Page 94 of Wind Rider

“No,” Antreas said firmly. “I am no longer a solitary Lynx Companion. You and Mari and Nik and everyone else have accepted me. I’m Pack.”

“You sure are,” Nik said as he joined them. “Good to see you back where you belong, my friend.” Then he winced as he saw the Lynx man’s thumb. “Damn! That looks sore.”

“It is, but being home is the best medicine for it,” Antreas said. At the word “home” his gaze met Danita’s, and the girl’s smile blazed while Bast’s purr rumbled around them.

“So, what’s this talk about leaving?” Nik asked.

“Oh, no. I’m not going anywhere. All I meant was that if for any reason we need to return this way—go back to the Earth Walker burrows or the Tribe of the Trees—I more than likely wouldn’t be allowed passage.”

“Ah, Father John.” Nik shook his head. “I’m still having problems trusting Dove, and even I am shocked at how ignorantly he discounted her vision.”

“And if Dove’s visionistrue, which I do believe, the Saleesh will be killed. I don’t mean to sound callous about it—I’m just repeating her vision. So whether we offend the Saleesh might not matter in the future,because there’s a good chance they will no longer control the river.” Mari said.

“Yeah, and no one should be traveling along this river for an entire cycle of seasons because something really bad is going to happen here,” Danita said.

“But if we are not accepted by the Wind Riders…” Antreas began.

“We will be,” Mari said. “I feel positive about it, but I’m not going to be a fool like Father John, blinded by my own beliefs. If the Wind Riders reject us we will find somewhere else to make our home, and that can’t be back in our forest.”

“Yeah, there’s no returning,” Nik said. “But there’s a big world out there, and if the Wind Riders don’t see our worth, we’ll find another land—another place.”

“Without going backwards,” Mari added.

“Okay then, here’s what we can do. From here it’ll take about two weeks to reach Lost Lake. At the entrance to the lake are the worst of the rapids, as the currents of the river shift. There used to be a mighty dam there. The Saleesh call the ruins Day Dam. Something happened there during the time when the sun destroyed the world of the ancients and the earth shook, tearing apart bridges and dams. It changed the route of the Umbria River, flooding a huge section of land and covering many cities of the ancients. At the entrance to the lake is also where the last of the Saleesh villages are located. If we say nothing about Dove’s vision all the way to Day Dam, Father John will believe he silenced us,” Antreas said.

“But we won’t be silenced,” Mari said. “We’ll speak out loudly and clearly, in front of as many people as we can—menandwomen.”

“They’ll be warned, and we won’t need their access to the river anymore,” Nik said. “Good plan.”

“Should we prepare for the Saleesh to attack us when we speak?” Mari asked.

“Yes, and we’ll have to choose when we speak carefully. We must be sure our boats are all past the rapids, and under our control,” Antreas said.

“But we will warn them, and that’s important. Even if we risk a fight,” Danita said.

“That’s how I feel, too, but I’ll have to talk with Sora,” Mari said.

“You have two weeks to figure it out,” Antreas said. That settled, he sniffed the air appreciatively. “Any chance there’s some of Sora’s stew left? Father John was not in the mood to feed me.”

“Yes, I saved you some,” Danita said. “But first I’m going to clean that thumb and redress it.”

“I find that I like it when you worry about me.” Slowly, the Lynx man offered his arm to Danita. “After you clean up my little wound, would you sit with me while I eat?”

“Always,” Danita said as she slid her arm through his and they walked away, heads tilted together, with the Lynx padding happily behind them.

“That cat really is a good matchmaker,” Nik said.

Mari bumped his shoulder. “You’re going to be really sorry if Bast hears you call her a cat.”

Nik grinned and put his arm around her. “That’s why I waited until she was gone to say it. Hey, I thought that maybe we’d take second watch tonight. Is that okay with you, or are you too tired?”

“No, I’m great! Getting a full night’s sleep last night did wonders for me.”

“Good—then I have something to show you.” He held out his hand, and Mari took it, giving him a curious look.

“Where are we going?”

“Not far. You’ll see.” With Laru and Rigel beside them, Nik led Mari up a narrow trail that opened to a ledge overlooking the beach. It was just big enough for a pallet and a small fire, which was burning cheerily to one side. Rigel and Laru plopped down at the entrance to the ledge. Curled close together, father and son looked almost identical as they yawned and finally began to relax for the night.