the sand at her feet. It wouldn't do to risk losing a precious weapon. Who knew when they might need it for hunting?
Nafai walked over to her. It meant more than Luet could say, that he came first to her, his wife of only a few days, rather than to his mother. He embraced her, and she held him. She could feel his trembling. He had been afraid, despite his confidence in the Oversoul. And it had been a near thing, too.
"Did you know how it would all come out?" she whispered.
"The Oversoul wasn't sure it could bring off the rope thing," he murmured back to her. "Especially when he actually walked up to inspect the knot."
"He had to do that, if he was going to believe it was miraculous when you broke free."
"You know what I was thinking, when I was kneeling there with the pulse at my head, saying those things that were goading him to kill me? I was thinking - I'll never know what our baby looks like."
"And now you will."
He pulled away from her, then reached out and took the pulse out of her hand.
Hushidh stepped close and put her hand on the pulse. "Nyef,' she said, "if you hold that, there's no hope of healing."
"What if I give it back to him?"
Hushidh nodded. "The best thing," she said.
No one understood better than Hushidh the Raveler what bound and unbound people. Nafai at once strode to Elemak and held out the pulse to him. "Please," he said. "I don't even know how to use this. We need you to lead us back to Father's camp."
Elemak paused just a moment before taking the pulse. Luet knew that he hated receiving it from Nafai's hand. But at the same time he also knew that Nafai didn't have to give it to him. That Nafai didn't have to give him back his place of leadership. And he needed that place, needed it so much that he would even take it from Nafai.
"Glad to," said Elemak. He took the pulse.
"Oh, thank you, Nafai," said Eiadh.
Luet felt a stab of fear through her heart. Does Elemak hear it in her voice? Can he see it in her face? How she looks with such awe at Nafai? She's a woman who loves only strength and courage and power - it is the alpha male in the tribe who attracts her. And in her eyes, Nafai is clearly that most desirable of men. She was the best actress of all today, thought Luet. She was the one who was able to convince Elemak of her love for him, in order to save the man she really loved. I can't help but admire her for that, thought Luet. She's really something.
Those thoughts of admiration were themselves lies, though, and Luet could not long fool herself. Beautiful Eiadh is still in love with my husband, and even though his love for me is strong right now, there'll come a day when the primate male in him overcomes the civilized man, and he'll look at Eiadh with desire, and she'll see it and in that moment I will surely lose him.
She shook the jealous thought from her, and walked with Lady Rasa, who was trembling with relief, in order to help her clamber onto her camel. "I thought he was dead," said Rasa softly, clinging to Luet's hand. "I thought I had lost him."
"So did I, for a few moments there," said Luet.
"I can tell you this," said Lady Rasa. "Elemak would have died before nightfall, if he had gone through with it."
"I was plotting his death in my own heart, too," said Luet.
"That's how close we are to animals. Did you ever dream of such a thing? That we would be ready to do murder all so suddenly?"
"Just like baboons, protecting the troop," said Luet.
"I think it's rather a grand discovery, don't you?"
Luet grinned at her and squeezed her hand. "Let's not tell anybody, though," she said. "It would make the men so nervous, to know how dangerous we really are."
"It doesn't matter now," said Rasa. "The Oversoul was stronger than I thought possible. It's all over and done with now."
But as Luet walked back to find her own camel, she knew it was not finished. It had only been postponed. The day would come again when there would be a struggle for power. And next time there was no guarantee that the Oversoul would be able to bring off such a sweet little