Sarah left Devlin sleeping soundly in the furs. She dressed and made her way to the creek to wash up. By the time she was presentable, the sun was peeking over the eastern hills. Sarah knew that Tima would be in the healer's chuka. The silence of the night had been broken a few times as Tima rose to check on her patient.

The only other interruption was Sarah's dream. A confused jumble of events, some real, some imagined, had broken up her sleep. The only thing that Sarah could remember upon waking was that she had been on the ranch and there had been fire. She shook her head and wondered why her dreams seemed so vivid in the clan village.

Sarah pulled aside the deerskin flap and entered. Just as she opened her mouth to greet Tima, her gaze landed on Keeho. "Halito," she greeted him with surprise.

What pleased Sarah was the fact that the old man was awake. He lay on his back, obviously ill with fever, but he had been speaking to Keeho. Keeho appeared to be listening, understanding the words.

The old man gestured in Sarah's direction and spoke rapidly to Keeho. At best, Keeho had treated Sarah with a certain indifference. The expression Keeho bestowed on the old man appeared angry, then surprised, and finally, resigned.

"Come sit beside us, little Sakli." Keeho surprised Sarah with the cordial greeting. As always, his voice was low and controlled. Devlin had told Sarah that in her years with the clan, she had never heard Keeho raise his voice.

"I didn't mean to disturb you, forgive me, Alikchi," Sarah said.

Keeho smiled inwardly at her. She was learning fast, and he was proud to see that she had not only become skilled in the language of the Chahta, but also had the grace to accept their ways as her own. He noted that she used his t.i.tle in addressing him. She had respect for the clan and what it meant, that much was obvious. Redhawk has taught her well. Perhaps she needed no one to teach her.

Sarah watched as Tima slipped from the chuka. Tima left without a sound, and if Keeho noticed, he gave no indication.

"Binili." Keeho requested Sarah to sit down.

"Achukma hoke," Sarah said as all the clan members did when requested to join a conversation or to sit at another's hearth. The Chahta words meant "it is good." Sarah had learned from Devlin that it was the equivalent of saying "I am honored."

Sarah positioned herself beside the p.r.o.ne man, across from Keeho. She hadn't noticed before the paleness of the old man's skin or the raspy intake of his breath. He raised his head slightly. He looked extremely weak, but Sarah felt the cognizance in the old man's eyes when he turned his head to look at her.

"His name is Taano," Keeho said. "Come sit with us, Redhawk."

Sarah looked up. A tall shadow blocked the light of the opening to the chuka. Devlin entered the dwelling followed by her mother. It dawned on Sarah to where Tima had rushed off. She mentally thanked the woman for rousing Devlin.

Devlin sat to Sarah's right. Each woman unconsciously reached for the other's hand. The gesture was not lost on the old man. He spoke as rapidly as his shortness of breath would allow. Devlin fixed a surprised look at Sarah.

"Keeho speaks his language. His name is Taano," Sarah said.

Taano's voice drew everyone's attention toward him once more.

Keeho translated the man's words. "Taano has traveled a great distance to bring a message to us. It is a mission that has taken his life. He has sacrificed himself at the request of the spirits, who instructed him to deliver his message to no one but the two of you."

Sarah raised her head to Tima for confirmation of the old man's failing health. Their gazes met across the chuka and Tima gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

Sarah took the old man's hand, and he smiled weakly. He coughed, then spoke.

"He says that you honor him," Keeho translated. "He has no doubt that you and the dark warrior will please the spirits greatly. He says you are to be commended, Mother."

Sarah gave the old man a half-smile, searching the faces around her. "I don't understand. How does he know I have children?"

"He doesn't understand. He thinks Sarah is Alikchi," Devlin said.

"Perhaps it is we who do not understand," Keeho said.

Keeho exchanged glances with Devlin. Devlin decided silence would be the most appropriate answer, but she couldn't help but ponder his statement. Did he see more in Sarah than did Devlin? More importantly, what would Sarah think if she knew the consequences of what might be expected of her?

"Sarah, remember once when I told you that the clan held women in very high esteem?" Devlin asked.

"Yes," Sarah said. "Everything, a clan member's name, their hearth, comes through their mother."

"Well, I've never known one since I was adopted into the clan, but the term mother is one of reverence. The mother of a clan is their medicine woman. She holds the highest place in the clan, even over the elders or chief Miko."

A coughing fit wracked the old man's frail frame. Tima brought some lukewarm tea for him to sip. When he spoke in low raspy whispers, Keeho bent his head to listen and translate.

"Where does he come from and why does he think Sarah is Alikchi?" Devlin asked. "How does he know us?"

Keeho held up a hand to Devlin. He spoke to Taano in a language that Devlin was certain she had heard before but couldn't quite remember from where.

The old man's skin appeared gray, and when he paused to catch his breath, Keeho translated. "He is an Old One and comes from far to the south. It is taught that on the morning of creation, Hashtahli, the Sun Father, opened the sacred mound, Nanih Waiya, and from the soil grew Okla, the people. As they emerged from the ground, they lay themselves in the sunlight on the sides of Nanih Waiya to dry. The first who came out were poorly formed, some short and squatty and others too lean and hungry looking. When they had dried out, this group traveled far from Nanih Waiya. The second group who came out of the sacred mound was better formed, but Hashtahli had not quite yet perfected his art. These people, too, when they were dry, traveled far from Nanih Waiya. The last group was perfectly formed, clean of limb, beautiful of face and blessed with strength and intelligence. They chose to reside in the area surrounding the sacred mound and would become the people called Chahta." Keeho paused, making sure he still held the attention of Sarah and Devlin.

"Some tell of more tribes made by Hashtahli on the day of creation. It is said that only the Old Ones know where all of the tribes live. Some say there are those who live hidden to the world who have not been discovered by the white man or the red man."

Devlin had learned all of this as a child, but she suspected Keeho related the tale for Sarah's benefit.

"Taano is the Alikchi to one of these kin tribes," Keeho began again. "He says the Achafa Chito, the Great Ones, gave him a vision. The gra.s.s died two times and still they brought the vision."

"Two years," Devlin explained to Sarah.

Taano coughed once more until Keeho took the mug of tea from his hands. Keeho held Taano cradled in his arms and chanted a song that Sarah found oddly rea.s.suring. Taano's skin had grown so ashen that Sarah could see through it to the complex of veins and arteries below. She watched as the blood flow grew weaker and weaker.

Taano's eyes grew heavy and he could no longer lift his own head. His breathing came in shallow gasps. He whispered to Keeho, then turned to look at Sarah and Devlin one last time. Feeling he had accomplished his task, he had a small smile on his face when he breathed his last breath.

In a moment of compa.s.sion, Sarah reached out for Taano, but Devlin stayed her hand. "No, Sarah," Devlin said. "Women aren't allowed to touch the dead."

"What did he say, Alikchi? What was his message?" Sarah asked with tears in her eyes.

"The buffalo must run free. He said that a calamity of great proportions was coming and that only if the buffalo ran free would the land be able to continue. Taano believed that the spirits led him to you, that only Hasimbish humma and Sakli held the power to protect our lives."

"The buffalo? They're already free," Sarah said. "What does it mean?"

"The spirits do not always speak in the same language as we, little Sakli," Keeho said. "I must meditate and pray to the Sun Father for guidance. You may join me if you wish."

Devlin nearly fell over in shock. Suddenly, Taano's death and the sadness it brought had disappeared from her mind. She realized she was sitting there with her mouth hanging open, but Sarah's expression mirrored her own. Actually, the look Sarah wore seemed to be a combination of surprise and fear.

To Devlin's knowledge, Keeho had never invited Tima to partake in meditation and prayer with him. If there had been another holy man in the clan, Keeho would have strengthened himself with the other man's help. Most medicine men never allowed women in their circle. Women were too powerful, especially women who still experienced their cycle of the moon.

"I...I would be honored," Sarah stammered.

"After Taano's burial, we will send up smoke," Keeho said.

Tima indicated that the three women should leave Keeho to prepare the body. As soon as they left the chuka, Sarah and Devlin bombarded Tima with questions regarding Keeho's behavior.

"Come with me." Tima stopped the women from both talking at once.

Tima led the women into her chuka. "Binili." She indicated that they should sit.

They sat in a circle around the fire. Tima moved about the chuka and prepared a tea. Devlin took note that it wasn't an everyday drink, but rather a more formal, ceremonial tea. Tima handed each woman a shallow bowl with a generous amount of tea. Tima then unwrapped a doeskin-covered package to reveal a small pipe. Devlin had never sat in on a woman's council, but she recognized this as one.

"Does your Sarah understand the way of women in the clan?" Tima asked Devlin.

Devlin understood that this was her mother's way of asking Devlin to explain. "The Chahta are a matriarchal society," Devlin said to Sarah. "What most outsiders never realize is that the women of the clan make the majority of the decisions, sitting around a council like we are now. Women are the givers of life and are the most powerful members of the clan. They decide what the rules will be, but it's the Miko that announces the decisions, hence the outsiders' idea that men rule the Chahta clans."

Devlin and Sarah watched as Tima set tobacco into the smooth sandstone bowl of a short, thin pipe. She lit the sacred tobacco, and its sweet smell filled the chuka, tendrils of smoke drifting upward. Tima offered a silent prayer to the four directions, Mother Earth, and finally up to Hashtahli.

"The pipe has great power," Tima said as she pulled on the pipe and blew the smoke into the air. She handed the pipe to her daughter and Devlin took a draw from it.

Devlin handed it to Sarah. "Have you done this before?"

"Mattie and I used to sneak Father's corncob pipe. Is it the same?"

"Yes." Devlin quietly chuckled in reply.

Sarah took her turn, then returned the pipe to Tima, who drew from it once again, holding out the palm of her hand as if urging the smoke upward.

"The hakchuma ashuka is made of two separate parts. There is the bowl, and there is the stem. Without each other, they are nothing more than parts. Together, they unite to provide a way for us to communicate with the spirits. Together, they are one spiritual ent.i.ty." Tima drew from the pipe one final time.

"Tobacco is sacred to the Chahta. The white man offers tobacco without knowing its special meaning to us. They have taught the red man how to misuse the tobacco, corrupting the gift from Mother Earth. It is up to the clan mother to preserve the way."

Sarah suddenly felt something more than three women sitting in a chuka smoking. There was a bond there, something natural yet unspoken between them. It had nothing and everything to do with blood. It was not the blood of kin, but the sacred and powerful blood of women. Sarah had no idea that at that moment, Devlin was feeling the same thing.

"The spirits are calling the two of you. Do you feel it?" Tima asked.

Without knowing why, Sarah and Devlin nodded. They could feel something, had felt it since the night they met Taano. It was as if something was pulling at them.

"Sakli, it is time for you to come into your power."

"But I thought you said there wasn't any hurry, that I could just let it come." Sarah's voice rose in pitch.

"It has arrived. I feel the winds of change already. Now there is an urgency and I can feel it deep inside."

Devlin had silently followed this exchange, but she was now to the point of confusion. Somehow, Taano had followed his vision, and since he was an Old One, Devlin believed in his spiritual power. The spirits were calling her and Sarah. Perhaps it was a test, or it could be that she and Sarah were the best suited for the job. What Devlin hadn't been able to fathom was why Keeho had been willing to accept Sarah into his private ways. Now as Tima spoke again of Sarah's power, it dawned on Devlin. Did Taano know all along? Is Sarah more than she appears?

"They want you to become Alikchi?" Devlin turned to Sarah and asked with a surprised whisper.

"I don't understand it, either, Dev." Sarah brushed golden bangs from her forehead in her customary gesture of impatience. "Nali says that I have power and that it has something to do with my dreams."

"You dream?" Devlin asked. "Do they-"

"Come true? Yes, bits and pieces of them."

"Nali," Devlin turned to her mother, "is this why Keeho wishes Sarah to communicate with the spirits along with him? Does he see her destiny, does he know?"

"We have both seen her destiny, but it is for Sakli to choose if she will follow this path."

"But she's not Chahta."

"It would be as arrogant for us to think that the clan's mother should be one of us as it would be for the white man to think that he is the rightful heir to the soil beneath our feet," Tima said. "She can become clan."

"What if she doesn't want to?" Devlin could hear the rising pitch of her voice.

"She already said she did."

"For us to be married, not to become a medicine woman!"

"I do hate to interrupt this mother-and-daughter conversation, but you do realize I'm still here, don't you?" Sarah's voice increased in volume to make her presence known.

"I'm sorry, Sa, but I want to make sure you're not being talked into something that you're not prepared for." Devlin reached for Sarah's hand. "What they're asking of you-"

"Is not something I would ever do without discussing it with you first, Devlin," Sarah said firmly. "Besides, Nali," Sarah turned to Tima, "I can't believe that I'm the only one who has an occasional dream come true. Surely, there must be someone more...well, more qualified."

"You haven't even seen any proof, Nali. How can you be so certain that Sarah is the one?" Devlin asked.

"She knows the way. She pa.s.sed the test," Tima said in her customary offhanded manner.

"You took a test?" Devlin looked at Sarah in surprise.

"No, I swear," Sarah said.

By this time, both women were staring at Tima. Tima sighed deeply, bowed her head, and stared at her hands. She stretched her fingers, rubbing the stiffness from the joints. Sarah and Devlin exchanged inquisitive looks over Tima's silence, but they patiently waited for her to explain. The quiet persisted for a few moments more.

"Sakli helped me to prepare Taano's medicine yesterday. I instructed and she made."

"Sarah, you made the medicine?" Devlin asked.

"Well, yes, but Tima told me what to...oh, dear G.o.d!" Sarah exclaimed. "I killed him, didn't I?"

"No, Sa, no." Devlin tried to keep a straight face in this serious situation, but given Sarah's expression, it was difficult.

"You did no such thing," Tima said.

"Relax, sachu-kash. I was surprised is all. Tima doesn't usually let anyone help her when she heals." Devlin arched an eyebrow at her mother, who met her with an equally intimidating gaze. "Sarah, tell me what you did, exactly as you remember it, every step."

Sarah pondered the reason for Devlin's question, but she related the event to the best of her recollection.

"What root did you use?" Devlin asked.

"Nali called it chuchupate. I always called it osha root, at least it looked and smelled the same. Kind of like really strong celery."

"How did you know?"

"I...well, I...I guess I just knew."

"And when you placed the medicine bag and bowl beside Tima, where did you set them?"

Sarah scrunched her eyes closed for a moment in an attempt to relive the moment in her mind. "I placed the medicine bag on the mat right next to Tima. I laid the bowl down next to it. Oh, yes, I remember I put the bowl on the flat part of the beaver's tail."