Misplaced (79 page)

O
n
tha
t
firs
t
ride
,
sh
e
learne
d
h
e
w
a
s
studyin
g
t
o
b
e
a
v
eterinarian,
which
is
what
they
called
a
physician
to
animals.
H
e
tol
d
he
r
th
e
stor
y
o
f
th
e
Nati
v
e
Americans
,
ho
w
the
y
had
com
e
fro
m
po
v
erty
,
alcoholism
,
an
d
brin
k
o
f
destructio
n
to
regai
n
som
e
measur
e
o
f
influenc
e
throug
h
game
s
o
f
chance.
Casinos
,
h
e
calle
d
them
.
Th
e
trib
e
ha
d
sen
t
hi
m
t
o
th
e
uni
v
ersity
after
he
’
d
promised
that
he
would
practice
in
the
area
after
he
graduated.

“Someday,”
he
said
with
a
conviction
she
understood
only
too
w
ell, “I will be the tribal leader.”

W
al
t
ha
d
befriende
d
hi
m
whe
n
h
e
w
a
s
stil
l
a
bo
y
o
n
the
reser
v
ation,
and
encouraged
him
to study
and
use
his
gift with
animals
.
H
e
ha
d
e
v
e
n
insiste
d
tha
t
Oli
v
e
r
com
e
t
o
li
v
e
wit
h
him.

“He’s
been
like
a
father
to
me.
P
ersonally,
I
think
he
considers
Celeste
more
than
a
friend.
E
v
ery
few
days,
he
makes
up
some
excuse to be here, though he denies it with e
v
ery breath.”

“Are you al
w
ays in the barn so early in the morning?”

“I
d
o
od
d
job
s
whe
n
I
can—fee
d
an
d
exercis
e
th
e
horses
,
clean out the barn.”

They
rode
along
a
trail
that
climbed
high
on
the
mountain.
Khar
a
lai
d
he
r
hea
d
o
n
Lucy’
s
shoulder
,
listenin
g
t
o
the
animal’s
labored
breath
as
they
picked
their
w
ay
o
v
er
the
rocks
and
fallen
trees
cluttering
the
trail.
Sometimes
Oli
v
er
took
her
off
the
narrow
path
and
into
fields
of
bluebonnets
or
larkspurs.
H
e
sho
w
e
d
he
r
wher
e
th
e
el
k
scrape
d
th
e
bar
k
of
f
th
e
trees
,
and
the tracks of a bear.

Whe
n
the
y
stoppe
d
t
o
le
t
th
e
horse
s
feas
t
o
n
th
e
tal
l
grass
,
he
leapt
to
the
ground,
and
she
dismounted
to
find
him
standing
to
o
close
.
Smellin
g
o
f
pine
,
leather
,
an
d
maleness
,
hi
s
arched
e
y
ebrow implied some carnal mystery.
H
e
aske
d
he
r
wh
y
sh
e
wor
e
a
golde
n
ban
d
aroun
d
on
e
boot.

“It
w
as gi
v
en to me. For protection.”

“Protection from what?”

“Where I come from, things are
v
ery different.”

“In what
w
ay?”

“In
all
w
ays.
P
erhaps
I
can
explain
another
time,
but
now
I
must get back.”

“Le
t
m
e
sho
w
y
o
u
some
t
hi
n
g
f
irs
t
,
”
h
e
said
,
t
a
k
in
g
he
r
hand
.
The
y
le
t
th
e
horse
s
graz
e
an
d
follo
w
e
d
a
wid
e
trai
l
strewn
with
large
boulders.
Soon
Oli
v
er
stopped
and
pushed
back
the
branches.

The
y
ha
d
lef
t
th
e
worl
d
fa
r
belo
w
them
.
I
t
seeme
d
tha
t
i
f
she
stoo
d
o
n
he
r
toes
,
sh
e
coul
d
touc
h
th
e
clouds
.
Oli
v
e
r
pointed
ou
t
th
e
tin
y
patc
h
tha
t
Khar
a
coul
d
hardl
y
belie
v
e
w
a
s
Celeste’s
farm.
The
air
felt
crisp.
Only
her
hand
in
his
felt
w
arm
and
of
this earth.

“M
y
peopl
e
onc
e
worshippe
d
i
n
thi
s
v
er
y
spot
;
the
y
thought
of
this
place
as
the
top
of
the
world.
On
a
day
like
today,
you
can see for more than a hundred miles.”

He
w
as
r
ight.
K
h
a
r
a
f
o
l
lo
w
e
d
a
n
oc
e
a
n
o
f
g
r
e
e
n,
w
at
ch
ing
it
fade
into
spotty
terrain
and
e
v
entually
into
barren
desert.
She
e
v
en
saw
the
remnants
of
the
sea
of
white
sand
where
Nandor
ha
d
appeared
.
Sh
e
follo
w
e
d
th
e
directio
n
hi
s
s
w
eepin
g
ar
m
had
take
n
tha
t
night
.
Pointin
g
t
o
a
parched-lookin
g
expan
s
e
o
f
grey—
brown, she asked, “What lies there?”