Sun Warrior

by P. C. Cast

  “Well, I knew that part, but can they create it in just a couple more days?”

  “Almost. They have to weave twenty-eight cocoons. They say they can get most of them done before we have to leave. The rest of them, well, they say they can weave as we go down the river.”

  “If they say they can do it, they can,” Mari said.

  “So, we’re going to need to take some of the rowboats—like the one you and I escaped the island in,” Nik said. “The other boats, the kayaks, are smaller, but they’ll be helpful if we can rig floating litters behind them. Not much room for passengers with whatever it is the women are weaving the cloaks from. Do you know what it is?”

  “Of course. It’s hemp. Nik, that reminds me. We’re going to have to take several young plants and cuttings with us, as well as seeds and roots and bulbs. It’s going to take up a lot of room, but it’s part of what Antreas said we needed to do.”

  “Antreas said you needed to fill a boat with plants and cuttings and such?” Nik looked utterly confused.

  “Well, sort of. He said we had to prove our worth to the Wind Riders. Nik, Earth Walkers can grow anything. So, let’s show them. Let’s show the Wind Riders plants they’ve probably never seen before, and let’s show them that we know how to grow, harvest, and use the plants. Do they know what a wapato root is, and how delicious it can taste if you bake it just right?”

  “They probably don’t, but I’m with you, Mari. My mouth waters every time I think about wapato baked with garlic and salt.” He sat up straighter, obviously excited. “And there’s more, right? More plants like wapato and hemp that Earth Walkers know about, but no one else does?”

  “I don’t know what the Wind Riders know or don’t know, but Earth Walkers know plants. And that’s a valuable knowledge,” Mari said.

  “I’ll tell Antreas to plan for two boats, at least, filled to overflowing with plant things,” Nik said enthusiastically.

  “Okay, I’m going to need help at my burrow. In the pantry Mama and I have many roots and seeds, as well as dried herbs, fruits, and vegetables. I need help packing it all up after I go through it. The medicines must all come with us, but I’ll try to take only the plants that can be eaten on our journey, or replanted once we arrive.”

  “Good idea. But wait—does that mean we get no alone time tonight?”

  Mari smiled at his sweet puppy-eyed expression and kissed his lips softly. “That is exactly what that means.”

  Nik gave a dramatic, long-suffering sigh. “Is this part of Earth Walker courting?”

  “No, silly.” Mari kissed him again, this time lingering and whispering against his lips. “This is part of getting ready to travel to a new land.”

  “Someday we’re going to be in our new land, surrounded by our Pack, watching Wind Riders race over the plains, and I’m going to pick you up and carry you into our burrow or nest or den or what-the-bloody-beetle-balls-ever we call it and have my way with you. No matter what anyone says.”

  “I hope that’s a promise, Nikolas,” she said, her gray eyes sparkling mischievously.

  “Oh yes, my Moon Woman. It’s definitely a promise.”

  CHAPTER 32

  “But we’re breaking with tradition anyway, so I didn’t think this would be such a big deal.” Isabel was talking earnestly to Sora as Mari and Rigel made their way past clusters of women, busy with everything from weaving travel cocoons to gently packing seeds and roots and pods into woven containers, to the entrance to the birthing burrow. She’d been on a quest to find more storage containers so she and Nik could continue to pack up her burrow.

  “Oh, good! Mari can decide,” Sora said.

  “I can decide what?” she asked, stepping into the relative quiet of the burrow.

  “Sora says tonight Isabel is going to dance her name for the moon and then tomorrow it’s my turn,” Jenna explained, closing the door against the outside noises of a Pack frantically preparing to move. “Well, Isabel says she wants me to dance with her.”

  “And I said that was breaking with tradition. That it would be traditional for a Moon Woman to dance with her apprentice, so you or I could join her. But for two apprentices to introduce themselves together?” Sora shook her head. “It’s not done.”

  “Isabel, why do you want Jenna to join you?” Mari asked.

  “Jenna and I aren’t traditional Moon Woman apprentices. Danita wants to draw down the moon. We don’t. We just want to be Healers. And since we’re different, I thought it would be nice if we introduced ourselves to the Goddess together.”

  Jenna dimpled. “Isabel and I make a good team. Someday I hope she can draw enough moon magick to help with our healing and I’ll be an expert on tinctures and salves.”

  “And it doesn’t bother you that Jenna might be drawing some of the Goddess’s attention away from you tonight?” Mari asked Isabel.

  The young woman looked honestly surprised. “No! I never even thought of it that way. I just thought that since Jenna and I are a team, it made sense to dance our names as a team. And I think the Goddess has enough attention to split between us, don’t you?”

  Mari met Sora’s gaze. The other Moon Woman shrugged. “You make the decision.”

  “Then I think it would be lovely if the two of you introduced yourself together as Healer apprentices,” Mari said.

  “Oh yea!” Jenna clapped her hands as Isabel beamed.

  “Okay, go to the clearing downstream. Danita’s waiting for you there. She’ll help you practice the steps of your naming dance. I’ll be by later to check in with you,” Sora said.

  The girls scampered out of the burrow to meet with Danita, joining the wash of Pack noise that was, thankfully, cut off when the door closed behind them.

  “Since when are you a stickler for tradition?” Mari asked Sora.

  “I’m not. Not really. But I don’t want us to lose everything that made us a Clan.”

  “Sora, the people made us a Clan, not the traditions. And now we’ll make our group a Pack, with a unique mix of new and old traditions, like we’re a unique mix of people. But you know that. What’s going on with you? What’s wrong?”

  Sora brushed back a thick length of dark hair and blew at a braided strand of flowers that was flapping in her face. “I’m just not ready to leave!” she blurted. “Are you? We have one more full day, and then the next is the fifth day, and we’re supposed to be leaving the very next dawn.” Sora gazed around the birthing burrow fondly. “I was just getting settled—just finding my place here. And I love it. I love this women’s burrow that’s suddenly filled with all sorts of people and creatures. What are we doing leaving all of this?”

  “Come on. Let me make you some tea.”

  “I’ll make the tea,” Sora grumbled, moving with Mari and Rigel to the rear of the burrow. “I feel bad enough without being subjected to your questionable tea-brewing skills.”

  “See, you’re sounding more like yourself already. Where’s Chloe? She’ll make you feel better.”

  “She’s eating. Rose said she’d bring her to me when she’s done.”

  “Okay, look, you’re scared. I am, too. But leaving is the right thing to do. Are you honestly having second thoughts?” Mari didn’t even want to consider what it would be like to leave Sora behind, but she ignored the hollowness in the pit of her stomach and continued. “Stay if you feel you have to. Thaddeus will come after Nik and me. Once he realizes we’re gone the Tribe might be satisfied by going back to how things were. They’ll capture enough Earth Walkers to tend their crops, and let the rest of you live in peace until they need more of you. Just like they’ve been doing for generations.”

  “You don’t really believe that, though, do you?”

  “No, I don’t. I’ve met Thaddeus. I’ve seen the attitude of the Leader of their so-called Elder Council. They’re narrow-minded men stuck in the mud of their own outdated beliefs. I think they’ll come after all Earth Walkers. They blame us for the forest fire.”

  Sora came to M
ari, offering her one of the two steaming mugs of tea. She blew out a long breath. “I’m not going to stay. I know leaving is the right thing to do. I’ve been excited, happy even, about it. But…” Her words faded as she stared into her tea.

  “But it is scary, especially the closer we get to leaving,” Mari finished for her.

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “Change is scary. I was scared when you first came to live with me.”

  “Seriously? I would never have guessed that. It just seemed like you were mad at me. A lot.”

  “I hid my fear in anger. I was afraid of everything! Of living without Mama. Of what you would think of me because I’m part Companion. Of what might happen to Rigel if I couldn’t figure out how to take proper care of him. And mostly of what our Clan would do to me when they found out my secret. I wasn’t angry; I was terrified.”

  “Yeah,” Sora said softly. “I’m not having second thoughts. I’m terrified.”

  “But you’re not alone. You’re part of a Pack. We’re in this together. We have your back, Sora.”

  The sounds of the busy Pack filtered through the burrow again, and Mari looked up to see Nik and Laru standing just inside the entrance. “You two okay in here? I ran into Isabel and Jenna. They said I should check on you.”

  “We’re okay,” Mari said. “Sora’s just feeling stressed about the move. Nik, would you mind if I—”

  “Hey, say no more. Laru and I will make another run back to your burrow. I’ll load the rest of your medicines. We should be back here about dusk—just in time for Third Night.”

  “There are more satchels and medicine carriers just inside the rear pantry. I don’t know where Jenna keeps finding them. The girl is a born scavenger,” Sora said. “That’s what you were looking for when you came in, isn’t it, Mari?”

  “Yeah, thanks. Hang on just a second, Nik.” Mari hurried into the pantry and came back with several satchels slung over her shoulder, which she handed to Nik. “Thanks again.” She tiptoed to kiss him, adding quietly, “Sora needs me.”

  “I get it,” Nik said. “Take care of your friend. Want Rigel to come with us? I’ll bet he’s up for some boy time.”

  Mari glanced down at Rigel, who was sending her an openmouthed grin, tail wagging manically.

  “That would be a big yes from Rigel, and a smaller yes from me.” Mari crouched in front of her Shepherd. “Stay close to Laru and listen to Nik. I love you, sweet boy.” She kissed him on his nose and he licked her in return. Laughing, she turned to Laru, who was waiting a lot more patiently beside Nik. “Watch our boy. He likes to get into things.”

  Laru woofed softly, and when she bent to kiss him, too, he flooded her face with licks. Sputtering and laughing, Mari straightened to grin at Nik, who pulled her into his arms and kissed her thoroughly.

  “Ugh,” she said when he let her go. “I’m covered in Shepherd slobber. I’m sure you got some of it on you.”

  “You know it’s my favorite. Well, besides Moon Woman slobber.” He waggled his eyebrows at her before calling, “See ya, Sora.”

  “Not if I see you first,” Sora quipped as the two Shepherds bounded out of the burrow with Nik following close behind.

  “There. Now we should have some peace.” Mari returned to her spot beside Sora and picked up her tea. “Tell me what I can do to help.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Okay, you asked for it. I don’t even have half of the pantry loaded up. And there are so many clothes to go through. What about all of these sleeping pallets? What are we going to do with them? And the weaving supplies? We’ll need to impress the Wind Riders, so we need all of the looms and the hemp. The women have been gathering roots and shoots and seeds, but what about live plants? We have to bring some of them. Do Wind Riders have blueberries? Well, they should. What about that? All of that?”

  Sora finally took a breath and Mari was able to speak. “First, you need to add some lavender to your tea. Not enough to make you sleepy. Just enough to help you relax a little.”

  “Enough to make me think things aren’t as stressful as they really are,” Sora said sardonically.

  “Yes and no. You’re building up a lot of stress in your mind, Sora. Like the pallets. Each person will pack their own. And I talked with Nik when we were packing my burrow this morning about using litters to carry a lot of these supplies to the boats. He agreed. So, let’s start by taking apart the bed frames and using them to make litters. There’s nothing wrong with moving the pallets to the floor. We can strap the looms and weaving materials to the litters, as well as live plants, and then transfer them to their own boats. Nik said we can lash boats together. That’s what we’ll do.”

  “But what about when we leave the river and have to carry all this stuff?”

  “We will have eaten a lot of this stuff by then. And if we have too much to carry, we leave it beside the river. We’ll make that decision then. No need to worry about it now.”

  “I just want to do this right, and that seemed so easy when we were talking about it, but making it happen is a whole other thing,” Sora said.

  “But you’re not alone. I owe you an apology. I’ve been distracted by packing up my burrow. I should have been here for you,” Mari said.

  “You don’t owe me anything. I should be able to handle this on my own. You’re handling it just fine.”

  Mari laughed. “Oh no, no, no! I’m faking it! I’m just as scared as you are. But I’m used to living day-to-day, afraid of being found out. I’ve learned to keep my feelings hidden.”

  “Strangely enough, that’s a comfort to me.”

  “So, you want to add lavender to that tea, and then you and I are going to go through that pantry back there and get it packed up. All of it,” Mari said.

  “Yes. And thank you,” Sora said.

  “No problem.”

  Sora touched her arm. “No, really. Thank you. And thank you for being my friend.”

  “You didn’t give me much choice,” Mari said.

  “Sure I did. You could have been my friend or let Rigel eat me,” Sora said, grinning at Mari.

  “Rigel said he was afraid you’d be too fatty to eat, and you know he doesn’t like fat.”

  “He did not say that!” Sora gasped.

  Mari giggled. “No, he didn’t. But it’s funny.”

  “For whom?”

  “Rigel and me, of course. Now, let’s get to work. It’ll be dusk before you know it, and it’s a Third Night.”

  “Do you think Jaxom will return?” Sora asked.

  “For his sake, I hope he does,” Mari said.

  “I don’t know, Mari. For his sake, I hope he doesn’t.”

  “What does that mean?” Mari asked, pausing at the entrance to the back pantry of the large burrow.

  “It means I don’t think he’ll find peace in this lifetime. Not after what he’s done. It might be better if he returned to the Goddess and came back around again,” Sora said.

  “Try to forgive him. If not for him—for yourself,” Mari said.

  Sora looked surprised. “Mari, I said it before—I’ve forgiven him. But I know him. I’ve been his friend, and more, for most of our lives. I don’t think he’ll ever be able to forgive himself.”

  * * *

  The day passed quickly, but Mari and Sora managed to get the birthing burrow’s pantries—medical and eatable—completely packed. O’Bryan and Sheena had all of the pallet frames taken apart and moved to the clearing by the stream, where they were being lashed together to form transportable litters. Antreas had even proclaimed that if the women could weave mats or webbing quickly enough the litters could be floated behind the boats and could carry many of their supplies.

  Davis and Cammy had been what Davis laughingly called binge hunting. They’d managed to trap several live rabbits to add to the small warren Mari had started for Rigel, as well as a few turkeys and a magnificent young deer. The scent of roasting and smoking meat hung fragrantly over the
campsite, lifting everyone’s harried spirits. Like Davis often said, it’s hard to be too stressed if there is plenty to eat.

  “Isabel, Jenna, you two look perfect, if I say so myself.” Sora stepped back from the girls, walking around them, tucking in a curl here and there.

  “It amazes me how fast you can braid decorations into hair,” Mari said.

  “You think that’s a skill Wind Riders will value?” Sora asked.

  “Antreas said they’re a matriarchy,” Isabel said. “So, I think it’s a skill they’re going to love.”

  “We sure do!” Jenna twirled around, making her long hazelnut-colored hair fly out in an arch around her as the shells and beads Sora had decorated it with made music.

  “Isabel, Jenna, you two are gorgeous,” Mari said. “Are you ready?”

  “Yes!” Jenna said.

  “Nervous, but yes,” Isabel said.

  “Just focus on the joy of the moment and the Goddess,” Mari told them. “Forget everything else.”

  “But know that your Moon Women support you,” Sora added.

  “That we do,” Mari agreed. “Okay, you have an eager Pack waiting in the clearing. Like we talked about earlier, as you begin dancing Sora and I will draw down the moon and Wash the Pack.”

  Jenna held out her arm, with a small grimace. “The sun’s setting. I can feel it.”

  The smooth skin of Jenna’s arm had taken on a sickly gray tinge. Mari glanced at Isabel and Sora. Their skin, too, was beginning to turn, though Mari’s wouldn’t. Her mixed blood made her immune to the Night Fever that plagued Earth Walkers.

  “How about this?” Mari said. “You two will be the first Sora and I Wash; then you can begin your dance and not have to worry about the pain of Night Fever.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Sora said. “A break from tradition that I like. There’s no need for any of us to suffer from Night Fever, not with more than one Moon Woman in our Pack.”

  “That’s awesome, Mari!” Jenna said.

  “We’d appreciate that,” Isabel agreed.