Eagle of Seneca

by Corrina Lawson

  Table of Contents

  Eagle of Seneca

  Copyright

  Praise for Corrina Lawson

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  A word about the author...

  Thank you for purchasing this Wild Rose Press publication.

  Eagle of Seneca

  by

  Corrina Lawson

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Eagle of Seneca

  COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Corrina Lawson

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  Contact Information: info@thewildrosepress.com

  Cover Art by Kim Mendoza

  The Wild Rose Press

  PO Box 708

  Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708

  Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com

  Publishing History

  First Faery Rose Edition, 2012

  Print ISBN 978-1-61217-015-2

  Published in the United States of America

  Praise for Corrina Lawson

  Golden Heart Finalist

  ~*~

  Winner of New Jersey RWA

  Put Your Heart in a Book Contest

  ~*~

  Finalist

  Daphne Du Maurier Award

  from RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter

  ~~*~~

  “This is a book with a wide appeal to fandom in particular. It’s well-researched, well-written, and enjoyable; classics geeks will like the setting and structure, but it’s not so specific that anyone else will feel shut out.”

  ~Runnin’ Careless Through the Snow blog at:

  http://copperbadge.livejournal.com/3059580.html

  Dedication

  For Freki, who’s been there since the beginning.

  Chapter One

  “Mother, this is wrong,” Sky said.

  Lake Wolf turned. With the sunlight streaming through the trees at her back, she resembled something otherworldly, a woman most dared not cross.

  Sky took a deep breath and bowed her head in respect.

  “Do you have a basis for questioning me?” her mother asked. “Have you had some sign from the gods that this is not the right path?”

  Sky’s mouth went dry. Despite the challenge to her authority, her mother was treating her seriously. Unfortunately, Sky knew her answer would sound foolish.

  The gods do not speak to me, Mother. They never have.

  “No, I have had no visions or signals,” Sky whispered.

  Nighthawk, her father, stepped between them. “There’s no reason to belittle Sky.”

  “I’m not belittling her. I’m pointing out her habit of acting without thinking. Such as the time she disappeared for a week without word to anyone. Or, more recently, when she supported a marriage that caused trouble among the clans.”

  “I didn’t disappear. I came back with the new berry seedlings we needed,” Sky said. “And I supported the marriage because it was a good one.”

  “You came back from that week half-starved with long scratches that took days to heal,” Lake Wolf said. “And you left me to soothe the angry relatives of the married couple.”

  “I will not apologize for that.” Sky shrugged. Her cousin was happy. For that, she would take all her mother’s scorn.

  “This opposition to meeting the Romans is another impulsive whim of yours.”

  Sky flushed but set her jaw. There are reasons. I always have reasons.

  “Lake Wolf, stop,” Nighthawk said.

  “I can defend myself.” Sky stepped past him to face her mother down. “It is not a whim. I want to know why we’re even considering an alliance with this Roman. We should have ignored the messenger.” It didn’t make sense that Romans from across the ocean wanted her people’s help against the Romans in Mannahatta.

  If Sky had to choose which Romans to trust, she thought they should favor the local Romans they knew over some unknown leader who had just arrived.

  “If we ignore the messenger, we won’t find out what he wants. I need information to make a decision. I can’t afford to act on impulse,” Lake Wolf said. “That is something you need to learn, daughter.”

  “I understand,” Sky said in a quiet voice.

  “Very little about this meeting is certain,” Lake Wolf said. “But I will listen to this Roman and I will not have my daughter or my husband question me. Is that understood?”

  Sky nodded.

  They broke from the cover of the woods. The dirt under their moccasins became less-packed and grittier until it was truly sand. The smell of the ocean grew stronger and the loud cries of the sea gulls sounded overhead above the waves. Representatives from other clans of the People were already gathered on the beach.

  Sky shaded her eyes against the midday sun to see the cove better.

  Many Romans ships, sails furled, were anchored in the cove. Sky counted more than double the number of fingers on her hands before she lost track.

  She fought the urge to turn and run. She was certain for one terrifying moment that this was a trap. The fear ebbed away, like the waves, as she counted only ten Romans on the beach. They stood near their small boat with oars, perhaps to make a quick escape, if needed. She wished her mother had prepared a similar escape for their warriors.

  The other tribal representatives had formed into a half-circle, facing the Romans and cutting off flight in any direction save the water. Sky spotted men holding spears decorated with dark feathers. Turkey clan warriors. Perhaps they had a war party hiding in the woods, for protection.

  Sky knew why Lake Wolf had risked this meeting, even if she didn’t agree with it. But the Romans had also risked their lives by coming to the beach in such small numbers. Sky wished she knew why.

  Perhaps their leader was desperate. About what, Sky wasn’t sure because he had plenty of ships and soldiers. Likely, his army outnumbered all the residents of her village. There always seemed to be more Romans coming from somewhere. And, so far, her tribe hadn’t been able to stop them.

  They were like a wave that hadn’t crashed yet but when it did, could wash all away.

  Lake Wolf smiled and quietly greeted the other tribal representatives in the half-circle as they waited for the Romans to begin. One of the Turkey clan warriors, Quiet Dog, nodded to Sky. Sky nodded back, carefully neutral. They’d discussed a marriage at the clan gatherings last summer but Sky had finally decided against it. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Quiet Dog was not for her. Another whim, her
mother would say.

  The others made way for her mother to stand at the center. They were supposed to be equal. But as the matriarch of the Wolf clan, Lake Wolf was the senior. Her voice would carry the most weight.

  Sky and her father stood quietly with her, studying the Romans over her mother’s shoulder.

  One Roman was clearly the leader. He was tall with powerful shoulders, arms, and legs. His skin was the color of tree bark and a trimmed beard covered the line of his jaw. She should be used to beards—she’d seen them on Romans before. But they still seemed so very strange.

  The leader wore a purple robe over a tunic, leggings, and hard-soled leather boots. His belt was trimmed with a shiny, beautiful metal, and jewelry winked in the sun from the sword sheathed at his waist. His face was carefully blank, watching them as much as they were studying him. There was no sign of worry in him, but the soldiers around him shifted uneasily, their hands on their swords. Their metal breastplates gleamed in the sun.

  A thin, wiry man to the right of the leader began speaking. Strange, he wore no visible weapons, nor did he look like a soldier. As his words became clear, so did the reason for his presence. The man spoke her language as well as any of the People.

  Where and how had a Roman from over the sea learned it so well?

  “I am Ahala Servilianus,” the wiry man said. “The legate will speak, I will translate for you.”

  Ahala. That name didn’t fit what Sky knew of Roman names.

  Lake Wolf and the others nodded. By the grim set of her mother’s mouth, Sky guessed that her mother hadn’t expected this. Her father and several Turkey clan warriors knew some Latin, the Roman speech. They had expected to act as translators.

  But this legate clearly had planned ahead.

  Legate. An odd word. Given his armor and weapons, it meant war leader but Sky was sure there was some nuance that she was missing. Perhaps a war leader who did nothing but lead armies.

  “Makki el-Andulasi.” The legate tapped his chest.

  Makki had a deep voice, undisturbed by the tension of this meeting.

  Now that was an even stranger name for a Roman, Sky decided. How big was this empire that it held so many different peoples?

  Ahala waited until his superior finished before translating.

  “The legate thanks you for coming to meet with him. He realizes that you have reason to distrust his people,” Ahala said. “It is not his intention to threaten you. He would like to protect you.”

  “His ships in our cove threaten us,” Lake Wolf said.

  “They are not a danger to you,” Ahala said.

  Lake Wolf snorted. There were murmurs among the warriors, as no doubt Makki had intended. Though Sky noticed that most of her people were looking at Ahala, the translator, rather than Makki. She focused on Makki.

  “We do not need your protection,” said Lake Wolf to Ahala.

  As the words were translated, Makki nodded pleasantly. He spoke again, longer than before. His words had a pattern, pauses between words, and breaks that seemed to indicate a change of subject.

  “Makki is the personal representative of the Roman Emperor,” Ahala said. “He has come because the Romans who live in Manhatos are in open rebellion against their emperor. Legate Makki is here to demand their obedience, as is proper. Think of it as one of your clans refusing to mix with others, refusing to acknowledge they are even Lenape.”

  Another murmur as the clan members exchanged looks with each other. Her people would never turn their own away. What kind of people would do that?

  “For now,” Ahala continued, “the legate is merely here to use words. But the rebel leader is stubborn and it is likely that will not be enough. The legate will have to force them to listen at the point of a sword.”

  “Romans hurt each other. What is that to us?” Lake Wolf said, focusing on Ahala again. “Why did you call on us?”

  Makki stared at Lake Wolf. Then he shifted his eyes left, and made eye contact with Sky. Sky swallowed hard and looked away.

  She did not want scrutiny from this man. She did not want him to remember who she was. He crushed people.

  “You will be caught in the middle of our armies if there is war,” Ahala said. “Much of the island will be damaged, fire could destroy your farmlands, and a protracted fight means our soldiers will need local supplies. We will take those supplies from you, if we must.”

  Lake Wolf interrupted with an edge to her voice. “You are saying if we do not help you, you will steal our food?”

  Ahala translated. Makki simply smiled and nodded in response.

  Sky tensed. They had been wrong to listen to his messengers, wrong to agree to meet with him in truce. He was dangerous, they should kill him now.

  “We could kill you now,” said Quiet Dog, echoing Sky’s thoughts.

  Makki grinned and shook his head.

  “You would not win, even against this small group,” Ahala said. “You are farmers and hunters. They are the better trained, they are better armed, and they would destroy you in an instant. And the legate is the most dangerous of all.”

  I definitely believe that.

  “That may be,” said Lake Wolf. “But I know something about war. You can’t kill an enemy that you can’t find. You don’t know our lands. We do. If we hide, you won’t discover us. And we have supplies for a lifetime. You do not.”

  Ahala frowned. Makki spoke again. Ahala nodded.

  “The legate says he does not mean to threaten, he is looking ahead at what may happen if he has to impose Roman order on Manhatos. He knows this could be disruptive or harmful to your people. He wishes to avoid this. He wishes to help.”

  “How?” Sky said. “It is not as if we control the actions of the Romans living in Mannahatta.”

  Lake Wolf turned. Sky bit her tongue and wished she’d kept silent. But her mother merely glared for a second and looked back at Ahala.

  “Tell us what you really want.” Lake Wolf folded her arms over her chest.

  “Once the legate has victory against his foes, Manhatos will be under his control,” Ahala said. “He’ll prevent them from moving closer to your villages. They will not be allowed to threaten your farmlands or hunt where you hunt. You would be able to live without fear of attack.”

  Sky still didn’t believe the words. A man who subjugated his own people was not worthy of trust.

  “And what kind of help do you want in exchange for all that?” Lake Wolf said.

  “We do not need your warriors,” Ahala said. “But we need guides. Manhatos is enclosed by a city wall. But walls can be breached if one knows the way, and they are especially vulnerable from unexpected directions. If your people provided guides, we could breach the wall from a place they do not expect and have a quick victory.”

  Sky sucked in a deep breath. Help these men lead a sneak attack on their own people that might turn into a slaughter? No, there was nothing good about that. Her people fought the Mahicans and sometimes they fought within their clans. But not like this. Warriors fought each other. They did not destroy each other’s homes or take them from those living there.

  “We do not attack those other than warriors,” Lake Wolf said, echoing Sky’s thoughts.

  “That is noble of the Lenape,” Ahala said. “But we are not you, we do things differently. Among our people, such things are understood. And you owe the Romans here nothing.”

  “Why would you want to slaughter them?” Sky asked, looking right at the legate. “Why do you want destruction?”

  Makki paid her more attention this time, studying her rather than glaring. Memorizing her for future encounters, Sky thought. She clenched her teeth and waited to see if he would answer. She would not lower her gaze this time. Let him know her people were not afraid. And she could prove to herself that she was not afraid.

  Makki said something in a low tone to Ahala.

  “The legate says that war is a terrible thing, so best to end it quickly. He hopes that slaughter in Manhatos can be avo
ided. In fact, he hopes all fighting is avoided. But best to be in a position to threaten destruction or there will be no surrender.”

  Lake Wolf stared at Makki. “If you wanted only guides, you would have approached the tribes on Mannahatta first. What else do you want?”

  “The legate wishes to continue to anchor his fleet here in this cove. He wants you to promise to leave them alone.”

  Angry shouts greeted that announcement. Ahala held up a hand. “Only a few soldiers would leave the ship to gather fresh water. The others will stay on board, waiting for when the legate needs them.”

  “You want guides to lead your army in a sneak attack. You want us to tolerate a fleet anchored close to the shore. You want us to keep that fleet secret from your enemies. Is that it?” Lake Wolf asked.

  Ahala nodded. “In return, we will make sure your tribes are unmolested. There will be no expansion of Manhatos or Seneca. You will be able to live in peace, free from worry of us. We would put the treaty in writing. It would be unbreakable.”

  Lake Wolf snorted. Sky agreed with her mother. Yes, free from worry except for the victorious army camped on their doorstep that was led by a trained killer. Sky bit her tongue to stop from saying that out loud.

  “We reject providing guides,” Lake Wolf said. “But we will think on the rest.”

  Makki frowned. He and Ahala leaned their heads together and spoke. Finally, Ahala straightened. He spoke directly to Lake Wolf.

  “The legate says that he appreciates that you listen to his request. In the meantime, if his soldiers are attacked, he will consider that an act of war and the promises of protection he has spoken of today will not be offered.”

  “If your men attack us, we will fight.” Lake Wolf drew her belt knife and pointed it at Ahala. “Do you understand that?”

  Ahala lunged forward at Lake Wolf. Before anyone else could move, Makki grabbed his translator’s shoulder and pulled him back, jerking Ahala off his feet and causing him to fall face first into the sand.

  Makki spoke to Ahala in a low tone. The smaller man got up and dusted himself off.

  “I apologize for my temper,” Ahala said. “I am trained to defend myself from threats. It is almost instinctive.”