Page 54 of Caveman Alien's Heat
“I doubt the Gar tribe would need my help with that, if that was their intent,” I return the compliment. “But we have something else to ask. We’ve been told there are hot springs in the mountains. We intend to go there and return before nightfall.”
The chief’s eyes flick briefly to Riley, then back to me. “The hot springs?”
“We heard they’re not far away,” I say. “And it would be nice to get clean. Properly clean.”
There’s a pause. Then the chief nods once, as if the decision costs him nothing. “You may go to the hot springs. There’s no need for an escort, but I will send a boy to show you the way.”
Riley shifts beside me. “We don’t need him. I was told how to get there.”
“The mountains are stone and ice beyond the springs,” the chief continues. “There’s nothing else. No trees, no prey, no food, and no shelter. Only the ice, the steep cliffs, and constant wind from the mountains. No Small goes there, the Bigs avoid it. Mostly. If you choose not to return here, you’ll die. We won’t look for you if you don’t return. We will know you’re both dead.” He gives me a firm look.
I nod once. “I understand.”
The chief studies me for a moment longer, then looks away. “Be back before dark. The glaciers are old, and the crevasses are deep and many. It’s the most treacherous land we know.”
We turn and leave without further words.
As we move away from the totem pole, Riley exhales softly. “Well, that was easier than I expected.”
“Much easier,” I say, my gaze already shifting toward the mountains. “I wonder why.”
I don’t add what I’m thinking: The chief has given us a path that removes us from the village without conflict, without loss of face. A way for us to leave that costs the tribe nothing, and doesn’t make the chief look weak.
It is, in its way, a gift. Whether it’s a real one remains to be seen.
We leave the village behind with the sun still low, the light thin and cold over the snow. For a while, we walk in silence, our breath visible in the air, our steps steady on the packed ground. I keep my eyes on the terrain ahead, marking distance, slope, and the places where the snow has shifted and hardened into ice. This path sees a lot of use.
Beside me, Riley is watching everything. “This is already better,” she says after a while. “Nobody staring, nobody whispering, nobody trying to figure out how much trouble I’m worth.”
I gaze at the distant mountains, seeing if there’s movement or smoke against the blue-white of the ice and snow. “It must get tiresome.”
She makes a face. “It really does.”
I see no movement up there, but it’s far away. “Is the Borok tribe better? My tribesmen stare too, and some of them try to touch.”
“At least there, the chief makes sure women are safe. I remember you making sure too.”
I glance at her. “Oh, some of the men just needed to be reminded of the rules. They know that Earth women will marry the first man to get her away from the others, and keep her away for a while.”
“No, that’s not…” she begins. “Hmm. Actually, I see how it could look that way. But Earth women don’t really work like that.”
“Of course not,” I say neutrally, because everyone knows they do. “Watch out for that slippery patch.”
The ground begins to change as we move higher. Snow thins in places, giving way to dark rock and patches of exposed gravel.The air carries a faint shift in scent, something that reminds me of the jungle.
Riley notices it too. “Do you smell that?”
“Either a large Big is rotting somewhere nearby, or there’s a swamp, or maybe something better.”
“Seems like just about anything would be better thanthosethings,” she sniffs.
“Oh, I could easily think of worse things,” I assure her.
“Yes, but not now, warrior. This is supposed to be a nice trip. Look!” she points. “Steam!”
Indeed, there seems to be a thin mist up ahead.
We crest a low rise, and the springs come into view below us, steam rising in pale columns against the yellow stone. There are several pools and a little stream that gives off a merry clucking. The ground there is streaked with red and black, the snow melted away in irregular patches.
