“No. Are you a warrior? From the White Arrow raid?”
“Sorry.” He grinned. “But it’s curious the kind of a talent I have—being remembered for something unpleasant.”
She looked confused as she met his eyes, then shook her head, frowning. “It’s probably nothing.”
He lashed the framework together, leaving the handles extending. “The trick is to pile the lengths of wood as closely as possible. Without another cord, they’ll shift, try to roll off.”
She flushed. “I should be thanking you instead of trying to figure out why I don’t like you. You don’t really have to do this. I have no desire to keep you from whatever you were doing.”
“It’s all right. I’m looking for a friend. She’s missing. Probably got lost.” He was quickly and efficiently laying the wood in parallel rows. The bent pieces he placed on the ends, trying to keep the next layer from rolling.
A slim brow arched. “How do you get lost in the city? She could see the high minko’s palace, the plaza, everything’s just . . . well, here.”
“For most of us, yes.” He clapped his hands as he placed the last of the wood in the pile. “Okay, let’s see if this works.”
She stepped to the front, bending, lifting. Trader admired the view as her fabric dress stretched over delightfully rounded buttocks. Straightening, they took a few tentative steps.
“Just don’t bounce or the whole thing will fall apart.
“So, how could this woman friend get lost here?”
“She, um . . . sees the world differently than the rest of us. She doesn’t speak our language, only Trade Tongue. The bothersome thing is that she often says things that make people uncomfortable. Unless you know her, she can be quite unsettling.”
“A foreigner?”
“Yes.”
“She speaks Trade Tongue, you say? With an accent? Traveling with an old white-haired man?”
“Very likely, but he’s looking on the other side of the city at the moment.”
A shiver racked her spine, shifting the wood on the litter. Her voice was different, cautious. “And you say you are a friend of hers?”
“I’d say, from the tone in your voice, you’ve seen her.”
She exhaled. “No wonder I didn’t think I liked you. That woman sent shivers up and down my souls.”
“That firmly places you in the smart half of humanity.”
“But you travel with her? Willingly?”
“I guess that says a lot about which half I fit in.” He paused. “She’s a Contrary. The real thing, not just someone who follows that path.”
The woman cocked her head. “Is she your woman?”
“She is no one’s woman. She sees this world through Spirit eyes.”
“Why you?” she asked. “Why did you choose to care for her?”
“It’s a long story, very long indeed. How far are we going?”
“Up past the Raccoon Clan palace. Almost to the foot of the Great Mound.”
“That’s Chief Clan territory.”
“Well, she may be lost, but you seem to know where you’re going. And you, warrior, speak with a fine Sky Hand accent.”
“Like I said, I’m no warrior.”
“What then?”
“Trader. That’s my name: Trader.”
“And you Traded for a Contrary somewhere?”
He made a face. “You don’t Trade for a Contrary. It seems they find you.”
“Seriously?”
“It was just below Cahokia.”
“You mean, the Cahokia?”
“The very same. There’s a creek there next to an abandoned town. The weather was crummy, and . . . Why am I telling you this?”
“Because I will listen. And you are probably trying to prove to me that no matter what I think about your Contrary friend, you’re actually likeable.”
“Why would I do that?”
“No, I’m not married. And from the look you gave me, neither are you.”
He chuckled, “Sorry, my heart is given to another.”
“The Contrary?”
“Gods, no!”
“Maybe you’re in the smart half after all. But you were telling me about a creek below Cahokia. The weather was bad.”
“She directed Old White right to my camp. Out of pitch-black night, she led him right to me and Swimmer.”
“Who’s Swimmer?”
“He’s the dog who keeps dropping that stick at your feet. Hold it. We’re about to lose some wood here.” He used his hip to brace the load and restack the firewood.
“So, you have a dog, a Contrary, no wife, a companion named Old White, and travel to Cahokia? That sounds like quite a life.”