Wolfwalker - Wolf In Night Part 24

"I believe I have answered already, Elder Mato."

"The answer isn't acceptable."

The wolfwalker shrugged. She never stood up in council, but for some reason, perhaps because of the wolf in her now, it was almost satisfying to stand up to this man.

"I was told you'll be doing council duty in two months anyway, regardless of what else your parents have arranged."

"That's still two months away, Elder Mato."

"It's two months of laz-"

Kettre broke in. "My apologies, Elder. Nori, the Hafell has a question for you."

"Black Wolf-" Mato started.

Nori smiled grimly. "Please excuse me, Elder Mato. I'm still working off myandyen. I believe I know what the Hafell is waiting for." She nodded to the driver, stood up, and stepped neatly into Kettre's stirrup. She settled in behind the other woman as they turned and cantered away.

"My thanks," she murmured against Kettre's back.

The woman's voice was dry. "We've had enough mishaps in the caravan. I didn't want you biting his throat out."

"Then you have good timing." Nori's lips tightened. "Someone told him I could climb to the upper ca.s.sar root stands."

Kettre looked back sharply. "That requires a rope, and yours was sabotaged."

"Aye," she said softly. "I'd like to know who prompted him to ask. He's pus.h.i.+ng me after everyone else has backed off, so someone is pus.h.i.+ng him."

"I'm outriding only a few more hours today. I could look into that."

"With my thanks." She glanced down the line. "I take it Brean really doesn't have a question for me?"

"No, but we can make one up. The Hafell seems like a good sort."

Nori grimaced. "Good enough to have a.s.signed me seven different duties."

Kettre chuckled. " 'You runs the trail, you pays the Ell.' "

They checked in with the older man, snagged a quick bite from the cookwagon, and headed back up the line.

"Oops," said Kettre. "Didn't take long enough." Mato's dnu was still up ahead. The elder had moved back to Rezuku's wagon and was now perched on the seat beside the merchant, complaining volubly.

"I'd curse," Nori muttered, "but it's just not worth the effort."

Kettre grinned over her shoulder. "You're boring when you curse, anyway. You really should take lessons from Payne."

From his outrider post, B'Kosan greeted them as they came abreast, but Mato's voice floated back clearly before he said anything else. "-can't get her to do a G.o.dsd.a.m.ned thing. She's either working for the council or against it, dammit. And if she's helping at all, she d.a.m.n well ought to do her duty when any elder asks. She has no right to withhold her skills." Rezuku's response was too quiet to hear, but Mato's sharp words weren't. "You heard thosechovas yourself last night. She has to say yes eventually or shame her family. Arrogant little witch." He seemed to spit. "She's acting as if she can pa.s.s judgment on what I need and decide herself if it's important."

Kettre scowled, and B'Kosan raised an eyebrow at Nori. She shrugged. She'd heard plenty like that before.

Rezuku's voice was a soothing murmur, but Mato wasn't having any of it. "Cozar c.r.a.p," he snapped loudly. "She's tight with those two Tamrani, but you try getting her to do the simplest task and see what I mean. I might as well try to talk to a stickbeast or pick a bouquet of redstick as deal with that . . . that . .

." Whatever he said was lost in a rattle of the wagon.

Nori's lips twitched. Stickbeasts were quiet, but they did speak, and redstick could be picked easily if one oiled one's hands and curled the leaves over the stingers.

". . . approach another scout?" suggested Rezuku over the wagon's noise.

"Because I want Black Wolf," Mato snapped back.

Kettre muttered bitingly, "What he wants is the status of the Wolfwalker's Daughter."

B'Kosan chuckled. "He's not the only one. I hear the Tamrani's interested, too. He was looking for you while you were doing your tower duty."

Nori frowned, but Mato's sharp voice cut through clearly. "-shortsighted, small-minded mountain rat like her mother whose only real value to the county would be in plunging to her death before she can breed more of the same."

For a moment, there was dead silence among the three riders. Then B'Kosan smiled at Nori. It was a strangely feral expression.

Deep in her mind, she felt the growl.

"Nori," Kettre began.

B'Kosan didn't seem to notice. "I'll challenge him for you, Black Wolf. It would be my pleasure."

At that moment, he reminded her of her uncles. "I thank you," she returned with difficulty. "But his sort has always used threats to get what he wants. I take no offense at his trying to manipulate your merchant."

B'Kosan's gaze flickered, but Nori didn't notice. Instead, she spurred Kettre's dnu to pa.s.s the elder quickly. The speed hardly helped. She felt the elder's eyes burning into her back.

Kettre spat to the side. "Whoever told him to push you for duty doesn't know the first thing about you.

You'll have to watch him the rest of the ninan."

"I'm more likely to just leave and take some other route to Shockton." She paused. That was exactly what Wakje said someone might want. And Payne had been pushed, too, in his own way, toward a challenge from some of thechovas. If raiders wanted them out of the caravan, they were going about it the right way. "If you're willing, tell Payne to meet me after the hour," she told Kettre as the other woman dropped her off at the teaching wagon for the sixth of herandyen ch.o.r.es.

She spent the next hour dutifully explaining and answering the children's questions about the wilderness, but she couldn't help watching the outriders pa.s.s and note who was talking to whom. Mato, B'Kosan, raiders, plague- The children broke back into her thoughts. "Black Wolf, tell us just one more."

"Aye, tell us about the poolah."

She sighed. She shouldn't complain. Teaching duty was one of the easiest things to do, especially for a bruised-up body. Since the teaching wagon was open, it was also one of the better places to be to watch thechovas. "I suppose there's time for a short one." She launched into the story easily, grinning to herself as they listened wide-eyed. ". . . so I punched it with the rock. Right on the crown. I was so scared, I actually hit it hard enough to stun it, just for an instant. Then I shoved the rock down its throat. Broke two fangs on the way in. My jerkin bunched up around its teeth-it's the only thing that saved my arm. It started choking, and I started stabbing it with my knife, and all the while its claws were tearing my pack, pants, everything it could kick. It finally chewed through my jerkin and started to rip into my arm-" She rubbed her forearm as if remembering. "So I punched it again, with the hilt of my knife. And found myself on my back, while it kicked out its death throes on my shredded boots."

"Were you . . . were you alright?" one child asked in the dramatic silence.

"Aye. I'd cracked its crown like an egg. My pack was in shreds, my jacket was in ribbons, and my pants . . . Well, let's just say they would have made fine netting for a Sidisport fisherman." The children laughed. "I packed my wounds with . . ." She let her voice trail off expectantly.

"Scofi moss," guessed a girl.

Nori smiled at her. "Aye, scofi moss mixed with wild angelica, two leaves for every handful of moss. I used flat-bark straps for my pack, which I softened by . . . ?"

"Sc.r.a.ping with a rock and rubbing with raw elbi nuts," put in a boy.

She nodded. "And I returned to the scout camp limping. There's just one thing." She looked at each of them seriously. "How big do you think that poolah was?"

"Three meters," said one boy quickly.

"Full grown," said a girl.

"As big as half a dnu," said another child almost at the same time.

Nori nodded as if considering their answers. Then she said quietly, "It was a baby poolah, not even weaned, and barely a meter long-including its tail."

The children stared at her as if she was joking.

"Had it been full grown, I'd be dead as a . . . ?" She looked at one of the boys.

"As a whipper lizard on shallow sand," he answered eagerly.

She nodded approval. "So what will you do if you run into a-"

"Poolah," the children shouted in unison. Nori hid a smile, and the children chorused obediently, "Poolah lurk right at the ground; when defending, crack their crowns."

Nori nodded to Payne as he reined in beside the wagon. "And for good practice, the second verse of the predator poem: "Wildcat fights for den or prey; Watch for tracks and stay away.

Bollusk trample, charge, and kick; Climb a st.u.r.dy tree or cliff."

She broke off as Payne leaned over and said in a stage whisper to one of the girls, "I don't think she's remembering it right. The real verse is, 'Bollusk charge and like to trample; climb, or be a flat soil sample.' "

The girl giggled.

Nori gave her brother an old-fas.h.i.+oned look. "Payne, don't teach them that."

"Why not? You're the one who taught it to me." He winked at two of the boys. "Let's see, I believe another one goes like this: 'Dobo eels bite only once; let them nibble; don't be a dunce.' "

Even the boys were giggling now.

Nori clamped her lips shut to keep from laughing. "Payne, cut it out," she managed. "You're not supposed to corrupt the teachings during cla.s.s hour."

"Oh, right. Notduring cla.s.s hour. I forgot." He slanted a glance at the small clock set into the wagon panel.

"The rest of the verse," she told the children archly, "goes like this: "Badgers swarm out of the sand; Talk and walk, don't run or stand.

Pritaries bite and bite again; Kick and shout and run like wind."

Payne checked the small clock again. "Aye," he cut in. "Black Wolf never did get that last verse right.

What she should have said was, 'Pritaries like to bite your a.s.s; best to run away real fast.' "

One of the older children choked. The rest laughed outright.

"Payne, if you don't find something else to do-"

"Just being helpful," he said blithely. "And I did wait till after the cla.s.s hour. I'm a firm believer in schooling. Why, I remember this one time-" He grinned at the students. "-when Nori and I were supposed to be learning history under old Master Hreggan, and Nori-girl got bored and decided to see how close she could call a pair of wild bollusk to-ow."

Nori had reached out, slid her hand down his arm to his ring finger, and started bending the finger back.

"You'll excuse us," she told the children. "I believe it's time for your math teacher." She could see the reedy-slim woman already riding back to take over the cla.s.s. She stepped across to Payne's stirrup, forcing him to kink back his arm as she kept her hold of his finger.

"Ow," said Payne a bit louder as she guided him away from the wagon. The children hid their giggles behind their hands. "Ow," they heard him say again. "Hey, Nori-girl, ease off. I can't hold the reins-"

Nori let him ride them out of earshot of the children. She finally released him to rub at his hand. "Is it possible," she said into his ear, "that I could do any of thisandyen duty without you turning it upside down?"

He snorted at her. "h.e.l.ls, Nori-girl, you scared the moons off their blessings with that poolah story. I was just lightening it back up before you bid them ride-safe."

"Right." She gave his back a sour look. "Now all they'll remember is, 'Pritaries like to bite your a.s.s.' "

He gave her a lopsided grin over his shoulder. "Well, it is just as true."

Her lips twitched, and she looked away to keep from smiling. It would only make him worse.

She told him about the tower codes and Mato. She was telling him about B'Kosan's offer to challenge when she saw Hunter riding back. She broke off as she realized the Tamrani meant to rein in.

Payne murmured, "I'll check B'Kosan and Mato," and left her to get her dnu.

Hunter greeted her as she went to her lastandyen duty, outriding another cozar. The Tamrani didn't seem inclined to speak, which puzzled her. She kept slanting the tall man glances, and she could swear she saw a half smile on his lips a few times.

"You were in the meeting wagon a long time," she finally remarked.

He glanced at her. "I wondered if you'd notice."

She gazed down the road to avoid his speculative expression. "I noticed that you've been talking almost nonstop with the elders."

"They mentioned you."

Aye, I bet they did, she thought. And Mato most of all. "I suppose they were after you to try to get me to do duty?"

"Yes, once. Yesterday evening."

"Just once? Yesterday?"

She didn't realize how disbelieving she'd sounded until he chuckled. "Just once."

Which meant he either told them to leave him alone, and they did, or else he had agreed to try again to convince her to ride with him. "Condari, why are you still here?" she asked bluntly.

"Call me Hunter. And I had business with your elders. Although I'll admit that I now have another reason to stay." He slanted her a meaningful glance.

She could feel her cheeks heat. But his jaw had tightened for an instant as he mentioned business, and she studied him carefully. "And Fentris?" she asked.

"He, too, has business with your elders."

"They're not my elders," she said, half under her breath.