River of Blue Fire Read Online Free PDF Page A

isn’t my world
, he reminded himself.
To primitive people, there’s magic in names
.
    â€œAre you from the Land of the Dead?” she asked. “Tell me your true story.”
    â€œI . . . I am from a place very far away. The People—the hunters—saved me when I was in the river and was drowning.” He hesitated, then fell silent. He did not think that he could make her understand his true story since he did not understand it himself, even the parts he remembered clearly.
    She pursed her lips. “And what do you mean for us? What do you bring to the People? What will you take away?”
    â€œI hope I will take nothing from you, except the food and shelter you give to me.” It was hard to talk simply without sounding like an Indian chief in a bad American Western. “I came from the river with nothing, so I have no gifts.”
    Dark Moon looked at him again, and this time the appraisal went on for some time. Runs Far returned with a cup made from what looked like a section of animal horn; the old woman drank enthusiastically, then turned her gaze back to Paul. “I must think,” she said at last. “I do not understand what you do in the world.” She turned and patted Runs Far on his shoulder, then abruptly raised her voice to address the People at large. “Hunters have returned. They have brought back food.”
    The others, who had been pretending with almost civilized discretion not to be listening to her conversation with Paul, now raised a few ragged shouts of approval, although most were busy chewing.
    â€œTonight is a good night.” Dark Moon slowly spread her arms. The weight of the fur robe seemed too great for her tiny frame to support. “Tonight I will tell a story, and the one called Riverghost will think kindly of the People, who have given him food.”
    The tribesfolk came closer, those nearest arranging themselves near Dark Moon’s feet. Many took the chance to study Paul carefully. He saw fear and concern in most faces, but it was only Birdcatcher in whom it seemed to have an edge that might become violent. The rest of the People looked at him as civilized shoppers might watch a street crazy who had happened through the store’s front door, but as yet had shown no signs of screaming or knocking things about.
    Some of the smaller children had already fallen asleep, worn out by excitement and bellies full of cooked flesh, but their parents and guardians simply carried them to the gathering, unwilling to miss something so clearly important. Birdcatcher, his distrust not sufficient to keep him away, stood on the outside of the circle, and though he still glared at Paul, he was listening, too.
    â€œ
I will tell you of the days that are gone
.” Dark Moon’s voice took on a kind of singsong cadence, and even Paul could feel the satisfaction of a familiar ritual beginning. “
These are days before your fathers’ fathers and their fathers walked in the world
.”
    As she paused, he felt an unexpected thrill. Despite his reservations, his skepticism, it was hard to huddle in this cold cave and not to feel that he was close to one of the sourcepools of story—that he was about to be the privileged auditor of one of the oldest of all tales.
    â€œ
Then, in those days
,” Dark Moon began, “
everything was dark
.”
    There was no light, and there was no warmth. The cold was everywhere, and First Man and First Woman suffered. They went to the other First People, all the Animal People, and asked them how to keep warm.
    Long Nose told them to grow hair all over their bodies, as he had done. Because he was so large, First Man and First Woman thought he must be very old and very wise, but as hard as they tried, they could not grow enough hair to stay warm. So First Man killed great Long Nose and stole his hairy skin, and for a little while they did not suffer
.
    But soon the world grew colder, and even