Page 79 of Tiger's Tale
The path we don’t want, Veru added.
“I think you’re right,” Iriko replied out loud. “They believe it’s the fifth path. The most dangerous one. There’s a tinge of smoke on the air, and it’s not coming from the top. It’s possible the White Shaman doesn’t live on the mountain but inside it. There might be a cave opening around this way.”
“It feels right to me too,” said Nik.
“And me,” Danik and Zakhar responded together.
“If we’re all in agreement, I suppose we should go. We’ll have to go single file,” Iriko said.
“This time we should go first,” Danik said, indicating the other regular human men. “We’ll do our best to clear the path of snow and watch out for dangerous ice patches. You follow with one tiger in front and one behind. Use their eyes to help your footing. Hopefully, the path will widen soon.”
The group set out, and though the trail was steep and slick, they made it successfully up to a series of caves with only a minor slip, which happened when Veru stepped awkwardly on a rock that gave way. Luckily, Iriko caught her in time and pressed her body against the side of the cliff until she could find her traction once more.
It was fairly obvious which cave was the one they were seeking, as it had a series of stone steps cut out, leading to the opening. They wove back and forth up the side of the mountain, arriving at the cave entrance just as the sun broke over the horizon.
Inside, the cave was pitch-black, but they heard a scuffling that could have been from an animal of some type. Danik took a step back, searching for his hunting knife, but Iriko held out a hand to stop him and shook his head slightly. “It’s not an animal,” he whispered with near reverence.
“S priyezdom,” they heard a voice say. “You made it—how wonderful.” Then the shuffling grew closer, and the person added, more quietly, “I know. I know. You said they would. I suppose you win that one.” This was followed by a soft chuckle.
Then whoever was inside the cave made several noises. This was followed by a tiny blaze of light and a crackling sound. Soon not one but two fires blazed to life. When Danik’s eyes adjusted, he looked up, wondering where the smoke would leave the cave, and to his surprise, he found not one but a few of what seemed to be natural evacuation points in the ceiling. Though the walls were blackened, the White Shaman’s home was fairly warm, considering the temperature outside and the fact that it was open to the elements.
“Come. Come in,” the shaman said. “You must be tired. I’ve prepared some small repast, but I’m afraid I don’t have much. If you’d like to hand over that last, large piece of deer meat, I’d be more than happy to roast that for you as you sleep. You’ll all need the energy where you’re going.”
“Going?” Nik asked, removing his bag. “But we just arrived.”
“Yes. You did, young soldier. And quite a trip you’ve had too. Met some interesting characters along the way, did you? One even tried to eat you. Good! That experience will serve you well.”
“How do you know so much about us? Have you been watching us?” Zakhar asked.
“Not in the way you’re thinking. I’m not omniscient. It’s my purpose, you see. I oversee all things related to the tigers. Have been doing so for quite some time now.”
The White Shaman stopped and tilted his head as if he were listening to something. “No. It’s fine that they know that. Everyone here knows that.” There was a pause, then he continued. “Yes. I agree. It may be different on your world. You might have to... what was the phrase you used... ‘keep your cards close to your chest’? Well, I’ve never gone with them before, so how would I know exactly what to say? I usually keep my distance. Allow the air of mystery to impress them, as it were.”
Danik cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but were you addressing us?”
“He was not,” Zakhar said. “He is conferring with someone we cannot see. At least not with our senses.”
“So he’s... a bit off?” Nikolai asked, whispering quietly to the priest.
“I wouldn’t think so,” Zakhar replied. “He doesn’t seem to be lacking in any way otherwise. Incidentally, just because someone is communing with the unseen does not indicate a lack of mental function. There are many religions, not just my own, that believe in beings that exist beyond the span of our own mortal view.”
The White Shaman chuckled. “You’re right. Thisisgoing to be fun.” Then he spread his hands and smiled. “Forgive me,” he said. “I haven’t addressed a group this size in... well... ever. Please sit and make yourselves warm by the fire.”
When Iriko and the tigers came in, the White Shaman took an extra moment to peer into the eyes of Iriko. He had to look up, since the shaman was on the shorter side, and Iriko was rather tall. The younger man bore the scrutiny and proximity of the other man with uncharacteristic patience. When he was finished with Iriko, the shaman turned his attention to both of the tigers.
After this, he held out his hands to Danik, who blinked in stupefaction for only a moment before figuring out what the man wanted. Opening his bag, he took out the last wrapped piece of deer meat and handed it over.
“Very nice,” the shaman said almost gleefully, before placing it on a spit over the fire. “I needed to put some meat on these old bones.” He then giggled at his own words and began going about the business of brewing some tea.
Zakhar, meanwhile, intended to work more on the prophecy or at least ask some questions and take notes while he had the opportunity, but as he sat there in the warm little cave, allowing his body to relax at last, he could feel the exhaustion taking over. “Would you mind terribly if I rested my eyes for just a bit?” he asked the White Shaman. “I mean, will it make a difference if we sleep now? Or will sleeping mean we end up back at the base of the mountain? Because I don’t think I can do that again.”
The White Shaman gathered some mugs and began filling them with his hot brew. “Why don’t you all drink some hot tea first? It will warm your bellies before the food is ready. Then you can sleep. I promise you won’t end up back at the base of the mountain. I have a pile of extra furs near my cot if you’d like to borrow them.”
Zakhar stood and distributed some of the furs while the rest made themselves comfortable using their own belongings. Only Iriko and the tigers sat stiffly at attention. The White Shaman passed around steaming mugs, and all the men began to sip. Then he brought two large dinner bowls over and set them before the tigers.
“You two need warm bellies as well,” he said, pouring a large pot of tea into each one.
Stacia and Veru stared at their bowls, with little bits of floating herbs and dark blobs of mushroom. They sniffed, and the herby smell wasn’t unappealing. They tentatively lapped up and swallowed a bit, surprised to find it was sweet. By the time they’d finished, they looked up to find Zakhar, Danik, and Nik were already sound asleep, and Iriko was even beginning to look drowsy, his lids half closed.
