Kavio
Kavio came out of the Vision lying flat on his back at the bottom of the pit. Panic clawed inside him. Only by sheer will did he stop himself from wetting himself again, the way he had as a boy.
Hertio leaned over the edge, looking down at him. The fat man couldn't jump down easily.
"Do you need help?"
Kavio's legs shook, but he stood. "No."
He climbed out on his own.
"I forgot you get fits sometimes," Hertio said cheerfully. "Too much faery blood in you."
Kavio wanted to shout, You fool, this place is cursed for me! But he bit down hard on his tongue until he could hold the words back.
The men who had been pulling the megalith were staring. Everyone on the hill had seen him fall, shaking, into the pit like a fool. He felt shame—deep and raw, the kind a boy feels when caught doing something private by his own mother. This was supposed to be the day he remade himself. Now it felt ruined.
The new megalith was set into place the same way he had seen when he was a child—only this time, no one was crushed. He said nothing as he watched. Hertio kept talking, mostly about his family. The hints were not subtle.
Hertio had seven wives, all from Yellow Bear's "chief-maker" clan, Sun Ladder. Many of the Sun Ladder children called him Father. He talked proudly about his oldest daughter, Lulla, and also praised a long list of younger nieces.
"In ten years, they'll be ripe," Hertio said, nudging Kavio with his elbow, "and your spear will still be strong."
"I've been thinking about how to pay the deathdebts," Kavio said.
"Always serious," Hertio said, shrugging. "You'll lead the raid on Jumping Rock clanhold."
"No."
"You just swore an oath to obey me, Kavio. You can't wait even one day before breaking it?"
"The War Chief Nargano led the warriors who attacked the Initiates. We must face him. Anything else is a waste of blood already spilled."
"To kill Nargano, we'd have to attack the Blue Waters tribehold. It's on an island in the Blue Vast, full of sharks and meat-eating crabs as big as wolverines. And—don't repeat this or I'll deny it and feed you to the bears—the Blue Waters warriors are stronger than ours. Our men grow food. Theirs hunt killer whales and raid other clans. We build. They take. That won't change."
"I didn't say we have to kill Nargano. I said we must deal with him. There are other ways to pay the deathdebts. If Blue Waters agrees to give tribute to our dead, we can avoid another battle. Invite War Chief Nargano to treaty."
"He won't come."
"We have Rthan."
"They're not kin. Not by blood or marriage. Nargano might mourn him, but he won't trade thirty-one lives just to get Rthan back."
"I think he might. Rthan is the Henchman of the Blue Lady."
"How can you be sure?"
Kavio tilted his head.
Hertio sighed. "Why do I even ask?" He threw up his hands. "Let's say Nargano makes a treaty, then breaks his word."
"Then we use Rthan in another way. As leverage."
"Killing him won't change Nargano's mind either."
"I wouldn't have given him to Brena if I wanted him dead. We'll use the small rock to move the big rock."
"There's such a thing as being too clever," Hertio said, frowning. "Why do you care so much? Why not lead a raid on a small clan and be done with it?"
"What's your reason for doing all this?" Kavio pointed to the Unfinished Tor. "You want to build mountains. So do I, Hertio. But I know this: one death leads to another. One raid leads to another. One war leads to the next. Soon everything you tried to build is gone. Washed away in blood. Without people, mountains are just piles of dirt."
"Your father used to say, 'A dog might bite you once but become your friend if you feed him meat. But a snake that bites once—'"
"Bites twice," Kavio finished. "I know what my father says. So?"
"So how do you know if Nargano is a dog or a snake?"
"Give him meat."
"Easy for you to say, while standing in another man's food store."
The ground shook as the megalith landed with a thunderous boom. Dust flew into the air. All the workers on the hillside cheered.
"We'll try it your way—for now," Hertio said. Then he pointed. "What is that?"
Kavio tensed, ready for an ambush. That's what his father would have done—strike again fast before the enemy could strike back. But he saw no war boats on the river.
Hertio wasn't pointing to the water. He was pointing to a man walking beside the gravel shore. The man was dragging a massive boulder behind him, along the same path where the megalith had been rolled. He walked alone, but pulled the heavy stone by many ropes.
Kavio felt a jolt of recognition.
"Gremo," he said.
"You know him?" Hertio asked, throwing up his hands. "Of course you do."
"I crossed paths with him on the way here."
"Is there anyone you haven't fought with?"
"I've never had a run-in with the Deathsworn."
"Something to look forward to," Hertio muttered. "But seriously—is it even possible for one man to pull a rock that big? No. It's not. And yet…"
"Gremo is dangerous," Kavio said. "At least, to his enemies."
"Who are his enemies?"
"That's what I'm going to find out."
Kavio gave Hertio a tight smile, then ran down the hill to meet Gremo again.
A line of young women passed by him, balancing water jars on their heads. He looked for Dindi out of habit, but she wasn't among them. Still, his focus stayed on the man ahead.
Gremo didn't turn as Kavio approached. He was sweating and groaning with effort, dragging the huge boulder step by step.
Kavio walked beside him. Gremo said nothing.
"I didn't expect to see you here," Kavio said. That was putting it lightly.
Gremo grunted and staggered forward, each step a battle with the earth.
"If it's so heavy, why drag it behind you?" Kavio asked.
He didn't expect an answer. So he was surprised when Gremo turned his head just slightly, one wild eye peeking out from his tangled hair.
"You know why," Gremo growled. "You know why I'm here."
"I really don't."
"I followed you." Gremo trembled, but he kept moving. The ropes pulled tight behind him. He must have dragged the stone across the land for weeks.
"To attack me?" Kavio asked.
"You freed me once," Gremo said.
"That was a mistake."
"You could do it again."
"I try not to make the same mistake twice. There are so many new ones to choose from."
Gremo dropped into a crouch.
Kavio reached for his obsidian knife, unsure if Gremo had collapsed or was ready to strike.
But Gremo pushed his hair back from his face. His eyes were tight, but not wild. "I didn't know what else to do. You were the only one who came close. It felt good to be free—even if I couldn't handle it. I want to feel that again. I want to be free for real. Forever."
"I want that too," Kavio said carefully. "But not if your freedom brings evil. Can you promise me you'll control your power without the stone?"
"I can't let go of the rock."
"Then what do you want from me?"
"I don't know," Gremo said, looking empty. "I didn't know what else to do."
Kavio paused.
"Will you pledge yourself to me, as my henchman?"
Gremo didn't even hesitate. He dropped to his knees. "If you will take me."
"I accept your pledge," Kavio said with care. He reached out and helped Gremo stand. "At least you're in the right place for big rocks. Maybe we can add yours to the mountain. Can you drag it up the hill?"
Gremo took his hand, rose to his feet, and began pulling again.
It looked like the climb would take a while. Kavio ran ahead to tell Hertio that Gremo was no threat—for now.
"He kneeled to you?" Hertio said. "You took his pledge as a henchman?"
Kavio shrugged. "He seemed like he needed guidance."
"You didn't think to tell him to pledge to me? I'm the War Chief."
Kavio opened his hands. "I don't think he would have made that promise to you, Uncle. He's… a little strange."
"It's fine if you have a helper," Hertio said. "But listen, Kavio—I don't want you accepting pledges in my place. I'm the one in charge. No matter your power, you answer to me."
"I would never break my oath, Chief."
"You'd better not. Because if I ever think you're trying to take my place, I won't just exile you."
He pointed to the pit.
"I'll throw you back in there and drop the rock on your traitor's head myself."