He sighed, looked at Kahm, and then looked back to the assembled men. “But this woman is as cunning as a wolf. When they arrived in the mountains, she fell off her horse on purpose and pretended to be wounded. Dom was dismounting to help her when she suddenly spooked the horses. He fell and broke his nose, while Kahm here cracked his ribs. Dom still tried to stop her, but she stabbed him in the shoulder with her spear. Then she fled into the mountains. Isn’t that right, Kahm?”
Kahm looked up at his uncle, sick at heart. He revered Yuguro and knew that this deception was necessary if their great undertaking was to succeed. But piling one lie on top of another went against his honest nature, and he hated it.
Yuguro’s eyes narrowed sharply. “I’m not blaming you for your failure, you know,” he said gently. “You’re young and you were hurt. There’s no need to be ashamed of not helping Dom when he fought on with his broken nose, or for letting the woman escape.”
Kahm looked at his uncle in shock. “No! That’s not true! Dom was —”
His father, Kaguro, cut him off. “Kahm! You should be ashamed of yourself. Don’t try to excuse your cowardice by blaming someone who isn’t here!”
Kahm was stunned. Dom’s injury was fairly serious, but certainly not awful enough to prevent him from attending this meeting. He had heard Yuguro himself tell him not to come, advising him to rest instead. Kahm ground his teeth. He felt an invisible net tightening around him, for anything he said now would sound like he was making excuses. His only choice was to remain silent.
“Kahm is still young, brother,” Yuguro said calmly. “Don’t be too hard on him.” He turned back to the crowd. “Well, it was a long story, but now you know the situation. Clearly this woman has escaped into Musa territory. As she fled without her cape or supplies, she won’t survive long in this season. Still, I’d like fifty of our best men to divide up and search for her. Get the Herder People to help too.” Then he added with a smile, “But don’t underestimate her cunning or her skill with the spear, and don’t be fooled by anything she says about me.”
The men laughed.
At that moment, a horn blast echoed long and high, weaving through their laughter. The room fell silent, then the men began talking excitedly again. The horn signaled the arrival of a message from the king of Kanbal.
There came a loud knock, and the young men guarding the doors opened them. Two warriors stepped into the hall wearing the purple cloaks and silver headscarves that marked them as the king’s envoys. The crowd hushed immediately. Facing Yuguro, one of the men held high a scroll of goat’s hide sealed with wax.
“Greetings to Kaguro Musa, Chieftain of the Musa Clan, and Master Yuguro,” he announced in clear, ringing tones. “We bear an urgent message from the king for Master Yuguro.”
They walked forward under the eager gaze of the warriors, who were hoping desperately for news of the Giving Ceremony. After the messenger handed Yuguro the scroll, he bowed, broke the seal, and opened it. He read it without a word, then looked at the messengers.
“You have traveled far and fast to deliver this. I’ll start preparing immediately. We’ll be ready to leave the day after tomorrow. Please rest and refresh yourselves here until that time.” He gestured to two of his attendants and they led the messengers from the hall. Then Yuguro turned to face the assembly.
“Clansmen, great news! The Gate to the Mountain Deep has opened.”
The men gasped and then, as the news sank in, they raised a thunderous cheer.
Deep within a cave behind the king’s castle lay a massive door of natural rock that barred the way into the Mountain Deep. It could only be opened from the inside, but once every generation, the Gate slid open, signaling that the Mountain King would hold the Giving Ceremony in the winter of that year, and bestow much-needed luisha upon the people of Kanbal. Although there had been occasional discrepancies in timing, previous ceremonies had always been about two decades apart. But this time twenty years had passed, and then thirty, with no sign of the Gate being opened, and the people of Kanbal had grown steadily poorer and more anxious. Some whispered that the sacred bond between Kanbal and the Mountain King had been violated since the last Dancer, Jiguro, had dared to steal the gold rings of the King’s Spears and flee the country….
Now, after thirty-five years, word had finally come. The ceremony would take place this winter. The bond between the two kingdoms had not been severed after all! The men’s faces shone with joy. When their king received the luisha, grain would once again flow into the country. He would present every clan with gifts. For the next few years at least, they would not have to worry about having enough food for the winter. For the people of Kanbal, this announcement answered all their hopes and relieved all their fears.
“Everything seems to be happening at once!” Yuguro called over the tumult in the room. “Men, there’s much to be done. Divide up the work. The gifts for the Mountain King must be ready by the day after tomorrow.” The men began talking excitedly. Yuguro thumped his spear butt on the floor to regain their attention. “I’ve just had a thought for which I would ask your approval.” He beckoned his eldest son, Shisheem, who was standing nearby. He was almost the same height as his father. “Ordinarily, Kahm would attend me in the capital, but as you can see, he is injured. A ten-day horse ride will be too taxing for him. Instead, I propose to take my son, Shisheem, who turned sixteen this year. It’s time for him to mix with the other sons of the clan chieftains and learn from them. What do you say?”
Kahm turned pale and looked first at his uncle, then at his father. But Kaguro merely nodded to Yuguro, a bitter expression on his face. If he agreed, no one else would even think of opposing the idea.
“Don’t worry, Kahm,” Yuguro said to him. “The Gate to the Mountain Deep has opened, but it will be another twenty-five days or so before we actually enter the mountain for the ceremony. Follow me to the capital when you feel better.” Then he turned to the clansmen and shouted, “Men of the Musa clan — it’s time to work!”
Kassa was pushed along with the boisterous crowd as they left the hall, but he turned for one last look at Kahm. Just before he passed through the doors, he caught sight of him and Shisheem. The contrast between their two faces — one dark and gloomy, the other flushed and shining — remained branded on his mind.