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Dorren sat at Falling-down’s right hand He taught a counting game to a handful of children hunkered down around the pebbles he tossed with his good hand out of a leather cup Adica paused just behind the ragged half circle of children and watched Dorren
Dorren looked up at once, sensing her He s out his good hand in the greeting of cousins She reached for hi him His withered hand stirred, as if he estured toward Falling-doho reht to see you here," Dorren said, stepping aside so that Falling-doouldn’t be distracted from his spell by their conversation
Faced with Dorren, she didn’t knohat to say Her cheeks felt hot She was a fool, truly But he was glad to see her, wasn’t he? Dorren was a White DeerOne of the White Deer tribe, those who traveled the stone loo One, he received certain protections against ic
"I heard that Beor e," he said finally while she played nervously with one of her copper bracelets "You endured hiether when they don’t have teentle eyes With the withered hand, he had never been able to hunt and swi and was valued for his cleverness and patience That hy he had been chosen as Walking One He had so many qualities that Beor so brazenly lacked
"Souessed that she had watched hi time
Her heart pounded erratically Reh he must have heard by now about the doo his courage, she knew the Fat One had guided her well
He began anew, stammered to a halt, then spoke "It must seem to you that the days pass swiftly I have lanced at the path which led to the village A few children loitering at the head of the path scattered into the woodland, shrieking and giggling
"There’s a woman here," he said finally, in a rush, cheeks pink with e She’s like running water toNow she says that I had thein her belly The tribe elders agreed that if I work seven seasons of labor for them, then I can be nae with her"
She couldn’t iine what he saw in her expression, but he went on quickly, leaping froht Each word made her more sick at heart and more humiliated
"You needn’t think I’ll shirkOne I knohat’s due to my people But there’s no reason I can’t do both I can still walk the looood woan to cry, silent tears washing down her face although she wanted anything but to be seen crying
"Adica! Yours is the enerous of hearts, and the bravest! I knew you would be happy for -down, he frowned in the way of so him "Now, listen, for you kno dear to me you are in my heart, Adica I know it’s ill luck to speak of it, that it’s te the spirits, but I wanted you to know that if the child is born a girl and she lives and is healthy, we’ll call her after you Your nas of the tribe but in ood fortune," said Adica hoarsely through her tears
"Adica!" Falling-down spoke her na spear, his attention caught by her lie
She fled
Falling-down could see into her secret heart because of the link that bound theether, and anyway, she hadn’t truly come to see him She had hoped a wild and irresponsible hope, she’d turned the night wind into a false riddle, and now she’d spent her ic and her time on a fool’s journey, a selfish detour She was ashah the woodland, not wanting to be seen in the village Dorren yelled after her, but she ignored him She cah the cranberry bog Berries shone deeply red along the water, alet out to the track withoutfor fish with hook and line Farther out on the track, to a net out of the water called to her, but she couldn’t understand their words It see frorasp, one by one, until she would face the great working alone except for the other six, Falling-doo Fingers, Shu-Sha, Spitslast, Horn, and Brightness-Hears-Me They were a tribe unto themselves now: the ones severed froh which the human tribes would be freed from fear