What is it about him? He wasn’t what she had had in mind when it came to a husband. Her thoughts immediately went to Mist Finger, recalling his smile, the rolling muscles in his shoulders and arms. A man should look like that, have that brave glint in his eyes.
So why, she wondered, did skinny Salamander absorb so much of her? Her first surprise had come when they had consummated the marriage. That sudden and magical explosion in her loins had taken her by complete surprise; and better yet, he shot lightning through her each time they coupled. But his lure on her interest was more than that. His large brown eyes had a Power she didn’t understand. He seemed to see past her skin, down into her souls. Most perplexing, he always smiled when she lied to him, as though reassuring her.
He can’t know that I am going to kill him. It was impossible—unless his Spirit Helper had told him. She and Jaguar Hide were the only ones who knew the plan. Not even Striped Dart had been informed. They couldn’t trust her brother to keep his silence. What, then, caused Salamander to give her that knowing look, the one that reminded her of a parent one step ahead of his errant child?
She lifted her lip, irritated at the very thought. Salamander? A step ahead of her? Everyone in Sun Town thought him a fool—with the possible exception of Pine Drop.
A fish jumped in the water beyond her camp. The thickened boles of bald cypress, tupelo, and overcup oak protruded from the still waters. Strands of hanging moss drooped, lacy and gray-green; here and there thick patches of mistletoe had knotted and strangled their host’s branches. The first fernlike needles were beginning to brown on the cypresses. A dry crispness hung in the air, a precursor of the winter to come.
Through the trilling of the songbirds and the hissing of the insects, she heard the hollow thunk of a paddle against wood. Movement caught her eye as Jaguar Hide paddled through the maze of waterlogged roots and protruding knees.
When he met her gaze across the distance, he smiled and raised a hand in greeting.
She rose gracefully to her feet and stepped down to the water’s edge. He slid his canoe in beside hers as she offered him her hand, helping him to his feet. He groaned and made a face as his legs straightened. “Age,” he growled. “Used to be I could live in a canoe.”
“Hello, Uncle.” She threw her arms around him, hugging his hard body against hers. “I see that you escaped the nasty Sun People. But I still haven’t forgiven you for just paddling off like that.”
He held her at arm’s length, inspecting her from the parted crown of her head to her brown toes. “I came as soon as I got your message. What are you doing here?”
“They think I’m off to spend my moon in solitude.”
Sudden fear leaped behind his eyes.
“Don’t worry, Uncle, I passed that on the way here,” she lied. “I wouldn’t expose your souls to woman’s blood.”
“I would hope not.” He grabbed a sack from the canoe and led her over to the fire. With a careful glance he studied her small camp. His gaze fixed on the tall, delicately leafed plants that grew on the far side of the small island. “What is that? Water hemlock?”
“It is indeed. People don’t come here because the death plant grows here. Some think it taints the surrounding waters. We can meet here in private.” She indicated a ceramic bowl resting in her canoe. “I bring water with me.”
“Very well, you have exceeded all of my hopes. Tell me everything!” he cried, lowering himself beside the fire. “You are married, yes? To Salamander? You didn’t kill him yet, did you? And what of Sun Town? What have you learned? What can we do to harm them? What is the truth about Wing Heart? Has she really lost her souls?”
“One thing at a time, Uncle!” She threw up her arms in mock surrender. She related her time in Sun Town, telling of building the house, Wing Heart’s condition, and the collapse of Owl Clan.
“Tell me about this boy, Salamander. Is he really a Speaker?”
“He is. But most think him a young fool.”
“From your tone, I take it that you don’t?”
“I am not sure, Uncle. But fool or not, there are forces gathering to act against him. He has no allies except for his cousin, Water Petal, and she’s ignored by everyone. There is a move afoot to replace him. They have already replaced Wing Heart. She is nothing more than a husk of a woman, like a pod stripped of its seeds.”
“They have treated you well?”
She shrugged. “I am not one of their people. I am tolerated. Uncle, I can kill them anytime—with impunity—and escape in the night. I am unguarded. Not trusted, but not a prisoner, either. I think I should strike. I can be home before the next moon.”