by Unknown
“You will lead them, of course.” Man-Who-Paints-His-Shirt-Black offered a subtle smile.
“Perhaps it will relieve the pent up rage in your heart.”
“That brawl in the bar. I didn’t seek.”
Black Shirt waved him off.
Her tone unrepentant, her chin resting in her hand, Stands-In-Light spoke. “The Council reminds you, a leader guides with a calm spirit, a commanding presence. If you are to guide the People through the chaos, it’s imperative you harness your fury until it calls out from the battlefield.”
“Yes, High Priestess.”
“You are a valued wanderer, “Whirlwind interjected. “It’s always our hope you return safe and sound.”
Ethan choked back a laugh, the reason behind the compliment clear. “So I’m alive to accept the next mission?”
Heads nodded in unison.
White Lances slumped to the ground. “Do you accept, I Am The Wind?”
“I do, Sacred Council.”
“Refresh an old man’s memory. What name do the People call you?”
His question came as no surprise. Kâhamaxe often forgot minor details.
“Meko, noble one.”
“Ah, yes, the word for leader.” The man pinched his forehead as if to blame a headache for his forgetfulness. “You’re excused now, Meko.”
Ethan offered a deferential bow and turned to leave when Stands-In-Light’s austere voice stopped him. “We spoke earlier of dreams?”
“Dreams . . . yes.”
“Mind you don’t sacrifice the interests of the People to chase them.”
A warm, alien emotion crawled through his gut. “Yes, High Priestess.”
Ethan removed his hands from his pockets, clasped them behind his back and fixed his eyes on the invisible burial platforms. A unified chant rose in the room, the same lament Stands-In-Light invoked while visiting him in jail. In short time, he’d be among the People in the sacred land of his ancestors―a Dog Soldier, the most revered warrior of the Cheyenne.
His last thought before leaving his present life concerned his prized garden. Who would water the flowers and herbs in his absence?
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve