People of the Raven by W. Michael Gear

Author:W. Michael Gear
Language: eng
Format: azw3, mobi, epub
Tags: Native American & Aboriginal, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9780765364470
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2009-11-29T13:00:00+00:00

Thirty-one

After each of the chiefs had entered his lodge, Rain Bear took a moment to ensure that the guards obeyed him and stayed at least fifty hands away. They did—but no one looked happy about it. Two men stood grumbling in front of Evening Star’s lodge, giving steely-eyed glances to Hornet and Wolf Spider, who returned them stare for stare.

He let the hanging fall. As it swung, bars and streaks of gold flashed over the faces of the men seated around his fire. Bluegrass, the oldest, had seen perhaps five tens of summers. A few stubborn white hairs clung to his bald head. Black Mountain, Talon’s chief, was next oldest, around three tens and five summers. He had shoulder-length graying black hair, a bulbous nose, and deep wrinkles. Goldenrod, Sleeper’s chief from Deer Meadow Village, was the youngest. He’d seen fewer summers than Rain Bear: two tens and six. They made a strange group.

Without waiting for them to speak, Rain Bear asked, “Do all of you want me to kill the boy? Or just Bluegrass?”

Goldenrod shifted to sit cross-legged on the mat, and long black hair fell around his broad shoulders. He extended a hand. “Rain Bear, surely you understand the position you place us in. Most of the people gathered around your village watched Ecan destroy their homes and families.”

“They want revenge. Yes, I know.” Rain Bear hung his otterhide cape on the peg, straightened his red knee-length shirt, and seated himself across from his guests. “I do not wish to fight over this. If all the chiefs agree that the boy should be executed to punish Ecan, then that is what I will do.”

Relieved smiles and nods went around the circle. Black Mountain gave old Bluegrass an unpleasant look. “See? I told you Rain Bear was a reasonable man.”

“Well, he wasn’t earlier today.” Bluegrass glared at Rain Bear. His bald head gleamed in the firelight. “What changed your heart?”

“My heart hasn’t changed,” Rain Bear replied. “I told you I needed to consult with the elders and other chiefs. Since we spoke, I’ve been trying to speak with as many as I can.” That was a fanciful lie. “Not everyone agrees about the boy. Several of my own clan elders don’t want him killed. They believe it’s possible to use him as leverage against Ecan.”

“I want him dead!” Bluegrass shouted. “His father tortured my wife and son to death before my eyes!”

“Bluegrass!” Goldenrod held up both hands in a please stop this gesture. “We can all make similar claims, but I would like to hear Rain Bear’s words before I decide.”

Bluegrass sucked his lips in over toothless gums and angrily flipped his arm at Rain Bear in a motion to continue.

Rain Bear said, “My elders believe that we may be able to use the boy to maneuver Ecan into a position where we can either kill him or pressure him into betraying Cimmis and the Council.”

Black Mountain tilted his head skeptically. Soot smudged his bulbous nose. “How?”

“First, we need to decide where our real interests lie.

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