“We have not,” Tama said in a clipped tone. Nokom quickly stepped forward to the table next to her daughter.

“We were sent by Raiqo Windstalk—“

“You and every other band and lesser tribe wandering the plains it seems,” Aniya said. She had the slate skin of the Storm Horse but her hair was the same shimmering silver as her wings. Kellen put her somewhere in middle age but likely in three times better shape than he was, even with his recent changes. Her long, straight nose and high cheekbones lent her an air of authority even without the numerous turquoise armbands she wore from bicep to wrist and the silver rings on several fingers. She carried no weapons and her Mana Beast wasn’t in sight. Kellen got the impression she didn’t need either to handle any problems that might arise.

“We did not ask for aid,” Tama said, voice rising. “We came at the invitation of one of your Beastcallers, who treated my band as friends, not beggars to come asking for food and shelter.”

Aniya’s and Tama’s fierce gazes locked on to one another, neither willing to back down or give ground. “I apologize for any offense,” Aniya said at last. It came out forceful and diplomatic, no apologetic at all. “The heir to the Goroshu chiefdom has sent many such as you to speak with us.”

Her phrase “many such as you” sounded more like a bunch of bugs that made it into the house than honored guests, Kellen thought. Tama stiffened but Hannup and Nokom stepped in before she could create a further rift with the Goroshu Beastcaller.

“Perhaps there is a misunderstanding,” Hannup said much more diplomatically. “We have come and passed along the word of Raiqo as instructed. We are not here to ask for any of the Goroshu’s resources. Now that we had introduced ourselves, we beg your leave.”

Aniya’s eyes roamed past the two chiefs to Shani, Kellen and their Mana Beasts. “I know little of the Gray Dawn, though enough to know you did not count two more Beastcallers in your band last spring, Chief Tama.”

“My daughter, Shani, has awakened her mana,” Tama said. “And this is Kellen, a spirit traveler and a young Beastcaller.”

“The Storm Horse has favored you greatly then, to count three Beastcallers in your number.” There was definitely a patronizing tone that she didn’t bother to conceal. “You say you have not come for a handout. What about honest work in exchange for the protection of the Goroshu?”

Tama’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”

“It is no secret that the power of the Great Horse Totem has faded since the storm began,” Aniya said. “The Elders believe without the protection of the totem, we may see attacks from powerful wild Mana Beasts. Beastcallers of all strength above Ward are needed. Even two such as these.”

“Hey!” Vex said. “Such as what?”

Aniya snorted and pointed to Shani and Inferi. “Them.” She looked at Shani. “How is that when your mana is storm?”

Shani’s slate skin reddened. Kellen felt a surge of anger at Aniya as well. Just because she was a powerful Beastcaller, what gave her the right to appraise them like that?

“If we can count on your Beastcallers to defend our camp, our chief would be willing to give you a place to make your camp.”

If Kellen had to guess, it seemed Tama was about to refuse the offer but Nokom stepped in before she could give her reply. “Your offer is generous, mighty Chieftain. Perhaps we can sleep on it and give you an answer tomorrow? We have only just settled and our band is weary from both travel and battle with the Snake people.”

“I hope you sleep well, then,” Aniya said. “If I do not hear from you before the morning has passed, I will take it to mean you do not need the friendship of the Goroshu.”

Nokom bowed her head. “Of course, we do no seek to try your patience.”

“Then go,” Aniya said, dismissing them with a gesture. “And a word of advice between Beastcallers.”

“Yes?”

“You will not find a better offer from any of the other great tribes. Choose your allegiances carefully, Gray Dawn.”

To her credit, Shani waited until they were outside of the Goroshu compound before she lost her temper. “How dare they treat us like beggars!”

Tama’s jaw twitched. She’d likely ground her teeth to stubs since her last words to Aniya. Once more, Nokom stepped in. “You have much to learn about the ways of tribes and chiefs still, Shani. It was a fair offer. As she said, the great tribes are consolidating their power for whatever is to come. If she truly wished to insult us, she would have sent us away without an invitation.”

“Because of Shani and Kellen,” Tama said.

Hannup shrugged. “It is an honor for them to be recruited on sight by a Chieftain Beastcaller of the Goroshu. Gray Dawn is a small mouse in this gathering of hungry cats. This offer is better than anything we could have hoped for. It may be the only way to keep the band together.”

“I know.” Tama sighed and rubbed a hand on her face, looking tired and worn as the facade of her fiery spirit faded. “But it galls me to sell ourselves into the service of others.”

“It is best for the band,” Nokom said, laying a wrinkled, caring hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. And Kellen and Shani will benefit as well.”

“Has no one thought to ask us what we think of this arrangement?” Shani asked. “We are the ones being bartered, after all.”

“And what are your thoughts?” Tama asked. Kellen braced himself for a fight between the two.

“If it helps us become stronger then why not?”

“Because sometimes a gift horse looked in the mouth is a wolf ready to swallow you,” Tama said. She turned to Kellen without giving Shani an opportunity to respond. “And you, spirit traveler? What will you do? I would be without honor if I did not admit that any debt you owed to Gray Dawn has been paid twice over. I had meant to have this talk with you in a different setting. Yet the truth remains the same: you are free to choose your own path.”

The question caught Kellen unawares. He hadn’t really given it any thought, mostly because he had no desire to. If he parted ways, where would he go? What would he do? Beyond a vague promise—or threat—from Coyote Lady that he would be needed in her schemes, he had no plans other than to continue his training as a Beastcaller. And his teachers were with Gray Dawn. The thought of leaving the band and the only people he knew to wander into the unknown of a strange land was ridiculous. Suicidal even.

“I don’t want to leave,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as worried an uncertain as he felt at the prospect.

“And we don’t want you to,” Nokom said, the most grandmotherly she’d ever treated him. At her side, even Ira nodded. “But you should know the choice is yours.”

He wanted to tell these tough warriors that they were the closest thing to family he had left. That probably wouldn’t resonate, however. He’d just started to gain their respect—he didn’t want to lose it. Fortunately, there were sometimes benefits to having a second being who shared Kellen’s thoughts.

“Sorry, you guys are stuck with us,” Vex said. “Like a bad wart right on your—”

“We get it,” Ira growled. “And we’re glad to have you… mostly.”

Nokom looked at Tama. “Will you give them your answer now or wait for morning?”

“We will talk more this evening,” Tama said. “For now, we should get back to the rest of the band.”

Kellen hadn’t expected to ever have crowd anxiety again after leaving Earth. As they started back through the throng, he was almost ready to take his chances on the plains against the Snake cultists and other dangers. At least there were plenty of new sights to keep him distracted on the way back. Adding to his list of Oras creatures, he saw a group of Earth Badger traders riding red zebra-looking mounts with white spots in place of stripes. Towering over the rest of the crowd, a pair of giraffe-like creatures with long, spiraling horns and shaggy coats picked their way through the people beneath them. Each bore a Storm Horse rider, who leaned over the sides at regular intervals to yell at the crowds and wave their hands when their animals couldn’t get through.

The foot traffic had increased both in size and intensity since they’d passed through the marketplaces the first time. On their return, Kellen kept his eyes open for the Vinderlings, eager to speak with them sometime when he got the chance. The crowd forced them around the outskirts of the pop-up market, however, and he didn’t see them again.

By the time the small group neared the outskirts of the gathering where they’d left the rest of Gray Dawn, everyone was irritated and ready for some breathing room around them. Kellen breathed a sigh of relief, glad for the fresh air. Vex’s tail had been stepped on several times and he twitched and jumped every time someone passed in his peripheral.

“Well, that was zero fun,” he said. “And we’ve got to do that all over again if we join up with those guys?”

“Hopefully we’ll find a different way,” Kellen said, imagining them trying to take their horses and sleds through the masses.

He spotted the others ahead and was just about to remark on how it great it was to be back when he spotted Cohwea and Clouds-that-Burn running toward them.

“Now what has happened?” Shani muttered as they neared. Both looked distraught.

“Chief Tama, Chief Hannup,” Clouds-that-Burn said. “Kiypu is missing.”

“Shinopah and Ishtas were watching him while we were gone,” Nokom snapped. “What happened? Where are they?”

“We don’t know what happened,” Cohwea said. “He began to wander and speak nonsense. They both stayed closed, reminding him that we were to remain together until your return. This seemed to irritate him. He began to pace and talk to himself. His Mana Beast started snapping at anyone that got too close. When they asked him to come back to camp, he opened buried Ishtas and Shinopah to their waists in the earth, then ran away! By the time we found them and dug them out, he was gone. They have gone searching for him, but over an hour has passed since that time.”

“Wild Mother help us,” Nokom groaned. “Ira, take to the skies and she if you can find either Shinopah and Ishtas or that empty-headed old man.”

“We’ll get them,” Ira said, nudging her hand with his nose before running into the open to lift off. He soon soared away into the crowded sky, still filled with Beastcallers and Mana Beasts soaring in every direction.

“What should we do?” Kellen asked.

“The rest of us will wait here until Shinopah and Ishtas or Ira return,” Tama said.

Nokom shook her head. “Where could that old fool have gone?”

With nothing else to do and looking for a distraction from worrying about Kiypu, Kellen and Vex found Professor Gates. As expected, the professor had created himself a lookout spot leaning against the side of one of their supply sleds. Turkey quill in hand, he feverishly wrote as fast as the antiquated recording method would allow. A stack of papers at his side showed he’d been at it likely since they left.

“Did you see what happened to Kiypu?” Kellen asked.

The professor looked up as if he’d been grading papers alone in a classroom after hours and hadn’t noticed Kellen walked up to his desk. “What’s that? No—I offered to help them look but when they told me no one else was leaving until you all returned, I got back to work.”

“And what is work, exactly?” Vex asked, sniffing at the stack of parchment crammed with the professor’s writing.

Professor Gates waved a quill over his head. “All of it! It’s fascinating. I never would have imagined a gathering of this size before in Oras, outside of perhaps a major city. There are so many questions. Where did that horse totem come from? How will a group this large sustain itself and its herds? What are the crime rates in a group of relatively self-governed people this size?”

“Can we not talk about crime rates with everyone missing?” Kellen asked.

“Right.” The professor cleared his throat. “But you see my point. Just sitting here recording every group that passes has been a fascinating study. Tell me, what have you seen? Who did you speak to? I must know everything!”

Kellen started to tell the professor about the Vinderlings when a gust of wind from behind drew his attention. Turning, he saw two Beastcallers who’d just landed in a clear spot near their camp. One had a shimmering turquoise feather sticking straight up from his temples through his gray hair like an ornamented shield. The other, a woman whose chieftain’s mark appeared to be abnormally large, golden eyes as fierce as an eagle. Their Mana Beasts were a silver-winged tapir-looking creature with a ring through its stubby, trunkish nose and a blue bear with a squished, round face that sported shimmering dragonfly wings as large as canoe paddles.

His stomach clenched as they dismounted their Mana Beasts. Kiypu wasn’t with them, but why else would two powerful Beastcallers be looking for them? Kellen stretched out his mana senses, only able to tell they were powerful but unsure if they were even higher than Chieftain or not.

“You are the Gray Dawn band?” The woman with the saucer-shaped eyes asked.

“We are,” Tama said, stepping forward. Several of the band’s warriors and hunters all made a similar inconspicuous move toward their chief, hands on weapons. It was an inspiring gesture but if the new arrivals chose to fight, he wasn’t sure what all of them combined could do against two Beastcallers and Mana Beasts, all at Chieftain strength or greater.

“We are looking for two of your Beastcallers,” the man said. “A pale boy and a girl with a scar.” He nodded to Kellen and Shani, the obvious fits for “pale boy” and “scar girl.”

“Are you them?” The woman asked.

Tama stepped to the side to block the two Beastcaller’s from Shani and Inferi. “Who is asking? And why do you they wish to know?”

“Watanee, Elder of the Goroshu wishes to know,” the man said. “She wishes to speak to them.”

Kellen’s mind shuffled through all the possible reasons an Elder of the Storm Horse from the tribe they’d just come from could want to speak to Shani and him. Had they offended Anyia somehow by not accepting her invitation? He didn’t like to think of their odds if they were forced to defend Gray Dawn’s honor against a Chieftain Beastcaller.

“And what does Watanee, Elder of the Goroshu wish to speak to two of my people about?” Tama challenged. It sounded defiant but everyone knew she had nothing to back it up. These people were going to get whatever they wanted, the easy way or the hard way.

“They are to come before the Council of Elders,” the woman said. “We were not told why, only to ask that they come with us.” She shrugged. “We will not force you, but I would not refuse a request of the Elders. You are a little buffalo calf in a great big herd here.”

“We mean no disrespect to the Elders,” Nokom said, waving her hands and stepping forward beside Tama. “Only to ask the reason for this summons.”

The man shrugged. “I am sorry, old one. We were only given the task, not the reason for it.” He looked at Kellen and Shani. “Will you come?”

Kellen looked to Shani. He sure wasn’t going to say no, but he wasn’t the one calling the shots around here, either.

“We will come,” Shani said.

“And we will join them.” Tama, gesturing to herself and Nokom, even though Ira had not yet returned with news of Kiypu.

The woman shook her head. “Those two only. The Elders were clear on this.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Vex asked, striding forward before Kellen could stop him.

Kellen shared a look with Shani, who nodded once. Walking by Nokom, she placed a hand on his arm and pulled him in, whispering in his ear. “You will be protected, but I still do not like this. Listen carefully and say little. This summons is not by chance. Either Raiqo or Aniya has spoken with Watanee.”

Kellen nodded, though her warning did nothing to make him feel better. As the woman had pointed out, they were collectively a small school of fish in a big pond. That made him something of a minnow.

“Come,” the man said, waving a hand. “It is a long journey on foot since neither of you can fly there. And the Elders do not like to be kept waiting.”