by Rylee Swann
He took Allie by the hand and, motioning for Matt to follow, led them around to the side of the longhouse. All of their footfalls jingled merrily, especially with Matt practicing some of the fancier dance footwork as they went.
Shawn stopped when they couldn’t be overheard by any latecomers to the event. Although he knew his eyes were mostly hidden by the intricate eagle mask he wore, he leveled a stern gaze at Allie. “When I asked you to do this a week ago, what did you say?”
She didn’t immediately reply, and he stamped his foot to bring the bells to life.
“What did you say?”
“That I’m a warrior,” she said in a small voice. “But women aren’t supposed to do this. The eagle dance is for men.”
“And, when you said that a week ago, what did I say?”
She huffed and planted her hands on her hips. “You said the dance was for warriors.”
“Right. This is the last time I’ll ask you, Allie. Wrong answer, and Matt and I will do this ourselves and you can sit in the audience like a good little maiden. Are you a warrior?”
She stared up at him, and he could tell she was trying to be defiant, trying to be brave. Trying to be the warrior she wanted to be. He waited, giving her the time she needed.
This was a big deal. Technically, the eagle dance belonged to the men, and Shawn walked a fine line by putting a female warrior in. Yet, he believed she deserved the honor. She’d proven herself to him during their weeks together, and he wanted her to prove the same to the entire settlement. He knew how many long years it would take for females to gain the equality they should have, and if he was giving a little push in that direction, he didn’t mind one bit.
“I am a warrior, and I’ll kick your damned ass if this goes wrong.” She stomped a belled foot for emphasis, and it gaily chimed her intent.
Shawn chuckled and slapped a hand on her shoulder. “That’s my warrior. Good to see you back.”
Matt grunted, wrapping his eagle-winged arms around his torso in a hug. “Are we done? It’s freezing out here. Let’s go inside and rock the house.”
Shawn raised his pointer finger to him through the feathers on his hands. “Is Tommy here?”
Shawn remembered nine-year-old Tommy’s enthusiasm when he’d asked to learn the dance. He’d been watching attentively while Shawn practiced with Allie and Matt. He had nothing to do with Ramón’s boys, and Shawn had welcomed him, instructing him in the finer points of the eagle dance. Tommy had promised to teach others so their culture would go on for generation after generation and never be lost or forgotten.
“He’s inside, behind the curtain,” Allie said.
“And the singers and drummers?”
“Also, inside waiting for us.”
Shawn stepped back and assessed Matt and Allie one more time with a critical eye. He couldn’t tell who they were, which was what he wanted. The big reveal would come at the end, when they took their bows.
“Alright, let’s go in and show them how it’s done.”
They slipped inside, not able to hide their noisy arrival as they darted behind the curtain. Tommy stood ready, his diminutive form perfect in the eagle costume.
“Ready, Tommy?” Shawn asked.
“Yes!” he replied, and the three adults laughed at his enthusiasm.
Ramón came into view at the end of the curtained-off area and Shawn involuntarily stiffened, muscles coiling. His growing conflict about Ramón worsened with each passing day, and he longed for an easy solution to his dilemma. The elite assassin had set himself up as a father figure to his boys, and Shawn had experienced the impact. Ramón treated him better than his own father ever had. The idea of killing him had begun to feel like patricide.
He stifled a sigh, pushing such thoughts away to concentrate on the performance.
Ramón raised a questioning eyebrow, and Shawn waved a feathered arm—the sign that they were ready. Nodding, Ramón stepped to the front to introduce them to the eager crowd.
Allie sucked in her breath. Tommy jumped up and down.
Matt clapped a hand on Shawn’s back. “Break a leg, bro.”
Ramón’s lilting voice boomed out to welcome everyone, and the large crowd hushed. Most of the settlement were in attendance, as well as a good number of tourists who’d paid ten dollars each to see the show. The money had been earmarked to go toward more costumes for future shows, which the kids of the settlement were ecstatic about.
At Ramón’s cue, the singers began their chanting, and drumbeats echoed through the building, helping to tell a story as old as time itself. The eagle dance could take many forms depending on what tribe performed it and when, most showcasing the peaceful and spiritual side of the sacred dance. Others had used it to ready their warriors for war. Shawn had chosen to show conflict and battle in his version of this dance, and the drums would build to a thrilling crescendo before dying off as one of the three eagles claimed victory.
Allie, Matt, and he stepped out from behind the curtain. The audience’s murmured excitement nearly drowned out their applause as the dancers took their places, Shawn standing at the apex of the triangle they formed. They bent their knees, stamped their feet.
The dance had begun.
With Shawn leading, they raised and lowered their arms to imitate an eagle in flight, circling each other with hop-stamp footfalls in a figure eight. As the tempo of the drums increased and the chanting rose in intensity, the eagle dancers sought openings to attack each other in a tightly choreographed harmony.
Shawn darted forward and smacked Allie with a broad stroke of his wing, sending her stumbling back. Matt countered by raining down blows on Shawn, who faltered and danced away. The gasps of the audience came close to drowning out the drumbeat.
Each, at one point or another, took the upper hand. The audience cheered on their favorites and booed when another hurt their champion.
The drums continued to build, until suddenly they fell almost silent, then began building again in a slow peaceful heartbeat. A hush fell over the crowd.
From behind the curtain, little Tommy took center stage. He flapped his wings, his head darting in all directions like a bird’s. Behind his mask, Shawn smiled. The kid was perfect and would tell this story around a campfire for years to come.
Tommy began to circle the other eagles with small hop-stamp steps, raising one arm as he lowered the other, as the three stood transfixed. With his wing feathers, Tommy caressed each dancer, as if to bring peace to them, and the three adults flapped their wings in graceful arcs in response. Yet, his attempts were a losing battle; peace would not come easily to the combatants. With Shawn again taking the lead on the cue they’d practiced, they chased Tommy from the stage.
The battle between the three raged anew, the chanters almost screaming as Shawn battered Matt with merciless, murderous intent. Matt fell to the ground, and tried to rise, his wings beating futilely. He took his last breath and lay prone on the floor, wings outstretched. The drums and chanters reached a fever pitch, then fell off to slowly rise again.
And then there were two.
They battled more furiously than ever, until at last Allie landed a blow that brought Shawn to his knees. Shawn valiantly beat at her with wings that tired, slowed, and became impotent as Allie continued to unleash a flurry of deadly strikes. Sagging in defeat, Shawn collapsed to the ground, and Allie brought her beak down for the killing blow. The drumming reached its highest crescendo and the singers cried their song.
Allie let out a savage victory screech that stunned the audience to absolute silence. The drums stopped beating and the singers hushed. Allie stood in place, flapping her wings and stamping her feet. As she cawed in triumph, the audience went wild with applause.
Shawn and Matt jumped to their feet and moved to stand on either side of Allie. The tourists had been warned not to use the flash for their cameras during the performance, but now the blinding strobe-like effect made Shawn blink. He and Matt bowed to Allie with folded wings, acknowledgi
ng her as the victorious warrior. Tommy ran back onto the stage to thunderous applause. He’d already taken off his wings and when he stopped in front of the others, he removed his mask and bowed.
A woman cried out in her native tongue, “That’s my baby!”
Those from the settlement laughed with shared pride.
Tommy moved to the back of the stage, and Matt stepped forward to reveal his face, causing another roar of approval. He looked abashed, and Shawn delighted in having this to tease Matt with. The applause died down, and Shawn took his turn. He removed the large mask from his head, only to reveal a second black masquerade mask that covered the top three-quarters of his face and bowed to the cheers of the settlement. They recognized him, while the tourists marveled at the continued mystery.
Allie glanced at Shawn, and he gave a nod of encouragement. Hands trembling ever so slightly, she took off her mask. She gazed around the room with a brave smile to the gasps of the settlement. They’d never seen anything like this. The tourists shouted their approval, not knowing what an unprecedented moment they were witnessing.
He spotted Ramón standing at the back of the room, a wide smile of parental pride on his face. Shawn bent to place his eagle mask on the floor and moved to stand beside Allie. Taking her hand in his, he raised her arm and with his other hand asked for quiet from the crowd.
When they settled down, he said, “Tonight, this is our bravest of the brave warriors! She has shown that the great eagle is strong with her and graces her with his divine spirit. Join me as we honor our female warrior called Alsoomse!”
Loud clapping from the back of the room began. Shawn flicked his gaze in that direction to discover Ramón as the instigator. His clapping set off everyone into a new round of ear-splitting applause, hoots, and hollers. Some stamped their feet, and it sounded like a new drumbeat had begun. Shawn caught Ramón’s eye as the older man continued to bring his hands together in a slow, loud clap. Ramón acknowledged him with a broad smile and a nod. Shawn’s heart swelled. Tonight, he’d won Ramón’s approval, and it felt like a father’s love.
The show over, the tourists began leaving the longhouse and the people of the settlement rushed forward to babble happily with the eagle dancers. After accepting a number of claps on the back and handshakes, Shawn escaped to let Allie, Matt, and Tommy share the spotlight.
He walked out of the longhouse, but stopped as Ramón and a couple of the boys who’d already killed for the assassin approached. He liked Eddie and Leon but while they stood as Ramón’s bodyguards, there would be no good-natured joking around.
Ramón beamed bright white teeth, bowing his head before meeting Shawn’s gaze. “My son, what you accomplished here tonight is a wonderful thing, indeed. I know what it meant to include my daughter and what a brave move it was. I’m very proud of you. I will tell her the same in a moment.”
Paying deference to Ramón, Shawn kept his head bowed. “Thank you, Ramón. She worked hard and deserved the honor.”
“Si, si, indeed. Of this I am certain. I have but one more thing to discuss with you before I heap my praises upon my dear Alsoomse.”
For a moment, Shawn thought the drummers had started up again, until he realized the beat came from his own heart. The moment had come. Ramón would either tell him he’d been fully accepted into the fold or finally give him the task to accomplish that goal. Energy hummed through his body and he forced himself to stand still.
“Tomorrow, my boy, you will do a little favor for me. It will take you away from here but…” Ramón motioned to the two who stood on either side of and a step behind him. “They will guide you on your way. I look forward to your successful return.”
Stepping forward, he took Shawn by the forearms and placed a quick kiss on each of his cheeks. “Mañana, son, a new world opens for you. Buenas noches.”
Ramón continued on to the longhouse, and his two bodyguards for the night nodded to Shawn.
“We leave with the sunrise. Dress in street clothes,” Eddie said.
Leon winked as both followed Ramón out of sight.
Shawn walked with slow, thoughtful steps back to the longhouse by the Yukon where all the boys slept. He knew what came next. A target and a deadline. Don’t miss, or he’d never fully get into Ramón’s good graces. Yet, something felt wrong about having to kill for this man. This wasn’t what a good father made his children do. Then why did something inside him make Shawn want the praise? He had much to consider and predicted a restless night with little sleep.
Shawn rose before the sun returned to the sky, having slept fitfully as expected. After wiping grit from his eyes and donning street clothing—a pair of jeans, white tee shirt, boots—as instructed, he shoved Matt’s shoulder until he woke up.
“Dude, what?” Matt complained.
Shawn brought a finger to his lips and stood, motioning for Matt to follow him. Matt shrugged, threw one of the larger sleep skins over his shoulders, and followed him from the longhouse. Once outside, the first rays of morning blazed, lightening the eastern horizon.
Matt yawned with great noise and lip smacking, and scratched his balls like a bear coming out of hibernation. A cold November blast hit them, and Matt shivered. “Damn, dude, this better be good. And fast! Freaking freezing out here.”
Shawn took in Matt’s face, this unexpected friend who’d become much like a brother. “Yeah, I’ll say this fast. I just didn’t want anyone to overhear. I’m heading out today with a couple of the others. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone.”
“Cool, man. Ramón’s finally sending you out. I wondered why you dressed that way.”
“Just listen to me.” He lowered his voice and waved his hands, urging Matt to silence. “If you can get out, leave here, Matt. Today. Whatever it takes. I will not explain why. As a friend, just trust me.”
Without waiting for a reply, Shawn turned and strode back into the longhouse to wait for Eddie and Leon to wake.
He had a big decision to make in the coming hours, but he hadn’t been able to leave Matt to the wolves if things went south here once he’d gone.
Right now, the only thing he knew with cold certainty was that he would do whatever it took to make his way back to Rayna.
25
Later that morning, Leon and Eddie bustled Shawn into a green Jeep Cherokee and when they arrived at the airport, they escorted him onto a private jet.
They sat in luxurious seats, Shawn at the window and the other two facing him in a lounge like setting with small tables in front of them. Shawn started to buckle himself in but when he saw that the others weren’t bothering, he didn’t either. Eddie and Leon were daredevils, and, with an inward shrug, he realized he probably was too.
The plane reached cruising altitude, and Eddie stood and put a hand to his mouth like he was holding a microphone. “You may now safely move about the cabin.”
Leon laughed and clapped Shawn on the shoulder. “You one lucky Indian. I didn’t get to leave the country when I did the deed for Ramón the first time.”
“Where are we going?” Shawn asked.
“Florida, man,” Leon said.
“Where the weather is warm and the girls are hot,” Eddie said and winked. “There’s a strip club not too far from where we’re dropping you off. Wanna come with when we swing back to pick you up?”
Shawn smiled thinking about how crazy these two would get in a strip club. “Yeah, sure. Sounds like fun.”
Leon pulled a deck of cards from a pocket of his jeans and shuffled them. “Dealer’s choice, gents. Aces are wild.”
He started dealing while Shawn laughed. “Aces wild? But that makes the game less—”
“More funner,” Leon said. “You in?”
Eddie sat back down, a huge grin plastered on his face, and picked up his cards.
Shawn leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “Let’s do this.”
They didn’t play for money. Instead, Eddie grabbed all the snacks on board he could find and divvied
them up. “Winner gets to chow down.”
They laughed, played, told stories, and arrived at Miami International before Shawn realized any time had passed. He almost forgot that he would have to kill someone for Ramón soon. That and the camaraderie he shared with Eddie and Leon all seemed surreal.
From the airport, they took a taxi to a hotel on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. Leon and Eddie brought him up by using a back staircase guests of the hotel probably weren’t aware of.
“Wait here for further instructions. Don’t leave the roof,” Leon said. “We don’t want things to get ugly, okay?”
Shawn nodded, and Eddie offered his hand.
“Good luck,” he said as he and Shawn shook.
“You’ll be our brother when you get to the other side.” Leon opened the door that led back down to the street. With a wave, he disappeared inside, Eddie following.
Alone, Shawn stood on the roof of the hotel and gazed out at the Miami street. Staying near the edge but hidden from those down below, he observed the area with an eye trained for assassination.
Palm trees lined the street on both sides and umbrellas over outdoor cafes protected patrons from the burning sun. On the sidewalk, tanned surfer dudes passed by little old ladies carrying grocery bags. Bicyclists rode up and down the street beside skateboarders, a mother with a baby stroller, a few kids who should probably be in school. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Businesses appeared to be thriving. Graphic design tee shirt shops, surf shops, upscale clothing stores, among others had steady foot traffic. He thought for a moment of the quaint little beach town where he’d had his first swim with Rayna. He started to smile, but instead forced her from his mind. He had to stay focused on the present, not get caught up in a sweet memory of the past.
He glanced up at the afternoon sun that beat down with merciless intent. With not a cloud in the sky, he felt exposed, in a spotlight, not knowing what would happen next grating on his nerves. He’d grown used to the November chill of the Yukon, and his sweat-slickened skin felt foreign. He pushed his hands through his hair, half smiling when his fingers tangled in the braid Allie had twisted into it. After shaking out his arms and rolling his neck to release the tension, he paced back and forth a few times to stay limber and ready.