Star Path--People of Cahokia by W. Michael Gear

Author:W. Michael Gear
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

Forty

Fire Cat and Night Shadow Star spent that night of the lunar maximum rolled in a blanket somewhere in a freshly planted cornfield outside the Yuchi’s Rainbow Town. It would be the most memorable and wondrous night of his life.

Maybe it was the black drink that pounded in their veins, or the Power of the full moon beaming down from the northern sky, or maybe it was just that he had come to love her with all of his being. Whatever the reason, they consummated their relationship in every way. Nor did they finally succumb to sleep until the first rays of the sun were turning the forest behind them golden.

The sound of a stone ax striking wood brought Fire Cat awake when the sun was nearly two hands high. He and Night Shadow Star lay naked, her supple body teasing one memory after another from down between his souls. This morning he saw her as he’d never seen her before, knew her as he’d never known her.

Together they had broken Piasa’s deal, and who knew what that might entail? He tried to convince himself that it was all right, that they’d done it in the midst of a new-moon ceremony that celebrated the glory of the act.

He wondered if he was deluding himself.

Rising, he slipped into the forest to relieve himself, then walked back. Took a long moment to fix the sight of her perfect body in his memory. If he died this day, he wanted to take this image with him to the Underworld, or wherever his souls ended up.

Finally, he knelt, took her hand. “Lady, wake up. It’s full day. We need to get dressed, find some food, and be ready to meet the Traders at the canoe.”

She blinked, came awake, and fixed on him. A smile bent her lips. “When did waking stop and the dreams begin?”

“I don’t understand.”

“I was dreaming it just now. You and me, shaft and sheath. Still locked together. I don’t ever want to stop. Let’s just fade back into the forest, go find a meadow, and we’ll stay that way. Your shaft locked inside me from now on. Maybe I’ll draw you in. Shaft first, then your balls and legs, hips, your chest and arms, and finally your head.” She tapped over her heart. “I’ll keep you here where you can never be taken away.”

“I can think of worse fates.”

He took her hand, pulled her to her feet, and together they dressed, grabbed up their pack, and went in search of breakfast.

After they’d Traded an oyster-shell bead for a thick goosefoot-seed stew, they watched a makeup stickball match. Checked out the Trade before the gates, and finally wandered back down to the canoe landing, knowing they were about half a hand of time early.

Wading across the muck to Red Reed, they were able to drag the canoe over and beach it on the landing where enough vessels had left the celebration to make room. They washed the sticky mud off their

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.