The old man was shaking his head. “I’m afraid the something to which you refer has already been done. It is some spirit, some evil that is eating me. When I press, I can feel it. A hardness so painful it brings tears to my eyes. Probably something I picked up from someone I cleansed. Maybe I wasn’t careful enough with their vomit.”
“How long has this bothered you?”
“A moon. Maybe more.”
For what seemed an eternity, they sat in silence.
The Serpent asked, “What of your other wives?”
“Pine Drop missed her moon. She seems satisfied.”
“Indeed. I noticed that you haven’t come for more dogbane. Nor have I heard that she has been carrying on like a camp bitch anymore.”
“It was Mud Stalker and Sweet Root who put her up to it.”
“Umm. And Night Rain?”
“I would feed her plenty of dogbane if I could. The problem is that I can’t just put a pinch into the communal food bowl without harming Pine Drop as well.”
“There is talk. Deep Hunter has recalled Saw Back from Yellow Mud Camp. It is said that he did it to favor your youngest wife. Have you heard?”
“That Night Rain is coupling with him? Yes.” Salamander rubbed his hands together. “Pine Drop disapproves, but says nothing. That tells me that Night Rain has Mud Stalker’s approval to lock hips with Deep Hunter and his kin.” His lips tightened. “My young Night Rain has been learning new tricks. When she does share her bed with me, she isn’t the same limp bundle of cloth I first married.”
“Deep Hunter and Mud Stalker make a strong alliance.” The Serpent bowed his head. “Moccasin Leaf seems to relish her new position as Clan Elder. I am sorry I could not bring your mother’s souls back. I fear they are too tied to the souls of the Dead.”
“Sometimes, Elder, we cannot win every battle. I do not understand why Power has left her demented. Perhaps it is part of the balance, part of the price I must pay.” Salamander sat back, some of the warmth returning to his body. “My enemies will not act yet. They are waiting, slowly turning their attention to each other.”
“Why do you not act against them?”
“Masked Owl once told me that my salvation lay in the things I knew, in being who I was. I watch, Elder. I study. It is for a reason that you named me Salamander.”
“But if the fox or eagle should catch you …”
“The ways of Power are not without risk, Elder.” Salamander smiled. “Since we last talked, I have watched the leaves turn and fall. The clans have returned from most of the distant camps, their bags full of acorns, walnuts, beechnuts, hazelnuts, goosefoot seeds, squash, knotweed seeds, and chinquapins. Canoe loads of fish have been dried and smoked, and the hunters have taken ducks, geese, pigeons, herons, and cranes. Deer are plentiful, and Trade has been good from the prairies, so buffalo and elk meat are plentiful. For the moment, bellies are full, and the clans are eyeing each other, trying to determine who has incurred the greatest obligation.”
“The winter solstice ceremonies are barely a moon away.” The Serpent rubbed his callused hands, a dullness to his eyes. “Have you given any more thought to following me?”
“Yes. My answer is the same. Bobcat must follow you—and for many reasons. I do not know the Songs, Elder. I barely know enough of the plants and rituals. I couldn’t follow you if I wanted to. I must serve Power in another way.”
“As your Spirit Helper deems.”
Salamander nodded, smiling. “You once asked me a question, Elder. You asked why the Great Mystery ripped the Earth from the Sky.”
“Ah, yes. I remember. Have you found the answer?”
“I think so. It was because before the Creation, everything was One. Everything was the same.”
“Ah!” The old man’s face lit with joy, the wrinkles on his face stretching. “What was wrong with that?”
“Being One is being nothing, Elder. The world wasn’t really Created until Sky and Earth were separated.”
“Why is that, Salamander?”
“If you are One, you cannot see. Cannot hear. The only sensation is of yourself. There is no ‘Other.’ The world had to be divided in order to see itself, in order to become itself. In the One, there is no beginning or end, no me or you. Only when we are separate can we inspect each other and learn the complexity and beauty of the universe. That was the lesson you were trying to teach me that night atop the Bird’s Head. That is why Sun Town is so important. It is here that all things come back together. North and South. East and West. Sky and Earth.”