“We’re coming,” Roman said in faltering Sioux. He donned his shirt and helped me to my feet.
We strode hand in hand behind the fellow who had summoned us. The smell of cooking meat and fragrant stews made my stomach growl.
Other village dwellers, men, women, and children, headed in the same direction as us. They eyed us with curiosity, without the suspicion from earlier. Apparently, word had spread that Roman and Marcellious were honored guests.
Emily and I were held in equal status through association.
“I was so shocked to see Marcellious revered by these people,” I said.
“I agree,” Roman said. “But there are too many holes to his story—holes that need answers. Perhaps we shall get the answers tonight.”
“I certainly hope so. How is it you know Earth Bear?” I asked.
“Dancing Fire introduced us. Chief Grey Feather is Dancing Fire’s brother.”
A fire blazed beneath a deer carcass in the middle of a half-circle of gathering participants. Women huddled over cooking stones and frying loaves of bread and greens.
The smells made me nearly ravenous.
Two of the men who’d attacked us approached us. The taller of the two, who had confronted Marcellious when he told them he was one of them, said, “Come with me. I am to take you to the Great Chief. He is waiting for you.”
Roman nodded.
“Of course,” he said.
“I am White Eagle,” the tall man said. “And my friend is Little Bull.”
He grinned at us.
We crossed to the largest teepee.
White Eagle peeled back the door flap.
“Come in,” he said.
We ducked our heads and entered.
Embers burned in the center of a fire pit inside the dark environment. The ten men who had attacked us sat in a circle around a man who looked as old as time itself. Next to the elder sat a man who looked to be in his forties.
The elder wore a deerskin robe as white as bleached bones. Intricate red, black, yellow, and white beadwork had been sewn into the robe, and the lapels were lined with fur. The man’s skin hung in deep wrinkles, and he peered out at us from beneath folds of skin. A lavish headdress of feathers adorned his head. His long hair, the blue-black color of crow wings, had been crisscrossed into braids wrapped with leather strips. Two long earrings of bone and beads hung from the chief’s ears, trailing down to his chest.
I fell in awe of his quiet power and something curious—I felt at home in his presence. When I turned my gaze back to his face, I knew why.
Chief Grey Feather was the spitting image of Moon Lee.
Olivia
I faced another bewildering moment as I stared at Grey Feather, trying to wrap my head around the fact that he looked exactly like Moon Lee. Marcellious, who had just shuffled into sight, looked more frightened than I’d ever seen him. Come to think of it, I’d never witnessed fear on the face of Marcellious. Derision? Many times. Rage? Of course, that was his M.O.
But fear? Never.
So what was he afraid of? Whatever it was, I hoped that maybe he wouldn’t act out in his usual crazy, unpredictable manner.
An array of bison hides had been arranged on the ground in a circle. One by one, we all took our seats. I settled next to Roman, who sat next to Earth Bear.
Marcellious sat where Earth Bear indicated—next to Grey Feather. Marcellious kept his body rigid to avoid touching Grey Feather, even though he was sandwiched between the chief and the chief’s son.
After taking a seat, the tribeswomen distributed roasted deer, fry bread, and fried greens. No one spoke, however, making it an awkward kind of festival. I busied myself eating, smiling at the tribal members who stared at me, and studying my surroundings.
