The Last Warrior

by Karen Kay

  He nodded toward her. “Go on, tell me of this vision.”

  “It was frightening at first, for there was lightning striking all around me…”

  “But it did not touch you?”

  “No. Instead, the Thunderer confronted me in a human form. That is, he looked as men look, but his skin was black and gray. And he threatened you. He told me he was going to kill you, and he told me to leave here.”

  “The Thunderer said that? He told you to leave here?”

  “Yes.”

  “And did you say anything back to him?”

  “I did. I said it was my place to stay here with my husband, and that I belonged here, that I would always belong here. I am afraid what I said angered him.”

  Black Lion nodded, and though he was pleased she desired to stay with him, he also knew he could not allow her to remain here if this truly was a sacred dream. To hold a vision of the Thunderer was the most sacred of all dreams, but it also carried the most penalties. Sudden death was one of them.

  After due consideration, he said, “I am honored you would seek to remain here with me, and that you would tell the Thunder Being this.”

  “Yes. In truth, it came as a surprise to me too.”

  “And yet, I would urge you to do as the Thunderer has said. Though I am not a medicine man, I do know that to dream of the Thunderer is filled with danger.”

  She frowned. “Why do you say that?”

  “Because it is true.”

  “Is it? I’m not certain I believe that. Besides, perhaps it was not really a dream.”

  “Not a dream?”

  “What I mean to say is that the dream was so real that when I awoke, I thought he had truly been there. I know it’s nonsense, but—”

  “All things are possible,” interrupted Black Lion. “You may have met him in this world—perhaps you met spirit to spirit.”

  “Perhaps. But I don’t believe in such things.”

  “You do not have to believe in such things for them to happen. Therefore, I think it wise not to take chances. You should leave this country, as he told you to do. If you do not, this dream could cause your death. You could be struck down by lightning.”

  She looked as though the thought might have impressed itself upon her, because she remained silent for several moments. “Even if I did believe, I cannot leave here. I told him that I would not, therefore I cannot.”

  “But—”

  “Please understand, it is not that I am being fearless or obstinate. It is that I truly cannot go.”

  “You must—”

  “Shhh. There is more. He means to kill you, he told me so. And for some reason I cannot fathom, he is afraid of me.”

  Black Lion remained silent. What could he say, when words failed him? The Thunderer? Afraid of her?

  “Besides,” she continued, “let’s pretend for a moment you are right and the Thunderer does exist. I doubt seriously he is demanding I leave here for my own good. He was greatly antagonistic to me, and I fear it would be unwise of me to follow the orders of someone with such animosity.”

  Black Lion shook his head. “But—”

  “There’s also something else. He said I was a danger to him. How can I be a danger to him, unless… While you were gone, I thought much about this, and I believe my danger to him is that somehow I might be able to help you free your people. And if this is so, how could I, in all conscience, leave?”

  Black Lion frowned, but he remained silent. In truth, he was afraid to speak, for he feared his voice might fail him. Did she realize what she was saying? Did she know she was aligning herself with him, with his people, and that to do so was dangerous?

  After a time, he said, “It is good of you to think of this, but they are not your people. And even if they were, you are not bound to help them.”

  “Am I not? Are you not my friend? Are you not my husband? Have you not helped me when no one else could or would? If I were to leave, would it not be an act of cowardice? I would be deserting someone in a time of need, someone who has shown me nothing but kindness.”

  He swallowed, but otherwise he remained silent.

  “No,” she went on to say, “I will stay. I must stay. For you, for Irena, for my child.”

  His voice continued to plague him, but he was finally able to say, “Think wisely, my wife. It is for your child that you must go.”

  “I am uncertain I agree. If I walk away from you when I could stay and help, how could I ever think well of myself? To seek my own safety when someone dear to me is in danger? How could I live with myself?”

  “But—”

  “And if I do not think well of myself, how could I raise my child to value a life of honor and integrity, when clearly I have not?”

  Black Lion swallowed hard. An intense silence filled their tiny shelter. When at last he did speak, he said, “Courage can take many forms, and a man sometimes forgets that a woman, too, can show great fortitude. Therefore, much as I disagree with you, I must honor you, for it is not my place to spurn an act of valor. So I will pay tribute to your decision. But be aware that if you stay here, I will guard you more closely than I have ever done in the past, because if something happened to you, I would not want to live in this world. Without you, my heart would be heavy. Know that if one of us must die, it will be me.”

  “No one is going to die,” she said. Then, with more conviction, “No one. In my dream, when I was talking back to the Thunderer, I little understood why I was holding my ground and refusing to do as he asked. But now I think I know. It is because I love you, and if I can help you, I will.”

  She loved him. She had actually said it. She loved him.

  Despite the solemness of their conversation and the danger that now hung over them, she had declared her love, and a feeling of utter happiness surged through him.

  Picking up her hand, Black Lion kissed each one of her fingers. “And I love you.”

  “Do you?” She raised an eyebrow, as though she might doubt the truth of his words.

  “I do.”

  She smiled at him happily. “I have one more question. Why do you think the Thunderer believes I am a danger to him? Would he only be trying to confuse me, or is there a reason?”

  “Hau, there is a reason, I think. It is my opinion that he believes you know the song.”

  “The song? What song?”

  “Perhaps I should have confided this to you before now, but since we are speaking openly, let me confess the deepest secret of my soul. In order to end the curse for my people, I seek a sacred song.”

  “Indeed? A sacred song? Yes, yes, I remember that once when you sang me a song the night we wed.” She cleared her throat. “Is that the same one?”

  “Hiya, no, it is not. I can never sing the sacred song until it is presented to me by another, at which time I must raise my voice and chant along with that person and not omit a word or make a mistake. If I can do this, the song itself will pierce through the hatred the Thunderer bears for myself and my people. The song will melt the barriers between us and place love in the Thunderer’s heart. If I can find this song, it will save my people.” His words were solemn, yet he smiled ever so slightly at her. “My spirit protector has shown me this song. It is a white man’s melody. Yet, besides its theme and words, I know nothing of it.”

  “A white man’s song? Well, now I see the danger that I present to your enemy, for I know many white-man songs.”

  “I am certain that you do, and it has been a hope of mine that either you or your grandmother might sing the sacred melody at some occasion when I am in your presence, for I will recognize it at once.”

  “But why wait for us to originate it? If you could hum a few bars, I could—”

  “I cannot do that. Until the time the song is presented to me, to sing the melody to anyone who may not know it would end
my chance to help my people forever. And though you might remember many songs, if you do not have knowledge of this particular one…”

  “I understand.” A look of cognizance came over her gradually. “Excuse me for asking again, but it is definitely a white man’s song?”

  “It is.”

  “Is there any reason to keep me from singing as we travel?”

  “Hiya, there is none, except our safety.”

  “Then perhaps I will start serenading you a little more often.”

  “Waste. That would indeed be good.”

  They shared a quiet smile, and shortly thereafter, Black Lion ended their counsel. He would have said more, but he didn’t know how to voice his fears.

  He was afraid for her. But all he could do at this moment was wait and watch and try to protect. Though she may not believe there was any danger, he knew differently.

  At least they had settled one matter between them. They loved each other, and this was, indeed, more valuable to him than even his own life.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Though Suzette longed to sing as often as possible, Black Lion would not allow her to hum, croon or even speak until it was safe to do so. These times of safety were rare, but usually occurred in the early morning, when they were settling down to rest.

  However, once she did start singing, Black Lion listened to her intently. Oftentimes, her melodies had the effect of lulling him to sleep, a circumstance she favored. But alas, as soon as she stopped serenading him, he usually awakened.

  Before too long, her worries increased. Prior to the onset of this journey, she had considered her musical repertoire vast, but she was slowly exhausting her mental library.

  Already she had sung all the arias she knew by Wagner, Mozart and Offenbach, as well as a few pieces by the more contemporary composers. Was it possible she might soon run through the works she knew by heart? Worse, what if the sacred song were one she didn’t know?

  That thought led to another concern. What if she made a mistake and left out a word or note? Hadn’t Black Lion made it clear that the song must be sung without fault?

  Indeed, it was one thing to perform music when the chance of error held no penalty. It was quite another to sing when the stakes were so high. Could she do it?

  She had once thought to voice her considerations to Black Lion, but she had hesitated too long. He seemed so happy in the knowledge she was trying to help that she hated to disappoint him. As is so often the case, the more she could have spoken out but remained silent, the more difficult a thing it was to do. As it was, her confidence now lagged.

  Perhaps Irena could help. Indeed, Suzette’s grandmother was much more experienced than she was in these kinds of things. Perhaps if Suzette and Black Lion could overtake White Claw and Irena, this terrible burden would be lifted off her shoulders.

  On this thought, Suzette said, “Do you suppose we might catch up to Irena and White Claw before it is too late?”

  At present, they had stopped to rest and nourish themselves with a supper of dried meat and water. Black Lion had lit a small fire for warmth, but it did little good. It was evening, it was cold, and the wind chilled her to the bone. Black Lion had scooped out a place for them in the center of some scrub bushes, but it was still necessary for them to sit close together, for the extra body heat as well as for the simple pleasure of being close.

  She rubbed her hands together, blowing on them from time to time—trying to bring life back to their stiffness. Her toes complained of the weather, her face felt permanently frozen, and though Black Lion usually ran his hands over hers and her feet when they stopped for a rest, Suzette was beginning to wonder if she would ever be warm again.

  At last, Black Lion spoke. “I think our chances are good that we will find them before there is the danger of White Claw taking Irena to the Clan—if, indeed, there is any danger in him doing so. He and your grandmother are at best a day ahead of us, and they are traveling slowly.”

  She sighed. “I am glad to hear it. I have been thinking lately. It seems to me that Irena could help. She knows more arias than I do. If you will let me take her into our trust, I think that…”

  Black Lion nodded. “Perhaps we will do this when we find them.”

  He offered Suzette a piece of jerky, and she accepted it. “Good,” she said. “How long have we been on the trail now?”

  “Six days.”

  “Six days. Can that possibly be true? It feels to me as if it has been a lifetime.”

  He said nothing to this, though he scooted closer to her, bringing with him more of his warmth.

  After a moment, she asked, “Have you thought that we might freeze?”

  “I will not let you freeze.”

  “Can you be that certain of it?”

  He bobbed his head. “Hau. I have survived winters that are colder than this.”

  “I wish I could be so certain.” She leaned in toward him, placing her cold hands on his warm chest, and bless him, he didn’t complain. “Have you noticed how dark it is tonight?”

  “I have. It is because there is no moon to guide us.”

  “Ah, and no stars.” She gestured toward the sky.

  “Hau, no stars. There is cloud cover.”

  She placed her head against his shoulder, and they fell into a comfortable silence.

  For the first time since they had set up their camp, Suzette noticed how quiet the world was around them. Perhaps it was because there was snow on the ground that muffled all sound, or perhaps on moonless nights such as this, no predators roamed the Plains.

  “Do you know,” she continued after a moment, “I fear that my bicycling outfit will never be the same. Do you see?” She held up a hand. “There are tears all along my elbows, all the way to the shoulder of my jacket, and my knees—”

  Crash!

  Lightning struck suddenly, frighteningly and so loudly that Suzette jumped farther into Black Lion’s arms. Involuntarily, she screamed.

  “Shhh,” he soothed.

  “Black Lion, what is this?” she whispered, and trembled at the same time. “This is the dead of winter. How can there be a lightning storm?”

  “This is no storm,” he replied with certainty. Then, through gritted teeth, he added, “It is my enemy.”

  “The Thunderer?”

  “The same.”

  “But…” How could she explain that even though she had dreamed of the Thunder Being, even though she and Black Lion had talked through her uncertainty, she still did not completely believe his story of vengeful gods and ancient curses?

  But what if she were wrong? What if the Thunderer did exist?

  “Do you think he has come for me? Is it because I have failed to do as he demanded?” She threw her arms around Black Lion’s neck and hugged him with all her might.

  “Do not worry,” he soothed, though there was anger in his voice. “If the Thunderer had it in his mind to come for you, you would not now be telling me of it. Now, shh, quiet.” He placed his finger over her lips.

  Suzette obeyed, though she little understood why. If the Thunderer were a god, and if he knew they were here, why mask their presence?

  Another strike of lightning, as close to them as the last had been, wiped out further thought and had her cowering into Black Lion’s embrace. He petted her hair in response, as though to ease her fears. Then he whispered in her ear, “I will go and meet this enemy of mine.”

  “No!” She practically spit out the word.

  “I must. You know I must.”

  “But it may not be the Thunderer. It may simply be an act of nature.”

  He just smiled at her.

  “If you go,” she said, “then I will come with you.”

  “You will not come with me. You will stay here.”

  “But if he is real, and if he is here because of m
e…”

  “He is here because I am here, not because of you or anything you have done.”

  “But I…I…”

  “You know that this is true. You must stay here. I will meet him, but do not fear for me too much. If he meant to kill me, he would have done so already. I think his intention is only to taunt me.”

  Suzette backed up from within Black Lion’s arms, putting a few inches between them.

  “Please stay here…stay hidden…”

  “I cannot.”

  “Then stay alive. Stay alive. That’s all I ask.” Another crash sounded around them, this one leaving a crackling noise behind it, as though it had lit a fire. And though Suzette would have gladly crawled back into Black Lion’s arms, she knew she couldn’t.

  For a moment, they stared at one another. Then Black Lion set her away from him, took her head into his hands, and while pressing his forehead against hers, he said, “No matter what happens. Stay here. Hide. Do not follow me. Do you promise?”

  “Must I?”

  “You must. If I am to confront my enemy and keep my wits about me, I cannot worry about you.”

  “Very well. I will stay here.”

  He nodded. “I will always love you.” Springing to his feet, he was gone.

  Within moments, she heard Black Lion striding across the clearing, to the spot where the lightning had last crashed. He came to a position, stopped, and she heard him say, “I am here.” Suzette watched as Black Lion raised his arms into the air, heard him say, “If you wish to speak to me, Thunder Being, I dare you to face me, man to man.”

  Suzette could hear a rumble in the skies, then a sound much like laughter rang out.

  No sooner had it started than another crash of lightning hit the ground, causing the mud, snow and dirt to fly in all directions. Suzette cowered within the bushes, witnessing at the same time that Black Lion jumped involuntarily. But he did not retreat. Instead, regaining his balance, he paced forward, toward the spot where the ground had been ripped apart.

  “Are you afraid to meet me?” he challenged, while she listened and wondered what she could do. “Are you afraid to confront me with nothing more than human prowess? It is well known that a god can kill a man, for it takes no courage. But can a god—as a man—kill another man? I dare you to discover this, my enemy. Meet me face-to-face, and we will see who is the better.”