Page 78 of Wind Rider

“Isabel has my herb sticks.” Sora sniffed the air and then sneezed. “I can smell that they’re going to like them. A lot. And Jenna is carrying the travel cloaks. Would you mind if you went with them to the chancel? I brought one of my extra slings.” Sora lifted the length of material that was a match to the one wrapped around her torso and from whichChloe’s little black head poked as her shining eyes peered curiously around. “I thought I might trade it for some cooking herbs and spices.”

“Sounds like a really good idea,” Mari said. “Sure, I’ll go with Jenna and Isabel.”

“I’ll stay with the Pack and keep an eye on everyone,” Nik said.

“Do you sense trouble?” Mari asked quietly.

“No. And I want to keep it that way.”

Mari nodded. “Jenna—Isabel,” she called into the Pack, and the two girls turned their heads in her direction. “Please come with me to the chancel to leave our gifts—I mean, our offerings.”

The girls hurried to Mari as the rest of the Pack scattered, stopping to admire the blue cloth and the groups of women making sparkling jewelry.

“Mari, might Lily and I join you at the chancel as well?”

Lily had led Dove through the Pack to stand before Mari and Rigel. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

Together, Mari and Rigel walked with Isabel, who was carrying a tightly woven basket filled with the herb sticks Sora had finished just that morning, and Danita, whose arms were filled with two neatly folded travel cloaks. Behind them, Lily led Dove in their wake.

As they began to walk through the market, Mari noticed women who were not swathed in tunics and shawls. These women wore long black dresses that were trimmed in white at the seams. They were more fair-skinned than the Saleesh, and petite—much shorter than the women they were serving. They moved gracefully among them, refilling wooden mugs, bringing what looked like dried fruits and fragrant flatbread rolls to the working Saleesh women, and herding children out from underfoot. Though they moved silently, the Saleesh thanked them, and Mari saw that they smiled and seemed content.

“Are those the Teteplates?” Jenna whispered.

Mari was about to say she didn’t know, that their faces seemed longer and their heads maybe a little bigger, when one of the black-robed women turned, giving them a clear view of first the side, and then theback of her head—which was definitely flattened, as well as oddly elongated.

“Yes,” Mari whispered back. “They must be.”

“I think they’re pretty,” said Isabel softly.

“I think you’re right,” said Mari.

The Teteplate women were strangely beautiful. They wore their hair piled in intricate swirls atop their elongated heads, giving them an alluring elegance.

“They remind me of the cranes that come to the lowlands in the spring,” Jenna said. “Father used to take me there to collect their feathers—remember how he used to braid them into my hair?”

“I do.” Mari squeezed her friend’s hand. “Xander always kept your hair so pretty when you were a little girl. Mama used to say he did a better job than most of the women.”

“He did!” Jenna blinked quickly to keep the tears that had suddenly pooled in her eyes from spilling over. “This village would amaze him.”

“It sure amazes me,” Isabel said. “Part of me is jealous, and wants to stay here. It’s so beautiful, and everyone seems so nice.”

“Things are rarely as they seem on the surface.” Dove’s sweet voice drifted over from behind them.

Mari turned her head, looking from Dove to Lily, and then studying the village with new eyes. “Do you sense something?” she asked the eyeless girl quietly.

“Is the day still bright and clear?” Dove asked.

“It is.”

“In my mind it is not—not anymore. In my mind there is a great storm clouding the sky.”

Mari, Jenna, and Isabel all turned their eyes skyward.

“There isn’t one cloud up there,” Isabel said.

“Wait. It’s coming,” Dove said firmly. “And when the storm hits, we do not want to be here.”

“Really? You can’t see it, Dove, but their homes are fantastic. They have wooden fronts with life-sized carved goddesses standing watch. And it looks like the back of the homes are more burrow than not, builtright into the ridge. I’d sure rather be snug inside there than out on that river,” said Jenna.