The Continent (The Continent #1)(60)

“But…have they not invaded your settlements before?”

“Countless settlements,” he says, “but only in the north, where they cross easily into our territory from their own. Not in the south. If they have positioned themselves as you say, it is safe to assume they intend to launch an assault into this region as well. And if that happens, we will have Topi on all sides. There will be no retreat.”

My stomach clenches. “What will you do?”

“It is not a question of what I will do, but what you will do.”

“But what can I—”

“We must assemble the council and speak with Teku Ana at once,” he says. “It is time for you to draw a map.”

My eyes dart to the rolled up parchment tucked neatly behind the bin of firewood. My map. It is unfinished, but the Topi settlements I saw from the heli-plane are clearly marked. “It is already done,” I say. “Let us meet with the council at once.”

An hour later in the War Room, I push the wide sheet of parchment—the unfinished map—across the table. All three members of the council—Teku Ana, Inzo, and Shoshi—crowd together, their eyes moving rapidly over the paper. Their existing charts do not extend as far west as the one I’ve drawn—when I asked Noro why this was, he said there had never been a need. An inhospitable place with rocky terrain and no accessible shoreline, the southwest corner of the Continent never seemed a viable location for anyone to settle.

“It’s not perfect,” I say. “I’ve only included the most basic elements, and I—”

“Is it accurate?” Shoshi asks curtly.

I nod. “As of three months ago, it is accurate to the mile.”

Teku’s expression is pained, his lips pressed into a rigid line. He looks up from the map and frowns at Noro. “You told us that her skills as mapmaker were not tactical.”

“That was my understanding,” Noro says.

Teku makes a small noise, his eyes falling back to the paper before him. “It is not your fault, young itzatsune. I should have had the foresight to press the issue when she arrived.”

Inzo stares at the map, rubbing absentmindedly at the stump of his missing arm. “This…I would not have predicted.”

“Topi in the south,” Shoshi says. He spits into a basin beside his chair. “It is our doom.”

“Do not say such things,” Inzo says, striking the map with his palm, rattling the pots of ink at the far end of the table. “Would you bring shadows and ill fortune upon our people?”

“Oh, shut up,” Shoshi says. “You’re a superstitious old cripple. It was not I who manufactured this turn of fate!” He angles a crooked finger in my direction. “Find blame where it truly lies.”

Noro stands abruptly, his chair clattering behind him. “How dare you imply that Vaela is responsible for this! Have you no honor? Apologize at once.”

Shoshi sneers at him. “Or what, itzatsune? You will kill me when I sleep?”

“I will kill you where you stand,” Noro says, his palm on the handle of the knife at his waist. “Apologize.”

“Shoshi,” Teku says quietly, “it is no more the girl’s fault than it is your own.”

“I defer to your wisdom, of course,” Shoshi says in a silky voice. “I only thought…well, perhaps I was mistaken.”

Teku sighs. “Speak plainly if you will speak at all.”

“Careful,” Noro growls, tapping a finger on the haft of his blade.

Shoshi’s eyes flick down to the knife, but he continues. “Let us only consider, Teku Ana, why it was that the Topi were inclined, after these many centuries, to withdraw from the north and invade our southern borders.” He pauses, but Teku says nothing. “Why, they have followed her planes to our very doorstep!”

“I will not warn you again, zunupi,” Noro says in a low voice, spitting the last word in Shoshi’s direction. “Implicate Vaela one more time and it will be the last thing you do.”

“Noro,” Teku says sharply, “there will be no violence here today. I forbid it. And Shoshi—I will hear no more of this. Do you understand? The girl is not at fault.”

Shoshi bows his head. “Of course. I meant no disrespect.”

Teku gives him a withering glare. “You are a fool to provoke an assassin, and a coward to point your finger at a young woman who is working even now to assist our people.” He turns to Inzo. “How many scouts have you who are ready to investigate these camps?”

“Four,” Inzo says. “They can leave today.”

“I shall go as well,” Noro says.

My heart sinks at this, but Teku shakes his head. “No, Noro. You have only just returned. Your body and mind need restoration. And in any event, this is a matter of reconnaissance only. Notify the scouts, Inzo. All will depend upon their success.”

Noro is quiet as we walk back to my cottage. The streets are bustling with people at this time of morning, most of them headed to work, or to the marketplace. The sky is pale, the clouds gray with the promise of rain. When we reach the long road that leads to our homes, I break the silence.

“I’m glad you’re not leaving, Noro. It’s selfish, I know, but it’s how I feel.”

He glances down at me, but says nothing. A moment later, his fingers encircle mine. Silence falls over us again as we walk hand in hand along the quiet lane. Then, as we come to the walk leading up to my front door, he says, “Wait here—I have something for you,” before dashing across the road to his own house.