Tsauz clasped the bowl Pitch inserted into his hands and slowly let out a deep breath. “Chief Rain Bear, I spoke with Thunderbird.”
Rides-the-Wind gave the boy an intense look. “Did he meet you at the top of the ladder?”
“No. He grabbed the rope and dragged it away, but he made me climb to the middle while it swung through the air”—his lips parted, as though seeing it all again on the fabric of his soul—“and then we soared away.”
Rides-the-Wind leaned forward. A clean dry deerhide rested over his shoulders, but he still shivered periodically, as though the cold night had settled in his bones. “Where did you go?”
“We flew to Fire Village.” Steam curled around Tsauz’s face as he ate a bite of stew. He chewed it thoughtfully and swallowed. “I saw my father.”
That got Rain Bear’s attention. He perked up, studying the boy.
Rides-the-Wind asked, “Did you speak with him?”
“Thunderbird wouldn’t let me.” Grief strained his voice, but his eyes remained clear.
“Then Thunderbird had good reasons. Did you ask him to save your father?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
Tsauz lowered his bowl to his lap and fumbled with it. The words were almost too soft to hear. “He told me that I could either save my father, or save all of our peoples. One or the other.”
“Did he say why?”
“No.”
Rides-the-Wind’s gray brows slanted down. “How are you supposed to do that?”
“He wouldn’t tell me. He said he’ll come back and tell me more later. Right now, he just wanted me to get word to Matron Astcat.”
“Word about what?”
Tsauz ran his thumb around the rim of his bowl. “He told me how to stop the war.”
Rain Bear’s spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. He put it back in his bowl with a clunk. “How?”
Tsauz’s blind eyes drifted in his direction. “It’s not something for you, Great Chief. Only Matron Astcat and I can stop it.”
The hair at the nape of Rain Bear’s neck prickled. “Tsauz, I must insist—”
“No, you must not.” Rides-the-Wind gave a shake of his finger. “If Tsauz were to betray the trust of his Spirit Helper by revealing the Dream to you, it might anger Thunderbird. We would be worse off than we are now. At least we know there is a way to stop the war.”
Rain Bear set his half-eaten bowl on a warm hearthstone. “You mean that I’m supposed to trust Tsauz when tens of tens of lives are at stake?”
“Apparently. So let’s spend our time thinking about a runner. Who should we send with Tsauz’s message?”
“Just a moment!” Rain Bear glared back and forth. “You’re asking me to bet the future of my people, clan, family, and warriors on the vision of a ten-winters-old boy?”
Rides-the-Wind gave him a thoughtful appraisal. “Do you remember when we talked about why I came here? I told you that Power brought me here. Just as it brought you, Tsauz, and Evening Star to this place. I told you that you would have to make a choice. Do you trust Tsauz’s vision? Or prosecute your war in an attempt to exterminate the North Wind People?”
“I have no wish to exterminate the North Wind People.” He scowled at the old man.
In a gentler voice, Rides-the-Wind asked, “What will be the ultimate price of your alliance, Great Chief? What will Bluegrass, Goldenrod, and Talon demand in return for their service?”
Rain Bear started to shake his head, and then a cold realization sank in. Yes, that would be it, wouldn’t it? He might start out with the assurance that his forces were only going to break the Council’s authority, but once the warfare began, who would keep the pent rage from feeding on a desire for revenge?
“Ah, yes.” Rides-the-Wind read his expression. “Where will it end?” He turned back to Pitch. “Let’s see. We were talking about a way to get Tsauz’s message to Matron Astcat.”
Rain Bear was painfully aware of Tsauz. The boy was staring at him with such intensity Rain Bear would have sworn the boy could see him. It went against every fiber in his body, but he said, “Whatever we do must be done immediately. The next time Coyote prowls Sandy Point Village, he’ll kill Tsauz.”
Pitch’s beaked nose caught the gleam of firelight as he glanced uncertainly at his father-in-law. “It has to be someone special, doesn’t it? Carrying the message will be dangerous.”
“It has to be someone they wouldn’t kill right off,” Rides-the-Wind said. “Someone important enough that they would listen to him.”