Kassa’s cheeks burned red. “What makes you think I’m lying?”
The Herder People looked at each other uncomfortably. Yoyo shrugged. “Kassa, you just don’t smell like lyokuhaku.”
“I don’t smell like lyokuhaku? You mean stones smell?”
The Herders grinned. “Maybe not to you big people,” Yoyo said, “but to us, all the stones in the caves have very strong scents.”
Kassa frowned. “Are you making fun of me? Even if lyokuhaku does smell, of course I wouldn’t smell like it. I gave it to Yuguro.”
Toto scratched his chest noisily. “The smell of the stones in the cave doesn’t fade away after just a day. Kassa boy, you’ve got a piece of hakuma on you now, right?”
Kassa started. It was true. He still carried the piece of hakuma he had found the other night inside his tunic.
Toto’s sleepy-looking eyes suddenly widened and stared straight at him. “And that’s not all. You smell like luisha, the luminous blue stone. I smelled it as soon as you stepped into this glade.”
Kassa stared back at him, deeply shaken. The Herder People with whom he had lived since birth suddenly seemed like strangers.
Toto thumped his eagle chaser on the ground and stood up. “Hey there!” he said to his fellow Herders. “How long do you plan to rest? The Great Sun in the heavens will set before you know it!”
The tension in the air dissipated instantly as the others jumped to their feet. Thanking Kassa for the food, they hurried off to their work. Soon Kassa stood alone in Spring Hollow with Toto, who was in charge of the fire. He felt overcome with a desolate loneliness.
“Kassa boy.” The Elder came over and grasped him by the elbow. Bent with age, he only reached Kassa’s waist. “Thank you for the losso. You’ve a kind heart, lad.” His grip tightened and he looked at Kassa intently. “No matter what they tell you, never trust anyone who would make a good boy like you lie. Remember: If there ever comes a time when you can’t trust your own clan, think of us. We’ll stand by you.”
He let go and Kassa left the clearing without another word, his confusion shot through with a welcome bolt of anger. Well, of all the … What do the Herder People know anyway? How could there ever be a day when I can’t trust my own people?
He stepped out onto a rock ledge and the cold wind struck him full in the face. He clenched his teeth. But why had Yuguro trembled and turned so pale? Why had Kaguro looked as if he had seen a ghost? And who on earth was that woman?
No one was about to tell him the answers. The chieftain and Yuguro were hiding something important from their own people, from the clan. As he thought about the situation, the scenery spread out beneath him seemed to lose its color and grow distant.
“Do you have any idea who she is?” Kaguro was sunk in his chair, while Yuguro stood by the window. Turning to look at his brother, the younger man leaned back against the window frame, making it hard for Kaguro to see his expression against the westerly sun.
“Yes … When I defeated Jiguro, there was a girl there. She watched him die.”
Kaguro frowned. “This is the first I’ve heard of it! Who was she? Jiguro’s lover?”
“Perhaps. But I think she was too young for that.”
“And? What did you do?”
“Nothing. I told her Jiguro was my older brother, but he was also a thief and a traitor and I had come to avenge the terrible crime he committed. Then I left her there. That was all…. What else could I have done? Are you suggesting I should have killed an innocent girl just because she might someday cause trouble?”
Kaguro opened his mouth but then shook his head wordlessly. He looked down and pressed his hand against his forehead. “Then there’s no mistake,” he continued after a pause. “She must be the traveler Kassa met.” He looked up at Yuguro. “Could she be doing penance for Jiguro? But why would she come here now, after ten years have passed?”
Yuguro gazed out the window, his eyes narrowed. Finally he turned slowly back toward the room and walked over to the fireplace. “Perhaps she needed money.”
Kaguro’s brow furrowed. “You certainly come up with some wild ideas. What do you mean?”
“It’s not a wild idea. Think about it. She defeated the hyohlu with her spear, which means that Jiguro must have taught her how to fight. What if he taught her more than that? If she needed money, wouldn’t it be natural for her to think of the stones? Maybe she wasn’t after luisha, but she could have sought lyokuhaku. And if Jiguro taught her how to find her way through the caves, then she could get it.”
Comprehension dawned on Kaguro’s face. “I see. You’re right, that could be it. From what Kassa told us, she was using the marks on Jiguro’s spear to find her way from New Yogo into Musa territory.”
“Yes. And while she was passing through the caves, she accidentally bumped into Kassa and Gina. She pretended to be a traveler doing penance and swore them to secrecy. It all fits together.”
Kaguro sighed and shook his head. The old wound buried deep in his heart ached. “That good-for-nothing brother of ours. Wasn’t it enough to bring shame upon our entire clan? Fifteen years of hell we suffered! But no, he had to go and leave this behind to cause trouble for us now!” He spat out the words and then rubbed the stub of his right arm. “If only I had still had my arm, I could have saved you so much pain….”
He closed his eyes, and thus missed the slight smile that crossed Yuguro’s lips.
“That’s all in the past, brother. I merely vindicated the clan’s honor. Leave the woman to me. I’ll deal with her.”
Kaguro raised his face. “What will you do?”
“It’s a serious crime to steal lyokuhaku. I’ll investigate quietly, and if she’s done what I suspect, I’ll have her executed — being careful, of course, not to let anyone else know her connection to Jiguro.”
Kaguro grimaced. “I guess you’re right. It’s the only way.”
“Yes,” Yuguro murmured as he gazed at the flames, “It’s the only way.”
The chieftain’s hall bustled with preparations for the feast celebrating the return of Yuguro and the chieftain’s son, Kahm. Sweets and wine were distributed to the entire village, and the carousing continued far into the night.
Partway through the festivities, Yuguro signaled to his nephew Kahm and his brother-in-law Dom, who served as chief of the village guard. The three men quietly left the feast. Guiding the other two into the living room, Yuguro closed the heavy door, and the noise receded like a wave pulling back from the shore. He gestured for them to sit on the chairs. “I’m sorry to call you away from the feast. But we have a little problem on our hands.”
Kahm and Dom looked at him with concern. “What kind of problem, uncle?” Kahm asked.
Yuguro smiled bleakly. “Well, it appears that a woman bearing Jiguro’s spear has infiltrated the caves in our territory.”
Shock showed on their faces, as if a ghost long dead had risen from the depths of darkness. “But how?” Dom muttered in a deep voice. He was a burly, broad-shouldered man, a head taller than even Yuguro. Although he was much more intelligent than his appearance suggested, he was also short-tempered.
Yuguro briefly recounted Kassa and Gina’s tale and then explained what he had told Kaguro. When he finished, Dom grasped his shoulder.
“I understand, brother. I’ll send five of our best guards after her. She’ll stick out like a black goat among a white herd. We’ll catch her in no time.”
Yuguro shook his head. “You’re right that we can find her easily. But I want you and Kahm to go after her yourselves.” He leaned forward and said quietly, “I trust you more than anyone else. You’re the only ones I can count on.”
Kahm and Dom flushed with pride.
Yuguro lowered his voice even further. “There are two reasons why we need to be cautious. First, we don’t want this incident to bring back the memory of our clan’s shame. Especially not now, at this crucial point in time.” The two men nodded solemnly. “The second reason is a trifling thing, but still … The woman has a personal grudge against me.” His lips twisted in a wry smile. “It’s only to be expected, really. When I killed Jiguro, she screamed at me, vowing to avenge his death by destroying my honor. I didn’t pay her any attention at the time — it was just the ranting of a girl.”
He fixed his gleaming eyes on them. “I am sure you understand that at this important juncture, it will not do to have any doubt cast upon my honor, regardless of how ridiculous her claims may be.”
Again, Kahm and Dom nodded gravely.
“When you capture her, there is no need to bring her back here for judgment. Jiguro apparently taught her to use a spear. Use that against her. Make her angry enough that she’ll pick a fight. Then kill her. Kill her before she has a chance to ruin everything we’ve planned.”