Summer Read online

  Karteri, tipping her assessment of their relative strengths, said, “But it’s such a long, long path back to Agan’s cave. By the time you got back here with help, we’d be dead.”

  Valri shrugged, “Perhaps just one of us should go. The other two could try to delay the pursuit somehow. Or perhaps if we all flee, we should trust that they wouldn’t kill their only two remaining slaves. But…” she looked into each of the other girls’ eyes in turn, then said as forcefully as she could without raising her voice, “I won’t stay here another winter!”

  The next morning, after deciding some of the fish offal was missing, two of the men beat Karteri.

  ***

  Yadin frowned as he walked into the clearing. Pell and Woday were carrying bundles of long slender poles into the cave. Curious, he started that direction, wondering what they might be up to now. As he walked across the little meadow, he noticed someone had a fire burning outside, on the ledge in front of the cave. He tried to think of a reason to have fires in both locations, but then when he stepped into the cave, he saw that the fire that normally burned inside the cave had been put out.

  In fact, it looked like all the ashes of the fires had been carried away as well. Normally, someone piled the ashes on a skin and dragged it outside when it got hard to maintain a good fire, but he’d never seen anyone remove all of them, right down to the dirt, like this.

  Pell and Woday were standing near the old fire pit, staring up at the smoke hole. The bundles of long saplings lay nearby. Yadin asked, “Are you guys making long skinny spears?”

  It was hard to tell in the dark, but Pell appeared to be surprised by the notion. “Um, no. I woke up with an idea for trying to guide the smoke out the smoke hole, rather than have so much of it out in the cave itself. The smoke makes me cough, and it was bad last night. Maybe that brought on the dream?” He looked down at the bundle of slender poles for a moment, then said, “Are long slender spears good for something in particular?”

  Yadin brushed away the question by saying, “Not that I know of. How could you possibly ‘guide’ smoke?!”

  Pell picked up one of the slender saplings and held it like a spear, slowly taking it through a throwing motion as if he were contemplating how it might work. As he did so, he said, “We’re hoping that if we build a little tunnel from above the fire, up to the smoke hole, the smoke will all go up the tunnel instead of spreading out around the cave as much. What do you think?”

  Yadin snorted, “Sounds ridiculous to me, but how would I know?” He looked down at the fire pit and then up at the smoke hole, “If you’re thinking you’re going to build your tunnel out of those sticks, I predict they’re going to catch on fire.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’d be right about that,” Pell said with a grin. He stopped making throwing motions and instead tilted the pole up so the top end touched the edge of the smoke hole. The bottom he pushed in toward the edge of the fire pit, although it was a little too long to fit. Pell continued, “We’re planning to cover them with mud like we did the wall of the cave. Do you think that’d work?”

  Yadin snorted again, “I have no idea.”

  Pell wagged his head, “You can put pots made out of clay into fire and they do okay. I hope this’ll work too.” He turned to Woday and said, “This one needs to be about a finger shorter.” He pulled the long stick down out of its upright position and looked around, “Where’s the axe?”

  Behind Yadin, Boro and Falin dragged a large skin full of mud into the cave.

  To Yadin’s amazement, by the time the sun had crossed several more fists of the sky, more and more of the Cold Spring’s tribe came by and got caught up in the building of the smoke tunnel. Not because Pell harangued them into it, or even asked them for help. Instead, they’d watch for a bit, then just start working on some part of it.

  Yadin himself got co-opted as soon as Woday started trying to trim the first pole to the correct length with one of the new hafted axes. The bonesetter’s apprentice was so clumsy with the axe that Yadin was afraid he was going to break the axe head, which, after all, Yadin had made. Yadin told himself it was in his own self-interest that he start cutting the poles so he wouldn’t have to make more axe heads. Pell would measure a pole and give it to Woday. Woday would put his thumb on the spot Pell had marked and carry it to Yadin who’d cut it with a blow or two from the axe. Woday would take the pole back to Pell who’d position it while Boro fixed it in place at the bottom by packing mud around it. Pell would measure another pole, and while Woday was bringing it over to be cut, Pell would lift Falin up on his shoulders to pack mud around the top of the poles.

  Donte came in to see what they were doing. Pell asked her for advice on weaving some vines around the poles to hold them in place better. Rather than give advice, Donte started putting in the vines as Pell put up the poles.

  It was hard work and people were thirsty, so Gia brought a skin of cold water up from the stream. Deltin brought in some rabbits from the morning run of the trap line, so Agan and Panute started working on a small feast for the workers to have at midday.

  Tando went to get more mud and Deltin went after more poles. When Deltin returned he had some heavier poles as well as more of the slender ones. He suggested that Pell put the heavy ones at the corners of the smoke guide for strength. It was no surprise to Yadin anymore that Pell openly admired Deltin for the suggestion.

  Pont, who’d brought them so much trouble at the beginning of winter, had started walking a few steps without his crutch. However, he really wasn’t able to contribute to the big project since he couldn’t carry anything. Nonetheless, he was working on the skins of the rabbits Deltin had brought in, carrying out the first steps of making them into furs that could be stitched into clothing for the winter. Yadin wondered what would happen with him when his leg was well enough to walk real distances. Would Agan send him away? Or was he contributing enough now that the Cold Spring’s tribe would keep him around?

  Gia found she and Donte could work together, one on the inside of the smoke tunnel and one on the outside, weaving the vines that were stabilizing the poles. They’d wrap the vines one way, then hold them out of the way while Pell put in the next pole. Then they’d wrap them the other way around that pole and wait for Pell to put in the pole after that one. What they were creating somewhat resembled the staves and weavers of a large basket.

  Gurix and Ontru began slathering mud on the outside of the section of the tunnel that’d already been put up, laughing about how dirty they were getting.

  One of the most surprising things about the entire process to Yadin was how fast it went with all those people working on it. By the time Agan and Panute had the rabbits roasted and some small green cakes cooked for their lunch, the structure was mostly finished.

  Gurix and Ontru said they were going to finish mudding the inside of the tunnel before they came out to eat because they didn’t want to wash the mud off themselves twice. Since they couldn’t reach the top of the tunnel, Woday had Gurix climb on his shoulders inside the tunnel, a tight fit. Ontru passed mud up to Gurix while she kept working.

  Pell held Falin up on the outside to mud that surface while Boro passed mud up to the boy. When they finished and came outside, it was obvious some mud had been spilled on purpose; Pell and Boro were heavily splattered. Apparently Ontru had laughed at the mud on Pell which had resulted in Falin managing to drop a large load on her as well. She then slathered Woday. Gurix had gotten mud all over herself just trying to work inside the narrow confines of the upper tunnel.

  All this meant that they were extensively mud encrusted when they came outside. Gia stared at her betrothed, wide-eyed. Then she made the mistake of saying, “I hope you’re going to wash that off before you eat!”

  Saying, “I will,” Pell swept her up in a huge hug, thus muddying the front of her. Falin, who was, after all, her little brother, stepped up behind her and spread a couple of handfuls of mud he’d been carrying over her back.

  After a gr
eat deal of hysterical laughter, the young people headed across the meadow to wash in the stream. This generated a lot of shrieking in the cold water. Yadin looked across the meadow and saw Pell’s damned wolf bounding excitedly in and out of the water with them. You’d think the wolf was part of the tribe! Thankfully, the day was surprisingly warm and sunny for springtime, drying them quickly as they came back across the meadow to eat their part of the little feast.

  Yadin’d been sitting next to Donte, so he heard her quietly ask her son if she should build a fire in the fire pit under the tunnel to start baking the mud. Pell turned, “Agan, we don’t have anyone who really specializes in making pottery, but you seem to know something about everything. Do you think we can build a fire in the tunnel right away, or do we need to let the mud dry first?”

  Agan shrugged, “Pottery cracks if you don’t let it dry before you put it in the fire. But it has much thinner walls than this tunnel you’ve been building.” She shook her head, “Pottery doesn’t have sticks and vines in it either. So, I don’t know. But if I’d spent that much time and effort, I’d let it dry slowly.”

  He looked up at the clear blue sky. “I guess we could keep our fire out here for tonight. Do you think we could build the fire tomorrow?”

  “When I said ‘dry slowly,’ I meant I think it should dry for several hands of days.”

  “Oh,” Pell said, looking surprised. “I doubt the weather’ll stay good that long. If it rained and put out our fire, that’d be a bad problem.”

  “You can still have a fire in the cave, you know,” Agan said with a grin. “It’ll just be really smoky like it always has been. In fact, I’d suggest you build a tiny fire underneath your tunnel to help it slowly dry.” She shrugged again, “Besides, if your tunnel gets a few cracks in it that won’t be a disaster like it would be with a pot that wouldn’t hold water anymore. It wouldn’t be a huge problem if a little smoke leaks out of your tunnel. Besides, you could just add more mud to any cracks.”

  Pell looked pensive for a few moments, then turned to his mother, “Do you think you could build a small fire under the smoke guide? Not just to help it dry, but also to make sure we have a flame in case rain puts out the main fire on the ledge?”

  “Sure. We could also keep a coal in a fire pot.”

  “That’s a great idea!”

  Yadin leaned back pensively against the wall of the cave, thinking about how readily Pell dispensed praise. To listen to him, you’d think other people had thought up most of his own ideas. Maybe that’s why everyone loves him so much? Well, that and his snares, and the smoked meat, and his bonesetting, and the walled in cave, and… spirits!

  ***

  Everyone was relaxing and basking in the feeling of a significant accomplishment. That and the pleasant feeling of a full stomach from their little feast. Yadin snorted softly to himself at the general feeling that they’d accomplished something. They have no idea whether this “smoke guide” is going to work. They may have just wasted most of a day of hard work. He felt Pell’s eyes on him and turned to look at the young man. Oversized boy, actually, Yadin thought. I wonder if he can tell how I’m doubting his smoke guide. He lifted a questioning eyebrow.

  Pell said, “Yadin, I think you’re our best thrower. I wonder if you’d come look at a stick Woday, Deltin, and I have been working on to help people throw further?” He glanced over at a small pile of left over poles from building the smoke guide. “I’m hoping it might work with your idea for the long slender spears.”

  Thinking of that day he’d watched Pell practicing throwing, Yadin thought to himself, Best thrower? I can’t throw nearly as well as he can! And, I didn’t have any idea for long slender spears! I was making fun of him for carrying around a bunch of long skinny poles that I thought looked useless. But, if he’s had a good idea, I’ll bet I get credit for it! Then he thought, “A stick to help people throw further” sounds so ridiculous, how could I even think someone might deserve credit for it?! Yadin shook his head to clear these ruminations and got to his feet, “Sure, I’d be happy to look at it.”

  Pell turned to Woday and said, “Do you know where our first throwing stick is? The failed one we made out of an axe handle?”

  Woday nodded, “It’s with the firewood, unless someone burned it already.”

  “If you’ll find that,” Pell said, “I’m going to ask Yadin to help me pick through the left over poles for ones that might be good for long thin spears.”

  To his amusement, Yadin found himself looking through the slender shafts for the ones that were straightest and stiffest. Pell kept asking him questions about “his idea” for a long thin spear. Finally, with a little exasperation, he said, “Pell, I don’t think long thin spears are a good idea. They won’t have enough weight for penetration. And, when you throw them, I think the force of the throw’ll make them wobble as they fly.”

  “Oh,” Pell said thoughtfully, as if Yadin’d dispensed a particularly important piece of wisdom. “You’re probably right. But let’s try it and see.”

  As they walked up the ravine toward the area above the slate outcropping where Yadin once watched Pell practicing his throwing, Yadin suddenly realized the entire tribe was following along behind them. Yadin could hear Deltin quietly telling Manute about the throwing stick. To hear Deltin tell it, he’d had nothing to do with the idea, and in fact had pooh-poohed it the entire time he was helping Pell make it. Deltin concluded with, “And then the damned thing threw a stone across the river and way downstream. He couldn’t hit anything with it, but there’s no doubt it throws hard and really far.”

  Pell and Woday were walking together just a little in front of Yadin, talking quietly to one another. Woday was carrying a broken axe handle and another crooked stick about the same length. Pell was carrying the three poles he and Yadin’d picked out in one hand and a hafted axe in the other. Pell glanced back over his shoulder and his eyebrows rose in astonishment, apparently at seeing the entire tribe walking behind him. He looked for a moment as if he were going to say something about it, but then shrugged and continued, apparently thinking better of whatever he’d considered saying.

  When they got to the area with the stand of small trees where Yadin’d watched Pell throwing rocks, he immediately noticed a bare dirt bank across the ravine where the ravine’s wall had collapsed. The bank was heavily pockmarked as if someone had been throwing stones at it. Those pockmarks seemed to center around a white stone in the bank that somewhat resembled a skull.

  Pell and Woday set down the various sticks they’d been carrying. Now Pell turned to Yadin with the crooked stick Woday’d been carrying. Handing it to Yadin to examine, he said, “This is the throwing stick Woday and Deltin made.” Woday went over to a large flat rock and picked up a handful of round stones. He brought them back and handed one to Pell who took the stick back, “You put a stone in this little cup at the end of the stick.” Pell slowly swung the stick back behind him, keeping the cup facing upward, then with a smooth motion, he whipped the stick over his shoulder toward the embankment.

  Yadin stared. The stone had flown across the ravine to smack into the embankment and bring down a shower of dirt.

  Murmurs of amazement came from the tribe.

  Yadin’d never seen a stone fly so fast it made noise.

  Pell turned to Yadin and said, “I think the stick lets you throw harder, just like the handle on the new axes let you hit harder.” He shrugged, “For that matter, like a club lets you hit harder.” He held the stick out to Yadin, “Would you like to try throwing with it. Everyone says you’re a really good throw, so I thought maybe you could tell us how you think it works.”

  Having seen the way the stone flew, Yadin found himself torn. He really wanted to throw with it, but he feared that, using a new tool, he’d throw so badly he’d be embarrassed in front of the entire tribe. Hesitantly, he reached out for the stick. Woday handed him a stone. He tilted the stick back over his shoulder while turning his head to keep an eye on it. He t
ook it slowly through a throwing motion watching the position of the cup, then put it back over his shoulder and loaded the stone into its cup.

  Throwing his left foot forward, he unconsciously cocked his right arm backward even a little farther in an effort to throw it as hard or harder than Pell. He whipped the stick forward at the embankment. Yadin blinked a couple of times because he didn’t see the stone fly, wondering if it had gone so fast he couldn’t see it. But then Pell cleared his throat and said, “Your beautiful throwing motion tilted the cup a little too far at the end of your wind up.” Pell held the stone out to Yadin and Yadin realized he’d essentially jerked the cup out from underneath the stone. He hadn’t heard it hit the ground because Pell caught it.

  Giving an embarrassed smile, Yadin took the stone, put it in the cup and then slowly swung the stick back behind himself. With a glance over his shoulder to see the tilt of the cup, he threw it again, this time not so hard. Despite the gentler throw, the stone flew across the ravine to smack into the base of the wall with great force. Yadin’d been aiming for the skull-shaped rock. The stone did hit the wall almost on the correct line, even though it was about a man’s-height low.

  Pell said, “I think the stick lets you aim accurately from side to side, but it’s hard to get it to release at the right time so the stone doesn’t fly too high or too low. Do you want to try a couple more?”

  Yadin nodded, hoping he didn’t embarrass himself with even worse throws. Pell gave him a couple more stones. He threw both of them, hitting the wall within an arm’s length of the skull-rock both times.

  Holding the stick up to examine it, Yadin shook his head. “This thing’s amazing. I’m sure you get better with practice?”

  Pell nodded, “Woday and I both threw a bunch of rocks yesterday. We got a lot better, right Woday?”