Fearless (Nameless #3)(36)
“Who would build a home in such a place?” Talon asked, as he threaded his hands behind his head and leaned back against his pack. The fire whizzed and popped as Zo studied the beautiful flames. She’d wondered the same thing and was glad Talon asked.
“Before the Ram desecrated our caves, men were stationed here to monitor this entrance into the Cave,” said Ikatou. “I think my people are too lost and scattered, too demoralized mentally and too shamed by their defeat from the Ram, to bother guarding it.”
Zo perked. “Did you just say this was an entrance?” She looked around the room again, uncertain.
Ikatou pulled back his bedroll and threaded his fingers into two holes in the ground. The floorboards groaned as he pulled up a large square of the floor to reveal a gaping black hole.
Zo, Raca, and Talon crawled over to get a better look into the dark abyss, but all that was visible were the top three rungs of a ladder.
“This is the entrance to the Cave?” Raca asked.
Ikatou laughed. “It’s more of a back door. Chief Murtog’s father found it by accident while hunting as a boy, close to Joshua’s age. He fell down the shaft and broke both of his legs. Luckily he wasn’t alone. It wasn’t long after that they discovered the tunnel belonged to part of the great network of Kodiak Caves. The cabin was built as a marker and outpost for weary travelers, but this entrance is rarely used anymore.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you bringing us through the back door? We are ambassadors for the Raven and Wolves. Shouldn’t we come through the main entrance?” asked Raca. She pulled her legs close to her chest and studied Ikatou with her calm, often unnerving demeanor. With the flickering light dancing on her brown skin and her hair brushed and hanging around her shoulders, she posed a striking figure.
Ikatou’s companions grunted something to one another, and Ikatou shot them a dark look.
“What is it?” asked Talon, looking between the three Bears. “What aren’t you telling us?”
Ikatou leaned over to place another log on the fire. Whatever secrets he kept, it was clear he wasn’t ready to divulge them yet.
Zo reached out and placed a scarred hand on his forearm. The bear flinched under her touch, as though burned by the contact. “Tell us, Ikatou. You claim to value honesty. Tell us the truth.”
Ikatou met her gaze and offered her a firm nod. “We are taking this entrance because we don’t know if you will be welcomed in the Caves.”
Talon and Raca exchanged a sharp glance. Zo guessed, given their travels together, they were quite adept at communicating without words.
Ikatou continued, “There are rumors that since Murtog’s inaction after the raid, factions of Kodiak have taken to self-governing. We’ve been gone long enough that we don’t know who is loyal to the chief and who is not.”
Talon seemed to hold his composure by a thin thread. “Did you tell Laden of this?”
Ikatou slowly shook his head. “He would not have sent you if I had.”
Nostrils flaring, Talon’s voice bordered on shouting. It was the closest Zo had ever come to seeing a Raven lose his temper. “You expect us to follow you into that hole, when you have no idea whether or not we will be received or killed on sight?”
“Talon,” Zo warned.
“An attack on either my sister or myself will be viewed by my clan as an act of war.” He sat back and folded his arms. “We will not enter the cave under these circumstances.”
Zo looked between the men, her thoughts running out of control. Laden said the Allies couldn’t help Ikatou free his family unless Murtog was convinced to join the cause. And if Laden didn’t help Ikatou, Zo’s ridiculous blood oath would be broken.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Zo said, “Let’s just slow down for a minute. Tell us more about the cave. How many people will we see? Where exactly is Murtog?”
Ikatou explained that the caves were a network of tunnels with large caverns spread throughout. Murtog’s den was located in the heart of the mountain. “I have no way of knowing who or what we will see. I haven’t been inside the caves for almost two years. But I know I can get you to the chief.”
Talon shook his head, arms still crossed. “Not good enough.”
Ikatou’s nostrils flared.
Zo had seen first-hand what happened when Kodiak lost their temper. If a fight broke out in this small cabin, no amount of peace talks would ever unite the Raven and Kodiak. There was just too much pride at stake, too many differences dividing them already, to withstand such a thing.
“I’ll go down,” Zo shouted. “My hair is darker than most Wolves. Even the Ram believed I was a Kodiak when I told them.”
One of Ikatou’s men snorted, not helping her case.
“If we go at night,” said Zo, “we’ll meet fewer people. Once we know the caves are safe and announce ourselves to Murtog’s guard, we can come back and get Talon and Raca.”
Ikatou nodded as he stared into the fire. “It could work,” he finally said.
“Why do I feel like you’re about to attach a ‘but’ to the end of that statement?” asked Zo.
Ikatou turned to Raca and Talon. “I realize my people are known for a lot of things, many of which might be considered negative in your mind. Where you value stealth, we prefer to meet a problem face on. Where you value a man’s spirit, we value a man’s might.” He leaned forward. “But there is one thing I think our two clans have in common.”