The Horsemasters (33 page)

Ronan’s face was somber. “To be frank, I am surprised. I had expected to see the tribes that dwell on the River of Gold before the tribes that dwell on the Atata. Or even the Tribe of the Red Deer.” He did not look at Arika when he said this.

Haras said, “Our coming is not a commitment, Ronan. We came to hear you, only.” He smiled ruefully. “Thorn was very persuasive that we should at least do that.”

Neihle said, “The Tribe of the Red Deer has come to listen also.”

“What I have to propose is easily said.” Ronan’s face went from shadow to clarity in the flickering light of the fire. “I think we should bring all of our tribes into one united group and push these Horsemasters out of our mountains.”

“Fight, you mean,” Jessl, the shaman of the Buffalo, said in a neutral voice.

Ronan nodded.

Hamer, the bone-thin shaman of the Leopard tribe, directed a glittering look at Ronan. “I am prepared to accept the fact that there is indeed such a tribe as the one you describe. There have been reports of them from other sources. Other trustworthy sources,” he added with a smile like a knife. “However, I fail to see what we can hope to accomplish by opposing them directly. These horses of yours are impressive”—the shaman’s thin nose lifted to indicate that he, for one, was not overwhelmed—”but from what your own man tells us”—a derogatory flapping of his hand here toward Kasar, who had eloped with Beki, the shaman’s daughter—”they are only a handful against the large numbers owned by the invaders.”

Behind Nel, Beki squeaked with fury. Nel heard Kasar murmur something soothing to her. Ronan’s reply to the shaman was quiet and reasonable, “They do not need to know how few our horses are. If we make quick raids upon them, and then withdraw into the hills, how are they to know that we do not have horses in the numbers of their own?”

“That is a good point,” Haras said.

“What is to prevent them from spying upon us in the same manner as we have spied upon them?” Jessl asked.

“We know the mountains and they do not,” Ronan answered. “We can hide where they cannot find us.”

“That is another good point,” said Unwar. He thrust forward his chin and demanded of Ronan, “Why do we need to oppose this tribe when we can hide ourselves away and take up what is ours again when this swarm of invaders has gone elsewhere?”

Ronan regarded the chief of the Leopard, a short, bulky man, with flat, forbidding features and heavy-lidded brown eyes. “We can evade them on horseback,” Ronan explained, “but not on foot. Other tribes have tried such a strategy and it has not proved successful. For one thing, these Horsemasters are a greedy lot. They do not seek merely the food that they need to live. They seek to take the things that other tribes have, so that they can appear important in each other’s eyes. They will not be satisfied with merely using our caves and our huts, with hunting in our forests and our pastures. They will want our furs and our tools, our necklaces and our bracelets.” He paused. “They will want our children to serve in their tents, and our women to lie in their sleeping skins. This is what they have exacted from other tribes whose home-sites lay in their path, and this is what they will want from us. Trying to hide availed these other tribes nothing. The Horsemasters always found them.”

The sound of the river was loud in the sudden quiet. Ronan had not once glanced in the direction of Arika and Neihle, but Nel could feel his awareness of them as they sat quietly, making as yet no attempt to participate in the talk. She thought gratefully that he did not seem as tense as he had been earlier. He could not afford to be distracted now; he needed all his concentration for this discussion.

Haras said determinedly, “It is true that this is the tale we have been hearing at gatherings for the last two years. I will tell you now, Ronan, that before you arrived, Unwar and I, together with our councils of nirum, discussed this situation, and we believe that because of the mountains we are in a better position to keep out of the Horsemasters’ way than were the tribes of the plain.”

“I do not want them in our mountains at all,” Ronan said forcefully. “If we unite, there will be enough of us to drive them out. Why should we run and hide in fear and trembling, like the antelope when it beholds the leopard, when we have it within our power to act like men?”

There was an uncomfortable silence.

“Big words are easily said,” Hamer sneered.

Jessl’s more conciliatory voice was heard. “Once these Horsemasters realize that the River of Gold is leading them out of the rich river valleys of the north and into high mountains, they may turn back on their own.”

“That is so,” agreed Unwar, and Haras also nodded his splendid sand-colored head.

“They already know they are coming into mountains,” said Arika, and all of the men’s eyes jerked around toward her. “The chief of the Wolf has not been the only one keeping watch on this tribe of despoilers,” the Mistress said calmly. “We of the Red Deer have also used our eyes.” She tilted her head slightly. “Tell them, Tyr,” she said.

One of the young men sitting behind Neihle moved forward slightly, so that the firelight illuminated his face. Tyr said, “As the Mistress said, we too have been keeping watch on this tribe. One moon ago their leader sent a group of horsemen to scout the country into which the River of Gold would take them. We watched them. They went all the way to the Greatfish River.” His dark blue gaze rested on Unwar. “They saw the homeplace of the Tribe of the Leopard,” he said, “and then they returned to their camp.”

Unwar’s heavy features looked even more forbidding than usual. “You are certain of this?”

“I am certain,” Tyr replied.

“Then they are coming,” Unwar said bleakly.

“What exactly do you propose we do?” Haras asked Ronan.

Ronan’s reply was succinct. “Combine all our tribes together into one great federation under the leadership of one chief and fight them.”

Haras slowly shook his head. “I do not know…”

For the first time since he had arrived at the cave, Ronan turned to his mother. “You at least must understand, Mistress. You have been watching this tribe as well as I. This is. a hunt, and thus far the tribes of the Kindred have been only the prey. I am saying that it is time that we became the hunters.”

Arika looked back at her son. “I am thinking you are right,’ she said mildly. She turned to the two other chiefs. “The Tribe of the Red Deer has no mind to relinquish its home and its hunting grounds to these unbelievers,” she said. “The chief of the Wolf says that it is time to be men. I do not know about men, but I do know that there is not a mother alive who would not fight for her children if they were in danger. I have no wish to see my children carried off to serve as slaves in the tents of these barbarians. I will fight.”

Ronan’s darkly arrogant face blazed suddenly into a smile, fierce and oddly joyful.

Watching him, Nel felt pain stir in her heart. She thought bitterly, But you did not fight for your child, Mistress. You tried to kill him.

The two male chiefs were grimly silent, unable to shame themselves by once more proposing they try to evade the Horsemasters by hiding. It was Jessl, shaman of the Buffalo, who finally asked, “Who is to be the leader of this federation, then?”

Unwar cleared his throat loudly and said, “I will be glad to put myself and my tribe under the command of Haras. The Tribe of the Buffalo is the largest of all the tribes; its chief should have the preference.”

Nel heard an ominous rumble rising behind her. Then Bror’s deep voice boomed, “There is only one man who should be the leader of this hunt, and that is Ronan!”

Growls of agreement came from all the men of the Wolf. Nel glanced at Ronan’s profile; it was perfectly calm.

Haras bent his head in gracious acknowledgment of Bror’s words. “Ronan and the men of the Wolf have done good service to us all in bringing the imminence of danger to our attention. Truly, you have erased any disrepute in which your tribe may formally have been held.” He smiled genially. “However, this endeavor needs a leader who will command the unequivocal loyalty of all the members of the Federation. If the Tribe of the Red Deer is to be among our number, then I do not see how Ronan can be the leader.”

Arika’s face was unreadable. Neihle bent his head a little, as if he were disassociating himself from the entire conversation.

Nel was delighted to hear Berta’s liquid voice. “There can be no one else to be the leader but Ronan,” Berta declared. She leaned a little forward, bringing her round, olive-tinted face into the light of the fire. “Who else here has led a group of people made up of many tribes and many different ways of worship?” Berta asked. “Who else can be trusted not to favor the ways of his own people over the ways of others? I tell you now”—and here Berta’s large brown eyes stared unflinchingly at Arika—”Ronan is a man to honor all beliefs and all ways of worship. To my mind, there is no one else so well fitted to lead the Federation we are speaking of tonight.”

Berta withdrew, and over her shoulder Nel cast her a quick, grateful glance.

Neihle’s head lifted slightly.

Hamer, shaman of the Leopard, said coldly, “I am thinking you forget what brought the Tribe of the Wolf together in the first place.” The shaman glared at the group of people gathered behind Ronan. “You are outcasts,” he said, his eyes lingering especially upon Kasar and his rebellious daughter, Beki. “There is not a one of you who could return to the tribes to which you were born. You follow Ronan because you have no choice. I suppose you have in some part redeemed yourselves by your warnings to us, but do not be thinking to take the leadership here!”

“I do not believe what I am hearing” came Bror’s thunderous growl.

For the first time, Ronan glanced over his shoulder at his followers.

“I thought it was only the chiefs who were to have the speaking here tonight,” Unwar said. “It seems as if the chief of the Tribe of the Wolf has little control over his own people.”

Ronan said blandly, “But I do not disagree with what they are saying.”

“Then you want the leadership?” Haras asked with genuine incredulity.

“I do not think there is anyone else qualified to take it,” Ronan replied.

Silence.

“You are truthful, if arrogant,” said Hamer with a chill stare.

“Let us look at the realities,” Ronan said, “Do you want to know if I will put myself under anyone else’s command? I tell you now that I will. This is not an ultimatum—my interest is in securing the safety of these mountains. But, as Berta pointed out, I am the one among us who has the experience of leading a diverse group of people. The Tribe of the Wolf draws its members from many different peoples and many different ways of worship. I have learned how to get people to work together. This is a skill that will be much needed in the days to come.”

“You are not the only man in this company with tact and wisdom, Chief of the Wolf,” said Jessl gravely.

Nel opened her mouth to speak, but Bror drowned her out, “You forget, all of you, that we have the horses and are the only ones who know how to tame and ride them.”

Haras and Unwar jerked upright and glared at Ronan. “Are you saying that if we do not name you to be our leader, you will withhold from us the use of your horses?”

Ronan’s slim black brows had snapped together. “Of course not…”

Bror overrode him. “I say this, and hear me well,” growled Ronan’s rebellious second-in-command. “The Tribe of the Wolf has no need to join in this hunt party. Have you thought of that, my friends? We have a place where no invaders will ever find us. Do you think that we have come here because we long to throw ourselves upon the spears of these Horsemasters? Do you think we have come here out of love for you?”

“Why have you come here, then?” Jessl asked.

“We came because of Ronan,” Bror answered uncompromisingly. “We came because he is our chief and he asked us to. But it is Ronan who commands our loyalty, not you, and we will not stand still and let you put someone else in the place that should be his.”

Nel bowed her head so that the others should not see the tears brimming in her eyes.

“So,” said Haras grimly. “You hold a spear to our hearts.”

“No spear,” Arika said. Astonishingly, there was humor in her voice. “Only horses.” She surveyed the ruffled faces of Haras and Unwar, “There is truth in what the men of the Wolf have said. I have been listening to this discussion, and the chiefs of the Leopard and of the Buffalo have made much talk of ‘our spies,’ and ‘our horses.’ In fact, the spies and the horses are not ours. They belong to the Tribe of the Wolf.”

For the first time, Neihle entered the discussion. “And the Tribe of the Wolf,” he said, “belongs to Ronan.”

Haras was astonished, “Will you accept him as your leader?” he asked Arika. “You named him an outlaw, a lone wolf, and cast him forth. Your curse was on him, you said. You sent to tell us all that we would take him into our tribes at our peril. And now are you saying that you will set him up as the leader of this federation, to be the chiefest man of all the Kindred in these mountains?”

Arika did not reply immediately, but asked of Ronan, “Why did you bring all your women with you? If you were so certain you were going into danger, why did you not leave them at home?”

Ronan said ruefully, “They wouldn’t stay.”

“Of course we wouldn’t stay” came Berta’s serene voice from behind Nel. “We knew very well that you would need us.”

Arika said to Haras, “For the duration of this invasion, the Tribe of the Red Deer will accept Ronan as its chief.”

Chapter Twenty-three

After the meeting had broken up, Tyr came across the cave to speak to Ronan and Nel. “I did not think I would be seeing you two again under quite such circumstances as these,” he said with a grin.

Ronan’s dark face lit with an answering smile, and he put his hands upon Tyr’s shoulders in the traditional greeting of the Red Deer. “Good work, Tyr. It was your report that finally put an end to all that foolish talk about hiding.”

“Not long after I told the Mistress about your tale of the Horsemasters, she decided it would be wise to keep a watch upon them.”