Page 117 of Planet Zero
Qalae was already shaking her head. “The High Counselor wouldn't hear of it.”
“Of course he wouldn’t. That would mean admitting a mistake.”
“Would you admit it, if you were him?”
Zoark looked genuinely surprised by the question. “Of course. Why wouldn't I? People’s lives are at stake.”
Something unreadable passed over Qalae’s face, an expression of suppressed admiration and… hope. The queen finally -finally- had seen what Addie wished so badly for the others to see: Zoark’s confident, capable leadership. Here was a man who would know what to do. His opinions, where they differed from those of the High Counselor, were usually the correct ones.
He would be so easy to follow.
Zoark rubbed his forehead with his hand and let his arm drop, frustrated. “People need a boost. Our men better produce food. Convince Net’ok to send out a hunting party tomorrow. A large one.”
“The chief doesn’t like to leave the tribe defenseless because of the marauders,” Qalae argued.
“Let the scouts stay in as defense - what are they scouting for, anyway? We know marauders are close and Elkeks aren’t. Have the hunters go, as far as they need to, and get game. Any game. It doesn’t have to be Elkeks. People need hope, and men need meat. That’s how things stand.”
Qalae shot a defiant glare at Zoark before raising an eyebrow at Addie. “The cripple thinks he can order me around.”
Addie looked back. “I suggest you listen to him. He’s rarely wrong.”
“I’m done with you two.” She turned and left with a huff.
Chapter 34
Five dead Teks hanging off the bloodied spears counted as a successful hunt. At least, they did now.
People poured out of their teepees.
Chemmusaayl raced to the front and raised his arms toward the skies in profound gratitude to the generosity of Mother Nature. Warriors, fresh from the five-day-long hunt, cheered.
The mood in the settlement became upbeat.
Leaving her knitting task behind, Addie rose to her feet and came to stand at the edge of the gathering listening to the excited chatter and fighting a sudden rush of dizziness. Oh’na hopped into the middle where the dead Teks were proudly displayed, and where the important adults were conversing, earning a sharp rap on her behind by Chemmusaayl’s ever-present stick. Oh’na quickly scooted out of his way.
Addie closed her eyes briefly, visions of leaping at Chemmusaayl and ripping that stick out of his fingers dancing drunkenly inside her head. She would poke his eye out with it if she could. She would stick it in his every orifice. She hated him that much.
A warning hand landed on her shoulder. She whirled around, expecting to see Zoark, but it was Qalae.
“That prick,” she muttered under her breath but made no further move to come to Oh’na’s defense. The queen had a point. What was she going to do?
“Oh’na needs to learn her boundaries.”
“He didn’t have to hit her to teach a lesson.” She turned around to look at Qalae.
The queen didn’t reply and removed her hand from Addie’s shoulder. It wasn’t clear if she shared Addie’s indignation, agreed with Chemmusaayl’s methods, or remained indifferent. The waxy mask was firmly in place making the woman so damn difficult to read. One thing was clear: she was cautioning Addie against making an issue of it.
“If you stare any harder, you’ll make a dent in my face.” Qalae nodded toward the speared Teks. “Rejoice, we have meat tonight.”
Addie blinked again and looked away.
“Yeah,” she agreed without enthusiasm. Thoughts of raw meat brought back queasiness. “I guess we do.”
Despite showing off earlier, Qalae had taken Zoark’s advice seriously. Whatever she had said to the chief, the hunting party had left for a wide-range hunt the very next day after their verbal altercation. Chemmusaayl had made a production of seeing the men off, serving up the idea as his.
The hunters were gone for five days - too many men, too long - only to come home bearing… this.
The Tek meat would last the tribe for a week if they rationed out the meat carefully. Not bad. But what about the week after?
