Tribe Master Toniva didn’t make any moves to cast out any of the whisper women other than Ambervale. I got curious about why, but they didn’t often show themselves in Bramble Watch. Esie had practically disappeared since we arrived and Kaylan and Hattie were little better. I had little connection to Morwen or Nix, so there was no reason why I should see them, but I was glad that Ambervale was no longer welcome.
However, that meant that if I wanted to talk to one of them I’d have to try my hand at wind whispering or wait until they approached Tribe Master Toniva or Ana. And if I wanted to see what they were focused on I’d likely have go to the river mouth and that was no easy feat without shadow walking. I’d have to slip past one of the main battle fronts encircling Bramble Watch and then navigate a stretch of the delta that wasn’t regular patrolled and likely swarming with fish. If I could stay on the raised walkways there’d be little risk, but I doubted things would be so easy.
I tried wind whispering first so that when Prevna inevitably checked in I could tell her I tried the safe option. Esie didn’t respond but Kaylan and Hattie did. Hattie’s cheerful voice whispered into my ear, “From Little Diver to Little Leader, eh? Come visit!”
It certainly wasn’t the answer I’d expected from a proxy war rival, though perhaps I should have remembered the person I was speaking to. She had never seemed to let things like authority or rivalry bring down her mood. She always had enough confidence for two people and a smile, so I should have realized she wasn’t going to be intimidated by me spying on them.
Kaylan didn’t answer with a whisper but instead popped up onto the wall I was standing on that surrounded the village. I flinched back in surprise and nearly slipped off my vantage point. She caught my arm, hauling me back, before letting me go as she ignored the embarrassed flush trying to crawl its way up my cheeks.
“I heard you wanted to go for another stroll?” she asked.
Even if the all the pines weren’t false, there wasn’t a tree’s shadow where she had appeared from. Had she been standing flush against the wall so I couldn’t see her? Or hiding somewhere else? With her blessing she had little need to be so close to listen in on me and I wasn’t hiding my movements. There shouldn’t be a reason for her to tail me.
I frowned back at her. “Where did you come from? I didn’t expect you to be here.”
Kaylan waved a hand vaguely. “Around.”
I waited for her to elaborate but she just looked expectantly back at me. We watched each other like for long minutes until she suddenly sighed and stretched.
“Look. You have questions. You’ve made assumptions. You’ve learned some things here and there but the whole picture isn’t fitting together.” I didn’t like that she was speaking for me and she seemed to know it. Kaylan smiled self-depreciatingly. “How about I tell you about how it went the last time a Chosen had to be picked as we stroll?”
It was blatant manipulation, but I couldn’t turn down the offered information. Clearly, she wasn’t willing to give me a straight answer like she had when she took me to the Water Frond Snake, but she did want to give me a hint. I could accept that, perhaps get even more information if I asked the right questions.
I wasn’t sure why she was being so free with information in the first place, unless she thought it was her duty as my new mentor for gathering information, but I was certain it would be important to know. Learning about Juniper and the Water Frond Snake had completely changed my understanding of the situation in the delta. I couldn’t be sure that the story she wanted to tell me would be as transformative, but it might give me some insight on what to do about the horde or the proxy war.
“Why are you being so energetic? I could have sworn when we first met you just took me on so you could nap more,” I said as we made our back to the command post. Rather than risk my wind whisper not going through I was going to inform Ana of my impromptu trip in person. Part of me just wanted to disappear without letting someone know my every move, but I knew that wouldn’t be the smartest choice after I pushed to become involved with the command of the fighting.
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Kaylan winked at me. “A true lazy person knows when to work hard so they can rest even more later.”
Something passed between Kaylan and Ana when I let the latter know where we were going, but it was too quick for me to catch what it was. In the next instant, Ana had grinned and thrown open her arms to encompass the command post. “I’ll make sure everything is handled with the Tribe Master while you are away—and be careful once you’re outside the perimeter. Nothing good will come of something happening to you.”
I carefully tried not to think about the various times things had taken an unexpected—and often dangerous—turn when I went off on my own or in a small group into uncharted territory. Of course, the tribe would know the path to the river mouth well enough, but they were so hard pressed that not even a single fighter could be spared. Not that I thought we’d get lost, but I’d be more surprised if our trip turned out just as uneventful as the one to and from the Water Frond Snake had been.
“I’ll be fine.” At the very least, I wouldn’t die.
After that, we collected my pack and supplies from where I had been staying. The trip wasn’t supposed to take longer than a few hours, but I preferred to have my things and not need them than the other way around, especially when I couldn’t step through the shadows to easily retrieve them.
Kaylan waved goodbye to the sentries as we left Bramble Watch but they just stared at her with stony expressions. Sentiment still wasn’t kind to the whisper women in the outpost. In the tribesfolk’s opinion they could be doing more to help the fight than messing around in a whole other part of the delta.
“Before the history lesson, I’d like to make some observations and remind you of the lessons we went over last time.” Kaylan walked slightly ahead of me and didn’t so much as pause to give me time to agree to her sudden change of plans before she continued, “First, you have knowledge of the Succession War and proxy wars, but you seem to be under the misconception that the farce of one happening here is only one that matters. Others are already brewing—one proxy war doesn’t determine the outcome of the Succession War they have to be considered in comparison to each other.”
Questions bubbled up on my tongue. What did she mean this was a ‘farce’? And I knew that others were important but I didn’t have enough information about what might be happening to consider them.
“Second, you still expect to be underestimated and think of everyone as a potential enemy. This will not serve you. You are known in the Seedling Palace for doing impossible things despite your age and status, and only the truly narrow-minded will do what you expect.” Kaylan gestured to herself and away. “Think of who is here with you and who Esie collected. Do we fit that description? Have we done anything to truly harm you?”
I could think of more than a few precarious situations I had been thrust into because of Esie, if not the others, but I understood what Kaylan was driving at. I couldn’t say much for the whisper women I had only met in one official meeting, but Esie and her group had supported me in their own sink or swim way. It wasn’t perfect, but it was true that I didn’t want to think of them as enemies or rivals to do away with in a bid to win the proxy war.
I tried to give context, “Ingrasia said—”
Kaylan stopped and turned on her heel to face me. I had to stumble to stop to avoid running into her and I didn’t like feeling like a clumsy fool. I glared up at her.
She leaned closer, unperturbed, “Third, in Thousand Eyes half-truths are more common than outright lies or full truths. Sometimes they aren’t even on purpose. Information is powerful, but it is always changing based on who is telling it. You will need connections beyond what are selected for you if you want to ever fully grasp what is said and done in the web that is the Seedling Palace and why.”
I continued to glare, challenging her. “Why tell me all this?”
She pulled back and shrugged. Her expression suddenly nonchalant and light. “Just making observations, remember?” Kaylan started walking forward again. “Observe, experience, ask questions. We’ve begun the first step of your lesson, now we just need to make sure you don’t get lost in it and lose your urgency like you did with Juniper.”
“I didn’t lose my urgency. Juniper made her choice.”
“Three days have come and gone. She’s rampaging. A fourth observation, for free: you are being pulled into too many directions and now refuse to commit to a single one. Juniper? The proxy war? The horde? Pick one or something else, but what I can tell you is that the Swirling Waters tribe doesn’t need another commander. What you are doing now won’t save them or the delta.”
I clenched my jaw. What she was saying made sense, but I hadn’t expected Kaylan to be the one to throw it in my face. I was following the plan I had made with Ingrasia, Ana, and Ziek but it was becoming clearer as the days wore on that my ideas were working as a delay tactic at best. They weren’t enough to break the tide of the horde.
“The story?” I asked.
She nodded. “Keep my observations and lessons in mind while I—”
Kaylan abruptly cut herself off as her head tilted to the side. I wasn’t sure if she was receiving a wind whisper or listening to something with her blessing, but whatever it was she didn’t like it.
She raised her eyebrows at me. “Remember how to fight fish?”
I nodded and gripped my spear. “Of course.”
She gripped her own. “Good, because we’re about to fight a lot of them in tight quarters. Follow me.”
I did.