They proceeded down the long hall in silence, toward the angry voices coming from the Sun Chamber. Nightshade bowed again and stepped over the threshold.
Tharon was glaring at the messenger, the war leader of Spiral Mounds, Black Birch. Young, he stood a hand taller than Badgertail. His high brow accentuated the flatness of his pug nose. His now-pale flesh made the tattoos of parallel lines across his forehead and cheeks stand out starkly. He wore a blood-soaked warshirt cut from pale leather.
"I did not say that. Sun Chief!" Black Birch responded, his voice tight. When he saw Badgertail, he swung around. "War Leader, surely you see that Cahokia cannot simply sit by and let her sister villages be ground to dust beneath Petaga's heel! Where will your tribute come from next cycle? You know you can't survive without us!"
Nightshade walked quietly to the ring of Power objects that lay on the edge of the altar. She reverently placed the Tortoise Bundle near Old Marmot's and seated herself beside it. The light from the firebowls reflected like honey in the ringlets of her hair. But the flames did not shine with their usual luster today. The dull, rusty glow barely crept halfway up the walls, leaving the high ceiling in utter blackness. Not even the new seashells glittered.
"Is that what's going on, my Chief?" Badgertail asked. "Are our sister villages being ground to dust, or is it just Spiral Mounds?"
Tharon strolled across the altar to the sacred pedestal and propped his elbows on it. His golden robe and tanager-feather headdress made him seem a figurine carved of pure amber. He had rubbed oil into the red circles on his cheeks to give them a sheen. "Just Spiral Mounds, for the moment. But Black Birch says that everyone is turning against us. Even some of the smaller villages have sided with Petaga. He says that Petaga is planning on attacking us once he gets enough warriors. Do you believe that?"
Badgertail glanced at Black Birch. He had fought against the man only moons ago and knew that he was arrogant and reckless. Could he be trusted? What if he was in league with Petaga and trying to lure Badgertail into some sort of trap? A deadly keenness, like freshly struck chert, animated Black Birch's eyes, and Badgertail knew that look. "Yes, my Chief. If Black Birch says it is so, I believe it."
Tharon's gaze slid to Nightshade. His lips quirked in amusement. "And you. Priestess? What have you seen regarding this?"
Nightshade softly stroked Old Marmot's Power Bundle. "Nothing, Tharon. That's what I see."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
Tharon ground his teeth. "What kind of priestess are you? My people are plotting behind my back, and you ..." Nightshade canted her head, and he swallowed his words. Even Badgertail flinched at that deadly glare. "Well," Tharon retreated, "Black Birch says that places like Redweed Village have gone over to Petaga's side."
"Redweed Village?" Badgertail gestured dismissal. **We don't need to worry about them, my Chief. If they have more than fifty warriors, I'd be surprised."
Black Birch interjected, "Petaga is massing forces, War Leader. He has already gleaned over nine hundred from the southern villages. If he keeps receiving pledges of fifty here and fifty there, soon no one will be able to stop him."
Black Birch turned to glare at Badgertail, and the unspoken words, even you, hung like a war club over Badgertail's head. He folded his arms and stared at the floor. Even with nine hundred warriors, Petaga could not have molded men and women from different villages into an "army" so soon. The warriors would still be studying each other, scrambling to gain position for themselves and their clans in the coming war. And Petaga was so young. The older village leaders would want to test him, to make certain he had the courage and stamina of his father. Badgertail could almost pity the boy—if this weren't such a deadly serious game. And if Black Birch were telling the truth, the game grew more deadly with each passing moment. Badgertail could not give Petaga the time he would need to turn his warriors into an army.
He forced his mouth to say, "I think Black Birch is correct, my Chief. We must stop Petaga now."
"You're recommending attack?"
"I am." When he glanced at Nightshade, he found her watching him unemotionally, as though she had known all along that he would say those very words. He wanted to slam his fists into something, or to shake her until she told him every vision she had ever had.
"I see," Tharon said. "Well, all right, but first, before you attack Petaga, I want you to strike Redweed Village."
Badgertail's thick brows drew down over his nose. "But . . . why?"
"They've turned against me! I want every traitor there wiped from the face of the earth."