Ghost Mask, continued

Back at the top of the rock, the three Kaw-Seth men had hid until they could no longer hear Selawik singing. Withdrawing from the grove, they tried to retrace the steps of their enemy that seemed to lead below the oval shaped pool where they first found water. Exploring more they saw cedar bark rope ladders tied to tree trunks and found their way down steps cut into the rock that dropped into the brush and trees obscuring any sign of a house below.

Careful not to dislodge a pebble or make a sound, Hayoqwis, Wountie and Kalis climbed down until they spotted the roof of a house fitted into a narrow ledge. From a central smoke hole, a white cloud rose into the newly falling rain. Like the two previous evenings a heavy rain storm broke, making every surface of Refuge Rock black and slippery.

In the gathering darkness, the men planned their incursion while perched on steps in the cliff's side. They could smell the burning fat of the elk meat cooking mixed with familiar pungent odor of cedar smoke. When they heard Selawik songs again, they dropped down to level ground to causally approach the lodge.

Hayoqwis held the ceremonial spear and Wounti and Kalis carried ornately carved clubs and double edged daggers. Soaked from the heavy rain, they were reminded that one day had passed since the shark had eaten Tiska and Spe-eth had disappeared beneath the seawater.

The fire lit disk of the door glowed before them a canoe length away. The light illuminated mist drifting across the path from the waterfall, making rain drops shine like falling arrows. The sound of a flute now accompanied the singing. The music sought to attract wandering ghosts of the region to come and dine upon the offered food in the comfort of the warm lodge.

It seemed the right moment for the dead men to let their presence be made known.

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