The Kin Read Free Page A

her in her dreams? Suth wondered. He had never heard of any of the First Ones coming to a child, not in any of the Kins. He knew Noli well. His father and hers had been brothers. He had played with her since they were babies, walked beside her as the Kin journeyed from one Good Place to the next. She’d never said anything about Moonhawk visiting her in her dreams. But then, half a moon ago, she’d woken them all where they lay by springing to her feet in the darkest part of the night and shrieking about the strangers, the cruel fighting, the blood …
    And Bal had cursed her, and said she was only a stupid child having a nightmare. When her shrieks had gone on, he’d struck her. He had seen nothing.
    But three days later, as they gathered for their evening meal, the strangers had attacked.
    Suth thought of a time when he had been small. The Kin had come to a place called Ragala Flat, and had found another Kin, Weaver, already there. There had been great feasting, and giving of gifts. But while the fire had still burned bright, Bal and an old man from the Weaver Kin had gone off together into the dark.
    â€œWhere does Bal go with that old man?” Suth had asked his father.
    His father had made a sign, putting his palm to his mouth.
    â€œThey go to talk dream stuff,” he had muttered. “It is a thing that is not spoken of. It is secret.”
    As he had grown older Suth had realized that in each of the Kins there was one person like Bal. Their own First One came to that person in dreams. It didn’t need to be the leader, though Bal was. It could be a man or a woman. But it was never a child. How could it be? And yet Noli …
    She was looking at him as if she’d guessed his thoughts, but all she said was, “What must we do now, Suth?”
    â€œWe rest,” he answered. “All are tired. We have water. We have meat for three days.”
    â€œThe meat is too strong,” she said. “Soon the small ones are sick. They must have plant stuff.”
    â€œYes. All that below is bitter bush, I think. Let us look.”
    Leaving the little ones in the shade of the cliff, they climbed down the gully but, as they had thought, only one sort of shrub seemed to grow there, with twisted grey branches and round, fat leathery leaves. It was common in dry places, but the Kin did not eat it. Experimentally Suth nibbled a leaf, and spat. The harsh taste stayed in his mouth a long while despite a lot of rinsings with water from the crack.
    Tired from their night’s walk they slept through the middle of the day, but were woken by Otan’s crying. He was hungry again, and so were they all, so Suth fetched out the carcass of the fox. Ants had found it, but he brushed them away and butchered more meat, though again he wouldn’t let anyone eat more than a few mouthfuls.
    â€œToday we rest,” said Suth. “Tomorrow we go.”
    â€œWhere do we go?” said Noli.
    â€œI do not know. Perhaps Moonhawk sends you a dream,” said Suth.
    â€œPerhaps,” said Noli.
    He was too anxious to sleep. They could not stay here long. If they tried to follow Bal across the desert they would die. If they tried to go back through Dry Hills they would almost certainly die too. The Kin had only made it as far as they had because they had set out with full water gourds. Suth’s little group had none.
    Restless, he rose and went to explore along the slope. There might be more water seeping out of the cliff, with good plant stuff feeding from it. That would at least allow them to stay here a few more days, until the little ones became stronger.
    It didn’t look promising. The slope became steeper, and changed to dangerous scree—a great stretch of loose rocks ending far below in what looked like another cliff. He tossed a stone down. It dislodged another, and between them they started a small avalanche, which went rumbling out of sight. No, not this way, he decided, and