You must go.
That was all. No more words were spoken before they were again suddenly gone. And, not even the stormy scent of them remained.
What a strange land this is,Amelia thought.Little lightning strikes that surround my husband when he is angry, and now tiny lightning strikes who talk to me as though they be alive.
She shut her eyes, pulled her knees in toward her and placed her arms once again on her knees. For a moment, she cried.
She would do it, of course. She would try to convince Gray Falcon to let her come with him, but if he still wouldn't allow it, she knew she would follow him. She would have to, especially if his success depended on her. Thank goodness she hadn't given him her word to stay behind.
However, whether she tagged along with him or followed him without his knowledge, this man was going to be very upset with her. Still, now knowing what might happen if she didn't act, she had no choice.
Drying her tears, she crawled to the entrance flap of their wickiup, flung it aside and crawled out of their sturdy, but tiny lodge. Was Gray Falcon still here?
As though she had asked the question aloud, the dark cloud, ablaze with lightning strikes appeared directly over Gray Falcon, spreading light upon him as if he held a torch above his head. When he looked upward at it, the cloud simply disappeared.
Slowly, she approached him.
He was getting ready to leave; he had already placed his blanket over his horse in preparation to set out upon the trail. Oddly, she had never seen him so heavily armed, and she realized this was because he expected trouble.
She noticed there was a long rifle, sheathed in a beautifully beaded buckskin case, hanging from a rope on his horse. He had similarly secured his lance to the animal.
And, what a beautiful lance it was. Why had she never seen it before? The tip was made from a stone which had been meticulously worked over until its point was sharp. Sinew attached the sharp stone to the slender pole. Strings of buckskin, some of them painted, hung from the lance and a single eagle's feather, which hung from the pole near the sharpened point, fluttered in the night wind.
Two flintlock guns were casually stuffed into his belt, and upon his back was his quiver of arrows, as well as his bow slung over his arm. A sash carrying ammunition was positioned catty-cornered over his chest, and he wore no shirt and no leggings. She recognized that his lack of shirt and leggings meant this man had divested himself of everything cumbersome, except, of course, his weapons.
When he looked at her, she saw him shake his head as he asked, "Why are you not asleep?"
"Because I suddenly realize I have to come with you."
"We have already engaged in this conversation, and I have nothing more to say about it."
"And yet, we need to reopen our discussion about it. I must come with you."
She watched as he sighed. "My wife, hear me. I refuse to take you into danger. I will not change my mind."
"And, I refuse to let you go to the fort without me. Please, let me come with you."
He sighed. "My wife, I am following the Creator's directions. He is working through me. If He intended you to come with me, wouldn't he have told me about it?"
"I suppose so, but what if He is telling you I should come, but in a different way? What if He is trying to talk to you through me?"
He sighed and looked away from her. And, although she knew he was angry with her—because the tiny lightning strikes surrounded him—she didn't back down. Instead, she waited for what he might say.
At length, he said, "I will ask the Creator. I will pray before I go. And, if He does not tell me you are to come with me, you will stay here. Can you agree to this?"
She took a moment to collect her thoughts before she said, "Maybe."
He sighed yet again before he uttered, "I tell you true: you are not to come. I understand what you are feeling. However, your interference is not good. I will say this to you one more time: I cannot put my attention on keeping you safe when I am in the presence of an enemy. And, I will not knowingly take you into danger. But, as I said, I will pray about this before I go. I will ask for guidance."
She nodded. "May I come with you when you pray?"
"Saa," he said. "This I must do alone. Come, I will walk you to our temporary home, and you will try to sleep. I will pray."
****
She was half asleep when he returned. But, upon his entrance into their temporary home, she sat up quickly, unsure of who had come into her lodge. A gasp escaped her lips before she realized the intruder was her husband. Calming herself, she gazed up at him and smiled.
Gray Falcon sat down catty-cornered from her and crossed his legs, as was the Blackfoot tradition. He didn't speak.
