Nikki looked skeptical, but Konah was undeterred. “You listen to your grandmother, girl. You, with all your fancy ideas from the future, do not know everything. We have lived upon this earth since time began, and we are still here to tell of it.”
Only one other aspect of her pregnancy really worried Nikki, and that was not having a physician to monitor her condition, her progress, and to be on hand when she went into labor. Additionally, there was the fact that she would deliver her child in the lodge instead of a nice sanitary hospital with all those modern sterile instruments, nurses to attend to her and the baby, and drugs to make the delivery as painless as possible. She was, quite naturally, afraid that something might go wrong, and here there would be no natal care unit or specialists to correct any unforeseen problem that might develop. She tried telling herself that women had been having perfectly healthy babies without these amenities for centuries, but she still worried.
Moreover, more than anything else, more than at any other time she could recall, Nikki desperately wanted her mother. Konah realized this and tried as best she could to fill that role, and though Nikki appreciated her efforts, it just wasn’t the same. Mom was something—someone—special, with red hair and violet eyes and the scent of White Linen wafting about her. Mom was warm, wonderful, and had a wacky sense of humor that seemed to strike at the oddest times. Only Mom’s arms could soothe everything from teenage angst to the pain of a broken ankle. And now, just when Nikki needed her the most, she was miles and literally years out of reach.
With this uppermost in her mind, Nikki was thrilled when Silver Thorn told her he had an idea of a way she could try to let her family know that she was well.
“Is there some place near their home that you might recognize, even now?” he inquired.
After considering a moment, Nikki replied, “There is a small river, more of a creek really, on the farm. I think I could locate it, with your help. It branches off the Auglaize River. Nor far from where the two meet, the creek crosses Dad’s property near the farmhouse. It runs through a couple of the fields he plants.”
“Is there a particular landmark somewhere near? A large hill, perhaps, or a strange configuration in the river?”
“That creek curves like a dog’s hind leg,” she told him. Suddenly her eyes brightened. “There is one thing. When the boys and I were children, we had a certain tree down by the river that we liked to climb. It’s a huge old oak with branches that curve nearly to the ground. Dad always griped about the way the tree stood out from the river into the field, making him have to cut a wide swath around it when he planted. For years, he threatened to cut it down, but the trunk was a good seven feet across and the root systern would have been a nightmare to dig out, so he let it stand.
“But this spring, after the wheat was already up, we had an awful windstorm. If it weren’t an actual tornado, it was the next best thing. It ripped that old oak out of the ground, roots and all. Dad said that when it fell, every window in the house rattled. He estimates that tree was around two hundred years old. If he’s right, that same tree should be in that same spot right now, even if it’s only a sapling.”
Silver Thorn nodded. “And it is still there now, in your time, though the wind felled it.”
“At least for now, I guess,” Nikki said. “Where it’s situated, Dad can’t get to it until he harvests the wheat.” She paused as something occurred to her. “Oh, dear! This is August, and he probably took the wheat off about two or three weeks ago. Still, summer is a busy time of year and he has other crops and fields to farm, so I doubt he’s gotten out there to cut the oak into firewood yet. But he will soon, I’m sure.”
“Then time is of the essence,” Silver Thorn concluded. “Neeake, I am thinking that if you were to write a letter to your family and leave it there at the tree, your father might find it in his time as you found the amulet. I cannot promise that it will be so, but we could try.”
Nikki’s face lit up. “Oh, Thorn! That would be so marvelous, if it did work! At least then they’d know that I’m okay and not worry anymore. How would we do it—tie the note to a branch if we can find the right tree?”
“No. In a hundred and eighty-three years time, it would surely blow away or the birds would pick it apart or someone in another year would remove it before your father. But if we were to bury it near the base of the tree where the roots are, wrapped with thick deerhide, perhaps it would withstand the rigors of time. Then, it would remain safely hidden until the tree fell, exposing the roots and the ground beneath it.”
“And the package,” she deduced. “Thorn, that’s brilliant!”
“If it works,” he reminded her.
“Yes, but it’s certainly worth a try!” She launched herself into his arms. “Oh, thank you! This is going to make me feel so much better! When are we going? How soon can we leave?”
“There is more I have not told you,” he stated, setting her apart from him a space, his expression serious. “Our journey is to be twofold. While you have been missing your family, I have been worried about Tecumseh. It distresses me greatly that in two moons I have yet to devise a means to change his fate, though I have spent long days and nights contemplating this problem. If, as you say, he is to die in another two moons, something must be done soon. I must go to him, Neeake, and tell him what I have learned from you and try to convince him to get out of this war now, before it is too late for him. It may be the only way to save him since I can see no other solution.”
“We’re going to Detroit?” she asked. “That’s where he is now, isn’t he?”
“I have heard that he is near there or perhaps across the river at Fort Malden.”
“But . . . but that’s British-held territory,” Nikki said with a disturbed frown. “And the war has been raging steadily in the northern section of the state. How can we ride right through the middle of a battlefield?”
“We will not,” he told her. “I am taking you only as far as Peahchaete’s village on the Hog Creek, which is but a morning’s distance from here. We will bury your message to your parents, and then I will continue north alone. You may either remain at Hog Creek or return here to await me. Peahchaete will see that you are escorted safely.”
“No.” Her look was as firm as her tone of voice. “I will not remain behind and worry myself sick. If you are going in search of Tecumseh, then so am I. All the way to the arctic circle, if necessary.”
“It is too dangerous,” he said. “You must think of the babe.”
“It’s not any more dangerous for me than it is for you,” she pointed out. “If you insist on trying to get yourself killed, then I’m going to be right there beside you. We’re in this together, Thorn, through thick and thin.”
He scowled at her and stated flatly, “I forbid it.”
Three little words. That’s all it took, and Nikki felt her hackles rise. She met him, toe to toe and nose to nose. “If it’s war you’re looking for, you don’t have to go all that far to find it,” she informed him tersely. The light of battle shone like violet flames in her eyes. “In case you misunderstood, let me clarify my position. I may be your wife, but I am also my own woman, with a mind and a will of my own. If I want to do something, I’ll do it. I don’t require your permission. Furthermore, I do not take kindly to being ordered around, especially when you do it in such an arrogant manner.”
Silver Thorn’s face could have been carved of rock. “You forget, woman. You are in my time now, not yours. Here, a wife obeys her husband.”
She stood her ground. “Well, guess what?” she intoned sassily. “I brought a little bit of women’s liberation with me when I came. It’s part and parcel of my personality, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. So stick that in your peace pipe and smoke it!”
“Do you wish to send the message to your parents or not?” His tone implied that if she did, she would abide by his restrictions.
“Yes.”
“Then I will take you as far as Hog Creek
with me and no farther. Nor will I discuss this with you again.”
“We’ll see about that. But for now, we’ll put it on the back burner.”
He nodded stiffly. “Go write your note and pack what you will need. We leave at dawn.”
“By land or by sea?” she quipped.
“By canoe.”
She offered him a snide smile. “Then I’ll be sure to bring my deck shoes,” she said haughtily. “Soggy moccasins are the pits!”
The canoe trip the next morning was short and silent. Both Nikki and Silver Thorn were still miffed with each other, their differences far from settled between them. However, once they reached their destination, Nikki’s excitement overrode her anger. She gazed at the little Shawnee village with a sense of awe.
“My God! I know exactly where I am!” she exclaimed. “In my time, this is a small shopping mall with a grocery store and a pharmacy. And over here,” she waved her hand to a spot to her right, “would stand one of my favorite places. McDonald’s. If I close my eyes and concentrate really hard, I swear I can almost smell cheeseburgers and French fries and Egg McMuffins! We should be standing in the middle of Shawnee Road, and the school where I teach is only about a mile away. And a couple of bends of the river to the northeast is where they’ll build the oil refinery. Of course, if you really want the truth, I don’t miss seeing those smokestacks and that big orange flame. The stench could be terrible, and there always seemed to be a murky cloud of pollution overhanging the area.”
After greeting the chief and informing him of their mission, they borrowed a couple of horses and set out on a trail that led from the Hog Creek settlement to the newly established Fort Amanda. Again, Nikki was overcome with a sense of familiarity. “You can’t know how many times I’ve driven this same route in my car. Though it’s paved, it’s still called Fort Amanda Road in my day. However, Hog Creek is more politely known as the Ottawa River.”
They were perhaps halfway to their destination, with Nikki becoming more excited by the minute, when a small party of Indians suddenly emerged from the cover of the trees on either side of the trail. With no forewarning, Nikki and Silver Thorn found themselves surrounded and held at gunpoint by eight fierce-looking warriors, all decked out in warpaint.
What should have been a tremendous scream somehow got stuck in Nikki’s throat and emerged as a tiny, panicked yelp. Beside her, Silver Thorn motioned for her to remain quiet. After assessing the situation and their adversaries with a measuring glare, he turned his attention to one particular man who appeared to be the leader. For several seconds no one spoke, the prolonged silence tearing at Nikki’s jangled nerves.
At last, Silver Thorn broke the stalemate, and Nikki nearly fell off her horse as she heard him say, “What mischief are you up to now, Tenskwatawa? Or should I still address you as the Prophet, brother?”
Chapter Twenty
Nikki stared in dismay at the man known as the Prophet. Though she’d seen portraits of him, they really hadn’t done him justice. Short, dumpy, and disfigured, he was much more loathsome in person. A good part of his ugliness was due to a childhood accident that had caused the loss of his right eye, leaving a puckered scar across a portion of his face. Disregarding his outer maiming, however, there was also a sinister mien about him that seemed to emanate from the man himself. His reply to Silver Thorn’s query was proof of this.
“I want the woman, Silver Thorn,” Prophet announced. “She is evil. She must die.”
Nikki forgot how to breathe.
“Neeake is my wife. She is not yours to take,” Silver Thorn replied brusquely.
“She is a witch. She must burn,” Prophet declared loudly.
Nikki’s heart stammered in her chest.
Thorn’s eyes spat silver flames. “You are a thousand times more wicked than she will ever be, Tenskwatawa. Yet you live on to spread your lies and evil. Perhaps Tecumseh would have done well to have killed you rather than merely renounce you. And to think I pitied you when he did so!”
Prophet’s malevolent laugh sent shivers through Nikki. “Keep your pity, brother. Hand over the woman.”
“Not as long as I draw breath,” Silver Thorn challenged.
Nikki strangled on a gasp as Prophet leveled his rifle at Silver Thorn’s chest. “That can be easily remedied,” the man hissed.
Silver Thorn’s gaze narrowed in warning. “Take care, brother. My powers are not feigned as yours are. I could strike you down in the blink of an eye.”
“But you would not,” Prophet sneered. “Of the three of us, you are the weakest. You could not kill another of your own blood.”
“Do not wager your life on it,” Thorn advised him somberly. “In defense of my wife, I would do it most gladly.”
Prophet’s confidence wavered visibly for a mere second. Then he rallied. “You may slay me, but my men will also slay you and your white witch. You cannot battle all of us at once.”
“Again, I would not stake my life on rash assumptions, Brother. Even were your men to kill me, I would see you dead first, and several more with you.”
It was a standoff, one both men contemplated seriously. After a moment’s thought, Prophet proclaimed, “Then you shall accompany us as well, Silver Thorn, and we will present our case before Tecumseh. Let him be the judge as to which of us is right.”
“Ah, it comes clear at last,” Thorn said mockingly. “This is your way of trying to get back into Tecumseh’s good graces. Present him with a witch. Tell him she is trying to harm his cause. And he is so grateful that he forgives your many past transgressions.”
Prophet shrugged, not bothering to deny Thorn’s allegations. Nor did he back down, however, or order his men to lower their arms.
“Fine. Have it as you will,” Silver Thorn announced calmly.
Nikki nearly swallowed her tongue. Prophet’s shaggy brows rose in surprise at Thorn’s sudden capitulation. Both waited breathlessly as Silver Thorn began to speak again.
“Neeake and I will go with you to Tecumseh’s camp. Had you inquired, you would have known that this was our ultimate destination. However, be forewarned. If any harm befalls my wife along the way, be I dead or alive, I will personally rip out your throat and feed your wretched carcass to the wolves. You, dear brother, and your fellow villains will serve only as our unworthy escorts. Do not mistake yourselves as anything more important.
“Now,” he added, “I suggest that we return to Peahchaete’s village to return these horses we have borrowed and retrieve our canoe. The river will provide faster travel. Moreover, the chief is expecting Neeake and me to stay the evening and will suspect that something is wrong if we fail to appear.”
“We will go with you to get your canoe,” Prophet agreed. “But do not think that I fear what that old man will think. He is leaning over his grave and presents no threat to anyone.”
Silver Thorn had managed to gain a slim thread of control, for which Nikki was thankful. She hoped he knew what he was doing, that there were some way in which he could dominate his brother’s actions or at least limit them. Her previous fervor for going north with Silver Thorn had waned drastically in the past few minutes, shattered in the face of reality.
When they reached the Hog Creek settlement, Peahchaete was irate that Tenskwatawa had dared to accost his guests. Still, there was little he could do to remedy the situation beyond verbally castigating the Prophet. The village was small, populated in large part by older citizens, with few warriors willing to stand up against the Prophet and his men.
“You dishonor yourself,” Peahchaete railed. “How dare you accost Chief Black Hoof’s niece? Be sure that I will send runners to Wapakoneta immediately to inform him of your vile actions, Tenskwatawa.”
Peahchaete’s words took the Prophet by surprise. “This woman . . . this witch is Black Hoof’s niece?”
Silver Thorn smirked. “It would seem that your white witch is Shawnee after all. See what trouble you bring upon yourself with your hasty plotting? First you cause the
downfall of Tecumseh’s confederation and now you try to abduct our high chief’s niece. When will you learn to look before you leap, brother?”
“It matters not who she is, only that she is an evil sorceress,” Tenskwatawa blustered. “This changes nothing. We leave for Tecumseh’s camp immediately.”
Silver Thorn ignored the directive. “I should also tell you that Neeake is our illustrious messenger from the future, sent to us by the Spirits. To offend her is to invite the wrath of the Spirits upon yourself.”
“So you would have me believe, Silver Thorn,” the Prophet scoffed. “It is a chance I am willing to take to see justice served.”
“You wouldn’t know justice if it bit you on the butt!” Nikki put in, surprising everyone with her sudden rebuttal. The primary shock had worn off at last, and her natural spunk was returning. She faced her brother-in-law squarely, meeting him look for contemptuous look. “My mission here is one of vast importance to the entire tribe, yet you want to take your petty accusations to your older brother just to weasel back into his favor. Has it occurred to you at all that Tecumseh is in the middle of a war and will not appreciate your untimely interference?”
“Who are you to question my actions?” the Prophel shouted, leaning toward her in a threatening manner. “You are a mere woman.”
She glared back at him. “That’s your first mistake, buster. Do yourself a favor and make it your last.” While the men had been occupied with their discussion, Nikki had surreptitiously dug into her backpack and located her pepper spray. Now she drew it forth and pointed it at Tenskwatawa. “Back off, Tenski. Get out of my face and my space or I’ll blast you with this and make you cry like the big baby you truly are.”
He eyed the minuscule canister in her hand and dared to laugh. “What harm can you do with that?” he jeered. “I spit on your puny lies.”
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