“Don’t make me guess, Roon. Just tell—”
“Another clan! There is another clan, Kol, camping on the western shore of the bay. Two of them—a brother and sister—were out gathering kelp and they spoke to me. They said they come from land to the north and west.”
“A brother and sister?” Your voice is urgent and unexpected, like a crack of thunder out of a clear sky.
“Yes—”
“From what clan? What name are they known by?”
“I don’t know—I didn’t ask them.”
The color drains from your face, but I can’t begin to guess why news of this clan should affect you so.
“Girls . . . ,” Roon whispers. I know he’s excited to talk to me, but I find myself watching you as your attention turns inward. You gaze into the air as if looking at something, but your eyes stay unfocused. “The brother and sister who spoke to me told me there are several girls in their clan. . . .”
Dragging my eyes from your face to Roon’s is difficult, but when I finally turn my attention to my brother I see the triumph in his expression. He has explored over the grassland and along the coast, searching for some indication of another clan—any clan—but especially a clan with girls of marrying age.
I want to tell Roon how proud I am that he finally accomplished the goal that’s been driving him for so long, but I’m interrupted by the sight of your brother coming through the door of the kitchen, followed closely by Pek and Seeri. Pek carries another three packs, identical to the ones in my arms. Chev sweeps his eyes over me, and I become acutely aware that I left the kitchen quite a while ago, claiming to be heading to your boat. His eyes move from me to you. “I’m sorry to take you away, Mya,” he says, “but it’s time for us to leave.”
“We’ll walk you down to the shore,” my mother says. “Pek, why don’t you carry Seeri’s pack—”
“That’s quite all right.” Chev’s voice is stern and his tone fills in some answers to questions that have been swirling in my mind. Now I understand this unexpected early departure. Chev is anxious to separate Seeri and Pek, to return her to his friend at home.
If Seeri is promised to another boy, this trip wasn’t meant to find someone for her. Perhaps Chev came here to find a wife for himself? I always assumed your brother had a wife, though I’m not sure anyone has actually said so. But if he were searching for a wife, why would he bring his two sisters along? No, this trip could have been for only one purpose—to find someone for you.
Chev’s eyes meet mine and he holds my gaze for a moment before turning his attention to you. “We have appreciated your hospitality greatly. Isn’t that right, Mya?”
“Yes,” you say without looking at me, and I know that I have discerned things correctly. Chev had wanted to find a match for you, and we have disappointed him.
I wonder how differently things would have gone if Chev had left your sister at home. But then, even if you’d come alone, you would’ve found all the same reasons to reject me. Perhaps it would be you swooning over Pek—the born hunter—rather than Seeri.
Maybe that’s what Chev regrets the most.
At the boat, your brother moves quickly. Roon chatters the whole time about the clan he met on the western shore. As you set your pack into your brother’s hands, you whisper a message into his ear.
“This clan from the west,” Chev says to Roon. “You told my sister earlier you thought someone was creeping through the camp last night—maybe someone from that clan? Maybe even a spy?”
Roon twitches and a smile flits across his lips, but then he wipes it away with his hand. “I thought I heard something, but when I walked outside, no one was there. It could’ve been a spy, I guess. Just as likely it was a Spirit, sent by the Divine to draw me to the shore.”
“A Spirit . . . Perhaps. Or perhaps a ghost . . .” Chev’s eyes move to your face and I wonder if we are all thinking of the same thing—the woman who lost her life five years ago on the hunt. Could her ghost have paced our camp last night? Could it be that the violence that took her life ties her Spirit here, preventing it from climbing to the Land Above the Sky?
Without another word, Chev moves quickly to prepare the canoe. His haste removes any opportunity for ceremony or formality as we part. Pek wades into the water, his sealskin pants and boots protecting him from the icy cold, and holds the canoe steady as you and Seeri step in.
“Such an incredible boat,” Pek says, and the sincerity in his voice almost breaks my heart. “The skill of your clanspeople is truly impressive. I hope to pay a visit to you and meet the people of your clan soon.”
I’m surprised Pek would say something so bold. Could our parents have put him up to it?