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tribe— including him—was about to be decided.
    “Now one of our promising young people has been stolen,” Alomar went on. “We will miss her sorely and regret that we did not foresee the danger and protect her. We must be more watchful, or our tribe will cease to be.”
    “We shouldn’t have let them go gathering without grownups,” Rose said, shaking her head. She was Shea’s wife and the mother of Cricket and Gia. Karsh knew that she felt a responsibility for all the tribe’s children, including him and Feather and the other orphans, Kim and Lil.
    “It’s been quiet this summer.” Jem’s brow furrowed, as if he felt Rose was blaming him for not posting a guard while the children gathered fruit.
    “Not a month ago we saw strangers riding beasts cross the river on the other side of the ridge,” Hunter said, and they all looked at each other uneasily.
    “Horses,” Alomar said. “That was a tribe we have not met before. We thought it best not to reveal ourselves to them, and they moved on.”
    Jem nodded. “They did not come near the head of the valley. I made sure they kept on and saw no sign of our people.”
    “But still, we should have been more cautious with our young ones,” Alomar said.
    “Most of the men were hunting today,” Jem reminded him. “I was guard for the village, and I thought the children would be close enough to be safe. I did not know they were going as far as the old lodge or that danger was so near.”
    There was silence, broken only by a quiet sob from Gia, the daughter of Rose and Shea. No doubt she was thinking as Karsh was, It might have been me.
    Shea slipped into his place beside Rose, and Alomar continued. “We all seek one thing, and that is safety. Our men will keep watch tonight. In the morning, if all is well, three men will go with Karsh to the place where Feather was taken and see if there is anything to recover. When they return, Jem and Hunter will scout the Blen camp and see if they are still at the same place or if they continued on their journey.”
    Hunter nodded solemnly and said, “If they remain, we will get a count and try to discover if Feather is in their camp.”
    A small beam of hope shone into Karsh’s heart. Perhaps they would rescue Feather after all.
    “Do not endanger yourselves,” Alomar cautioned. “If you are seen, battle will no doubt follow.”
    He looked at the others, and Rand nodded slowly. “It is good. But we should also prepare for flight or a siege.”
    Alomar nodded. “What do you suggest?”
    “Those left in camp tomorrow will begin hiding food and other supplies in the forest. We can make more sleeping platforms in the big pine trees, where they cannot be seen from below. We can build a fence deep in the woods where the goats and sheep can be hidden from the eyes of any who enter the valley.”
    “It is wise,” Alomar agreed. “If we do not run, we must be ready to guard what we value. Women, keep all of our children close.”
    The women nodded solemnly.
    “And now,” Alomar said, “let us part in friendship and be ready to work on the morrow.”
    Rand stood. “Be assured, I will do all I can to help preserve this people. I mean no dishonor to you or the memory of those lost.”
    “That’s right,” said Shea, the third elder. “Even though we are a small band, we are a people bound together by love and respect. As your grandfather Wobert stood for King Ezander of old, we will stand for you and all the Wobans.”
    Karsh swallowed hard. He loved to hear the stories of the old kingdom and King Ezander, the last ruler of the land. In Alomar’s stories, Ezander and his family were noble and good. The knights such as Wobert were stalwart and true. Together they had tried to guard Elgin from hostile outsiders while trading peacefully with lands that were friendly, and the kingdom was pleasant and prosperous for a time.
    But then a darker time came, and the valiant ones had failed, even as Karsh had failed to protect