“You don’t have to tell me this,” he murmured.
“Yes, I do. You asked if I could go back to the North Wind People.” Tears of anger leaked from her eyes. The memories made her feel empty and alone. “They killed Bright Cloud first. They bound her to a pole and dangled her in a fire. She kept screaming for me. I leaped upon Ecan … . His guards clubbed me down.” She looked at Rain Bear and found rage in his eyes. “The men who killed my daughter weren’t Raven People. I can’t go back. I won’t.”
Rain Bear reached out and took her hand in a strong grip. “I understand, but if you …”
Evening Star stepped into his arms and buried her face in the hide over his broad shoulder. It took him a moment to realize what she’d done. Then he pulled her close.
“Would it help you if I went back?” she asked miserably. “If I went to Fire Village and secretly worked to rally the North Wind People against the Four Old Women?”
He stroked her hair. “Maybe. Think about it for a time. This isn’t something you must decide today.”
Wolf Spider and Hornet whispered and looked away, as though trying to give them some privacy.
Evening Star let her body melt against Rain Bear’s, and a warm, tingling wave ran through her. It felt so soothing to be held by a man again.
He whispered against her hair, “Red Dog said Ecan is desperate to get his boy back. He said Cimmis wasn’t concerned.”
“Of course not. His assassins are already on their way. What did Ecan offer?”
“Wealth and promises of my personal safety. Mostly promises he can’t keep. He will become more amenable as his desperation grows.”
Rain Bear peered down into her eyes. It was like standing on a mountaintop in a lightning storm. Every nerve in her body prickled.
“Red Dog is waiting to hear your answer to Matron Astcat’s request. Do you want to speak with him? You don’t have to.”
“Do you trust him?”
“Red Dog? He has no more scruples than a pine marten in a red squirrel’s nest. For the moment he’s having the time of his life playing at being everyone’s spy. It delights him to no end that Ecan and White Stone think he’s a dolt. Cimmis—if he ever even looked sideways at him—would think he was just another lazy unwashed warrior. A menial little better than a slave.”
“Then why does he stay there?”
“They pay him. He may be the richest man in the world by now. Oh, and the other thing. He worships Dzoo. It’s something I don’t understand. I can’t picture her ever responding to his devotion—or should I call it an obsession? May your Gutginsa have mercy on anyone who harms a hair on her body, because Red Dog, no matter the cost, will kill him.”
“Where is he?”
“Dogrib has him in a secret location outside of the camps. He’s under heavy guard.”
Evening Star reluctantly stepped away from him, and Rain Bear folded his arms over his broad chest, as though to protect his heart. “If you went to Fire Village, it might turn ugly.”
“Oh, you have no idea how ugly it might be.”
Thirty-seven
Old Woman Above had left her lodge to carry the fiery ball of the sun into the sky. The dawn was so warm, a man did not even need a cape. Tiny pools of water glistened across Fire Village. Only the most sheltered ledges on the black lava cliff gleamed with frosty rimes.
White Stone had been summoned to Cimmis’s quarters just after morning prayers. The chief had his square jaw clamped, as though preparing for a hand-to-hand stiletto fight. His gray hair hung loose over his shoulders.
“I don’t think you should do this, my Chief,” White Stone said as he strode at Cimmis’s side. “It’s not wise.”
“If Rain Bear has shared his thoughts with anyone besides his council, it’s Dzoo. If I can get anything out of her, it could make all the difference for us.”
“I doubt she’ll tell you anything, unless we torture her. After enough pain anyone will talk.”
“We’re talking about Dzoo. First, I don’t think you could ever get her to talk, no matter how much pain you inflicted on her. Second, if word gets out that we’re torturing her, not only will it play into Rain Bear’s hands, but it might even lead to a revolt among the slaves. Do you understand? She may be the most dangerous woman in the world. Not only will I not hurt her, War Chief, I’m going to make her as comfortable as I can.”
White Stone gave Cimmis a disbelieving look as he walked away, and shook his head before following. By Gutginsa’s bloody spear, didn’t Cimmis understand what kind of woman he was dealing with? While on the trail, Red Dog had related some of the stories people told about Dzoo. His warriors had become so frightened, he wasn’t sure they’d have had the courage to kill her under a direct order.