The Last Sundancer (2 page)

Kaichen had grown used to his grandfather’s strange ways, but Siada had not.  Kaichen did not hesitate to run as Grandfather urged him forward.  Loyalty to his brother made him ask about Siada but his grandfather only told him to remain quiet. 
He did not hear any sound of pursuit and he did not see their enemies, but Grandfather’s eyes told him that someone was near.  Kaichen held perfectly still. 

Grandfather signaled that he should lie flat on his belly and Kaichen knew a moment of hesitation.  If he fell to his stomach then he would be vulnerable.  When his grandfather lay flat against the
ground, Kaichen did the same.

He glanced around
but he could not find any sign of their enemies.  Where was Siada?  His brother should have been with them.  Siada was in danger.

“Grandfather, where is Siada?” Kaichen waited for as long as he could before speaking.  His grandfather
stared at him with wide eyes and then slowly moved his head back and forth.

Ice-cold
tendrils of fear uncoiled inside of Kaichen’s belly.  Kaichen felt shivers take hold of him and he breathed out of his mouth steadily.

It was possible that this was a test
of some sort; he knew that Grandfather always tested their knowledge and skill.  Yet Kaichen had no doubt that he would have heard Siada return to their fire, he always awoke instantly whenever anyone drew near.

He knew with certainty that
his brother had not returned.  Grandfather had beaten Siada and left him far from their small shelter.  He told Siada that he would have to return by morning or suffer worse.  Kaichen did not want to leave his brother behind but he was not given a choice.

Kaichen knew that the land could sap strength and will from anyone that walked unprepared.  How many times had grand
father taught them this lesson?

“Where is Siada?” Kaichen knew that
the sound of his voice would anger his grandfather, but he could not hold the words inside any longer.  He had learned that it was better if they did not speak or draw attention to themselves.  Perhaps that was why Siada did not use his voice any longer.  Grandfather roughly clamped his hand over Kaichen’s mouth as he pulled Kaichen to his feet.

“Run!” Grandfather’s voice
cracked with old age and Kaichen felt his grandfather’s fear as if it was his own.  “Do not look back!”

Kaichen’s feet pounded against the rough sand and rock as he fled.  Fear
gave his feet wings as he ran.

When his breath hitched in his lungs he looked back.  Grandfather stood over a form huddled upon the ground.  Kaichen’s heart seized as he saw Grandfather raise his walking staff and bring it down with all of his force.  

Kaichen fell to his knees.  It could not be and yet it was.  Suddenly, he understood what had taken place with terrible certainty.  There was no enemy that came in the night to steal the souls of little boys.

Grandfather was the enemy.

Siada had returned to them by crawling upon his hands and knees.  It must have taken him all night.  Grandfather had beaten Siada until the boy could not walk.

He must have pulled himself over the dry land with strength of will alone.  Siada had done everything to reach Kaichen and tell him, warn him, that Grandfather’s soul had come un
done.  Kaichen could not scream. He could not speak as he saw his brother raise his hand to shield his head from Grandfather’s killing blow.

From a distance,
Kaichen looked into his brother’s eyes.  The moment seemed to last for an eternity as he saw the fear and despair mirrored in his brother’s gaze.

“Run!”
Siada let loose a war cry as his breath shuddered from his body. Kaichen heard him and still he knelt in the sand.

Grandfather’s walking stick came down upon Siada’s body with a sickening crunch as it shattered
flesh and bone.  Kaichen felt the emptiness that hovered around his soul take hold of his breath and spirit.  Siada did not move again.  Kaichen’s breath hissed between his teeth as Grandfather looked up at him and smiled.

“I have killed the enemy Kaichen.  Do not fear.” Grandfather beckoned him closer and Kaichen
moved forward as if drawn by an invisible string.

His body was numb.  He could not hear, he could not see, he could not feel.  Siada was dead
.  Grandfather had killed him.

“He was not the Sundancer after all.  If he had been the true Sundancer then I would have known it.” Grandfather
slowly shook his head from side to side as he looked down at his fallen grandson.  Kaichen’s ears rang with sound as he trembled. 
Siada!

Grandfather lifted his walking stick and Kaichen saw that it was bloody and covered with gore.  His stomach threatened to revolt and he stumbled back one step
after another but he was not quick enough.

He saw his death confirmed in the narrowing of his grandfather’s eyes.  He watched as his grandfather raised his walking
stick and swung it toward him.

Kaichen did not move.  He welcomed death.  There was no longer any reason to live.  Siada was gone.  Kaichen did not close his eyes.  He looked into the watery eyes of his grandfather and tensed as the walking stick made a whistli
ng sound even as it approached.

“Die!” Grandfather’s scream rev
erberated inside of his skull.

Kaichen waited.  But the killing blow never came. 
Instead, he watched as red blossomed from his grandfather’s chest.  The stain quickly grew and spread over the front of his sleeveless deerskin parka.  Kaichen could not comprehend what he knew to be true.

Grandfather’s eyes widened in shock and then they went blank as he gasped and fell to the ground.  Sound gurgled up from his throat as Kaichen stood looking down upon the m
an that had tried to kill him.

Long moments passed before Kaichen was able to pull his head up and look out across the flat land.  A man
stood with his hand still resting upon his bow.   Kaichen heard the man call his name but he could not respond.

Grandfather had fallen, never to rise again. 
Siada was dead.  Kaichen felt that all hope was lost, even as he screamed and screamed without cease.

The sound of digging drew Kaichen’s attention.  He heard the scrape of stone against dirt as he stared into the fire without seeing.

The man had given him water to drink and then handed him dried meat from his carrying pack.  Kaichen did not drink and he did not eat. 

The digging continued for a long time as the sun rose higher into the sky.  Kaichen felt his skin begin to burn. 

He had been sitting in the same place for far longer than he could remember.   The sound of footsteps came to his ears.  Kaichen flinched as the man’s shadow fell over him. 

“I took this from the boy.  Perhaps you can keep it and remember him.” The man’s voice was hard and grating, but there was also sorrow to be found within his tone. 

Kaichen tried not to hear.  If he kept his head bowed and did not look at the man, then perhaps this day would not have happened.  Perhaps Siada would still be alive. 

“I could not find you in time.  I followed your tracks for many days.  I looked everywhere for you.” The man moved to the fire and placed green branches upon it.   Immediately, dark smoke filled the air.  “Your mother has been looking for you from the day that you were taken until now. She never stopped looking.”

Kaichen raised his eyes to look into the familiar face of
the warrior standing before him. 

Cohtzen
stared back at him. 

Grief was etched into the shadows under his dark eyes.  “You must know that what happened was not your fault.  Your grandfather was not a bad man.  But his spirit left long ago.  It was taken from him.  The man that hurt Siada was not your grandfather in truth.”

Kaichen simply stared at Cohtzen without speaking and when Cohtzen ran out of words Kaichen looked away.

From a
distance, he saw the lone figure that drew ever nearer.  Kaichen did not want to know the taste and feel of hope but it rose within him even still. 

He knew the woman that walked toward them and his heart sped up when her careful steps changed and she started to run.   When the woman fell to her knees in front of him Kaichen refused to look at her.  It was only when he heard the sound of his mother’s grief-stricken wail that he looked up. 

“Siada!” His mother screamed his brother’s name as Cohtzen tried to offer her words of comfort. 

She did not stop screaming for a long time. 

Kaichen remained still and silent even though he wanted to find comfort in the circle of his mother’s arms.  He recognized that something had been torn from his chest with the death of his brother.  His heart had been taken and he was no longer a boy. 

When he raised his eyes to look at his mother he knew that she stared into the eyes of someone she did not know.  Kaichen had become a man.  He was twelve seasons of age. 

“What will I do?”  Denoa turned to look at
Cohtzen with eyes that were devoid of light. 

Cohtzen
lowered his gaze.  He could not bear to see Denoa bowed low with grief.  In that moment, Cohtzen knew that he would have done anything to keep the terrible grief from her heart. 

Denoa’s eyes were vacant as she stared at
Cohtzen.  The death of her son was another blow that fell on top of too many devastating losses.  First, she had survived the death of her husband and given birth to her sons alone.  Siada and Kaichen had been born under a full moon and they were twins. 

Denoa had insisted from the moment of their birth that they mark the firstborn child.  Kaichen’s foot had been marked and allowed to fester. 

Now he carried the mark of his father upon his right foot.  All knew that he was firstborn.  Siada had been born moments later and both boys were placed at their mother’s breast to feed.  Twins were not often allowed to live, but Denoa would not part with either one of her sons.  Cohtzen had understood and so he fought for their right to live. 

Cohtzen
could not think of anything to say to Denoa that would alleviate her suffering and he knew that she would not accept his help. 

Denoa had known
from the beginning that her father had taken both boys into the desert lands.  Narin had grown old, but that did not explain his actions.  The days spent as a captive had damaged Narin’s soul, sending it flying away.  The man that had harmed the boys and killed Siada was not the same man that had been a loving father to Denoa.

Narin
sought a way to ensure that the fate that had once befallen his people would never again come to pass.  Narin’s memories of captivity had tortured him night and day.  He simply could not let go of the past even though his people were free. 

Denoa’s father
had promised the people that he would not return until he fulfilled his quest.  Those of their village lived at the mercy of the land, they were tired beyond measure and many had needed to believe in something.  Anything.  Narin had taken Siada and Kaichen by force, leaving Denoa bound and helpless. 

Cohtzen
would have given everything that he owned if he could only turn back the hand of time.  He glanced at Kaichen.  The boy had not moved.  Not even when his mother threw her arms around him and sobbed over the death of his brother and the harm done to him. 

“I cannot bring myself to mourn
my father.  He is the man that murdered my son.” Denoa brushed long strands of ebony hair from her face.  She avoided mentioning her dead family members by name, as was their custom.   

“If my husband
still lived, he would know what to do.  You must help me Cohtzen, please tell me how to save my son.  My father has told everyone that my sons are the only hope for our people.  I cannot take Kaichen back to our people. Not yet.  For they will surely crush the life from him with their need alone.” Denoa looked into the distance and Cohtzen knew that her eyes sought the wondrous canyon rocks that gave her people power.   He had come to rely on the same red rocks for the source of his own strength.

“You can send him away.”
Cohtzen knew that his words would further break Denoa’s spirit. 

Even
now, the light that filled her soul had already grown dim.  When Narin took her sons, Denoa had been in torment over thoughts of what her father might do to harm her children. The vile things done to Narin by their enemies had shriveled what was left of his soul. Narin wanted peace for their people more than he wanted his next breath. 

Denoa should have sent Narin away
before he caused harm to someone that she loved.  But he was old and feeble.  He did not appear to pose a threat.  This is what she told herself over and over again each day.  She ignored the danger that her father posed to her children and Siada had paid with his life. 

Denoa was quiet for a long time
as guilt weighed down upon her.  She moved around the fire circle and grabbed hold of Kaichen’s hands.