“Gutless, huh?”
That was a pretty strong word considering thenumber of times she’d saved their warlord. The expressions on someof the faces in the crowd said they agreed with the woman. If ithad just been Shea’s reputation on the line, she’d have let them goon believing that. Eamon, Buck and the others didn’t deserve thatstigma, and it wouldn’t be long before slurs against her honorbecame slurs against theirs. That, Shea wouldn’t stand for.
“When’s the last time you journeyed into thewild by yourself?” Shea asked.
It was a safe question and one Shea alreadyknew the answer to. The Snake Clan wasn’t especially known fortheir bravery. They, and their clan leader, liked to stay close tothe combined might of Fallon’s army.
Shea could tell she had scored a point fromthe soft mutterings that traveled through the crowd. The fact thatSnake Clan tended to hand their field duties off to other clans wasa bit of a sore point among the Trateri.
“I’ll make it easier on you.” Shea had nosuch intention. “When’s the last time you ventured out in a partyof four, including yourself. That’s how many scouts normally setout on a reconnaissance mission.”
There was a pregnant silence. The crowdbehind her grew more restless.
“That has nothing to do with this,” the womantried to deflect. “You’re not one of us. How dare you try to getclose to Hawkvale?”
“Never, huh?” Shea rolled right over thewoman’s words. “You know, somehow gutless just doesn’t have theright amount of impact coming from you.”
“You forgot idiot,” Eamon’s voice rumbledfrom the crowd.
Shea snapped her fingers and pointed at himin acknowledgement of the reminder.
Eamon and Buck stood at the edge of theclearing, having pushed their way through the growing crowd.
A year ago, even five months ago, Shea wouldhave let the woman have her say before ignoring whatever insultscame her way. Not today, though.
“How about this? I’ll give you a chance toprove how gutless and stupid I am. We’ll each take two weeks’ worthof supplies and walk for a week in whatever direction strikes us.Then at the end of that week we’ll find our way back to thecamp.”
“I’m not- That’s not- I’m not doing that,”the woman sputtered. She looked around for support. The people inthe crowd dropped their eyes. Even the men and women wearing SnakeClan colors avoided her gaze.
“Oh?” Shea asked, arching one eyebrow. “Itshould be easy. After all, if a gutless idiot can do it, you shouldhave no problems.”
Seeing that she wasn’t going to be able towin against Shea, the woman changed tactics.
“I don’t have to stand for this. I am a clanleader and what are you? Nothing. You’re filth. Even your ownpeople didn’t want you. They gave you to us as tribute.”
It was a good tactic. Shea had to give herthat. Its intention was to strike at a fact that should have beengnawing at Shea all these months. But, Shea’s people hadn’t beenthe ones to abandon her. Birdon Leaf might have orchestratedeverything to get rid of a pathfinder they found inferior, but Sheadidn’t consider those back country dirt grubbersherpeople.
The only ones Shea considered her own werethe pathfinders. She doubted they even knew she was missing. Theirorganization didn’t keep close tabs on each other.
“Enough Indra,” Fallon ordered in a lowvoice.
Indra’s mouth snapped shut her next retort.Even Shea found what she had been about to say dying on hertongue.
“This is my decision. I’ll consider anyfurther words against it a blood challenge.”
Faced with that ultimatum, Indra backed downbut not before sending an impotent glare at Shea.
“A moment, if you please, my Hawk,” Eamoninserted while stepping into the clearing.
A small smile tugged at Fallon’s lips, and hegave a short nod.
Eamon lifted his chin in acknowledgementbefore a mask fell over his features, hardening them into amerciless cold granite. Shea blinked. She’d never seen thatexpression on Eamon before, not even when she’d pissed him off.
“The Western Wind scouts will no longer guideany Snake Clan expeditions,” he informed the crowd.
“You can’t do that,” Indra shouted.
“I can and I have. Gutless idiots have tostick together.”
