Grail Quest (27 page)

“Thank you, Bear. You are a friend I cherish.”

“Friend Squire, I fear our trials are not over. We think Coyote Witch made off with our Wakan Totem. He must have some diabolical reason for his theft.”

“No one else could have taken it?”

“I thought a ghost bull killed him. Maybe not. We don’t know of anyone else who could have spirited it away unseen. We think he used his witch powers to steal it.”

“If he is alive, I fear for Leahna’s safety.”

“And yours too, my friend. We do not know how long the Wakan Totem has been missing. If it’s true that our good fortune rested on its possession, the Mandan may be in for hard times. Old Cougar thinks your attempt to enter the big canoe was the first sign of more trouble to come.”

“Yet if I hadn’t acted crazy, you wouldn’t know it’s gone.”

During the next two weeks, while I recovered from my wounds, the Mandan suffered
 
a hail storm, followed by a brief ice storm. Weak people attributed these strange troubles to the missing totem. Getting back my strength, I took it easy in our dome and seldom left it.

Out and about, Moyock returned with talk from the village, “Squire, many people still think you moved the Totem.”

“Huh? How could they think that? Many people saw what happened.”

“Some look for any excuse for their hardships. Chief Wolf states you don’t have it. Also Bear and the Medicine Man say our problems are not caused by you.”

“If Coyote Witch has it, I’m surprised we haven’t heard from him.”

“Ummnhh. Not want to hear from him,” said Leahna.

“Maybe. Now I feel obligated to help the Mandan recover their totem. If Coyote Witch has it, he’s bound to crow about it. Only then can we seek to recover it.”

“Ohhh no! I think he want too much.,” Leahna said.

“Hmmn. I don’t plan to pay him. I’ll just take it back from him.”

I wasn’t as confident as I was trying to sound. The advantage was all on his side. I re-examined my flintlock. The stock was broken, but the firing mechanism seemed intact. I couldn’t
 
hold it to my shoulder. I still had two lead balls and some powder in my horn. Shooting it would be tricky, but not impossible. I’d have to see what happens.

On a clear beautiful day after the snow melted, we heard distant thunder. Odd. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The thunder drew nearer and louder. Still no clouds, no lightning. “Let’s see what Old Cougar has to say about this.”

By the time we got to the crowded plaza, people were pointing to the sky in the West. An enormous bird floated toward us. Every time it flapped its wings we heard thunder. Chief Wolf said, “I have heard the Sioux speak of Wakinya Tanka, Great Thunderbird. I didn’t believe them. They said it lived in a high place of
 
boiling waters, with rocks that smoked fire and ash. Who could believe such a tale?”

His eyes fixed on the approaching bird, Old Cougar said, “Perhaps the Sioux did not lie this time. I think this not a good sign. I must appeal to Wakan Tanka.” He entered the Medicine Lodge and soon we heard him chanting his prayer.

As the bird reached the edge of the village it began a slow circular sweep around it. Now we could see how huge it was from the man sitting on its back. His feet dangled in front of its
 
wings.
 
Soaring without flapping its wings, the thunder ceased. The man spoke in a voice so loud that everyone in the village could hear his words.

“Hear me now, People of the Pheasant, I am Coyote. Many of you know me…”

Leahna collapsed against me and hid her face on my chest. She moaned.

“… I have taken your Wakan Totem. I have it in a safe place. I will return it to you. Then your good times will return. There is a trade for it. You harbor a waischu…”

Fear wrenching their faces, people began moving away from me.

“…Iktome warned the Sioux. Many waischu will come. Many more than can be counted will come. They will steal the places of
 
Natural People. They will kill all the buffalo. They will burn your homes…murder your children…steal your women. They are evil. We must resist them.”

Slow circling continued. Coyote was silent while his words sunk in. I watched the crowd. I looked into the eyes of anyone who would look at me. Few would. I could hear muttering and angry shouts from the back of the crowd. Coyote had their attention.

“The waischu who calls himself White Chief Squire is the first of these demons. He has dishonored me. He took unto himself
 
my Witch Mate. He used her for his pleasure. I will have vengeance on this waischu!”

Moyock and Leahna and I moved closer to the Medicine Lodge. We stood near Chief Wolf, Old Cougar and Bear. Fox came up to stand next to Bear.

“Now my Witch-Mate carries my Witch Child…”

So that’s why her breasts seemed swollen. “Oh my God!” I gasped. My heart plummeted.

Leahna sobbed, “Ohhh. No. No.
 
I not be his Witch Mate! I not have his child! I not want his child! I die first!”

“This white snake must return my Witch Mate to me. He must bring her to me at Roh-kee-tor as the full moon rises. No others may accompany him. When I have my Witch Mate back…then I will return the Wakan Totem to the Mandan. As for the waischu bloodsucker, I will take pleasure in slowly putting him to death…or…maybe that is too easy for him. Perhaps I will scalp him…perhaps I will un-man him…then I will maim his legs. Alive, he can crawl back to you like a groveling dog!

“Heed my words, Mandan! He must have her at Roh-kee-tor when the moon rises!”

The thunderbird turned to the west. As it flapped its wing we were bombarded by thunder. We could see the huge bird alight on a distant rock. Chief Wolf said, “That is Roh-kee-tor, Squire. That is where you must take
his
red-haired Witch Mate.” He entered the Medicine Lodge.

I was taken aback by the finality of his tone. I resented his attitude. Did he think I would really abandon my Wife Mate to that fiend? Old Cougar and the rest of the council filed into the lodge. Before going in, Bear said, “I will talk to you later.”

Leahna, Moyock and I faced a strangely quiet crowd. I think most of them were stunned. As we made our way back to our dome, they stood aside to let us pass. Many of their faces looked drained. Some had tears running down their cheeks. Leahna was on the verge of collapse. I carried her the last hundred yards.

I placed Leahna on our pallet. I held her in my arms. “Sweetheart, there is no way I will let that fiend carry out his demands.”

“Oh, Squire, I’m so scared. I feel so bad. What we do now?”

“We’ll have a war council,” I said. “We need to calm down. To think about this situation from every angle. We’ll figure out a way to defeat Coyote Witch.”

Moyock said, “Maybe we should leave here…right now! The Mandan could not catch our canoe with their round boats. Let’s go…before they know we’re gone!”

“It’s not that easy. Leave here with no provisions? No help from my now missing four Squaws. Leave with only what the three of us can carry?”

“Better we escape…than face death or worse from Coyote!”

“No, if we leave, Coyote is still loose. He’ll track us down if the Mandan don’t. I’ve got to face that varmint! I’ve
 
got to kill him. We won’t have any rest until I do!”

Leahna said, “I know…but how you do?”

I was still thinking of an answer to that question when Bear arrived. “Friend Squire, I must tell you, there is much trouble in the council. Much talk. No one happy. All hate Coyote Witch. Many favor you, many don’t. Back and forth. In end, council decides, welfare of tribe must come first. They can not help you. Then Puma say not help, not enough. We guard him up to Roh-kee-tor. Make sure he goes. Then he tell Lynx to damage your canoe so you can’t leave. My heart is sad. I don’t know what to do.”

“I thank you for your friendship, Bear. I don’t think anyone else can help. This is a matter that must be settled between Coyote and me.”

“Yes, that is so. Tomorrow is harvest moon. I wish you success, Squire.”

After Bear left,
 
I said, “Coyote can not be all powerful. He must have some weakness. He must have some fault I can exploit. What do you think, Leahna?”

“He different now. He evil. Before, I think he fun-loving…a joker. Laugh at jokes girls do on him, not mean harm to anyone. Now he cruel.”

“He’s very jealous over you. Did he ever say he loved you?”

“No. He not love me like you, Squire. I think he only want me…for his witch-child.”

“Something puzzling me. If the Wakan Totem really is the Holy Grail, how can Coyote Witch use it for an evil purpose? Maybe that is a weakness we can use.”

On the morrow I walked to the highest point nearby, from which I had a better view of Roh-kee-tor. I wished I had more time to reconnoiter up close to the outcrop. Back in the dome, I said, “This time of year the moon will be visible long before sunset. I don’t know how long it will take us to get to the rock, so I want to start as soon as possible. Daylight
 
may be an advantage to us.”

“What I do, Squire? Coyote say only you two. I not stay behind!”

“Walk with us as long as you dare, Moyock. You’ll probably have company from Puma and his cronies. If I go down in defeat…Kill that evil Coyote for us.”

In the morning the weather was cool enough that we could wear light robes. Leahna concealed her hatchet in her waist band. I did likewise and strapped my saber on my belt. Then I loaded my flintlock and handed it to Moyock. “You may have a better chance to use it than I. It won’t be easy to handle with the broken stock. You’ll have to press it against your ribs under your right arm. Hold the barrel with your left hand. Pull the trigger with your right. You’ll have to be close…won’t be able to aim well. Be careful. The kick may break your hand.”

“If I kill him, I won’t care about that!”

We set out for the river. Puma and some of the Kit-Fox followed us at a distance. “I don’t see our canoe anywhere. Maybe Lynx kept it somewhere for himself.” The ever present water maidens were happy to push us across the river in their round coracles. That put us farther ahead of our guards.

Once up on higher ground,
 
I estimated we had better than a two hour walk to the rock. We set out at a fast pace. Whatever happened
 
I was eager to get it over. Fast striding served to strengthen my resolve.

As we got closer, Leahna’s spirit’s crumbled and she dragged on my arm. “Squire…Oh, Squire…what we do when we get there?”

What was I going to do? I didn’t know yet, but I couldn’t let my wife and friend know I had any fear.
“I’m going to kill that lousy skunk!”

“How you can do? He say, men can not see him. Cannot kill him. What can you do?”

“I’ve seen him many times. He may be hiding when he’s rogering squaws, but he’s always visible when you’re around. He thinks he can’t be killed.”
Like hell he can’t. He
 
may be a witch but he’s human too.
“He lies. I’ll show him different. Be too late for him then. I love you too much to let him win!”

“Yes…you do love me, Squire. I love you too.”

As we approached what appeared to be two monoliths,
 
I looked for a way to climb up. The lower part looked easy. About three quarters of the way up almost vertical rocks climbed to a flat looking cap. Coyote got up there easy on the back of the Thunder Bird. Where was it now? Climbing looked like a tough route. I didn’t see the bird,
 
so maybe Coyote had to climb up there again himself. If he could do it , so could I.

Far to the east, the full moon was above the clouds on the horizon. We hadn’t seen it, but now we could see Coyote-Man on top of the tor. He glared down at us from the rim.

“SQUIRE YOU HAVE DISOBEYED ME! THE MOON IS UP! The boy Moyock is with you… many men follow you!”
 

“So what? You are not the chief of the universe. No one has to obey your orders! Come down here if you think you can take my wife-mate from me, or are you too cowardly to face me man to man?”

“Hah. You waischu…I don’t have to face you. You must come up here. Bring my witch -mate to me. Then you will beg me to kill you. Now I will make everyone suffer for your failure!”

He held up a doeskin bag. He unwrapped an object and held it up by it’s stem. It wasn’t bright and shiny like Leahna’s crucifix. A dark brown patina covered the chalice. He raised it high in the air. “So… this grubby thing is the precious Wakan Totem! It means nothing to me. I will destroy it!”

“Coyote beware! That Holy Grail belongs to the son of the White Man’s God!
It can not be used for an evil purpose!”

“Hah! My purpose is…”
 
Coyote hesitated. The chalice began to glow. All of us froze. We could only watch as the cup slowly turned bright and shiny. “…To smash it!”

His face twisted, his hand burning, Coyote flung it toward the rocks. It didn’t land. Tumbling as in slow motion, it glowed hotter and hotter, until a streak of white lightening shot from the clouds to the Grail…where a spectral hand caught it. That energy materialized in the form of a beautiful lady with huge white wings. Floating away with the her right hand holding the Grail high, she pointed her left hand at Coyote and blurted a strange word. He fell to his knees. With effortless sweeps, her wings carried the angel of sight into the heavens. I knelt and thanked God.