The Gathering Read online

  Yuma frowned. He felt like she’d just brushed him aside with full intention of taking care of this on her own. What she didn’t realize was she couldn’t go around dropping the bad men like flies if she was going to sell the idea of bringing peace into a land of people who were often at war with each other.

  Don’t do this, Tyhen.

  Do what?

  Don’t shut me out.

  There was a long moment of silence. He was guessing she was trying to figure out what to say, and when she finally began denying it, he didn’t answer back. Despite what she thought, this was not okay with him. If she was going to shut him out, then he was going to have to depend on the twins to keep him abreast of what she was doing.

  ***

  When Yuma didn’t answer her, Tyhen was crushed. She could not bear for him to be angry with her. He was her only support system—the only person she could relax around—the only person who made her feel like a woman and not a God.

  She kept watching him, willing him to turn and look up, but when he did not, her shoulders slumped. This day had started off sad and seemed to be getting worse. They needed to find time to be together as man and woman. Too many weary days had passed since they had made love. They needed to rebuild that magic that was between them and soon.

  After giving Yuma one last regretful glance, she turned to the east, imagining she could see the cooking fires- imagining how it would be to walk into the midst of an entire nation of people who were gathered in one place for the sole purpose of hearing the message she would bring. She could still hear the drums. They were always in her head. It was how she led the New Ones and how she knew where to go. After one last glance back, she started walking east again along the rise, knowing they would follow.

  Chapter Five

  Crow Walks was stomping through camp and gathering up what he intended to take with him to kill the witch. He already had two spears and his tomahawk lying beside his pack. He had split more than one head with it and had no doubt it would serve him the same way when he used it again. He also had dried meat and a deerskin pouch to carry water. He wasn’t sure how far he would have to go to find them and didn’t want to be concerned with food in the process.

  He had chosen Two Rabbits to go with him, and Black Hand to stay behind and keep order in the camp until he returned.

  Two Rabbits wasn’t convinced it was even possible to kill a witch and didn’t want to go, but arguing with Crow Walks was not something a man did and lived.

  It never occurred to Crow Walks that Red Deer was being too helpful in seeing him off. In his mind, she was just making sure he had what he would need like any woman should do.

  The sun had been up less than an hour when he shouldered his pack. His tomahawk was tucked beneath a strip of rawhide he’d tied around his waist and his winter clothing bulked up the appearance of his size.

  “Two Rabbits! We go!” he yelled, and without a word to anyone else they walked out of camp heading west.

  Black Hand was puffed up by the importance of being in charge, however briefly, and was eyeing Red Deer as he strode through camp. She was still young and slender and her long hair was thick and shiny. The scars on her face could easily be overlooked in a dark tipi at night. It would be good to have a woman to ease his needs and cook his food. He was planning his future as Crow Walks left to end a witch’s life.

  For a while, Crow Walks and Two Rabbits walked without speaking. It wasn’t until Two Rabbits stopped hours later to relieve himself that he brought up a subject he’d been hesitant to mention.

  “Crow Walks, how do we find this woman you seek?”

  Crow Walks frowned. “She walks with many. We will see them coming and they will not see us.”

  Two Rabbits’s eyes widened. “There are many with her?”

  Crow Walks nodded.

  “Do you know what she looks like?” Two Rabbits asked.

  “I have seen her in a vision. She is very tall and most beautiful.”

  “What if they keep her protected among them? If they are many we will never -”

  Crow Walks shouted.

  “Stop talking! You talk like a scared girl! We will find our moment. We go now!”

  Two Rabbits grabbed his pack and spear, and ran to catch up.

  They walked west until the birds began going to roost, then stopped for the night within a small grove of trees and set up camp beside the thin stream of water that ran through it.

  Two Rabbits caught three small fish with his hands, and pulled a turtle out of the mud bank while Crow Walks built a fire. They ate fish and turtle and made their beds close to the fire.

  A pack of wolves was already on the hunt. The warriors could hear them howling as they gathered in extra wood to keep the fire burning throughout the night. Their howls made Two Rabbits nervous. As he lay down, he turned his back to the fire and grabbed his spear, holding it tight against his chest. If the wolves came into their camp, he would be ready.

  Crow Walks heard the wolves, too, but he was not afraid. He’d seen plenty of deer tracks and rabbit burrows as they walked. The wolves weren’t starving. They would stick to their usual prey and stay away from humans and fire.

  After a walk around the perimeter of their camp, Crow Walks laid a couple more sticks onto the fire then crawled in beneath his buffalo robe, felt for his spear, then pulled it close and closed his eyes.

  ***

  Tyhen finally came into camp long after they’d stopped for the night and began searching until she found where Yuma was standing, talking to the twins.

  Adam saw her coming and pointed.

  Yuma turned around and without hesitation went to meet her. She came toward him with that long, lanky stride, her hair swinging from side to side with the sway of her body. Her face wore a look of desolation. It seems his silence earlier had hurt her and he had not meant for her to take it that way.

  They met with a touch of foreheads and without speaking Yuma took her by the hand and began leading her through camp.

  Tyhen’s heart was thumping and the ache in her belly was growing with every step they took away from the others. When he led her over a rise and then down to the backside of the hill, her pulse leaped. He had dug what amounted to a small alcove into the hill, pushed the backside of their tent into the shelter and had a fire burning in front of it with rabbit roasting on a spit.

  Tyhen sighed. “Oh, Yuma.”

  “There is water to bathe,” he said, pointing to the hammered metal bowl they had carried from Naaki Chava so many months ago.

  Tyhen eyes welled. She turned to him, but he put a finger on her lips and shook his head.

  “I will wash your back,” he offered.

  Despite the chill of encroaching nightfall, she shed her clothes within seconds and then stood before him, so shaken by this unexpected luxury that she couldn’t think.

  Yuma slid a hand beneath her hair, gave the back of her neck a quick squeeze, and then motioned for her to sit on the matted grass.

  As she knelt she pulled her hair over her shoulder and bent her head. When she felt the scrap of cloth and the water on her skin, she shuddered. By the time he was through washing her back she was crying.

  “Don’t cry, little whirlwind,” he whispered, and gently wiped the cloth across her face.

  She shook her head, too moved to speak as he finished her bath, and when he handed her the only clean shift she still owned, she dropped it over her head, then put the leggings and moccasins back on.

  “Do you want me to wash your back?” she asked.

  “I washed near the spring after I cleaned the rabbit,” he said, and pointed to the tent. “Get inside out of the wind. I will bring the food.”

  She crawled inside the tent, saw the soft robes he’d thrown out for them to lie on and began to cry again.

  Yuma crawled in carrying the cooked rabb
it and tore off part of the meat and handed it to her.

  Her first bite tasted so good she almost forgot to chew as she went in for the second. Yuma ran his thumb down the side of her cheek and smiled, satisfied that his surprise was so well received.

  “This is so good. Thank you. Thank you for all of this,” Tyhen said.

  “You were long overdue for a treat,” he said.

  Her hands were shaking as she continued to tear into the meat and when she was finished with the first piece, Yuma tore off another and put it in her hand. They ate in silence, savoring the warmth in their bellies and the luxury of being alone.

  When they had finished eating, they drank from the water pouch then Tyhen cleaned her hands while Yuma went back outside to add wood to the fire.

  It was completely dark now but for the light of a full moon and a star-studded sky. Yuma knew there was a slight risk in being away from all the others, but he’d offset their vulnerability by digging into the hillside to pitch the tent. It was enough. He stood beneath the moonlight and shed his clothing. Tonight there would be nothing between them but love.

  When he crawled back into the tent and dropped his clothing near the entrance, he also felt her clothing beneath his hands. She was without her clothes as well. When the wind began to stir within the tent and he felt her hands upon him, he knew what was coming.

  “Don’t forget, my Yuma. Only you can control this storm.”

  He put a knee between her legs then slid into her body. She gasped and then moaned, and as she did the spinning wind inside the tent was gone. She was tight, hot, and wet, and she was his. He began to move then, taking her hard and fast, knowing she would come within seconds of their joining, and she did, arching up to meet him, digging her nails into his back, whispering his name over and over against his ear. Before she had time to breathe, he took her again, and this time the loving was sweet and slow.

  For the first time in months, Tyhen felt whole. Loving Yuma was her anchor to reality. Greedily, she took everything he gave her, coming over and over until she was shaking. Finally, she felt his control begin to slip. She could feel the blood rushing through his body and even the tension as his muscles tightened. When she heard the rhythm of his breathing change, she knew he was ready to let go.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulled him close and pushed him deep, then closed her eyes as he emptied his seed. They were good together. So good, she thought, and fell asleep.

  They slept wrapped in each other’s arms and woke just before sunrise.

  Tyhen put her hands on Yuma’s face, tracing the shape of his cheeks, the strong jut of his chin, and the arched eyebrows above eyes so dark they looked black.

  “Yuma, I am sorry I made you mad yesterday.”

  He stopped her apology with a frown.

  “I was not mad. I was concerned. You can’t do this all by yourself, and if some are trying to hurt you, bringing peace to all is going to be more difficult if you’re forced into killing them, too.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “I never thought of it like that. I just did what I had to do to keep all of you safe.”

  “And you will most likely have to do it again, but you have to remember you’re not alone. Trust me to take care of you. I did it before you were born. I have done it countless times since. You may not die, but you can be harmed, badly. Remember Evan. He still had all of his skills but he had been hurt so seriously that he didn’t remember them. That could happen to you. Don’t shut me out. Trust me.”

  She hid her face against his chest.

  “Sometimes I am so tired I think I can’t walk another step, and I think I am too young and I don’t know what I’m doing, and then somehow instinct takes over and I do the right thing.”

  Yuma was shocked that she’d been feeling all this and kept it from him. He held her close, rocking her back and forth in his arms.

  “I am sorry, Tyhen, I’m sorry. I did not know.”

  Just hearing her name said in the first language of her mother made her weepy. Tyhen meant whirlwind in the Muscokee language. When Singing Bird had given her the name, it had seemed fitting for a Windwalker’s child. But she was no longer a child and was bravely trying to pull herself together. It was time to get up, not fall apart.

  “As long as I have you, I can do this,” she said.

  And in that moment, Yuma knew he would never lose patience with her again.

  “You are doing an amazing job. You are not failing anything. I am in awe of you. I honor you and I am so proud that you are mine to love,” he said.

  She raised up on one elbow.

  “I love you, my Yuma, and I must thank you for last night. It was what I needed. I’m going to get dressed now. It’s time to make some food and pack up our camp.”

  Yuma stroked the curve of her body, then the curve of her breast as he pulled her down for one last kiss.

  They got up then without talking, doing what they had to do. It made it easier to get busy than to think about what lay ahead.

  Yuma dressed quickly then pulled the meat off what was left of the rabbit and laid it out on some leaves. He scattered the ashes and made sure there were no burning coals, then rolled up their tent before sitting down to eat a few bites.

  Tyhen dressed quickly, took the meat that Yuma gave her, and hurried back up onto the rise to make sure all was well, eating as she went.

  The camp was just waking. A few fires were being rebuilt. She could see smoke rising about the encampment. Someone’s child was crying and there were people walking out away from the tents to relieve themselves. It was a day like any other.

  She was on her way back down to get her pack when she heard Adam’s voice in her head.

  I had a vision. There are two men coming for you. They slept by a small creek last night and are already up and moving. Be aware of everything around you today.

  She sighed. And so it began.

  I will be aware. Thank you.

  Tell Yuma or I will, although it would be better coming from you.

  She rolled her eyes. She’d forgotten how bossy big brothers could be.

  Don’t threaten me, big brother. I tell him everything.

  She heard Adam laugh and then plopped down beside Yuma.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Adam just told me that the two men who are coming after me are on the way. He told me to tell you.”

  Yuma nodded. “And I thank you. You are the Dove. You look out for the people but I am the Eagle who looks out for you.”

  She was about to argue and then stopped. In nature, the eagle is stronger than the dove, and so it will be with them.

  She put the last bite of rabbit into her mouth as she stood. Yuma helped settle her pack on her back and then cupped her cheek.

  “I will ask Montford Nantay to lead today. If you do not see me, you are not to worry,” Yuma said. “Just say my name and I will hear you.”

  She frowned. “Where are you going to be?”

  “Today I am your shadow. Don’t look for me. Just know I won’t be far.”

  “I will know,” she said, and slid her hand beneath his hair and pulled him to her.

  “Thank you again for last night,” she said.

  He pulled her close, letting her feel all that he was.

  “No, little whirlwind. I am the one who is grateful.”

  She threw back her head and laughed.

  Yuma was still grinning when she disappeared over the rise. Then he shouldered his pack, picked up his spear, and made sure that Warrior’s Heart, the knife Cayetano had given him, was within reach.

  ***

  Crow Walks was dreaming that he and Two Rabbits found the tall witch. She was standing on a hill watching the people walking across the prairie. They spilled out across the land like ants coming out of the ground, so ma
ny—too many.

  In the dream, he left Two Rabbits behind and slipped through the tall grass unseen, coming up behind her on the ridge. He was only a few feet from her when she suddenly turned. Before she could utter a word, he thrust his spear into her chest and let out a war cry as she fell lifelessly to the ground.

  In the dream he stood over her, gloating about how easy it had been to kill this witch. But when he pulled his spear out of her chest and went to leave, instead of blood, white doves began coming out of her body. When they saw him holding the spear, they began flying toward him, pecking at his face and his arms and his head.

  Crow Walks began to run but the white doves followed, and no matter which way he ran or how fast, they kept growing in numbers. And then he fell, and in the dream, they pecked out his eyes and then flew away, leaving him blind and bleeding. In a panic, he began crawling and screaming for Two Rabbits.

  “I am here! I am here! Stop shouting my name!” Two Rabbits yelled, as he shook Crow Walks awake.

  Crow Walks sat up with a gasp and grabbed his face. His eyes were still there and there was no blood and no doves. He got up, stirred the coals and then laid a couple of sticks on the fire before walking away from his bedroll to relieve himself.

  The moonlit night was clear and the tiny lights were many in the sky. The dream had rattled Crow Walks. Twice he had dreamed that he’d been blinded, but the more time that passed, the more he convinced himself that it was just the witch trying to scare him away.

  He looked out into the night and thought he saw the gleam of an animal’s eyes, but it was gone so fast he decided he had imagined it. He looked up at the hunter’s moon and took it as a good sign. When he was finished, he walked back into camp and sat down in front of the small blaze.

  Two Rabbits was sitting up on the other side of the fire, frowning.

  “Why were you calling me in your sleep? I heard fear in your voice.”

  “It was dream sleep. It means nothing,” Crow Walks muttered, and laid another stick on the fire and dug a piece of jerky from his pouch.

  “Maybe it is a sign that you should go back,” Two Rabbits offered.