Free Return to Eden by Harry Harrison Page B

quietly.
    "A hunter has respect for age. Sit with the others." He waited until Newasfar had turned grumbling away before he pointed at the Sasku woman. "Do you wish to speak, Malagen?"
    She gave him one horrified glance, then hid her face in her arms. Herilak did not want this to go any further and cause trouble. The woman would not say anything for that was the Sasku way. But he knew that she wanted to leave with Newasfar. He also knew that Sanone was watching him, waiting for an answer to his question. There could be only one.
    "I see no problem here. For is it not just as Sanone said, that the Sasku and Tanu fought as one in the city on the shore, then came to this valley where they fought side by side again? He has said, in his generosity, that the Tanu are welcome to stay here, free to go. We are as brothers—and sisters too—of course. We Tanu can say no less. Malagen may come with us if she so wishes."
    If Sanone felt that he had been defeated by his own words he gave no sign, merely lifted his hand in acceptance, stood and left. Herilak looked at his retreating back and hoped that there would be no unhappiness, no difficulties now. They had fought together in war: they must part in peace. He turned to the sammads again.
    "We will leave in the morning. Do we agree upon the way we go? It is too cold to the north and no need to retrace the snow route across the mountains. I say we go east, the way we came, until we reach the great sea. Other decisions can be made then."
    "There is the great river that must be crossed," Fraken complained. He was old and frail now and felt that his knowledge was not respected any more. Few even cared what he said when he explored the owl pellets for a glimpse of the future.
    "We have crossed the river before, alladjex. Rafts will be made, the mastodon swim it easily at the place where it is narrow. It will not be a problem. Do others wish to speak? Let it be that way then. We leave in the morning."
    As always when the sammads trekked the mastodons, screeching in protest at the restriction of their freedom, were loaded and harnessed before dawn. When the sun rose all was in readiness. Herilak stood aside to watch the first of them leave, the trail was a familiar one and there was no precedence or command among the sammadars. He felt a great relief when he saw that Sanone was among the watching Sasku. He went to him and took him by the shoulder.
    "We will meet again, my friend."
    Sanone shook his head in a solemn no. "I do not think so, my friend. I am no longer young and I do not wish to leave this valley again. I have obeyed Kadair's commands, have seen things that I never dreamed existed. And now I am tired. And you? I think that you will not come this way again either."
    Herilak nodded solemn agreement. "There is no need. I shall look for you in the stars."
    "We all follow in Kadair's path. If Kerrick is alive, and you find him, tell him that Sanone of the Sasku thanks him for our lives."
    "I shall," Herilak said, turned and left without another word, nor did he look back at the valley or the Sasku with whom so much had been shared.
    He trotted along the path beside the river, caught up with the slow-moving sammads, passed them. The sammadar Kellimans had only one mastodon and his sammad was small. But it was larger now by one Herilak saw as he started by. There was Merrith leading her mastodon, striding out as strongly as any warrior.
    "I see here among the Tanu someone who chose to stay in the valley of the Sasku," Herilak said.
    Merrith marched on, chewing strongly on a mouthful of smoked meat. She extracted all of the nourishment and spat out the gristle before she spoke.
    "Does the sammadar Herilak say I am not welcome here?"
    "You are Tanu."
    "Of course I am. Which is the reason why I could not stay in that cave of a valley and work in the fields and talk nonsense with the women. A Tanu cannot live without the forest, without the freedom to go anywhere."
    Herilak was puzzled.