"Help me," he called softly.
Singing Wolf ran to grab his arm and lead him stumbling back to Heron's shelter.
"The end is coming," Wolf Dreamer murmured. "See the spinning of the web? It spins around the darkness. It will. . . will . . ."He broke into uncontrollable shivering.
A horrid fear was born in Singing Wolf's heart.
A low fire burned in the bottom of the pit. Why must it fall to me? I'm not the one for this. Such leadership belongs to the elders. Why did Singing Wolf call me here? Dancing Fox pulled her arctic fox hood over her head to block the icy breeze penetrating the shelter.
Singing Wolf peered into the fire, a frown lining his forehead. Four Teeth looked sick to the very root of his soul. Rain pattered on the hide roof overhead. The air itself hung heavy, damp, musty with the odors of the camp and the geyser. In the chill of the night, the fire did little to warm the small shelter.
"I think we should order everyone to go through the hole in the ice," Singing Wolf insisted to end the long silence.
"We really don't have much choice," Dancing Fox said as she stared into the black rain falling beyond the doorway. "The Others know about the route south. Moon Water has told them everything by now."
"Maybe they'll just let us go," Singing Wolf said in a monotone. Once more, he rubbed thumbs into his bloodshot eyes.
Four Teeth sat in the rear of the shelter, listening, eyes focused somewhere in the glowing coals as he rocked back
and forth, lips moving silently. They were all awed, tired, drained clear to their souls.
Singing Wolf kept glancing uneasily toward Heron's shelter, where Wolf Dreamer lay delirious. Crow Caller's body had been carried to the high spot above the valley. Buffalo Back and a group of women sang there, urging the old shaman's soul to the Blessed Star People as Wolf Dreamer ordered. The People were in shock; silence—made heavier by the storm—hung over the camp.
Dancing Fox had walked among them, heart tearing at the confusion in their eyes, the uncertainty unraveling their souls. Had these truly been the laughing people of her youth? Now despair clung like a clammy film. Unable to bear any more, she'd gone to Singing Wolf, and he'd listened to what she said and brought her here to Four Teeth in hopes they might bring sanity out of chaos.
Singing Wolf shook his head. "Too much blood's been spilled. Raven Hunter's warriors tortured and mutilated the dead. To the Others' way of thinking, those souls will never go to the place of the dead under the sea. The families of those mutilated warriors won't rest until the souls have been appeased. It's honor."
"That true?" Four Teeth asked.
"Blueberry and I had long talks about it."
"The best bet is to get away. Go through the hole." Dancing Fox crossed her legs, wincing as she bent her ankle, and propped her chin on her palms.
Singing Wolf chewed absently on a leather thong as he spoke. "The People will go through the ice. There's no doubt of that now. Only the water's blocking the way. We have to hold on until the Long Dark. In the meantime, the Others aren't this far south . . . yet."
Dancing Fox worked her aching ankle as she looked at Blueberry. "Do you think we have that long?"
"Who knows? It'll depend on their clan ceremonies. It will depend on Ice Fire, too."
"Ice Fire?" Dancing Fox steepled fingers, frowning. "Their Dreamer?"
"Their equivalent to a Dreamer, I think. No one knows much about him. He's ..." Singing Wolf looked perplexed. "Well, I hear he's a strange man."
"Anyone with Spirit Power is strange," Four Teeth muttered,
"We'll need to protect ourselves in the meantime." Dancing Fox met Singing Wolf's eyes across the fire. "We know the land down here better than they do. We can control some of the major trails through the hill country to the north. Maybe we can hold them back long enough to get our people through the ice."
Silence pressed on them, Four Teeth shifted. His stomach growled loudly in the quiet shelter.
"How's Wolf Dreamer?" Dancing Fox asked with trepidation.
"Bad." Singing Wolf's uneasy eyes met hers. "He's half in the Dream, half out. He can't keep anything down. Give him water and he spits it up. He lies there, singing, mumbling. Every time I'm in there, the look in his eyes scares me to death."
Silence stretched again as they stared soberly at nothing.
"We can't have more raiding then," Dancing Fox decided, forcing her mind away from Wolf Dreamer, stifling that long- -ing to run to him and comfort him. "That only fuels anger among the Others."
"That's not how Raven Hunter trained his warriors," Four Teeth reminded.
"Already they're chafing at what happened to Raven Hunter." Singing Wolf steepled his fingers. "They were off balance, shocked at the Renewal. Everything was so incredible, they didn't know what to do. Now, they've had time to think. Some are wondering if it wouldn't have been better to go with Raven Hunter."