The village witness reaches the council yard beneath a pale morning sky. Mud stains her faded blue shawl, and her crooked staff strikes hard against the packed earth.
the village witness
Elders, hear me before the headwoman names this a confession. I followed the blood trail and saw the searchers pursue Ash into the pines.
The headwoman stands beside the council fire, the blood-marked tally cord wound against her red-brown mantle. Her mouth tightens as the village witness crosses the yard.
the headwoman
You saw a fugitive and two missing warriors. Do not turn uncertainty into testimony before the council has examined the ground.
the eldest
Warriors, attend. Let every spear witness this account, and let no one seize the witness before she finishes.
Warriors gather around the stone ring, while the village witness plants her staff and faces them. Beyond the stronghold, Ash remains somewhere along the forest road, wounded and empty-handed.
the village witness
I found Ash beneath the roots with her wound open. The weapons lay apart, and she told me the searchers attacked before she took them. I will carry no other account.
Win the council’s public condemnation of the headwoman’s pursuit