In the end it was Starr who helped him obtain the gem, though not out of any thoughts of kindness toward him.
"Klaren was my cousin," she said in a cold tone, naming one of the nomads who had been lost on the expedition. "We were very close when we were young," she added as they stood outside the council building while the men began their serious drinking.
"I did not cause him to be killed," protested Mika. "We all took our chances. He was just less lucky than I."
"I'd be willing to bet it always works out that way," Starr said, eyeing him in a calculating manner. "I'll bet you always manage to come through lucky, as you put it, without a scratch, while others get killed."
"So what do you want me to do, get myself killed next time?" asked Mika.
"Try it, I might like it," Starr said coolly, brushing past him.
"Starr, you're not being reasonable," groaned Mika as he caught her arm.
"Reasonable? You expect me to be reasonable?" asked Starr. She shook his hand off and turned to face him, fixing him with a cold stare.
"I know your type, Mika. I've seen lots of men like you, draped in gems and chain mail, boasting of your prowess with dragons and damsels. You don't want your women reasonable. Cute, maybe. Sexy. Even agreeable, but never reasonable unless you're asking something unreasonable. Sorry. I don't feel reasonable.
"But I do feel sorry for that poor princess. You've certainly fixed her good. What will you do to me if I don't please you, turn me into a worm?"
"Starr," groaned Mika.
"Oh, Starr yourself," fumed Starr as she turned and stormed off into the forest. "I'm going to help the princess."
"Starr, wait!" cried Mika. "You can't do that! She's dangerous. She tried to kill me, and she certainly doesn't seem to like you!"
"That was before I knew what had happened," said Starr, her back rigid with anger. "It's different now."
Mika started to call out to her, to grab her and force her to listen, when a sudden thought hit him. Maybe, just maybe, Starr could do it. Maybe she could talk to the princess and smooth things over; women were good at that sort of thing. Perhaps she could even persuade the princess to give him back the gem!
He missed the gem, missed the heaviness of it hanging from his neck. Somehow it had become very important to him in the short time he had possessed it, and it bothered him that it was gone.
"All right, Starr," he said, making his voicr as humble and contrite as possible. "Do it your way. I guess you could be right after all. I suppose I have been pretty unfeeling about the whole thing. I was only trying to do what I thought was right, but I can see how it might not appear that way. I'll do whatever you want, if it will help that poor girl out there."
"What? I don't believe you!" Starr said as she turned around and stared at him suspiciously. "Is this some kind of trick? What are you up to?"
"Starr," Mika said quietly in a pained tone, doing his best to look innocent. "You're not being fair. First you accuse me of being unfeeling, then when I agree and offer to help, you accuse me of being up to no good. What do you want of me?"
Starr looked at him uncertainly. "Do you really mean it?" she said. "No tricks?"
"No tricks. And yes, I really mean it," said Mika, opening his eyes wide in what he hoped was an innocent expression. "What do you want me to do?"
"Well, it seems as though she's run away," Starr said, tapping her chin with her finger. "But she can't know very much about hunting, or even how to hide. I'll go get something for her to eat, and you bring this other wolf here, Tam is it? And we'll go look for her. Tam will find her. Won't you, Tam?"
Tam yawned broadly and looked away, clearly uninterested. The wolf lay down on the ground and closed his eyes.
Starr returned more quickly than Mika would have expected, struggling with an armload of edibles.
"What did you get?" asked Mika.
"Roansbuck steak, done on the rare side, with lots of pepper, mushrooms, onions, watercress, plantain greens with garlic, and a lovely pudding with ground yarpick nuts sprinkled on top. I made it myself this afternoon," said Starr, showing Mika the wooden platter filled with numerous plates and bowls.
"Starr, this is a wolf we're talking about," cried Mika. "Wolves don't eat pudding and salad. A slice of raw meat would be more appropriate."
"Don't be stupid, Mika," said Starr. "She's aprin- cess, isn't she? I would never eat a piece of raw meat-ughh! Even if some horrible person were mean enough to turn me into a wolf, I'd still be me inside."
"You could be right," said Mika.
"Of course I am," said Starr with a little sniff. "I'm always right." Turning away from him, she walked into the forest and began to call.
"Here, princess! Here, princess! It's Starr. Please come out! I've brought you something to eat."
Starr and Mika wandered back and forth in the dark forest, Star calling out to the princess, Mika trailing behind as he tried to get Tam to search for Princess Julia.
But Tam had had his fill of the arrogant bitch. He didn't like her as a wolf any better than he had when she was human. Every time he had even tried to sniff her tail, perfecdy proper wolf etiquette, she had snapped at him and growled.
No, Tam wasn't interested in searching for the princess. She could stay lost forever, for all he cared. Showing disinterest, Tam sat down on the ground and nibbled at a flea on his flank.
They had been wandering for some time without any sign of the princess, when suddenly Starr gave a sharp cry. Huddled atop a tall boulder was the dark form of the princess. She stared down at them without expression, her eyes mere slits in the darkness. The gem sat on the moss-covered surface of the rock, direcdy in front of her muzzle.
A painful aching filled Mika at the nearness of the gem. Yet he held back, making no effort to seize it, knowing that if he made one false move, the princess would grab it and be gone before he could reach her.
"Princess?" Starr called in a soft low tone. "Princess, I know what's happened to you. Mika told us. I don't know what I can do to help, but I'd like to be your friend… if you'd let me."
The princess looked at Starr, and Mika held his breath, waiting for the first hint of movement, never really believing that the princess would allow Starr near her.
The moment stretched further, drawing more and more tense with every passing heartbeat. The princess and the woman continued to stare at each other. Then, just as Mika began to think he'd have to do or say something to break the tension, the princess whined and lay her head down atop of the rock.
"Go away, Mika," said Starr without even looking at him.
"What?" asked Mika, thinking he'd heard wrong.
"Go away!" Starr said quite clearly. "The princess and I have things to talk about."
Mika wasn't at all sure he liked the sound of that. As a matter of fact, he was quite sure that he didn't like it at all, but there was nothing to be done, for Starr and the princess were both giving him the same imperious look, waiting for him to leave.
"Uh, all right, I guess," Mika said unhappily. "I'll be back at the council lodge if you want me."
He could still feel their eyes on his back long after he had passed out of sight. He had the uncomfortable feeling that they would soon be talking about him. It didn't help in the least, knowing that the princess couldn't talk. Somehow they would manage. Women always did.
Tam yawned, got to his feet slowly, stretched leisurely, and then padded after Mika. So the sharp- toothed vixen had been found. Well, maybe she'd get lost again, Tam thought to himself.
Mika and Tam made their way back to Trabec's dwelling. The ceremony was well advanced. Many cups of mandrake wine had flowed since they had left to find the princess. The pipes were being lit now, tamped full with wolfsbane, a narcotic weed used in sacred nomad rituals. Mika settled himself in the thick of things, determined to forget his problems for the rest of the night.
They smoked their pipes and drank their wine and spoke of the dead, remembering them, honoring their passing. Those who had been blood-tied were accorded central seats and granted extra portions of wine and weed. Soon, the dark night air was filled with a cacophony of howls, some sounding a little strange because the howlers, both wolf and human, were no longer seated upright; some were on their backs, others on their sides, and still more on their faces. Howling was very difficult when lying on one's face. But Wolf Nomad ritual demanded that the dead be honored with a chorus of howls and so, wine and weed notwithstanding, the celebrants did their best.
Mika wakened early the next morning clutched in Hornsbuck's massive arms. For one horrified moment, he wondered if the curse had advanced to the full extreme without his knowledge.
He separated himself from Hornsbuck, scrambling backward on the hard, dirt floor. Wolves and nomads were everywhere, lying where they had fallen, overcome by their unswerving devotion to nomad custom.
Mika felt less terrible than he might have expected, but he realized that he had missed much of the ritual by looking for the princess.
The princess! Mika reeled out of the dwelling and staggered off in the direction of the forest. He had to find Starr and the princess. He should never have left them alone together for such a long period of time. What if their initial truce had not lasted? What if the princess had hurt Starr? He'd be in even worse trouble!
Berating himself for leaving, he rushed into the woods, with Tam following on equally unsteady legs. He remembered the direction from the night before and fought his way between the dense growth of trees.
"Damn trees," he cursed. "Why can't they grow in straight rows!"
He heard them before he saw them-the giggling gave them away. He slowed, and then for some unknown reason, he crept forward and hid behind the base of an immense roanwood tree instead of announcing himself in a straightforward manner, straining to hear what was being said.
"… and then, you won't believe this, but I swear it's true. He said, 'Starr, I could learn to love a girl like you.' " Starr deepened her voice, and Mika realized with a terrible shock that she was parodying him! He peeked out from behind the tree and saw Starr strutting back and forth in front of the rock where the princess still perched, watching Starr with laughing eyes.
Mika stumbled away, his face and ears burning. Was it possible that women talked to each other like this often? What else had Starr told the princess? His mind reeled. Suddenly, he felt positively ill. He sat down on the ground and held his head.
"Oh, there you are, Mika dear," said a sweet voice. Mika could barely manage to raise his head. He looked at Starr through bloodshot eyes, feeling the birth of a monstrous headache beginning to throb behind his eyes.
"Is something the matter?" Starr asked sweetly, her big, brown eyes gazing down at him with the utmost innocence.
"I… I don't think I feel very good," he whispered.
"Poor dear," said Starr, her voice trembling with solicitude. "I was just telling the princess that we should come to see how you were. I was sure you would devote yourself to drinking in a serious manner-only to show your respect for your men, of course," she added hastily. "Come along with us, Mika. The princess and I will take care of you!"
Mika looked from one set of female eyes to the other and put his head down on his knees and groaned, for that was precisely what he was afraid of.