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laugher that was supposed to be there. “Don’t. Kaie, you are my heart’s brother. I will walk through those fires with you and there is nothing you can do to stop that. But don’t you ever say such things.”
    “But I saw it, Jun . They weren’t visions, but I saw it. You have to believe me!”
    “I do. Gods help me, I do. We all will. That’s the problem, don’t you see it?” Sojun paused, looking around as if he only just recalled that they we re in the middle of the village where anyone left behind might hear them. His friend’s jaw set into firm lines that erased all traces of all traces of the happy boy Kaie grew up with. Without another word Jun dragged him the rest of the way down the path. He pushed them all into the hut Kaie’s father built.
    The hu t was very nice, though Lodan was no builder. He liked to say that his mind was not as large as his wife’s and that the histories he kept there filled it up too much for any useful skills like hunting and farming and building. But he did a fine job with Kaie’s new home. The wood was well chosen, carefully cut and finished. Each piece fit snugly with the ones beside it so that not a sliver of empty space remained between them for the winds to get in. The fire pit was made of dense white stones all smoothed down until they almost seemed a single rock. Lavender and sage were hung all around filling the single room with a wonderful smell that instantly brought to mind the best of his mother’s cooking. Those were touches only Lodan would think of.
    Once the door was pressed firmly into place and the rawhide strip was laced around t he peg designed to keep it shut Sojun turned back to them with a troubled face. “Look, it’s bad enough, your destiny. Greatness is one thing, but this…You were just supposed to lead us. This is too much. And if they find out you’ve had a vision…It’s taboo for a reason!”
    “It wasn’t a vision,” he insisted.
    “That doesn’t matter,” Sojun said sadly. “They’ll be terrified. I love you, and I am terrified. If they think you’ve seen a glimpse of the future…”
    Jun didn’t need to finish the thought. It wasn’t the tribe that made it taboo for men to receive visions. It was the god Kosa. The tribe’s Lemme, all of them, were descendants of the First Mother. He was the Lemme’s sister son. He was just as capable of the visions as his mother was. The tribe would not understand that it was not a true vision.
    “They’ll exile me,” he finished in barely a whisper.
    “What are you talking about? They wouldn’t do that! You’re family. We aren’t barbarians. We don’t drive away blood.” Amorette’s voice verged on shrieking. Kaie cringed.
    “No. He’s not family anymore. Dammit, don’t look at me like that Ams! Do you think I’m happy about this? I’m not saying he’s not my family. He is, always. ‘Til my last breath in this life and on past my first in the next. But this changes things. You know it too. You both do. Leading armies, killing people… These aren’t things of the tribe. They aren’t of our family. And if they think you’ll bring down Kosa’s wrath…” Sojun trailed off and dropped his head into his hands for a moment.
    When he looked up, his eyes were hard again. “I know you won’t, Kaie. I know it. But they won’t listen to me. They won’t listen to your parents either. Not in this. You know it. Rosy, you can’t tell them. We’ll figure something out, some way to soften the Lemme’s words. But you can never speak of this. You have to forget it. We all have to forget it.”
    “You would have him lie? That would be unforgivable. That would make them drive him out.” Amorette’s volume was back to its regular pitch, which was good. She was still rubbing at her thumbnail, though. He couldn’t help but think that was less good. “This must be his power. That’s all. He’s not a seer. This is just the old magics coming out, letting him see through the