“Around the new moon.”
“You haven’t told the Chikosi?”
“Is there a reason we should?”
She lifted her head, studying his face in the firelight. “She knew.”
“Pardon me?”
“The Contrary. That was her, before the squares that day. She talked to me, and you pulled her away.”
Old White smiled. “Things are always confusing around the Contrary.”
“The blood made me what I am. Those were her words.” She glanced down at her hands. “She knew.” Morning Dew paused. “Do you know what she meant by the final knot?”
“It may be that Trader is the final knot. A knot ties something together.”
“Is he anything like his brother?”
“What do you think?” Old White asked softly.
“When I first met him I was confused, and then I began to like him.” She paused. “Heron Wing still loves him. But she’s trapped.”
“For the moment.”
She stared at the fire. “The Contrary came to me on purpose, didn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“The firewood cord broke for a reason. Everything that has happened to me has been for a reason. Power has been behind this all along. It brought me here, broke me down, and watched as I rebuilt myself.” She looked down at her hands. “When Green Snake told me you’d been sent by my grandmother, I could barely keep from bursting.”
Trader appeared from around the side of the house, Swimmer trotting behind. “She was there this morning. The old Albaamo who sells firewood saw her. She walked out, almost as if she was going to walk into the river. Then Smoke Shield showed up. They talked, and he left. Later, she walked back up the landing. No one has seen her since.”
“Smoke Shield?” Old White frowned. “And they talked?”
“Do we go search the palace?” Trader’s worry reflected in his face.
Old White leaned back. Did they? Was he ready for that confrontation? “No. She knows what she’s doing, Trader. She has seen all of this in her vision. Whatever it is, leave it to Power.”
“But my brother is a—”
“I said, leave it to Power.”
Trader seemed to wilt. “Gods, I just hope she knows what she’s doing.”
Twenty-three
Firelight flickered warm and yellow on the great room furnishings. Smoke Shield watched as it played on Flying Hawk’s worn face. The high minko sat propped on his tripod, staring vacantly at the flames. His mind seemed to be floating, gone far away to something beyond Smoke Shield’s comprehension.
I am going to have to kill him soon. His souls have turned to water.
Smoke Shield continued, “I think we have enough food to support five hundred warriors for no more than a week. The tishu minko has dispatched runners to every town. Warriors should begin arriving from the south within days. I have sent orders upriver that those warriors should join us en route to the north.” He paused. “Are you hearing anything I say?”
Flying Hawk stirred, glancing at him. “You have a dilemma.”
“Indeed.”
“The Yuchi, or the Chahta?” Flying Hawk ran callused fingers over his stone mace. “So I am curious. What will you do? Turn, as you first planned, and strike the Chahta, or continue your march north? For once, you have tricked yourself, Nephew. Or Power has laid a trap for you.”
“It is I who lay the traps.”
“I wonder. The death of the Yuchi lies upon your shoulders. You broke the white arrow’s Power. The pattern of it only comes clear at the end. When you sacked White Arrow Town, it was a sign, a portent that you would spurn the protection of the white arrow carried by the Yuchi. Power has woven this—a complex fabric upon which you now are to be judged.”
“You only endured a cut to the chest, not a blow to the head. Why are you talking as if you are addled?”
“Because your brother is woven into this just as intricately as you are. Your actions and his are pulling the warp and weft. I can feel it as surely as I can feel the breeze on my face. Forces are moving beyond your control, events you could no more stop than the wind.”
“Meaning what?”
“I am not sure. My best guess is that Green Snake will come at the head of a Yuchi army.” He glanced at Smoke Shield. “Do you remember what the Yuchi said about Green Snake playing the high chief in chunkey? I sent my slave out to talk to the Traders down at the canoe landing today. A man came in from the north—a half-Yuchi Trader who shuttles back and forth over the divide. He told the whole thing. Green Snake and Born-of-Sun played to twenty, and for the tie-breaking point, Green Snake shattered his lance on the stone. In the process, they have made an alliance. By killing the Yuchi, I fear that you have made a critical mistake. Now, when Green Snake comes, it will be with force behind him.”