“I have.”
“Then you know their other concerns?” Whippoorwill said behind him.
Amber Bead spun on his heel. “Yes, girl, and what other concerns would the mikkos have?”
She didn’t flinch but stared at him with unnerving eyes that seemed to dim his souls. Expressionless, she said, “Who will come after the Chikosi?”
“We will. We will retake what is ours!”
She cocked her head, thin lines forming on her brow. “Do you believe a strengthened Chahta will leave us be? Or, if the Chahta and Chikosi bleed themselves dry in a war, that the Yuchi or the Pensacolas won’t come in force and take this land for their own?”
“In short,” Paunch asked, “what’s to keep someone else from doing the same thing to us that the Chikosi did?”
“So, you’ve given up?”
“Not at all.” Paunch sighed, reseated himself, and picked up his fish trap. He glanced apologetically at Whippoorwill. “I sent my cousin, Crabapple, to White Arrow Town. I did it in spite of all the arguments to the contrary.”
“And we hope that you haven’t killed us all,” Whippoorwill said, her eyes fixed on some distant place.
“You were supposed to wait for my word,” Amber Bead stated bluntly, aware that Paunch was still avoiding his eyes. “If so many, including Whippoorwill, told you not to, why did you?”
“Because I believe in you, Amber Bead. You are our ears in the Council. The Chikosi trust you. If it goes wrong, if they should find out, you will protect me.” He finally looked up, his eyes swimming with hope.
Amber Bead nodded, lying with as much sincerity as he could. “Of course.” He was aware of Whippoorwill’s eerie stare eating into his back. Crabapple was halfway to the Chahta by now. Gods, this could turn into a disaster. Or a brilliant opportunity.
Paunch fumbled anxiously with his fish trap. “I have to believe in you. After Smoke Shield is destroyed, and the Chikosi have been bled for a while, the mikkos will rethink this. By then they will know the extent of Smoke Shield’s defeat. That is when you must act.”
“Act how?” Amber Bead narrowed a skeptical eye.
“The mikkos have to be convinced. They have to understand that when the Chikosi are weakest, we must strike, and when we do, it must be in a fashion that sends a clear message to the other chieftains. Something so terrible that no Yuchi, Charokee, or Chahta will ever consider invading our valley.”
“So, we must plan on murdering them all,” Amber Bead said softly.
“You can make them understand, Amber Bead. You’ll have to. I’ve bet my life and my family on it.”
“Yes,” Whippoorwill said absently. “Isn’t it refreshing to Dance so closely to Death?”
Amber Bead watched as another of Whippoorwill’s corncobs burst into flame, searing its pot.
The first birdcalls woke Morning Dew. She lifted her head, seeing the faintest light around the gaps in the doorway. She lay on their pole bed, knees against the house wall, cushioned by a warm buffalo robe. Screaming Falcon’s body pressed against her naked back. His arm lay across the small of her waist, his legs spooned into hers.
Had she ever been so happy? For two days now, when they weren’t Dancing, feasting, or attending to visiting dignitaries, they had escaped here, to this wondrous sanctuary. When they did it was to frantically tear their clothing off before falling onto the bed, locked in each other’s embrace.
Like last night. They had taken their time, and she’d closed her eyes, savoring the sensations of his movements, her legs locked tightly behind his knees. Like a falcon, she had hovered on the edge of that moment of freefall, only to have him tense, drive deep, and then gasp and stiffen. His seed jetting inside caused her loins to burst with a pleasure that rolled up her spine and shot lightning down her legs. The pulsing waves had left her limp, panting.
He had laughed, his body lax on hers as the sensations faded.
“What?” she’d gasped.
“After that, I think the whole town knows.”
“You shouldn’t grunt like that.”
“Me? The way you yipped I thought someone stepped on a puppy.”
Gods, who’d have thought? She’d heard the stories the women told. Nothing had prepared her for this. A smile bent her lips, and she hugged herself. She hadn’t known that love could be such a blessing. Not just the coupling, but the warmth in his gaze, the way he laughed at her jokes. When they looked into each other’s eyes, a golden ray of light reached out from their souls, touching, sharing.
Someday, of course, he would take another wife. As his authority and prestige grew, he would take even more. To do so was inevitable and necessary. For the moment, however, she could have him all to herself. And in the coming seasons, she would ensure that this special bond strengthened. Together, they would work as a team, building the greatness of White Arrow Town.