Darian and Keisha both knew better than to argue with the Shaman when he used
that
phrase. A life-debt was a serious thing among the northerners, and it was not something that any northerner wanted hanging over his head. By Keisha and Darian being instrumental in saving Hywel's brother, Hywel had incurred a life-debt to them both that would hold him back, socially and personally, in many ways until he repaid it. He could not marry, could not even court a young woman, and could not incur any other major responsibilities until this one was discharged.
Besides, Hywel would have been
her
first choice as a guide. He might be young, but he was sharp, intelligent, and observant.
“What you have done for us would oblige us even to your whims. This is more than a whim you have conjured as a game. It is a personal imperative. You go now to the Vale, and make your plans,” Celin continued. “I will see to Hywel and Hywel's mother, making her easy with the journey her son must take with you.”
Darian sighed, and accepted the Shaman's words without any argument, since it was obvious that Celin had made up his mind about all this.
Or the Ghost Cat made it up for him.
“We'll head back, thenâwe've borrowed two more
dyheli.
I don't want to impose on the two we rode on before; they practically broke their necks to get us here quickly.” He must have already asked the
dyheli,
for two volunteers had joined up with the two cooling down, waiting for someone to come take the tack off the first two and put it on them.
“Go, go, go!” the Shaman said, making shooing motions at them. “Send one of the holy ones to come for Hywel when you are ready.”
There didn't seem to be anything else for them at that point but to take the saddles from the backs of their weary original mounts and transfer them to their new volunteers.
They were out of sight of the Ghost Cat village before Darian took a deep breath, shook himself out of his reverie, and turned to find her staring at him expectantly. “I definitely owe you an explanation,” he began sheepishly.
“Definitely,” she replied, with just a touch of acidâenough to let him know that she was more than tired of waiting. “I have been
incredibly
patient, understanding, noble, forbearingâ”
“Enough, I get the idea!” he cried, holding up his hands as if to fend her off. “I guess the place to start isâI've been having these dreams, except I couldn't remember them afterward.”
“I know.” When he looked at her oddly, she added, “It was like sleeping with a kicking
dyheli
fawn. Or rather, trying to sleep.”
He blushed. “Anyway,” he continued valiantly, “When you said something about the âSpirit Cat' talking to me, I remembered suddenly what those dreams were about.” He shook his head ruefully. “I don't know why I couldn't remember before.”
“Maybe you were afraid,” she said slowly, remembering the aura of fear that had hung over him during those dreams. It had been the fear, and not the restlessness, that had awakened her.
He looked very thoughtful. “Maybe. Especially since I didn't have any notion that they were supposed to help me. They were
weird
through and through.” He shrugged. “The point is, they all involved the Ghost Cat
and
a different totem, an enormous Raven. Not only that, but the day I was made a Clanbrother, the Ghost Cat appeared at the ceremony and left a raven feather at my place. Nobody seemed to have an explanation, and no one thought it was a bad omen, so I just dismissed it in favor of everything else that had to be done.”
“Until I triggered your memory.” Now she understood why he'd acted as if she had jabbed him.
“I just had this inspirationâno, that's too mild. I suddenly
knew
that the Ghost Cat was trying to tell me somethingâthat I needed to find the Raven tribe, so that was why I wanted to see Celinâ”
“Because you wanted to find out if there is a Raven tribe.” She nodded slowly, as all of the pieces began to fit together for her. “And he didn't know for sure, but the vests came from Snow Fox, so he figured the Snow Fox people
would
know. I take it that there is?”
“Yes, and here's the best part. They make the vests as trade goods, usually to order, with someone's own totems on them. But sometimes they make the ones like
I
gotâand what's more, they only started making them a few years ago.” He looked at her in triumph, and she felt her eyes widen.
“So we're going?” she asked, feeling breathless all at once. If
he goes, I go. I have to. Is this one of those compromises? Maybe
â
if so, it's one I know
I have to
make.
“We? You want to go?” He looked at her with doubt and hope mingled in his glance. “I thoughtâ
”
“I can turn Errold's Grove over to the oldest of the Sanctuary Trainees; they're about to make him a full Healer anyway,” she said resolutely, a thrill of pleasure running through her at his reaction.
Yes. This is a compromise I have to make.
“You don't think I'd let you go traipsing off into the howling wilderness on your own, do you? You might get hurt, and then how would we both feel?”
Â
Armed with this new information, Darian asked for an informal meeting of all of those who might be at all concerned with his proposed expedition. Shandi and Anda invited themselves to the meeting; he was pleased, but not surprised, given their earlier positive reactions.
He asked Tyrsell, because he would
have
to have
dyheli
if he expected to get from here to who-knew-how-far north in any reasonable length of time. The Elders of the Council were obviously concerned, given that
he
was supposed to become an Elder himself eventually. Shaman Celin and Hywel both arrived when he sent a polite invitation by
dyheli.
Hashi came because he wanted to, and Kel came because Kel wanted to know everything that was going on. Ayshen was there because he would have to see that the expedition was properly provisioned. Wintersky because his friend already knew what was planned, and had no intention of being left out.
There was an addition who was entirely unexpected : Steelmind. Why the plant expert would care where he went and what he did, he wasn't certain, but Steelmind and his buzzard were both in attendance.
He finished his summation of everything he had learned, and looked around the table. “I want to go north to find them,” he said. “I know that's obvious; it should also be obvious that I can't do this alone. Shaman Celin and Hywel both think that Hywel should go as my guide, and I agree. Also, Keisha wants to go.
I
want to leave now; I want to get there and back before winter, and winter probably comes earlier there than here. Soâ” He spread his hands. “Are you going to let me goâand have you any ideas of your own?”
Firesong burst into laughter, as Snowfire grinned and Nightwind cast her eyes upward. “Do you
really
think we could stop you?” Nightwind demanded. “Whether we like it or not, this is something that's too important to you. You'd claw your way through a mountain if it stood between you and your parents, now that you know at least one may be alive.”
“You might have some really pressing reason why I shouldn't go, and I
am
supposed to be the Valdemaran representative here,” Darian pointed out mildly. “I wouldn't like itâ
”
“Be truthful, you'd be miserable and angry,” Nightwind interrupted. “So the best thing we can do is not only agree, but give you everything you need to get you there and back safely. Which isâwhat?
”
“Me,” Kel interjected eagerly. “I am a forrrmidable foe. I am an outssstanding ssscout. You need me. I am
fierrrce.
I will frrrighten enemiesss jussst by being therrre!”
Kel seemed to take a great delight in being fierce. He was doing his best to look the part, too; head up, eyes bright with a predatory gleam, beak slightly agape, talons slightly flexed.
“Agreed,” Starfall said immediately, to the delight of both Darian and Kel. “Since Keisha is going along, she can serve as Kel's
trondi'irn.
Keisha, Nightwind can show you how, enough anyway to handle most problems. You'll all be immensely safer with Kel along. What next?”
:I believe I should accompany him,:
Hashi offered diffidently.
:You know that what Kel cannot see or scent on the ground, I can. I can work well with Kuari after dark. I am eager to have this saga at first hand. I am not vital to this Vale; there are others who can serve as the kyree representative as well as I. The fact that I have remained so is mostly habit on our part.:
“Any objections?” Starfall looked around the table, and saw none. “So far we have Darian, Kel, Keisha, Hashi, and Hywel. Tyrsell, I take it that you can supply as many restless young stags as need be?”
:Hah. I would have difficulty holding them back. This will be a high-status expedition for our eager young stags. The young does will be greatly impressed.:
Tyrsell's dry amusement at the expense of his younger counterparts had them all chuckling.
But Tyrsell hasn't had to exert himself to impress does in a very long time,
Darian reminded himself, with rising sympathy for those “eager young stags.” The only way a young stag became a father and potential harem leader was to do something impressive.
“Do you have to ask?” Wintersky said. “I'm going, of course. It's too dull around here. If I spend another summer shooing those Northern pilgrims onto the right trail, I'll go mad. I swear I will.”
Starfall laughed at him. “All right, all right. I
think
you can be spared! That's Darian, Keisha, Kel, Hashi, Wintersky, and a herd. Who else should we ask to volunteer?”
“No
hertasi,”
Ayshen said reluctantly. “It is very cold in the north, even in the summer.”
“Not that cold!” the Shaman protested. “You speak as if there is snow upon the ground
everywhere
at midsummer!”
But Starfall shook his head. “No, I agree. This is not like our foray into Valdemar, where the
hertasi
were protected and we were in no great hurry to cover ground. This expedition will move too quickly, and have too many risks for
any hertasi
to go along safely. Ayshen, your people are fine fighters, but only in large numbers, and what's the point of asking for fifty
hertasi
to go and be chilled solid up North, when they're needed more in the warm Vale?”
“No argument here,” Darian agreed, nodding. “Ayshen, I agree with you completely, even if it does mean I have to eat my own cooking.”
That brought a laugh as he had hoped, and the talk turned to provisioning for a little while, until Shandi cleared her throat. That brought silence, and all eyes turned toward her.
She flushed a little but said into the quiet, “Karles and I want to go along. Actually, Karles and I think we
need
to go along.”
Now
that
was a surprise! Of all of them, only Steelmind nodded, as if he had guessed as much.
“Anda and I talked this over very seriously before Darian went to the village, and spoke to the Snow Fox people,” she continued. “Anda would like us to see what conditions are like up there. It is not intended as a slight to any of you, of any species, but depending upon what was encountered it could be very advantageous to have an official Valdemaran presence there. No offense meant, Shaman Celin, but we need to know if there are any moreâ” She paused to pick out the least offensive words. “Any more aggressive peoples, like the Blood Bear tribe.”
“You need to know? You are not the only ones!” the Shaman replied. “We stand between you and any armies, recollect! And we have pledged to guard this place, have we not?”
“Well, there you have it.” Shandi shrugged. “Karles and I put our necks into this, too, then.”
Anda traded a look with her, then spoke to the rest. “This is something that is very important to us. I would have hesitated to send her and Karles alone, but this is going to be a group that is large enoughânot to protect her, but that she can work with.”
This was not the first time that Darian had gotten the feeling there was a great deal going on between the two Heralds that was not spoken aloud. There was an entire conversation taking placeâprobably in personal Mindspeechâthat no one else was privy to.
“My Gift of Empathy can be pretty useful in figuring out if someone is telling the truth without having to use a
vrondi
âbased Truth Spell, you know,” Shandi pointed out. “And I probably know as much about rough camping as any of you. And I can do one thing that none of you can. Through Karles, I can keep in touch with Anda and the Vale.”
Darian raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing; he could read between the lines easily enough. Valdemar and the Hawkbrothers were friends and allies, but ... it was always better to have a pair of your
own
eyes along.
He couldn't find it in his heart to feel resentful either; he'd have felt the same if the shoe had been on the other foot.
In fact, I don't think any of us here at the Vale would want a set of Heraldic spies going up there without one of us along. After all, we're the ones who'd be getting the arrows and spears in our teeth first.
But the greatest surprise of all was that Steelmind then said, “And I would go, too, if you will have me.”
From the startled look that Shandi threw at him, this was a complete surprise to her as well as everybody elseâexcept possibly Silverfox. “Why?” was the question on the tip of everyone's tongue, Darian suspected, but no one asked it, in part because it was, frankly, no one's business but Steelmind's. “We can certainly use you,” Darian said gratefully, and left it at that.