CHAPTER FIFTEEN

WILD HORSE

Wild Horse walked slowly at first, partly because the clouds in the sky shrouded the moon and partly because the clouds in his head blurred his thoughts. So much had happened since the sun had risen, and now he was leaving everything he knew behind, not knowing if his father ever expected him to return. He tried to unravel Bear Face’s last words in his head, but the knots just got tighter, so he concentrated on listening for creatures of the night. His head twitched every time he heard an unfamiliar sound. He walked and walked, without really knowing where he was going.

Eventually he realised where he was – the rock where they’d laid Tall Tree’s body. He had been drawn to his friend’s final resting place, felt a need to say one final goodbye. He climbed up on to the flat rock, gazed at his friend’s face, was glad to see no predators had yet found the body. There were richer pickings nearby; the remains of the earlier kills.

But only one of Tall Tree’s four spears remained. Wild Horse couldn’t imagine an animal running off with one spear, let alone three. Climbing back down the rocks he checked that they hadn’t fallen, but they were gone. There were no signs of other hunters passing. ‘Blue Bird,’ he whispered into the breeze blowing the clouds across the sky as darkness ebbed away.

Wild Horse felt his mood lift. He’d only met Blue Bird once, and so far her disappearance had caused him nothing but difficulty. He wanted to feel angry that she’d taken the spears left to honour Tall Tree, but it was wise – the dead can’t use spears.

He saw the wide flat stones spanning the river and guessed that was where she’d crossed, so he did the same. His pace quickened as he made his way to the rock face where he’d first seen her. Thoughts flashed through his mind. Had Blue Bird seen what had happened, but stayed hidden? If so, it proved how strongly she felt about not being found. He had been right not to reveal where she was.

When he reached the foot of the rock, below where he had first stood with Blue Bird, he saw dark-red splodges splattered over the ground. He yanked the hide roll off his shoulders, knelt down and dabbed his fingers over them.

Blood.

‘Oh, Blue Bird, what has happened?’ he called out. He traced the blood to the edge of the river, and a nightmare scene of Blue Bird being attacked and hurt crashed into his head. There was no body, no remains, so she might have made it to the river, and her body been carried away. Or maybe she hadn’t been too badly injured and had managed to swim. If she could swim . . .

It was as he was gazing downriver that a sudden force knocked him off his feet and pinned him to the ground.

‘So you know where the lost daughter is.’ Zuni held his knife at Wild Horse’s throat. ‘You cried out her name as if you know her.’

‘Of course I don’t know her.’ Wild Horse struggled, but he’d landed badly and his shoulder throbbed from the pain of Zuni kneeling on it. ‘Why are you here, Zuni? Shouldn’t you be with Mogoll, wolfing down the success of winning the wife?’

‘I saw you leaving, and wanted to make sure you didn’t weaken and return. I wasn’t surprised you came back to Tall Tree’s resting place, but I did wonder why you crossed the river.’

‘Why shouldn’t I cross the river? It doesn’t mean I know where the girl is. Let me leave in the disgrace you wanted for me while you go back to your glory.’

Zuni shoved his knee further into Wild Horse’s shoulder. ‘Your cry to the girl sounded like you’ve seen her before. Finding her will bring me further honour. Tell me what you know and you’ll live to see me take her back.’

‘I’ve nothing to tell you.’ Wild Horse wriggled in desperation.

‘So you want to die?’

‘You won’t kill me. How would you explain my death?’

Zuni circled the knife round Wild Horse’s neck. ‘There will be no explaining,’ he said. ‘You’ve run away. All I need to do is let rumour spread, about you being too ashamed to stay. Even your own father was happy to see you go. In fact, I’ll have that fine piece of chert he gave you.’

Wild Horse stared at his cousin, trying to work out how much he knew. If Zuni had watched him with Bear Face, had he also seen Wild Horse come out of Sacred Cloud’s shelter? Had he led Zuni to Blue Bird? If she was still alive he couldn’t risk Zuni finding her.

‘Kill me or fight me fairly,’ he said, gazing into Zuni’s wild eyes – eyes which rolled back as Zuni’s body suddenly jerked and slumped on to Wild Horse.

A boulder rolled by his side.

‘That was one of my best throws.’ Blue Bird was running towards him. ‘Are you all right, Wild Horse?’

Wild Horse looked up at her. One moment he’d been filled with dread that Blue Bird had been savaged by the sabretooth, the next she was standing in front of him very much alive. Relief flushed away his fears, but as he pulled himself out from under Zuni’s still body it became mixed with another dread.

‘I think he’s dead,’ he said. ‘And it could’ve been me.’

‘Have you forgotten what a good shot I am?’ Blue Bird frowned at him. ‘Remember the last time I threw something? It cast your spear aside.’

‘But you’ve killed my cousin!’ he said.

‘Who was going to kill you. I thought you’d be pleased that I saved your life.’

‘He was just threatening me to find out if I knew where you were. Zuni can be brutal when he kills animals, but he’s never killed a man.’

‘Well, it didn’t look like just a threat to me.’

‘Why would he kill me? I was no good to him dead.’

‘And were you about to tell him something with that knife at your throat?’ Blue Bird dropped to her knees beside the body. ‘If you’d been as good a hunter and tracker as you think you are, you’d have known you were being followed and it wouldn’t have been up to me to rescue you.’

‘Like you, I didn’t need rescuing,’ said Wild Horse, cursing himself for not sensing Zuni behind him. ‘I wasn’t going to tell him anything. I didn’t even know you’d still be here.’

‘Now I see how ungrateful you are I wish I hadn’t bothered. I’ll leave you and your cousin.’

But as she turned to go, Zuni stirred and moaned. Blue Bird paused, frowning.

‘It seems I didn’t kill him after all,’ she said. ‘I suppose if the Spirits have saved him we should help.’