The Last Sundancer

by Quinney, Karah

  “I have taken Amara as my mate but her ways are not our ways. I accept her as she is.” His voice rang out over the assembled band and the women that walked toward them with their children in tow heard him clearly.

  Denoa felt shame well up from the depths of her heart. Kaichen had not given her the honor due to his mother, he had denied her the right to select his wife. With a determined breath Denoa shook off the hurt that burned within her heart.

  “Tamol, how does your wife fair?” Denoa’s question was polite and not unexpected. She had once had the misfortune of dwelling in the same band as Tamol’s woman.

  “She died after giving birth to our last child, a daughter.” Tamol’s voice did not hold censure or anger. His words were said in simple acceptance of their way of life. At last count Tamol’s wife had given him eight children, now he had nine.

  “We grieve for you.” Denoa response was common but the flash of concern that lit her eyes struck a chord within Tamol.

  He inclined his head to show his appreciation. Soon he and Kaichen were involved in discussions surrounding their plans for the hunt.

  Denoa was summarily dismissed and she did not allow her expression to show anything other than the fierce pride that kept her soul tethered to her body. At times she felt her son’s eyes upon her but she did not meet his gaze.

  She could not endure another blow as she stood before the scrutiny of men that had once named themselves her friend. The past swirled around her now as tangible as the wind.

  Denoa forced herself to breathe deeply and draw upon the well of strength that had never failed her. She needed to remember that she had survived more than this in the past and it had only made her stronger.

  “You have brought these men to sit at our hearth fire, our central place.” Denoa’s voice was accusing as she faced her son in the quiet of her dwelling.

  Kaichen’s clenched jaw told her that he was already angry. His father had possessed the same flashing dark eyes that Kaichen turned upon her now.

  “I have found a way to ensure that our people survive another season of cold. Set your pride aside and accept their help.” Kaichen’s words struck directly at the heart of Denoa’s anger and fear.

  “Pride is all that I have left.” Denoa faced her son and she did not look away. “Already you have taken a wife, without my approval. I am your mother.”

  Kaichen heard the hurt in his mother’s voice and long ago he would have responded to it. She had been the one that he would turn to as a young child to find comfort. But in his heart and mind, he was certain that she had given up that right long ago. He reminded himself that his mother had failed to save Siada from their grandfather’s cruel hand.

  “I did what was necessary to save Amara’s life and I do not seek your approval.” Kaichen knew that his words were like carefully thrown knives, but he could not call the words back.

  “You could have gone alone, leaving Amara with me.” Denoa knew that her words had come too late.

  She could read the condemnation in her son’s eyes and it hurt that he would not trust her with Amara’s life. But then she wondered why he should trust her at all?

  “I protect what is mine. I cannot speak for anyone else.” Kaichen was tired down to his soul where the spirit lived inside of him.

  He had nothing left to offer his mother. She had sealed his fate on the day of his birth just as she had done with Siada.

  “Where are you going?” Denoa’s voice was utterly calm though her fingers were clenched in her lap to still their trembling. She kept her hands hidden away from Kaichen’s piercing gaze.

  “I am going to prepare the men for the hunt. Tomorrow we will fill our food caches to the brim. Are you pleased? By the time the sun seeks its resting place you will have exactly what you want from me.” Kaichen’s words were bitter, thrown at the feet of woman that stared at him without expression, without emotion. His mother.

  Denoa watched her son walk away from her, leaving her to sit alone inside of her dwelling. She did not have the one thing that she wanted above all else, in that one aspect Kaichen was incorrect. The love of her son was lost to her, like sand slipping through her spread fingers the spark of hope in her heart fell away. In that moment, she knew with painful certainty that Kaichen would never forgive her for the sins of the past.

  The men moved as one across the land of their birth, each man took his place moving in line with the one in front of him. Kaichen paired the hunters of his mother’s band with the men that were claimed by Farren and Tamol. Each hunter would support his brother by taking the lead where the other fell short and in this way they became brothers of the hunt.

  Tamol admired Kaichen’s natural leadership and confidence. He did not allow Kaichen to see his interest as he directed his men to lead the way. Half a day’s walk was cut short by the running footsteps of the men. They ran in harmony with one another, though they were not of one band, each man was born of the desert and full of strength and vigor.

  When their thirst was upon them, they quickly emptied the waterskins that had been filled to the brim by the river’s edge. Tamol had been startled to see Denoa, standing like a willow in the wind as he walked into her band’s resting place. She was exactly as he remembered.

  From afar he would have thought that for Denoa, time stood still. She held the same fragile grace that had captured Shale’s heart from the moment that he had first laid eyes upon her.

  “I see that you do not trust your mother with the safety of your young wife.” Tamol’s words were prying, meant to illicit a response from Kaichen. Farren watched closely, ever watchful, missing nothing.

  Antuk and Amara traveled well behind the hunting party, keeping their pace to a fast walk. They had lost sight of them long ago, but Kaichen did not appear concerned.

  “My wife is not your concern.” Kaichen knew that his actions appeared distinctly odd to the two men that were leaders of their own bands. They would not bring their women along with them on a hunt. Yet, he had dared.

  He could not set aside the feeling that his mother’s band was in danger. They were content to wait for the raiders that roamed the land. They did not see any other way to survive such an attack except by hiding their women and children. Kaichen could not leave Amara defenseless and alone with the others. He needed her nearby so that he could offer his protection as her lifemate, as a man and a warrior.

  Antuk was all that stood between Amara and the wild, unpredictable land around them. Kaichen had given Antuk specific instructions to follow should the worst happen. Even as they journeyed to search out the buffalo, Tamol and Farren’s men remained highly alert to any threat.

  “Tell me, have raiders come to pillage and steal what you would not freely offer them?” Kaichen knew that Tamol and Farren had left several warriors behind to guard their women and children, along with their old ones.

  “We defend what is ours.” Tamol’s answer was more than enough to tell Kaichen what he need to know. “How did you convince your mother to allow this hunt?”

  Kaichen noticed that Tamol and Farren’s men outnumbered the women of their combined band by more than half. The thought set Kaichen’s senses on edge.

  His mother’s band had more women and children than men. Some of the younger men were still on the cusp of boyhood and they were not ready to seek a wife. The bands were without balance. Kaichen could not be the only one that saw the solution before him, yet Denoa, Tamol and Farren could not set aside their differences to see to the needs of their people.

  “Do you even have to ask?” Kaichen stopped walking to look Tamol in the eye. “My mother always does what is best for our people.”

  “I think perhaps she would rather starve.” Tamol shrugged his shoulders as if Denoa’s feelings were of no concern to him, but Kaichen was not deceived. Just as he started to reply, one of Tamol’s men called out to them. The buffalo had been spotted and they were ready to fall into position. The men were eager to send the herd running toward the nearby
cliff.

  Each hunter sprang into action. They had chosen to hunt without the use of horses and Kaichen had been the one to suggest that they leave their mounts behind. Horses were rare and of much value.

  No one wanted to risk an injury to their animals if the buffalo herd should turn away from the cliff at the last moment. Antuk was left with Amara and Kaichen’s horse, so that he could ride like the wind if necessary.

  The men that had volunteered to scale the cliff were already scrambling down below. Only two men were needed at the bottom of the short drop off. They would drive their spears through the buffalo that were herded over the cliff, ensuring that the animals died quickly.

  “Only take enough for your warriors to carry.” Kaichen spoke through clenched teeth as Tamol challenged him with a narrowed gaze.

  Kaichen’s warning was necessary and so he forced himself to speak, knowing that Tamol and Farren could still decide to turn away. Kaichen moved forward ending the argument before it could begin. He breathed a sigh of relief when Tamol moved into position without another word.

  The men that had traveled ahead of their hunting party were herding the buffalo toward them. Their shouts and whistles were enough to alert the hunters that waited in formation with their spears raised.

  When the buffalo herd appeared over the rise the men waited to take any action until they could see the whites of their eyes. The lead male ran toward them with his head lowered and his hooves pounding against the ground.

  The hunters wanted to avoid bringing down the animal in the lead. He was the sole reason that the herd had been so easy to find. The seasoned male brought the herd back to the same place time after time.

  If they were to bring him low to the ground and take his life, who could say if the herd would ever return to this place again?

  Kaichen sighted one of the younger males and pulled his bowstring taut. He could feel the pulse of the animal as it thundered toward him.

  He let his arrow fly with a prayer upon his lips and he saw the moment of impact as the animal stumbled and fell over the side of the cliff. A shout from Kaichen caused the men to raise an uproar meant to turn the herd away from the dangerous precipe.

  Kaichen let several arrows fly, eager to take down at least two more of the frightened beasts and stake his claim. His arrows were marked by Amara’s hand and he hoped that they would fly straight and true. Each warrior would be able to identify the buffalo that they brought down by the markings upon their arrows and spears, which would be easily identifiable.

  He did not see a need to drive the buffalo over the cliff to their deaths. Too many would die and the herd would not be able to gain the necessary size by the time that their hunters would seek meat again.

  Kaichen was certain that his mother’s people understood that nothing should be wasted, but he was uncertain of Tamol’s stance on such matters.

  Kaichen took a quick count as he peered over the cliff below and he shouted for the men to drive the buffalo herd back to safety. Tamol stood before him with anger blazing in his eyes.

  “You do not instruct my men.”

  “I do not take orders from you.” Anger clouded his judgment, drowning out common sense. In that moment, Kaichen knew that he had failed to heed the lessons taught to him by Azin.

  He had managed to openly challenge Tamol’s authority in front of his men. Tamol did not speak, but his face grew red with anger and his eyes narrowed with deadly intent as he turned to his men.

  “Slaughter all that you please.” Tamol’s words were delivered to his men with a sneer.

  Kaichen’s shout of denial was lost amidst the cheers from Tamol’s men. He watched in stunned horror as the feel of the hunt changed from success to open slaughter.

  Tamol’s men were eager to shed more blood and now they had their leader’s approval to do so. Pele was the first to stab his spear toward a fallen buffalo calf.

  Kaichen surged forward enraged that Pele would dishonor the buffalo herd by purposely killing their young. Tamol’s attack came swiftly and he soon held Kaichen in a stranglehold that was unbreakable. Kaichen struggled to free himself, even as the slaughter continued.

  Darkness clouded Kaichen’s vision and blocked out all thought but one. Amara.

  “Something is wrong.” Antuk’s words startled Amara as she sat weaving a basket to pass the time.

  Amara looked up, eager to catch sight of Kaichen and the other men as they returned from the buffalo hunt. Kaichen had been full of hope and certainty that this was the answer to the problems plaguing his mother’s people.

  She did not believe this to be so. From her vantage point she saw a band that refused to heed the changing face of the land around them. The river could not be controlled. If the water swelled and flooded its banks season after season, then the land was speaking to the people in the only way that it could.

  Amara thought that with the tentative truce between the three bands there was hope. The idea had only just begun to form in her mind when Antuk stood abruptly and yelled at her to stay hidden.

  He had chosen a place far from prying eyes for them to wait and watch for Kaichen’s return. Amara had not questioned Antuk’s judgment. He was often peculiar and sometimes stubborn to a fault, but his goal was to protect her from harm.

  In this way Antuk and Kaichen were similar. Kaichen had joined with her in order to protect her. She must not forget that singular truth, no matter how her body responded to him whenever he was near. He was a protector of those that were unable to defend themselves and anyone seeking strength could find shelter with him. Amara told herself that it was foolishness to wish that Kaichen’s motives had been different.

  As Antuk placed his hunting knife between his teeth and ran forward Amara knew with terrible certainty that something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong.

  Antuk lifted Kaichen’s dead weight from the men that carried him along. Antuk did not ask any questions as he silently observed that the hunters of Denoa’s band were burdened with meat that had been carefully butchered.

  There was no sign of Tamol and his men. As he drew close to the place where Amara waited, he let out a shrill. Amara’s head immediately appeared from behind a large boulder. She gasped when she saw Kaichen draped in Antuk’s arms. Antuk lowered Kaichen to the ground as Amara fled to his side.

  “He still breathes.” Antuk assured Amara even as Kaichen groaned and blinked his eyes open.

  Amara stared down at him. Her hair had come lose from the two braids that she often wore and the black mass fell in gossamer waves to her waist. Kaichen groaned anew as he gasped for breath and stared up into Amara’s worried eyes. Then he felt rage flood his body as he remembered all that had occurred.

  With the help of Antuk’s strength Kaichen stood, brushing sand and dirt from his body.

  “Where are Tamol and Farren?” Kaichen’s question was directed toward his mother’s hunters. Their eyes shifted back and forth before one stepped forward and answered for all.

  “They allowed us to take the meat from the buffalo that fell to our arrows and spears. Farren and his men left with them.” The man called Urri hefted his carrying pack to sit more comfortably upon his back as all eyes turned to Kaichen.

  He knew what the men of his village were thinking. Tamol and Farren had chosen their path long ago. Some of these men had lost fathers and mothers to the men that walked as warriors of Kaichen’s grandfather. They did not trust Kaichen and they had been wary of Tamol and Farren.

  Amara waited silently for Kaichen to make a decision. It was possible that he would seek out Tamol and Farren and challenge one or both men for the slight that they had heaped upon his shoulders. She watched as Kaichen turned his eyes to the setting sun, studying the dark clouds that gathered over the land.

  “There will be a storm.” Antuk warned as he looked into the distance.

  They were gathered upon a high rise overlooking the land from which they had hunted the buffalo. They could see far into the distance from their
vantage point. Kaichen continued to stare into the distance as his jaw hardened into cut stone.

  “That is not the dark mass of clouds that gathers before a storm.” Kaichen murmured as the other men regarded the sight with dread. “Send a runner to warn our people that danger comes.”

  The fastest runner was quickly dispatched to journey ahead while Kaichen turned worried eyes toward Amara. The concern in his gaze caused fear to burn inside of her heart.

  “What is it?” Dread lay heavy in her voice as she waited for him to respond.

  “It is the dust cloud that comes from men on horseback when they ride together as one.” Kaichen clasped Amara’s hand as he considered how he would protect her from harm.

  “Raiders!” Antuk confirmed in a hoarse voice.

  “They will overtake Tamol, Farren and his men. They will not be able to outrun men on horses.” Urri, the hunter that led the others spoke as if the outcome was already a certainty. “It is nothing less than they deserve.”

  “You are mistaken.” Kaichen’s face was grim with determination as he called the other men to gather around. “I know that many of you view Tamol and Farren as men that you do not know, as men that you do not trust, but I would ask that you hear my voice as I speak to you.”

  Kaichen’s words were not well received by all. Urri nodded grudgingly but his eyes held a silent challenge. The others were eager to return home with the spoils of their hunt and forget Tamol and Farren, leaving them to their deaths.

  One or two men urged the others to hear Kaichen out even though he had been taken down like a boy amongst men by Tamol. Kaichen did not flinch over their bold words, they spoke the truth. He had underestimated Tamol and he would not make the same mistake twice.

  “First, I would thank you for not standing in Tamol’s way. I challenged him in front of his men and I was wrong to do so.” It went without saying that Kaichen’s actions had been prompted by his desire to prevent the unnecessary slaughter of the buffalo herd. Kaichen saw that the men around him were taken aback by his words of gratitude. “A man that leads should never be questioned in front of his followers.”