by Jade Carr
"I've never seen anything like it."
Yamka sighed. "Damn."
"Damn what?"
He frowned. "The muffler's shot."
"So I noticed."
"Terena, it pisses me off that Ahote is throwing his life away. So, you're guessing his having to give up Red might be connected to his drug and drinking issues?"
"All I know is that Ahote didn't want to talk to me about why he surrendered what would have been his meal ticket for a long time." They'd put the small town behind them and were on the highway heading northwest. Uncle Shuman had told her that most of Yamka's herd was at Black Mesa, which meant they'd soon be leaving pavement. Would she see any of the mustangs? "After what happened last night, I'm even more convinced."
"Go on."
She'd often wondered why Yamka and her cousin had been so close. Ahote approached life as if it had something against him while Yamka was calm and accepting. She'd had a crush on him when they were adolescents.
"My aunt and uncle got a call last night. I don't know how the man got their number. The idea of him knowing where they live scares me."
Yamka shot her a hard look. "Did he threaten them?"
"It depends on how you interpret it. He spoke so loud I heard almost everything the bastard said."
"Bastard, huh?"
"Whoever that man was, he kept insisting Uncle Shuman put Ahote on the line. When my uncle repeated that he wasn't here, the man blew up. The things he said—they don't deserve that."
"Threats?"
An outsider looking at Yamka might dismiss him as a slow-thinking and uneducated Indian. They wouldn't look past his appearance to the intellect and compassion. "According to the caller, the next installment in whatever Ahote owes someone, or more than one someone, is due. He—" She propped her right elbow on the open windowsill. "He said the next payment must be identical to the one Ahote recently made."
Yamka briefly gave her his full attention, then concentrated on driving. "Damn."
What aren't you telling me? "The payment has to be another horse like Red." Her stomach wrenched. "I called Ahote last night and left a message. Told him in no uncertain terms to get in touch with me. How did he get himself into that kind of trouble?"
"I'm not sure we want to know. Your cousin doesn't spend much time on the res these days, but when he does, he always comes to see me."
"He's asked you for money, hasn't he?"
"Yeah."
"Have you—"
"I don't have the kind of money he needs. What I do have goes to my family."
Sick at heart, she placed her head in her hands. The truck hit a series of potholes, and she straightened. "I'm sorry."
"You aren't responsible for his stupidity, and neither are his parents. For the record, I haven't told them about those visits. Back to last night's call. Did the man threaten Shuman or Lenmana?"
"Not them, exactly, but they're scared for Ahote. In many respects, that's worse."
They were off the paved road. Before long, they'd reach the flat, open area fed by several springs. For generations, Hopi and Navajo had each claimed some of this part of the Colorado Plateau. She wondered if Yamka's cattle sometimes wandered onto Navajo land and if the Navajo objected. The more important question was whether the mustangs saw all of Black Mesa as their territory.
Had Yamka seen the two stallions—her lovers?
"The caller wants another horse from here," Yamka said.
Looking out at the great sweep of land, she wondered if her cousin might be out there right now, looking to capture another eagle-marked mustang. "I'm afraid so."
"What happens if he can't pay the debt?"
"I don't know. Maybe—I don't know."
She admitted she'd give anything to be on horseback with nothing more on her mind than trying to identify the different rock formations—and looking for the two shifters.
At the thought, the sexual need that had been part of her since she'd first seen Nokoni and Hah-Tee kicked up. Were they together right now? What would happen if she approached them? Would—hell, would something happen? Flushed, she struggled to control her breathing.
"Even though he didn't come out and draw me a map," she said, "Ahote gave me enough hints about where Red came from that I was able to put one and one together." Telling Yamka that was easier than telling him about Nokoni and Hah-Tee.
Yamka sighed. "Couldn't pull the whole story out of him, could you?"
"No, not that I needed to. No way is Red part of some established racing stable. My cousin couldn't have gotten his hands on her if she was. My aunt told me about the mustang herd living here. Yamka, I can't force Ahote to get in touch with me. He could be out here right now looking for…"
"I hope to hell not."
She winced from the pain in her temple. "When's the last time you saw or heard from him?"
"That's why you wanted to talk to me, right?"
"In part. And maybe I'm hoping you'll tell me not to be scared for the people I love, him included."
"I wish I could."
Studying her old friend's profile settled her a little. "I needed to talk to someone. You're the first person who came to mind." Because I can't talk to Nokoni or Hah-Tee.
He glanced at her again. "I'll be as honest as I can. I expect the same from you."
What are you getting at? "I'm guessing you've seen the herd."
Yamka's expression softened. "Yes. They're amazing creatures. Looking at them, you'd think they were hardy mustangs in need of a good brushing. They like hanging out with the cattle. They especially like stealing hay."
"What about their speed?"
Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, Yamka fixed his coal-black eyes on her. "I've never seen anything like it. They can go from sleeping standing up to burning up the ground in a second."
She shivered. "They're all fast?"
"The young ones." His knuckles turned white.
"Just the young?"
"That's right. The older mares can't keep up with their offspring."
"It sounds as if there's new blood coming into the herd."
"Exactly like that."
For a moment, she couldn't speak. "Red had this unique mark on her chest. It looked—"
"Like an eagle in flight. The young ones all have it."
Oh my God. "So do…"
"What?"
"Nothing." Despite the chill running through her, she was tempted to tell Yamka about seeing identical markings on the shifters, but how much could she trust him? "It makes no sense. No way can so many animals have identical markings."
Yamka went back to watching where he was going. "There are theories."
"What are you talking about?"
"Our heritage."
"Yamka, I don't—"
"Let me explain. When the mustangs first showed up, priests and elders from the various clans and villages began going on sacred pilgrimages, looking for answers."
"They did?" Again she could barely speak.
"You can't be surprised. Certain old ways will never change. Their search has taken them to our sacred San Francisco Peaks and many of the tribe's ruins in addition to clan and eagle shrines. Twice now the pilgrimages involved going from one end of the reservation boundary to the other."
"I had no idea."
"Because you were off living your life."
"I wish—were you part of them?"
"Unfortunately, no. I couldn't spare that much time away from the cattle."
"Have the priests and elders come to any conclusions?"
"Possibilities. Nothing definitive. The consensus is that the Supreme Creator had a hand in bringing the wild horses here, but there's considerable disagreement over why it's happening now. Much as we'd like to accept the mustangs as a blessing from Him, it's too complicated for a simple explanation."
"Yamka, this isn't some mystical event. They came from Nevada."
Eyebrows lifted, he again studied her. "Did they?"
What are you saying? "BLM o
fficials certainly think so. My aunt told me the Hopi are contesting BLM's insistence that they're responsible for them. That's a modern issue, not something steeped in ancient beliefs."
"Are you sure? Besides, neither of us cares who wins the modern argument, do we?"
No. Her mind whirling, Terena pressed her hand to her temple and turned her attention back to their surroundings. This land had been in existence for billions of years. In the beginning, it hadn't looked like it did now, which made the landscape even more awe-inspiring. The nearby Grand Canyon served as a glorious example of what nature—or God or the Supreme Creator, depending on what a person believed—was capable of. At the time the canyon was being formed, sedimentary rock layers had buckled and folded, resulting in the striking formations that brought color to the reservation and beyond. Geology explained nature's forces but not the existence of a herd of world-class four-legged runners blessed or cursed with eagle outlines on their chests.
"I don't know what to say," she admitted. "I never expected to find myself in the middle of anything like this."
"Neither does anyone else here. My guess is that's not the only thing you didn't expect to get involved in."
Alerted by his tone, she stared at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Terena, you've been away from here long enough that it's natural for your, let's call them loyalties, to shift from Hopi to the world you've been living in."
"Go on."
"You aren't taking offense?"
"No, I'm not. Maybe because I came back."
He nodded but didn't look at her. "And you went to Oraibi the other day."
She could hardly breathe. "What are you saying?"
"You tell me."
"Tell you what? I thought—I didn't know…"
"You thought the two of you were alone? You weren't."
Chapter 16
It took the better part of an hour for them to reach where Yamka intended to leave the truck and trailer. They'd said little beyond a discussion of what they'd do once they were there. Yamka's plans called for heading north to check on several pregnant cows. However, instead of accompanying him, he suggested she go east toward where he'd last seen the mustangs. Without him saying it, she knew this was why he'd wanted her to accompany him out here. Between trying to deal with what her old friend had dropped on her and realizing how far Hah-Tee might have had to travel to get back to the herd after they'd had sex, she'd been incapable of filling the silence.
Watching Yamka unload the two saddled horses, she touched her cheek where the wind caressed it.
"About the mustangs," he said. "If Ahote told you he has a right to them, he was wrong."
He didn't tell me nearly enough. "I agree. No one owns them."
He handed her the reins for the pinto gelding. "The land does."
Yamka was a complex mix of traditional Hopi and modern businessman. She wasn't about to question his belief. Besides, he was right.
"I just wish it was that simple," he added. "And that more people respected the land's role. Last week, I had to run off three men on ATVs not far from here."
"Locals?"
"I don't believe so. I would have been even more pissed if they'd been. What really got to me was their attitude. They—they were whites—insisted they had as much right to be here as I did. Of course, I didn't buy that. When I asked what they were doing, they said they wanted to see for themselves if the mustangs they'd heard about were as fast as the rumors said they were, by trying to keep up with them."
Horrified, she could only stare.
"Terena, they had apples and ropes with them."
"The men wanted to capture—"
"They tried to deny it, but I called the tribal police who came right out. The police confiscated everything and told them to get the hell out of here."
"Yamka, they could have killed you"
He shook his head. "I didn't think about that until after. Then, the only thing that mattered was protecting the spirit horses."
"Spirit horses?"
"Do you have a better name for them?"
She rubbed her mount's forehead. "No, I guess I don't. Has that happened before, outsiders poking around? Interested in the mustangs, I mean?"
"As far as we Hopi know, the interest started this year." Yamka touched her shoulder. "What really upsets me is that word is undoubtedly spreading about the horse Ahote raced. What if I hadn't spotted those two would-be rustlers?"
"They might not have gotten away with it if…"
"If what?"
She'd nearly said that Nokoni and Hah-Tee would protect the herd. "Despite everything Ahote has done, I still want to protect him. All the time we were growing up, we had each other's backs. Now I want to wring his neck. At the same time, I remember how sick the drugs made him. He went to that treatment center last winter and got clean. I told myself he would stay that way. Now I'm not sure." She turned her attention to Yamka's mare, holding her hand against the satiny mouth and letting the mare nuzzle her palm. "We can't let my cousin get his hands on another mustang."
"No, we can't."
"What a nightmare." She leaned her head against the mare's neck. "So much for thinking I was going to get some R and R coming back to the res."
"Are you sorry you did?"
"No. I love this land."
"Besides, if you hadn't, you wouldn't have found out about the shifters."
A wave of disbelief washed through her, followed by a sense of peace. "I don't know what to say." Yamka pulled her away from the mare and hugged her.
"Don't say anything. Take off." He indicated the pinto. "See what you can find. We'll talk later."
As appealing as the suggestion was, she couldn't leave things the way they were. "How do you feel about—do you simply accept the shifters' existence?"
"I wouldn't call what I feel simple anything, but I'm grounded in this land. I think I'd accept anything that happens here. The mustang stallions are magnificent."
"How many have you seen?"
"Two. They were near my cattle. They acted aggressive toward each other. I thought I might need to get between them and the cows. I was trying to do that when one—the slightly smaller one—became human."
Yamka's awed tone reminded her of when she'd experienced the same thing. Instead of telling him that, she waited him out.
"I was shaking so much I nearly fell off my horse. The man—he was naked—started walking toward me. Call me crazy, but he looked like a kid seeing something for the first time and trying to make sense of it. The other stallion charged him and knocked him to the ground. They stared at each other until the man became a stallion again. There was a lot of rearing with hooves flying. Finally the smaller one ran off, followed by the other."
I've seen the same hostility between them, but it's more complicated than that. "What a shock that must have been," she said.
Brows furrowing, he stared at her. "It would have been worse if I hadn't suspected that might happen."
"What do you mean?"
"A lot of talk has been going around about those two. As far as I know, the first time a Hopi saw them was when some elders were finishing a pilgrimage at Woodruff Bluff about a year and a half ago. There weren't any mares around, just the two studs. Thinking they might be gifts from the kachinas, the men were debating if they could get close enough to cover them with sacred cornmeal when the horses became men." Yamka shook his head. "I can't believe I'm saying this."
"I understand."
"Yes, I guess you do." Taking hold of her hand, he placed it against his chest. "I spot mustangs among my cattle. You hand your body to one."
Two, she nearly said. Both. "You think—"
"Go. We'll talk later."
"She's here."
"I know."
Nokoni had been half asleep, watching a couple of distant buzzards, when his senses alerted him to a new presence. He'd spent last night keeping himself between several coyotes and the foals and had been hoping to get some rest, whic
h would call for getting Hah-Tee to take over guard duty, but he hadn't yet approached the other shifter.
When he'd first become aware of the potential danger, his concern was that a human enemy—maybe Ahote—was approaching. If that was the case, he'd have to decide between standing his ground or commanding the mustangs to flee. After a few seconds of concentration, however, alarm had turned into sexual excitement. She was here.
He wasn't sure how he felt, knowing Hah-Tee was equally aware of Terena's presence. Shaking himself, he trotted over to a rise and extended his neck, breathing deeply as he did. His cock hardened.
The other shifter joined him but remained a respectful distance away. He reluctantly checked to see if Hah-Tee was aroused. He was.
"I won't leave," Hah-Tee said. "I have as much right to her as you do."
"No, you don't."
"Ask her."
He didn't want to, damn it. "Leave. Otherwise, I'll run you off."
"I'll return. I have no choice."
Before he could ask Hah-Tee what he was talking about, Terena came into view. She rode the pinto as if she'd been born on horseback, and her ebony hair streamed down her back. Sitting tall in the saddle, she shielded the sun from her eyes with one hand while constantly looking around.
"She's beautiful."
"Yes, she is." The words were out of him before he acknowledged he had no intention of chasing Hah-Tee off. Much as he hated admitting it, the younger shifter was right. The decision about which of them, if either, Terena wanted to be with was hers to make.
"What does she want?" Hah-Tee asked. "What brought her all the way out here?"
"Maybe she's looking for her cousin."
"I don't want it to be that."
"Then what?"
"The way it was between us, I hope it meant something to her."
Nokoni had known the other shifter and Terena had had sex. Her smell had clung to Hah-Tee long after Hah-Tee returned to the herd. However, instead of insisting the young shifter had had no right to do what he had, Nokoni had gone off by himself. A mare in heat had approached him, but he hadn't been able to concentrate on her. Thinking while in stallion form didn't come easily, but one thing he knew was that Terena had a right to share her body with whoever she wanted. It should be him. He needed it to be him.