“Then … then I’ll send word to his wife, Calling Crane.” Her voice constricted, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. What would Calling Crane do? Would she hate Kestrel for having caused Tannin’s death? Not now, Kestrel. Accept the burden of that pain when you can take it. “She’ll be worried until she knows her husband’s fate for certain.”
“I understand.”
Kestrel took a deep breath when they crested the hill and walked across the plaza toward the fire. Oxbalm, Sumac, Dizzy Seal… and Harrier sat around the blaze, sipping tea from their wooden cups. Harrier had his back to her. His red shirt glimmered orange in the light of the flames. Several others stood close by, but Kestrel “didn’t recognize them. Oxbalm was speaking in a low voice.
She frantically looked for Sunchaser. The travois she and Horseweed had made stood on end against the far lodge.
Sunchaser lay nowhere in sight, not within range of the dancing flames. A thread of terror stitched her chest as her mind accosted her with questions too frightening to be borne.
No, no, Kestrel. They must have taken him inside. That’s all.
But the image of his sallow, blood-spattered face formed with crystal clarity on the wings of her soul. And where was Cloud Girl? The woman who had been feeding her earlier had vanished. Kestrel’s feet suddenly felt as heavy as granite.
As though Horseweed could read her thoughts on her taut face, he said, “I’m sure Sunchaser’s all right, Kestrel. My grandmother would have finished cleaning and binding his wounds. Then she would have had him carried inside and covered with a pile of hides to keep him warm. You’ll see. Sunchaser will be in the far lodge, the one closest to the fire. It’s my grandmother’s. She would have wanted him near so she could keep an eye on him throughout the night. It’s just her way.”
Kestrel reached out and gently squeezed his forearm. His muscles bunched beneath her touch. “Thank you, Horseweed.
You’ve helped me more tonight than I can tell you. You were very brave to come into the forest after me, especially when you knew about Lambkill’s madness. I’ll never be able to repay your kindness.”
He bowed his head as though embarrassed by her praise. “I wasn’t being brave, Kestrel. You’re my … my cousin, or something. And Sunchaser asked me to find you. I had to.” He glanced over and smiled wryly. “Not that you needed my help.”
Kestrel tilted her head. “If you hadn’t found me, Horse weed, I’d still be sitting in the forest.”
She blinked solemnly. Horseweed had been forced to pry each of her fingers open while he told her over and over that Lambkill was truly dead.
When she’d finally gotten to her feet, she’d had to run a short distance away before she could persuade herself to look back at Lambkill. Part of her still believed that he might rise up and come after her again. His body might be dead, but he continued to live in her soul. Cycles would pass before she would be able to sleep through a whole night without waking in terror because she imagined his voice, or his stealthy footsteps, or just because she sensed him standing over her.
When Sumac saw them coming, she rose and pulled the hide more securely over her bent, elderly shoulders. Worry made her face resemble a dried berry. Her gray hair gleamed in the amber glow of the fire. Oxbalm followed her gaze and stood as well.
Horseweed whispered to Kestrel, “Don’t worry about Harrier. Let me handle him and his brothers. It would be best if you didn’t say a word to them. They’ve already made up their minds about you. Nothing you can say will change that.”
“Thank you, Horseweed. Again.”
He nodded gravely. “Find Sunchaser. Stay close to him. Even unconscious, his holiness protects you far better than any of my darts can.”
“I’ll find him. AH night long, I’ve felt him near me. Almost as if he’d opened the arms of his soul and embraced me to keep me safe.”
Harrier turned and saw Kestrel. He lifted his voice in anger, yelling, “Look! She’s alive! She’s mine now, Oxbalm. Give her to me!”
Sumac raised a fist and slashed the air with it. “Hold your tongue, boy,” she ordered. “This is no longer your affair, since we’ve decided to adopt her into our clan. Unless you really do want a war?” She shot a hard glance at Harrier. “But then, your brother wouldn’t have threatened to murder her in order to keep her quiet after you raped her if you really wanted a war. Would he?”
“You’re taking her word!” Harrier’s expression was calculating. Sumac hobbled around the fire and met them halfway across the plaza. She hugged Horseweed and gave him one of those proud nods that caused red to flush his young cheeks. “I knew you’d find her, Grandson,” she murmured softly. “Now, please, go to stand beside your grandfather. He might need your support.”