There were only fourteen members of the Broken Knife tribe left, including Kaz and Katri. Only three were females, and of those, Katri was clearly the strongest. Bik was next, but since she hadn’t undergone her own spirit hunt yet, she gratefully yielded control of the group to Kam, a female of about the same age as Oda and Rega. Kol, one of the dead pups, had been her son, and her howl was long and sad as she called the remainder of the tribe together.
“We go to the Longtooths,” she said. She glanced at Kaz. He had tried to explain what had happened between Katri and the humans, but he could tell she didn’t truly understand. “Katri is there, and they will… welcome us. But we must hurry.”
The males just nodded, but Bik cautiously asked. “What about the Palefurs?”
Kam looked again at Kaz, then Raff, who was becoming more and more impatient by the moment. “They’ll let us through.”
She was the leader, at least for the moment, so everyone simply gathered the few things they had been able to take from their homes, and left. The Broken Knife tribe was poor, so they didn’t have much to take, anyway.
A few fuergar turned on them when the rodents found themselves trapped in dead-end tunnels, but most just fled before the band of kobolds. Killik and Lek made short work of the creatures, and everyone simply moved on, shrouded in grim silence.
When they reached the stairs, Raff moved to the front of the group, sword in hand. The tall stairs were difficult for some of the smaller kobolds, so they moved slowly, and when they reached the bottom, they found a full delegation of a dozen Palefurs waiting for them.
Three females stood with nine males circled protectively around them. The oldest female, one with pure white fur limned in the eternal red of the flames that burned by the stairs, stepped forward as Raff’s foot touched the floor.
“Who are you?” she asked, allowing a brilliant ball of white power to form above her hand. The ‘magic’ emanating from her was on par with Oda’s strength, and far greater than anything Kam or Bik could muster. Still, Raff looked fearless as he faced her.
“Nobody who matters to you,” he answered simply, waving for the Broken Knives to continue on past him, toward the second staircase. They hesitated, eyeing the Palefurs with trepidation, and somehow Kaz found himself in the lead as everyone else shifted backwards. Squaring his shoulders, he began to walk, not looking at the Palefur female.
“Stop!” she barked, and there was a clang as Raff’s sword struck something. A clatter sounded, but Kaz set his foot to the top step, beginning his descent.
“You’ll let us by, or that’ll be every one of you,” Raff said. He wasn’t even threatening, simply stating a fact, and Kaz heard more paws on the stairs behind him as the rest of the Broken Knives followed his lead.
His.
Lead.
There had always been a vague possibility that he would someday command the males, when Killik died or grew too weak to hold his position. He also knew that that day was far in the future, if Oda allowed it to happen at all, and that every single female in the tribe would still hold a higher position than him. Yet here he was, in the front, and they were following him, even the females.
It was strange, and only added to the sense of unreality he’d been fighting since they’d left Rega’s body behind. How was it that in less than a day, he had gone from being a puppy, hiding in a pile of moss, to the ersatz leader of the Broken Knives, even if only for a moment?
More sounds of battle came from behind them, until a whimper reached his ears, followed by a female’s breathless, “Enough! It’s over.” The clatter of Raff’s hard paw coverings began to make their slow way down the stairs. After a few steps, the female shouted, “You are not welcome here, Broken Knife tribe! Next time you come, I’ll tear out your leader’s throat myself!”
Kaz knew it was likely bravado as much as truth, but the anger in the female’s voice was clear. He wanted to look around, but he knew that if he did, he would look weak - his tribe would look weak - and they couldn’t afford that. It was likely that the Palefurs had simply been there to demand some sort of price for passage, but Raff’s actions had forestalled that. It wasn’t like the Broken Knives had anything left to pay with anyway.
Three Longtooth warriors waited at the bottom of the stairs. Their fur stood up slightly when they saw Kaz and the others, but their subdued anger quickly turned to puzzlement when they saw how few Broken Knives there were, and how tired and frightened they seemed. They certainly didn’t look like a conquering force.
One of the warriors, a snaggle-toothed male with bright green fur, stepped forward. His eyes searched their group until they settled on Kam and Bik. Hesitantly, he bowed his head, a male greeting a female of the same tribe.
“I am Latz, leader of the males of the Longtooth tribe. I was sent to bring you back to our den.”
Kam lifted a hand, acknowledging him. She knew the way, of course, as most of the adult females would, since they had come for the luegat only yesterday. It wouldn’t help matters to remind these warriors of that, and the fact that the Broken Knives were the losers of that battle, so she simply said, “Bring us, then.”
Latz bowed slightly deeper, then motioned to the other two males. “Guard,” he said, and they lifted their weapons in acknowledgment, settling into place at the foot of the stair. Latz turned and strode off back down the tunnel. Raff sighed audibly, but settled in behind him, trailed by the sad remnants of the Broken Knife tribe.
The path back to the den seemed even longer, this time. Kaz was exhausted, both physically and mentally, as were the others, and they moved slowly. Latz actually took them on a more direct route than they had used before, surprising Kaz the first time he took an unexpected turn, but it was still a long, slow slog through hallways lit only by the torch Latz held and Raff’s light stone.
It was strange to walk into the Longtooth den unchallenged. The males guarding the entrance looked at Latz, lifted their weapons in greeting, and returned to sweeping their gazes over the den and hallway. Latz led the Broken Knives between the totems, through the open area where outsiders would usually wait, and the luegat had been fought, and deep into the huts that made up the village itself.
The huts, like those of the Broken Knives, were made of hide and bone, since only rock was more plentiful inside the mountain. Rock was heavy, and while the kobolds in the Deeps might remain in one place for generations, the tribes at the top of the mountain had to be ready to move when the area surrounding their den ran out of forageable materials, or if they were chased out by other kobolds or a powerful beast. This meant their huts needed to either be easy to break down and carry away or replaceable, preferably both.
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There were two or three times more huts here than in the now-abandoned Broken Knife den, however. There were far more kobolds, too, and their fur tended toward shades of green and gray, rather than the reds and purples of the Broken Knives. Pups ran and played, mostly oblivious to the heavy pall that hung over the den. Many were so young that they still switched readily from four legs to two, and Kaz caught himself staring at them. How long had it been since he saw kobolds as young as that?
Katri emerged from one of the larger huts. She held her head high, and wore a richly decorated silver and red loincloth that Kaz didn’t recognize. New earrings dangled from her ears, and a heavy silver chain draped around her neck, glinting among her pink fur. She looked at the small, bedraggled group, and then past them, doubtless wondering where the rest of the tribe was.
Kam stepped forward. She bent her knee, her fingers touching the stone in front of her. “Chief,” she said, “we have come.” Bik knelt beside her, though the younger female’s ears were flat and her tail tucked. She and Katri had been playmates not long ago, but now the difference in their status required she yield completely to her former friend.
Katri nodded, her silver eyes touching each of the thirteen kobolds arrayed before her. The males, too, knelt behind Kam and Bik, with Kaz at the very back. He still held the book, but he knew when she saw it, she would demand its return, and something in him didn’t want to let it go.
He thought about the bag, tucked away in his pack along with the half-forgotten egg and the slightly squashed oval thing. Just yesterday he would have been eager to tell his sister about it. Today he simply hoped no one would mention it until he and the humans were gone. Rega had said it was for him, and he didn’t trust Katri not to claim it for herself. It seemed she was more inclined to take things that weren’t meant for her than he had realized.
He shoved that traitorous thought down as her eyes turned toward him. She waved for everyone else to stand, then gestured to him and the females. They drew closer, and Katri demanded, “Where is everyone-?” Her eyes touched the book in Kaz’s hands, and she broke off. Her eyes lit with excitement. “Is that the chief’s book?”
He nodded and held it out, trying not to show his reluctance. He hadn’t even had a chance to look inside it, since Kam and Bik had been nearby constantly. A male shouldn’t even be able to read at all, much less dare to open a book that was for the chief’s eyes only.
Katri snatched it, instantly flipping it open and turning toward the back. She grinned, flashing sharp teeth, and stroked the vellum page. “You said I’d read this over your dead body, Oda,” she muttered. “I guess you were right.”
She looked up. “Where is Rega? Did she refuse to yield to me?” Her gaze shifted to Raff, who was speaking quietly to Gaoda, lingering on the sword at his waist.
Kam looked puzzled, and shook her head. “Some beast attacked the den. It killed several of us, and when we fled, Rega was injured by a lopo who had hidden in the escape tunnel. She joined the ancestors not long after Kaz found us.”
Katri glanced at Kaz, and he nodded in acknowledgement. For a moment, regret flickered over his sister’s face, and her ears lowered. Rega had raised her, too, after all, and though it was the way of kobolds for children to challenge and replace their parents, that usually didn’t require the elder’s death.
“Well,” Katri said, ears lifting again, “this is our home, now. Our tribe will be joining with the Longtooths. I will take Latz as my mate, and when Kaz returns from his spirit hunt he will become Moru’s mate.” She pointed at one of the older pups playing nearby. The pup’s fur was a pale gray, almost silver, and she would probably be attractive when she was grown. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be for several years.
“We will be the Longknife tribe,” Katri went on, still stroking the book in her hands. “And we will grow strong. Soon enough, we will retake our rightful place in the Deep!”
Kaz stared at Katri. She sounded like Oda. Why couldn’t she just be satisfied to be the leader of a large, strong tribe? He was certain they could move a few levels deeper with relative ease, especially with so many young, and probably powerful, females. Down there, plants and animals were more plentiful, but not much stronger, and a tribe could remain in place for years before depleting the resources in an area.
He opened his mouth to ask, but snapped it closed before he could utter a word. It wasn’t his place to question the chief, even if she was his sister, but he felt like he had escaped a trap, only to find himself within an even larger one. He found himself glad that he would be leaving with the humans. He didn’t think he could bear to watch Katri ruin the new Longknife tribe as Oda had the Broken Knives. Though perhaps once Katri got through this initial rush of power, she would use the lessons Rega had taught them to hold her pride in check.
Turning to Latz, who was still hovering nearby, Katri said, “Take Kam and Bik and find empty huts for the Broken Knives. I need to speak to my brother.”
Latz, who was probably supposed to be guarding the new chief, who would soon become his mate, hesitated, but nodded and walked away. Kam and Bik followed him, while Katri turned to Kaz.
“I tried to convince Gaoda to take one of the Longtooth females as a guide, instead,” she said. “A female would be better for when they run into other kobolds, and if one of the more powerful ones left and didn’t return, it might save me from a challenge later.”
Kaz’s heart sank, then rose again as she continued. “He refused all of them, claiming that I promised you would go, so I suppose you must.” She paused, leaning closer. “If something happens to the humans, come back as soon as you can. I need someone I can truly trust by my side, brother. I’ll make you the leader of the males as soon as you finish your spirit hunt, and if you don’t like Moru, I might even be able to find you a different mate, though it would be good to tie our family to Mital’s as thoroughly as we can.”
Her meaningful look left no doubt in Kaz’s mind that she would prefer him to lead the humans into a hive of hoyi, or some similarly deadly beast, and leave them to die so that he could return quickly. Kaz clenched his teeth and bowed his head in acknowledgment of her words, though he made no promises. In his heart, he thought it would be wrong to do such a thing. He didn’t like the humans, but they had done exactly what they said they would, and more, so he owed it to them to do the same.
The clatter of Raff’s paw coverings announced the human’s approach, and Kaz and Katri turned to face them. Gaoda was in the lead again, and now that Kaz knew he was male, that felt bizarre, as did the ball of light hovering at his shoulder.
“Now that Raff and our guide are back, we’re going to rest for a few hours before we get going. We’ll take that hut.” Gaoda’s pointing finger indicated the largest hut in the village, which had probably belonged to Mital and her mate. Mital’s body, and those of the other dead females, were probably resting in there right now, and should remain until the two-day mourning period was over, but Kaz had no doubt Gaoda didn’t care.
Katri didn’t bow, too aware of her new position to yield even to someone who was clearly far stronger than she was, but her tail dropped, as did her eyes. “That hut is-”
Gaoda ignored her, walking away toward the hut. Katri scurried after him, and he almost tripped over her when he staggered back after throwing the door open.
“Gods,” he exclaimed, waving his hand in front of his nose, “what is that stench?”
Katri, who was still recovering from jumping out of the human’s path, said, “Jejing moss. I was trying to-”
Gaoda glared. “Forget it. We’ll use that hut instead.” He pointed at the one Katri had exited from when Kaz and the others arrived.
“But I-”
Gaoda crossed to the other hut, which wasn’t much smaller than the first, and swept the door flap aside. He peered in, then looked back at Raff. “There’s not enough room for all of us. You’ll have to find somewhere else.”
The large human shrugged. “None of these’re big enough for me. I’ll spread my bedroll by the door and sleep there.”
Gaoda nodded, and his blue eyes caught on Kaz. “You stay with him, Blue,” he said. He narrowed his eyes at Katri before focusing on Kaz again. “I don’t want you to be ‘unavailable’ when we’re ready to leave.”
Kaz was actually relieved. He, too, had been worried his sister might do something to keep him there, and this way she wouldn’t have a chance to interrogate him about Rega’s death, or demand to see what was in his obviously full pack, either. He nodded his understanding, and Gaoda entered the hut, followed by the ever-silent Chi Yincang and an unhappy-looking Lianhua.
Raff reached behind him and pulled a thin roll of cloth from behind his back. Without another word, he simply laid on the ground, putting the cloth under his head, and closed his eyes. A moment later, his breathing shifted, growing longer and slower.
Katri looked at Kaz, her expression conflicted. At last, she nodded sharply, turned, and walked away. Kaz pulled his pack off, lay down on the cold, hard stone, curled protectively around the egg and the bag Rega had given him, and instantly fell asleep.