People of the Owl(49)
Water Petal dropped into step beside him as he started up the slope. She wore her kirtle loose around her pregnant belly and a fabric shawl over one shoulder. Behind him, Yellow Spider and Eats Wood bore the unconscious girl. The dead warrior was dragged unceremoniously by his feet; the broken arms and battered head left marks on the damp soil.
“How is Mother?” White Bird kept his voice low, casting a glance to read Water Petal’s expression.
Her round face betrayed her concern. “She is grieving, Cousin. All through the last winter she knew that your uncle was failing. The two of them were a team. They built Owl Clan’s prestige, indebted the other clans to ours. He might have been dying, but as long as he was alive, she could act as if it were the two of them working in unison. She could go at night, and even though fever was eating him, she could talk her ideas over with him, share her fears as she had since she was a young girl and he a starry-eyed youth.” She shook her head. “But now … I don’t know. It’s as if part of her souls died with him.”
“When will the funeral be?”
“Since you have returned we will burn his house as soon as you have finished your obligations at the Men’s House. Bobcat, the Serpent’s apprentice, has cleaned Cloud Heron’s bones. Your safe arrival, and in such triumph, will do more than anything to relieve your mother.”
He nodded at that. “What about Mud Puppy? Has he … I mean, he came out of that odd trance, didn’t he?”
Water Petal’s frustration showed in her expression. “He has spent most of his time gone, much to your mother’s despair. He has been shadowing the Serpent like a hawk, but when the Elder asked, the Serpent said the boy’s constant company was agreeable.”
He lowered his voice, fully aware of Eats Wood behind him. “Did you hear the talk at the landing?”
In an equally guarded voice, Water Petal said, “I did. But, White Bird, it was as he said, wasn’t it? There were five—and the girl?”
He nodded, bothered as he had been since the beginning of this madness. “It was just an accident that I didn’t kill her.” He glanced back. “But let me tell you, she was a scrappy one. Fit to take me down with her bare hands.”
“So, now that you have a wildcat, what will you do with her?”
“Keep her as a slave.” He took a deep breath. “A Speaker should have someone to serve him, to cook and keep his house until a suitable marriage can be arranged.” He shrugged. “Besides, Spring Cypress can make use of her.”
“If she’s as scrappy as you say, she’ll run.”
White Bird nodded. “Before I let her loose I’ll cut the tendons behind her ankles. It will slow her down to an awkward walk; but she doesn’t need to run in order to cook, or clean, or …”
“Or accept your hard manhood?” With that Water Petal laughed. “Under all that blood and mud she looked comely, what I could see of her.”
He remembered the rage in her eyes, the terrible desperation as she flew at him, arms outstretched. “Let’s say she will be a challenge for me.” The knowledge that she hated him would delight him every time he shared her bed.
“Swamp Panther, isn’t she?” Water Petal asked.
“Yes.” A pause. “How did Mud Puppy know they were coming?”
“Your mother and I have been talking. I think we have an explanation. Some of Clay Fat’s cousins killed a boy while they were down digging Panther sandstone. It was probably just a lucky guess on Mud Puppy’s part. Of course they would want revenge. Snakes! I should have figured that out on my own.”
“By why just these youngsters?” White Bird wondered, idly aware that they were but a few winters younger than he himself. “Jaguar Hide isn’t this clumsy.”
“No. Keep that in mind, Cousin.” Water Petal shot him a warning look. “Tell me, are you keeping her alive just because you want her as a slave? Or do you take Mud Puppy’s warning seriously?”
“It was just as he said, Cousin. It might have been a lucky guess, but it was just as he said. There were five young warriors and the girl.” It had been luck—not Mud Puppy’s prophecy—that he’d managed to smack her unconscious. Since then his interest in her had been enflamed by the charms suggested by her very alluring body.
He concluded, saying, “As to the future of Mud Puppy’s vision, we’ll see.”
“I suppose,” Water Petal said into his silence. “Well, when you wear her out, or find yourself married to a willing wife with an appetite of her own, your interest will slacken—as male members always do after they’ve inserted their seed.” She patted her pregnant stomach. “Then you can dispose of her as you will.”