by P. C. Cast
The Pack was so still that Mari decided they must have all been holding their breath.
“Oh, Davis, of course I accept you—you adorably sweet, sexy man! Ooooh! And I also accept this gorgeous crystal.” While the Pack laughed and clapped, and Cammy and Mariah barked joyously, Davis took Claudia in his arms and kissed her in front of everyone.
“So, how long before Mariah has puppies?” Mari whispered to Nik.
“That’s your only question? Oh, no no no. I have way more questions than that,” Sora said, keeping her voice low as she tried not to laugh. “Like how did little Cammy mate with Mariah? Did he use a stump? A ditch? And what are those puppies going to look like?”
“I’ll answer the easy question first: Mariah will give birth in about two months. As to Sora’s questions, well, the only one I can answer for sure is the last.” Nik grinned at the other Moon Woman. “The puppies are going to look like love, Sora, pure love, and I couldn’t be happier about it.”
* * *
After the Pack broke their fast they launched the boats and resumed paddling upriver with a brilliant sense of hope. The news that Mariah would be having puppies before they reached the Plains of the Wind Riders was such a good omen that everyone shared in the excitement that carried them upriver, even as the days began to blend together into an endlessness that had them all so accustomed to the rhythm of the river that the nights they were able to make camp, and not just tie up anchored together on the water, their legs felt strange—as if they’d forgotten how to be land creatures.
Their bodies hardened along with their resolve to make a new life for themselves. As one, the Pack believed they would make it to the Plains, and they would build that new, harmonious future there—together. Passing the checkpoints controlled by the Saleesh only cemented their resolve, especially as they watched children play happily and innocently. No one—not one person in the Pack—wanted to imagine what would happen to all of those beautiful, innocent lives if their mothers never learned of Dove’s vision and never had the opportunity to choose for themselves if they would remain, as Father John insisted, or flee.
As the sun set the evening before they would reach Day Dam, the Pack turned somber, knowing that the next day would test them, perhaps to the breaking point. But they could not remain silent. They had to warn the Saleesh, even should that warning prove fatal to some of them …
CHAPTER 16
PRESENT DAY—TRIBE OF THE TREES
“My Lord! I present to you Dax and his Lynx, Mihos.” Thaddeus bowed to the God and then stepped aside so that the Lynx Companion got his first full view of Death.
To his credit, the Lynx man’s only sign of shock was that the color drained from his face. His Lynx stayed close to his side, yellow eyes fixed on the God. Dax bowed deeply, following Iron Fist’s example.
“My Lord, I come in answer to your signal beacon.”
“Ten days! It has been ten days since the signal fire was lit calling for a guide from your people.” Death faced the Lynx Companion, who had been led to the platform in the tree that the God rarely left.
“I apologize for the delay, but spring is a busy time, my Lord,” Dax said after he took several steps back, looking startled and out of sorts. The fur on his Lynx’s back lifted, though the big male feline remained eerily silent. “Mihos and I came to you as soon as we completed our previous job.”
Ralina felt sorry for Dax, whom she knew because he was one of the older mercenaries who had been hired by the Tribe several times over the past decade. She’d been called to the God’s platform to witness this next chapter in Death’s obscene conquest of the Tribe, and she sat in her usual shadowy corner of the platform, with Bear lying behind her while she attempted to shield him from Death’s too curious gaze. But this evening Death only had eyes for Dax—and was more interested in His plan to flee the poisoned forest for the untainted lands of the Wind Riders than He was about obsessing over male Shepherds.
Death’s attitude shifted instantly, as His mercurial temperament was wont to do. Ralina’s stomach clenched. She knew His smile always foretold something terrible.
“Ah, I have been too passionate. Dax and Mihos, you are welcome here, among my People. Please, sit.” Death gestured to the floor of the platform in front of Him, and after only a slight hesitation, Dax sat, Mihos at his side.
Death was, of course, the only person on the platform allowed a chair. He’d had an enormous, water-whitened log dragged up to the platform for Him. Its bleached white roots reminded Ralina of the skeleton of a throne. On it the young women who were Death’s Attendants kept a pallet of pelts so that He could recline in comfort while everyone else either stood or was forced to sit at His feet.
Just looking at Him sickened Ralina.
“I do understand how frustrating it is to wait for a guide,” Dax said.
It seemed to Ralina that the Lynx man was doing his best to recover quickly from what must have been a terrible shock at being brought into what he had to have thought was a normal job for Sol and the prosperous Tribe of the Trees. Finding the city decimated, the Tribe either poisoned and dying or healthy and mutated, and Skin Stealers with their God of Death in charge, was surely a blow, and Ralina wondered how much Thaddeus had told him on his way to meet Death. And then Ralina really looked at Thaddeus, and she realized what was happening. The Hunter was wearing a cloak that covered much of his body, with a hood pulled up to shield his face.
Thaddeus is hiding his visible changes, and the only other people on the platform, or even close by, are Death’s young female Attendants—none of them have taken The Cure. A man claiming to be a God should look like a strange, hybrid creature, but they’re purposefully hiding the mutations happening here from Dax until he’s given his word and accepted the job. Ralina felt a new wave of nausea. I wish I could’ve warned him, but there were too many Skin Stealers on the lookout for the Lynx man. Tonight … I will get to him later tonight …
Dax gazed around him, taking in the vastly altered state of the Tribe of the Trees. “Is Sol no longer even Sun Priest?” he asked.
No one so much as moved.
Death’s sharp gaze caught Dax. “The Tribe of the Trees is no more. I rule here. And now that the People have a living God, there is no need for any priest.”
Dax’s gaze slid to Thaddeus, who stood beside Death, staring out at nothing.
“Then there is also no Elder Council I need to meet with in order to formalize any agreement you and I come to?” Dax asked.
“I am a God! I am not ruled by a council!” Death roared.
Dax flinched back and his Lynx pressed against his side, his back beginning to arch.
“I did not mean to offend. I only wished to hurry the process of my hiring. You have waited long enough for me to get here. I don’t want you to wait any longer.”
“Indeed! Indeed!” Death sat down, nodding. “I understand your reasoning. Fear not—I am the only authority here. Dax, would you like some of the Tribe’s beer? Or, perhaps, something stronger? And if you hunger I can have my women bring you some delectable stew.”
Ralina had to bite a bloody hole in the side of her cheek to keep herself from shouting, Don’t eat anything he offers you! But the Lynx man was far from stupid. He bowed his head cordially and replied.
“Spring beer would be refreshing. Thank you, my Lord. Mihos and I ate our evening meal just before we entered your territory. It is Lynx tradition not to arrive hungry when summoned for a job.”
“Excellent tradition,” Death said, motioning for one of the Attendants to bring Dax beer. “It is always wise to arrive without need; then you can focus on what others need from you.”
Dax nodded. “And what is it you need from me?”
“Right to the point. I already like that about you, Dax.” Death paused as an Attendant gave Dax a wooden mug of beer. “I require that you guide my People and me to the Plains of the Wind Riders.”
Dax choked on his beer. He swallowed quickly, and wiped his
mouth. “Surely you aren’t planning on taking that journey this year.”
“I most surely am,” Death said.
Dax shook his head. “You would be cutting it too close. There will already be snow in the mountains by the time you reach them, and once it begins snowing it does not stop. It may be the shining end of summer on the Plains, but in the Rock Mountains it will be the beginning of winter—and the closing of the passes.”
“Then we will leave immediately and travel quickly.”
“Immediately?”
“I commanded the People to begin preparations to travel the day the signal fire was lit. Thaddeus, how much longer before we will be ready to leave this forest?”
“No more than five days, my Lord.”
“There you have it, Dax. Five days. Then we will begin our journey.”
“But, my Lord, you run a very real risk of getting trapped in the mountains. If anything happens on the river leg of the journey—if you are delayed at all, something that is easy to happen, especially as we cross Lost Lake—you will not make it through the mountains.”
“I am not overly concerned about delays. They are for those weaker than the People and me. You will be surprised at the strength of my People. We leave in five days, and because of the lateness of the season, I will agree to pay you five times your normal fee.”
Ralina’s heart sank as she saw Dax lean forward, steepling his hands while he considered.
“How many people will be traveling?” Dax asked.
“Two hundred,” Death said. “There will be canines with us as well.”
Ralina’s breath stopped. Two hundred! That is less than half of the number of Tribe members still alive, but it was almost exactly the number of Reapers in His disgusting army. He’s leaving the Tribe to die, along with many of His own People. He is despicable. Ralina swallowed down bile as she continued to listen silently.
“And you have boats to carry that many, and supplies that will last the entire journey?”
“As you and I have just met I will not take offense at your questioning of me.” Death’s look darkened dangerously.
Dax swallowed hard, obviously uncomfortable. “I do not mean to offend you. It is just that the journey could take up to three, even four or five months. The first leg is the easiest, and there is nothing easy about paddling up the Umbria River, and then over Lost Lake. After that you either ditch the boats, or adapt them to litters to use in the second leg as we make our way through the Rock Mountains. It is an arduous, difficult trip.”
“I understand that, and we will be ready to depart in five days,” Death said.
“Well, then, I will guide you if you do pay me five times more than my usual fee, plus a bonus of a brace of my choice of pelts when we reach the Wind Riders—whether they accept you or not,” Dax said.
“Accept me or not? Whatever do you mean?”
“Wind Riders rarely accept outsiders. They only allow them to remain on their Plains if the settlers can prove that they have skills the Wind Riders need. Even then the acceptance is sometimes more whim or feeling than need. The horse people are proud and strong and independent—and they are sole rulers of a huge area of land.”
Death threw back His massive head and laughed. As if they had no will of their own, Thaddeus, Iron Fist, and the Attendants all echoed the God. Death wiped his eyes and, smiling his terrible smile, said, “Oh, Dax, let me worry about being accepted by the Wind Riders. I agree to your terms. We leave in five days. Please, be my guest until then.”
“Thank you,” Dax said. “I can help Thaddeus be sure that your People are bringing the proper supplies.”
“That would be helpful,” Death said absently, as if He had no real concern for whether or not they brought the proper supplies with them. Then His expression became much more animated. “Dax, I know little about the peoples we will encounter on the journey, but I assume there are many settlements along the river.”
“Not as many as you might imagine. The lands bordering the Umbria and Lost Lake are not welcoming to settlers, except for a river people called the Saleesh. Part of what I will discuss with Thaddeus is the fact that we will need to pay the Saleesh a form of tribute as we pass each village.”
“And why do these river people deserve tribute?” Death asked, sounding more curious than angry.
“Well, they control the most difficult parts of the Umbria. Without their permission to pass, and their help getting your boats through the ruins around which they build their villages, you would have no chance of making it to the Rock Mountains in time to cross. It would add months onto your journey.”
“Are the Saleesh such great warriors?” Death said.
“Truthfully, I don’t know how adept they are at fighting. I do know that they are expert river men. I’ve traveled far, and never met any people who have greater knowledge of waterways, except perhaps the Whale Singers, though they understand the seas, and not so much rivers.”
“Ah, I understand. And are there many rivers on the Plains of the Wind Riders?”
Dax looked surprised at the question, but he answered it smoothly. “That depends on which part of their territory you’re asking about. There are rivers that begin in the mountains and spill down to the Plains. The eastern boundary of Wind Rider territory is an enormous river called the Missi, and there are a few others as well.”
Death nodded his enormous head and scratched his chin contemplatively. “So, the Saleesh would be excellent additions to my People.”
“Well, yes, they probably would be, but I have never known of any Saleesh to leave the banks of the Umbria. They marry into other Saleesh villages, but it is usually the women who move. The men almost always remain in the village in which they were born for their entire lives.”
“You might be surprised at how persuasive I can be.” Death waved away Dax’s response. “And what types of peoples will we encounter in the Rock Mountains?”
“Not many,” Dax said. “There are some odd, reclusive mountain people, though they are only seen when they want to be. And, of course, there are several Lynx Chains that call those mountains home, but as the snow begins to fall they only leave their dens to hunt and trade.”
“Fascinating…” Death said.
Ralina’s nausea rose again. She understood exactly why Death was asking those questions. She spent so much time shadowing Him that the God tended to forget she was present and spoke freely around her—especially to His disgusting Blade, Iron Fist and Thaddeus. She hadn’t thought her loathing of Him could be any greater, but the past ten days had proved her wrong. The God of Death was a merciless, despicable, manipulative tyrant bent on destroying everything and everyone who did not bend to His will. Ralina had to force herself to breathe slowly and deeply, and to remain silent. I can do nothing to stop Him if I’m dead, she reminded herself.
The sound of Dax’s voice broke into Ralina’s dark thoughts.
“My Lord, if I have your permission, I would like to retire for the night. Mihos and I traveled far and fast to reach you today.”
“Of course! Iron Fist, show our guest to the nest we prepared for him, and be sure that he has plenty of food and water,” Death said.
Dax wasted no time. He quickly followed the Skin Stealer from the platform, still throwing the God of Death glances of shock mixed with curiosity.
Ralina waited until the God and Thaddeus had their heads together, speaking in low, animated voices. Then, moving quickly, she remained hugged to the shadows, making her way silently to the stairway.
His voice stopped her just before she reached the exit.
“Storyteller, I did not give you permission to leave.”
Ralina turned to face Death as Bear stepped silently behind her. “My Lord, I did not wish to interrupt you and Thaddeus, but I wanted to collect my thoughts and order my words. Today marks an important chapter in your story.”
“It does, indeed,” Death said. “And you are right to give today’s events special attention. I
do grant you leave to go.”
“Thank you, my Lord.” She bowed to him.
“Have you moved into that nest I assigned to you?” Death asked her before she could escape down the stairs.
“I was planning to do that tonight,” she lied. She’d had no intention of leaving her sick and dying people to rot away in the repulsive holding pen area Death had designated for all who were ill or injured and refused to take The Cure. But this night the move that Death had ordered fit perfectly with her plan—desperate and unlikely to succeed as it was.
“Good. Be sure you do. That is where I will call for you on the morrow, when you will observe the next chapter of my magnificent tale. And, Storyteller, you are looking too thin. I am concerned for you. Do I need to send you special cuts of meats so that I can be sure you are eating enough?”
Ralina’s mouth flooded with saliva, and she had to swallow several times to keep from vomiting. Of course I’m thin. I have to forage for roots and berries and vegetables. Thank the Sun God canines don’t seem to be able to be infected by eating tainted meat, or Bear would’ve starved by now. Finally, she was able to smile and say, “Oh, no, thank you. I tend to lose weight while I am creating a new tale. It’s part of my process. The more important the tale, the more I focus on its creation. If I eat too much it makes my brain sluggish. I’m sure you understand that, my Lord.”
Before Death could respond Thaddeus spoke. “Strange that I don’t remember you getting thin when you wrote our stories.”
“Strange that I don’t remember you paying much attention to me at all before now, Thaddeus. We were not friends. We were not intimate. How would you know anything about my creative process?”
