.”
“And how did we do that?”
“By failing to take Windwolf.” Goodeagle waved down Kakala’s protest. “It doesn’t matter. Windwolf knows we have to destroy it. He’s expecting this attack, because you can’t leave Headswift Village as a symbol of Nightland defeat.”
Keresa scoffed, “Why would he stay there when his warriors are off to west?”
“Nonetheless, plan on it. He’ll be there.” Goodeagle’s voice grew sarcastic. “He’s a man of honor.”
Which you have never been. But she bit her lip.
Kakala exchanged a glance with Keresa. “And what would his strategy be? To delay us? The caves are an impregnable fortress. There are only two entries; both are heavily guarded. Will he wait for his warriors to arrive?”
Goodeagle ran a hand through his long hair and exhaled anxiously. “No, he’ll do it alone. That way he’s risking only himself. Unless …” He paused, clearly worried. “Unless he knows we have survivors flocking to Headswift Village. Then he’ll want to make certain they are safe first.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
“Will he try to talk the elders of Headswift Village into moving south?”
“He will, but I doubt they’d listen to him. The Lame Bull People consider their village to be as impregnable as you do the Nightland Caves. You will recall that once the villagers scurried into that rocky maze, you couldn’t root them out.”
Kakala glared at him. It was true, but he hated hearing it from Goodeagle. “I have forty-four warriors this time.”
“And what would you have had when you began this mad venture?” Goodeagle asked. “Two hundred? More?”
Keresa ground her jaw. Yes, that would have been about right.
Kakala mused, “Spineshank Camp is eight days’ hard run from Headswift Village. And Silt was west of that. We’ll be there tomorrow. He can’t—”
Goodeagle laughed. “Silt may have split his warriors long before Karigi hit them west of Spineshank territory. In fact, I suspect he did. Which means you have not inflicted nearly the losses you think. It also means Silt may have been on the trail for days, running straight for Headswift Village.”
“Why would he go there?”
“I suspect it’s the last place he saw Windwolf. And he’s probably aware that many Sunpath People are scurrying there for protection.” Goodeagle leaned forward with a smirk on his handsome face. “If Silt and Windwolf get together before you crush Headswift Village, you’ve lost, Kakala. Windwolf will box you in and destroy your forces just as you tried at Walking Seal Village.”
Keresa studied Goodeagle’s expression. Pride had stiffened the man’s neck. Pride in his onetime good friend Windwolf’s abilities, and for their warriors: people he’d loved and trusted with his life.
Can we use that against him?
It took mere moments for that look to vanish and be replaced by despair. Goodeagle’s eyes went tight. He bowed his head and stared at the ground.
Keresa added, “Karigi’s runner reported Silt was evacuating Spineshank Camp. Which means he didn’t split his forces before the attack. He has tens of villagers slowing him down. He can’t travel fast or light. If he plans on protecting them, he must first feed them. That means sending out hunting parties every day.”
“But that was days ago,” Kakala mused.
A strange gleam entered Goodeagle’s eyes, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “If Silt hasn’t already split his warriors, he will. Once he knows where Windwolf is, he’ll take half of his warriors and run hard to join him.”
Keresa turned to Kakala. “Then we should send a runner to Karigi, tell him to expect that. He might be able to intercept Silt heading back east.”
“Do it,” Kakala ordered. “And tell our runner to instruct Karigi that once he’s finished with that task, he is to bring his warriors straight to Headswift Village. The more warriors we have there, the better.”
Keresa nodded, wary eyes on Goodeagle. The man looked frightened, but defiant. “Now help us think like Windwolf. Without his warriors, what will he do?”