People of the Mist by W. Michael Gear Page B

suspect the depths of her complicity, did he?
                 He
chuckled. “My men and I would really like to be of help. A sign of our new
relationship.”
                 Hunting
Hawk nodded reluctantly. “Very well. Great Tayac, dispatch your men. On the
slim chance that she’s in some kind of trouble, it might not hurt to have some
extra eyes out there.”
                 Copper
Thunder lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, and his warriors wheeled in
unison, trotting out like a school of fish. Beyond the palisade, Copper Thunder’s
second called orders and men dispersed with cool efficiency.
                 “They’re
well trained,” Hunting Hawk noted.
                 “Of
course. A man doesn’t accomplish what I have without discipline.”
                 “And
ruthlessness,” she added.
                 “That,
too, but then, living between the serpent and the stone, as you do, you can
understand the value of that.”
                 “Indeed
I can.” As you will soon learn, my friend.
                 Copper
Thunder stood uneasily, his eyes narrowed.
                 Hunting
Hawk caught Yellow Net’s eye as her niece walked past. She could see the
woman’s anxiety as she shot a worried glance at Copper Thunder. Hunting Hawk
smiled to reassure her. As Yellow Net took a deep breath and walked off,
Hunting Hawk asked, “Something on your mind, Great Tayac?”
                 “Just
wondering. That’s all.. Why me, Weroansqua? Water Snake would have been a more
logical choice for an ally. His country lies immediately to your south. Despite
what your daughter told me this morning, you could have obtained inland goods
through him as well as me.”
                 Hunting
Hawk smiled crookedly. Be careful, woman. He smells the trap. “What if I told
you I just had a feeling in my gut?”
                 “I
wouldn’t believe it. Tell me honestly, have you ever done anything based on a
gut feeling?”
                 “Of
course … and so have you. You’re a sly one, Great Tayac. Always feeling. out
your opponent, seeking to learn more of his strengths and weaknesses.”
                 He
shrugged it off. “Among my people, one does not become Tayac, let alone Great
Tayac, without studying his associates. A smart leader never sleeps.”
                 “No,
she doesn’t.”
                 He
shot her a sidelong glance. “You know, don’t you, that some parties would
profit by abducting your granddaughter. “
                 “I’ve
been trying not to think of that. But, yes, it’s a possibility. And the
consequences would be dire indeed.”
                 He
took a deep breath. “It would be a slap in the face to you and your clan, and
to me and my people. We would have no choice but to destroy the offender.”
                 “Whole
villages would be burned, their people murdered. No one would be safe.” “Let us
hope that your first thought was the right one.”
                 Hunting
Hawk clasped her hands together, as if locking them around that hope. “I’m sure
the explanation will be simple.”
                 No,
despite her worries, he didn’t suspect a thing.
                 Quick
Fawn reached down for a piece of firewood, the first she’d seen since leaving
the village. At twelve, she was willowy, and pretty. Her mother, Yellow Net,
had combed out her long black hair until it gleamed. Her heart-shaped face and
sparkling eyes were the envy of her friends. Her slim body had just begun to
round, promising a woman’s beauty to come.
                 At
least a hand of time had passed since her mother had sent her out for wood. The
chore of keeping the fires going was an endless one. Years of collecting around
the village had forced her to travel farther up