Wolf Hunting (72 page)

“I suppose,” Isende said, “we could compromise and only destroy those gates we think lead to the New World.”

“And if we missed one?” Tiniel retorted. “That would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?”

“Tin …” His sister said the nickname like a warning. “This is serious, not a matter for bickering.”

“I am serious,” Tiniel said. “It would be horrible if we thought we were safe and then discovered we’d missed something and destroyed our only way of getting back and dealing with the problem, wouldn’t it?”

Harjeedian broke in. “You two sound like Rahniseeta and me when we’d argue. You both have good points. I, for one, fear that Tiniel’s argument is the stronger here.”

Firekeeper, who had agreed with Derian’s desire to destroy the entire nexus, was startled to hear Blind Seer taking Harjeedian’s part.

“Rabbits have many ways out of their burrows. At the center of the burrow, the rabbit can watch a// those tunnels, but to cover them from without would take a wolf pack. We have found the rabbit warren and are in its heart. We would be foolish to relinquish what we have so dearly won.
”

Firekeeper translated faithfully, then added, “And if later, when we are stronger, we wish to attempt to destroy the nexus, well then, we will be in a better position to do that as well. For now we must secure this place and its people as best we can. In a few days, when we have recovered more from querinalo, we will be able to do more.”

“I never thought I would hear myself saying this,” Harjeedian commented, “but I wish we could consult the Meddler in this matter. He knows far more than we do about these gates and how they are used.”

Firekeeper grinned at the aridisdu.

“The Meddler keeps a good watch on us, I think, but since we are here, the only way we can meet with him is to nearly die. I, for one, have no wish to do this.

“Nor do I,” Harjeedian replied with heartfelt sincerity. “I assure you, nor do I.”

XXXV

SOME DAYS LATER, Truth padded up to Firekeeper where she stood on the hilltop upon which the majority of the gates were built. The jaguar’s charcoal-black tail with its strange flame-colored spots lashed with such agitation that Firekeeper expected sparks to trail after.

“Are you stronger, wolfling?” the jaguar asked with a trace of her former arrogance.

“I can bend a bow again, and run from this cottage to the hilltop without losing my breath,” Firekeeper said with some pride. It had taken hard and painful labor to achieve these goals. “But I am not what I was.”

“And Blind Seer?”

“He is stronger as well, though less than pleased with having to wear a coat other than his own.”

This last was an understatement. To the eye, Blind Seer was not much changed from what he had been before. If he were a bit leaner, well, that only made him look all the more fierce. Appearances, however, lied.

In battling querinalo’s fever—an ordeal of which the wolf still would not speak except to say that he had learned things about himself no one should know—Blind Seer’s body had sought to cool itself by shedding all of the thick undercoat that normally insulated the wolf from extreme cold. Blind Seer; once able to sleep within a drift of snow, now found himself unable to tolerate a passing breeze. He shivered uncontrollably, and grew quite short-tempered as a result.

Derian suggested the solution, an artificial coat crafted from a thick wool blanket.

“We make these for foals born too early in the spring,” he said, “and I can make one for you that won’t restrict your movements in the least.”

Blind Seer growled,
“I will look the fool—and worse, weak, here where there are many wolves who may wish to challenge me.
”

Firekeeper faithfully translated, wondering how Derian would respond, for the young man was still sensitive about his appearance. Derian surprised her.

Derian reached up and touched his horse’s ears. “I think I know more than you ever will about looking a fool. Didn’t I once dress up as a carrot? Stop whining and come over here and let me fit you.”

Blind Seer slunk over, shamed by his insensitivity to his friend’s distress. Now he wore a skillfully cut coat in a shade of grey not unlike his own fur. None of the yarimaimalom had challenged him, perhaps scenting the blue-eyed wolf’s buried fury, perhaps from gratitude for what Blind Seer had done for them, certainly from respect for his prowess.

“I am glad that you both are stronger,” Truth went on. “I fear we have overlooked something, and only hope that we are not too late to deal with it.”

Blind Seer had padded over to join them in time to hear the jaguar’s words. Now he looked about uneasily, head back as if he could catch some sense in Truth’s words on the wind.

“As I have grown stronger,” Truth continued, “I have resumed my prowling. It is interesting what these eyes can see.”

She deliberately blinked those white eyes with their blue slit pupils. Oddly, they did not at all give the impression of blindness, but rather of seeing too much, so that Firekeeper shifted uneasily despite herself. Blind Seer was less impressed.

“I smell your tension, cat, though you try to hide it. Speak. Or is this matter not as urgent as your glands believe?”

“It is urgent,” the jaguar said, “but I am not certain we can deal with it until darkness has fallen and the humans grow quiet.”

“Then it has to do with our prisoners?” Firekeeper prompted. “What have those white eyes seen?”

“Great activity where there should be little,” Truth replied. “Two missing who should be more visible. Anticipation and anger warring in the same breasts. I think that those we think are our captives have come up with some plan to turn against us, to transform the hunters into the hunted.”

Firekeeper frowned. “Two missing?”

“Ynamynet and Lachen—not missing as such. They are seen at the evening meal and occasionally elsewhere. However, when I began my prowling, I realized I could not find them. I asked the yarimaimalom, and they assured me the two Once Dead were about, but admitted upon being pressed that there were long chunks of the day that one or the other of that pair were missing.”

“And no one wondered about this?” Blind Seer growled. “No one felt concern that the Ones of this strange pack vanish?”

“Not all creatures are wolves,” Truth said stiffly, “to think in such a fashion. Most of the watchers were winged folk, and although they flock, the flocks rarely have leaders as such.”

Firekeeper evaded a budding argument by raising another question. “The humans have been watched continuously since we have taken them. Their actions have been restricted to the counsel building alone. Only those few who must go elsewhere to perform their duties have done so—and those under escort. How could they act against us?”

“Our error,” Truth said obliquely, “was in forgetting that although these southwestern yarimaimalom are indeed yarimaimalom, they know little of humans. Moreover, these humans speak languages we do not, so that they could talk to each other. As long as they hid the emotional sense of what they said beneath bland faces our watchers could not understand what was being said. Even so, when I questioned them, a few of the more nose-oriented watchers admitted being troubled by a strange odor of triumph they scented from a few of the humans.”

Firekeeper nodded. “Eshinarvash is too large to have been among the watchers, and the ravens spent their waking hours watching over you. You are right. The yarimaimalom from the southwestern forests could easily be fooled. But what could the humans do, confined as they are in one building? We inspected that building before it was turned into a prison. I thought that we had removed everything that could be turned into a weapon.”

“I do not know what they are doing,” Truth said, “but the omens are clear. If we do not investigate this soon—and without our investigation being known of—events will turn against us.”

“I know little of divination,” Blind Seer said, “but enough to draw some conclusions from what you have said. This need for secrecy and speed would seem to indicate that whatever the humans have been preparing, it is nearly done—close enough that were our purpose to be detected they might spring their trap early.”

Truth’s tail began lashing again. “I fear you are correct, wolf. My first impulse was to make my way inside and inspect immediately, but the smoothly flowing river of the immediate future broke into foaming white water.”

“Then for now the future flows smooth?” Firekeeper asked.

“Fairly,” Truth said. “Few things move from now to then unquestioned.”

They waited until nightfall, but not without making preparations. Their allies were briefed, and the yarimaimalom cautioned that the least change in their usual manner might mean disaster for them all. Perhaps these Wise Beasts would have been more contentious, but they were of Truth’s faith, and the words of a jaguar marked so clearly with Ahmyn’s sign were not to be lightly disobeyed.

There was the usual wrangle as Firekeeper convinced the others that she, Blind Seer, and Truth were the best adapted to undertake the investigation of the administration building.

“We all see well by night,” she said, “and there is no need to translate among us.”

“But you’ve been ill,” Derian protested. “I know how I feel. I can’t imagine you feel much better.”

“Wild things,” Firekeeper responded, “are used to being ‘not better.’ I not think I was ‘better’ all the years of my life until I meet you. Besides, we need you with Plik and Eshinarvash. Someone must take charge of making certain that yarimaimalom do not act foolishly, and that the humans do not flee.”

Finally, the others agreed, and Firekeeper and Blind Seer ate a large meal and settled in to sleep. The wolf-woman might have boasted how much stronger she felt, but in reality she feared that her own weakness might betray them all.

PLIK WOKE FIREKEEPER and Blind Seer after full dark.

“The others are awake already,” he said. “I saved you for last since I knew you woke clearheaded.”

In reality, the maimalodalu’s motives had been different. He knew well how weak he had been following querinalo, and he had wanted to give the pair as much rest as possible.

The twins had been told they must wait in the cottage that had been their own. Firekeeper respected the nursing the pair had done, but she did not yet trust them at her back. Somewhat sadly, for he was growing fond of both Tiniel and Isende, Plik had agreed. A brace of eagles, not yet recovered from their captivity, but fully able to deal with two rather plump humans, would lurk on the rooftop in secret watch.

Neither twin had protested, but Plik could smell their mingled disappointment and relief as they returned to captivity. He thought the disappointment was stronger in Tiniel, the relief in Isende, and wondered just what had so dismayed the young man. Was Tiniel looking to prove himself to them, or did he have some other motivation? Much as he liked the young man, Plik could not forget that Tiniel had been willing to use blood magic, a thing any sane person should shun.

As those who would be venturing out into the chill dampness of the night spooned down hot, thick stew, and wiped their bowls with coarse brown bread, Bitter briefed them on what they might expect. The ravens felt deeply shamed that they had not realized that the humans were plotting against them, and nothing the others could say would keep them from attempting to make amends.

“The building stands several stories high,
” Bitter began,
“but we are fairly certain that whatever it is you seek lies below ground, not above. Today we wingéd folk have looked in through every window, and various of the yarimaimalom have done their best to sniff around without raising suspicion.”

“Won’t this in itself arouse suspicion?” Derian asked when this was translated.

“Not really,
” Bitter replied.
“The yarimaimalom have always had some of their number go within the headquarters building. They might not be wise in the ways of humans, but they knew full well that they could not see all the interior through the windows. Fearing that any representative of their number might be attacked or imprisoned, however, they tended to send the larger, more dangerous beasts—especially the bears, for there seemed no way a bear could be slain without first giving ample warning. But bears are very bulky, and not as inquisitive as wolves or cats.
”

Derian nodded. “I understand.”

“We have located the area that seems to be at the heart of the plotting,”
Bitter continued.
“In the oldest portion of the structure, near the center, there is a stairway leading down. We did not know of its existence until today, for the doors were always closed.”

Firekeeper looked at the floor plan Plik had produced based on the reports of the various yarimaimalom.

“I remember that door,” she said. “It was locked—not only locked, but swollen shut. We checked the workings of the lock and found them fused. There seemed no way it could be opened, and so we left it be.”

“This door is unsealed now,
” Bitter said, “
but great care has been taken that it not appear to have been unsealed. That would be suspicious enough, but the bear who scouted today noted that both Lachen and Ynamynet’s scents were strong around that area. However, she could not recall having seen either of them very frequently over the past several days.
”

“Certainly Ynamynet and Lachen are at the center of this attempt,” Plik said. “I wonder if they are attempting some sort of magic?”

“Perhaps,” Harjeedian replied. “Perhaps something more mundane. We cannot forget that they are the last of the Once Dead here and so the leaders of this community. They may be fitting sharpened spoons onto broom handles to make spears.”

Plik hid a smile as Firekeeper gave a characteristic, almost canine, shake of impatience.

“We know when we know,” the wolf-woman said rising to her feet, “and we not know until we go. So let us go.”