Chapter 7: Kletta, Thief

She watched from the shelter of a group of older women as Baysil approached Lasam. The men were still exulting over their kill, but already the younger women were attacking the great eel with their stone knives, peeling off the skin and cutting up the rich flesh. The Chief swung around, smiling, at Baysil's approach.

"This night all eat, sing, dance in praise of Gods! Village name of Door'm have food for rest of season of Old Lady Sun. Then harvests feed all until fish come again. No more fear river-things. They come, we eat!"

"It is good that the village named Door'm praises the Gods," Baysil nodded, raising his voice to be heard over the clamor. "May your harvests be rich, and the fish plentiful. Now, the task I promised is done, and I would speak of my reward. Pordigran, the MostHolyCity, is far distant and the way is hard. My companion and I should be on our way if we are to reach there before the heat of summer makes traveling even more difficult than it already is."

"First come feast," Lasam answered. "Then speak of reward. Bas'l not do so much. Women make poison, men catch river-thing in nets." He turned his back on Baysil, pointedly ignoring him.

"Baysil! Take it easy." Her voice was pitched just loud enough to reach Baysil's ears over the hubbub, catching his attention as he moved to pursue Chief Lasam. "Don't make him angry."

He turned away, glowering, and she moved to draw him away from where others could overhear. His face was white with the effort of controlling his rage, and his hand trembled where it gripped the handle of his mace.

"I should call him out. Kill him!"

"You'd just get us both slaughtered, instead. I half-expected something like this, and I've made some plans. Not all of these villagers are with Lasam on this, but enough of them are that we'll have to be careful who we trust. Now, go ahead and mingle with the villagers. Smile at them. Talk about how great they are, and how well they've done. Keep their minds off of us, and our weapons and metal. I'll talk to a couple of the women, and see what I can arrange."

"Just what are you up to, woman?"

"Never you mind. Just hold onto that temper of yours. I know how to handle these people, know how they think. It'll be better if you don't know what's going on."

He grumbled, but at last she pacified him enough so that he could go back and mingle with the boasting, laughing men.

She watched him closely, and when she was finally sure that his temper was under control, she slipped away to the women's house. A small group awaited her there, led by Nea, Lasam's second wife, no longer young, somewhat above medium height, no beauty, but strong and muscular. Tu, Re'oon's second wife was there, as tall as Nea and much heavier, still showing traces of a certain wild beauty though well into late middle age. Epp, Re'oon's sister, stood behind them, overtopping them by a good head and a half, and by her side was her daughter, Elii, short and solidly built, who might almost have been pretty if it hadn't been for her protruding front teeth.

"We come, like you say," Nea greeted her, scowling. "what you want with us?"

Kletta made a furtive gesture, the first two fingers of either hand interlocked. Nea's eyes widened, and she made a similar gesture in return.

"By She Whom we both worship, I ask aid. Lune'Hu, the Moonlight Princess, will be angered if we are hindered in our quest. Our mission is sanctioned by the Gods. They look down on what you do, and Their anger is not to be lightly risked."

"So, what you want with us?" Nea repeated her question, but in a more conciliatory voice. "Chief, name of Lasam, not want to keep word. Lasam wife, Tahs, say so. She want gold to buy pretties."

"Only what we were promised. Food and other supplies to speed us on our way. The river-monster is dead, and Door'm has food and to spare." She stood at her ease before the group of women, speaking confidently to them as equals, though she stood only chest high to even the smallest of them, and weighed only a third as much.

"How we do this thing?" The question came from Elii. "Men not want strangers to go. Want swords. Want silver and gold to buy more metal from traders to make spears and fish hooks."

"Not all Door'm men would treat strangers this way. Re'oon's God would have him treat us with justice. Re'oon is your uncle, and you know what he would want you to do."

"So, how we do this thing?" Elii repeated. "What you want us to do?"

"There is still some of the potion left that you made for the river-monster. Pour just a little bit of it in the beer, enough to make the men sleepy, but not enough to do them harm. When all of the men are asleep, put food and drink in one of the smaller boats. We will take it, and when they wake we will be far away. None will have been hurt, and the Gods will be pleased."

"This we can do," Tu decided after they had talked it over. "Now, we go make feast, but not let Tahs find out what we do. She tell Lasam, for sure. You tell Bays'1 not drink beer, or him sleep along with others."

While the feast was being made ready, Kletta made sure that all of their belongings were safely stowed in their packs and ready to go. The coffer of the Gem was not in Baysil's pack, but carried safely on his person. If it hadn't been, she might well have given even more thought to leaving him behind. Anyway, she would need him in the days to come. The forest was no place to travel alone, and even in parts of most cities a woman by herself was just asking for trouble.

The village bustled with activity, rows of cooking-pits smoking and giving off savory odors. Kletta watched for a chance to warn Baysil, but every time she drew near he was in the midst of a group of men, laughing and talking with them. As evening drew on, she became more and more worried, but there didn't seem to be any intent to keep them apart. It was just that the men and women of Door'm did things with other men, other women, and in the bustle of the coming celebration there was no chance to speak to Baysil in private.

The sun was down behind the tree-tops on the other side of the river when at last the feast was ready. Once more, Baysil sat with the inner circle of the men, flanked on either side by the village elders, while she was relegated to the outer circle, sitting among the younger men. She was almost directly behind Baysil, with no chance to so much as catch his eye.

Before the food was brought, Re'oon called down blessings from the Gods upon the village and its people, and Lasam made a long speech extolling the bravery of Door'm's men, more or less ignoring the part played by Baysil and Kletta. Then the food was carried in, great steaming slabs of roast eel, surrounded by boiled vegetables, huge pots of fish stew, and various kinds of cooked fruit. All of this, of course, accompanied by pots of warm, bitter beer. Kletta ate heartily, enjoying the last cooked meal she was likely to have for a while, and pretended to drink, watching Baysil and Lasam for any sign of trouble. Around the edge of the council hut, and outside, the women stuffed themselves on what the men had left. By the time full dark had fallen, only a few of the women were sober enough to light torches. Some of the men pushed the remaining food aside and tried to form groups to sing or dance, but the drug in the beer soon had them stretched out around the fire, snoring.

"Come, now." Nea touched Kletta on the shoulder. "We make boat ready for you."

"What about Baysil? How will we get him away?"

"Him all right," she chuckled. "Him not drink much, but enough so him sleep. Him not so big as Door'm men. We carry to boat."

The stars were out as they hurried to the beach where the boats were drawn up on the sandy mud. One of the boats, a small one that the two of them should be able to handle with no trouble, was pushed out onto the water. Epp and Tu lifted Baysil with ease, settling him into the boat where he lay sprawled across bundles of supplies. He lay there quietly, snoring softly.

"Here, now! What you do?"

Kletta froze. It was the voice of Tahs, followed by the chief's first wife herself, coming from the shadows under the trees. Behind her, dimly seen, one of the children giggled thinly and scurried farther back into the shadows.

"Oh, Moonlight Princess, come to your follower's aid!" In her mind, Kletta formed the silent prayer to Lune'Hu, and sprang out of the boat. Sword in hand, ready to silence this woman, she suddenly stopped. From out of the silence and stillness of the night, great pale moths were winging, fluttering toward the lantern that Tahs held high. In an instant the light was hidden from sight. Tahs screamed, but her voice was muffled, reaching no farther than the edge of the water. The moths swarmed thicker, beating frantically at the woman, filling her eyes, her hair, getting into her gaping mouth.

While the others stood frozen with surprise, Kletta whirled about. She gave the boat a hearty shove and sprang aboard. A few strokes of her paddle and the bank was only a confused mass of light and shadow, all but outlines lost under the waning moon. The current carried her boat silently past the sleeping village. The noises from behind her died, and only the normal night sounds broke the stillness as she guided her frail craft downstream. She paddled strongly, not so much for fear of pursuit, but more to put far behind her the river bank where her Goddess had so swiftly answered her prayer.

The night sky was clear. The moons weren't up, but the stars gave enough light for her to see her way. Luckily, this stretch of river was smooth, and she mostly concerned herself with keeping away from the trees that shadowed both banks. A couple of times, she heard the crash of something large forcing itself through the trees, and once the snarl of a leopard as she disturbed it while it was drinking, but nothing came near enough to be a danger.