Two Petals lowered her gaze to Whippoorwill’s belly. “He will grow up to be a great mikko for your people.”
“He will lead them into the future.” She glanced up the slope. “They come.”
Two Petals followed her gaze. Smoke Shield appeared, the muscles of his legs flexing as he came trotting down the beaten trail. The heavy copper plate shot beams of light this way and that. The Traders above the landing stopped short, gaping. Many rose to their feet as Smoke Shield passed.
Two Petals heard the calls of dismay and let the words pass through her. Time continued to slow, her two selves drifting ever closer.
“Are you prepared, my husband?”
“Yes.” His Song grew, echoed by the river, picked up by the shore and the trees. Deer Man stamped his feet, heedless of the wooden canoe he Danced through.
Two Petals closed her eyes, her souls following Smoke Shield’s approach. At the top of the landing, Trader and Old White hurried into view at the head of a group of chiefs. And behind them, she knew, came a growing crowd.
“They come to witness,” her husband Sang in his melodious voice.
“The offering is almost here.”
“I know.”
Eyes closed, she watched Smoke Shield pant his way toward her. The man’s chest was rising and falling, his eyes agleam with excitement. Oblivious, he stopped at the canoe’s stern, stating, “I brought the copper!”
“Then your choice is made. Come, push us out into the river.”
“To make the offering?”
“I have told you the price.”
He carefully lowered the heavy copper into the canoe before pushing them out into the current. The small craft lurched as he jumped into the stern. Onshore, Deer Man was leaping, bending, his antlers flashing this way and that. Many Colored Crow circled close, his feathers rasping in the air. Her husband’s Song permeated water, wood, and rang from the copper.
“Can you hear it?” she asked.
“Hear what?” Smoke Shield asked.
“The Song. It’s so beautiful.”
“I hear nothing.”
“Oh, you will. In just a moment. I am coming into myself. Time is coming together.”
“What are you talking about?” he asked irritably.
“The future. I will finally know it.”
She opened her eyes, hearing Trader’s voice from shore. He was calling for her, desperate for her safety. Poor Trader. She thought back, remembering his panic the night she had led Old White to his hidden camp. She smiled at the recollection of his interest as he watched her body, and then shared the Dream of their coupling. He had prepared her, taught her the arts she needed to bind Smoke Shield to her.
She smiled across the water at Old White, seeing the desperation in his eyes. She cupped her hands around her mouth. “When you are ready, Seeker, we shall come!”
“What? Two Petals! Stop this nonsense!” He was gesturing frantically for her to return.
Thank you, for all that you have done. She touched her breast as if to imprint the memory of him on her souls.
The Song was almost deafening now, her souls swaying as it filled the air around her.
“It is time.” She laughed in reply to Smoke Shield’s anxious questions. She stood carefully, balancing in the canoe.
“What are you doing?” he cried, hands gripping the gunwales in an effort to stabilize them.
In that one wondrous moment, the world stopped. She felt her past and future become now. Her souls merged. I am whole! I am the One!
She raised her arms, letting the warm sun bathe her. Laughter came bubbling up from within. Around her the world began to swell and recede, pulsing with the Song. She became it.
Her gaze fixed on Old White’s. “Seeker? Time has stopped!”
And then, looking down past the canoe, she could see him. Sunlight shot down into the water, outlining his membranous wings. The colors of the rainbow reflected from his body as it rose beneath the canoe. She hadn’t expected him to be so huge. And there, in the reflection of the sun, she could see his great crystalline eye, glinting up at her from beneath the surface.
“I am ready, my husband.”
Smoke Shield was saying something, his words lost, drowned by the Song.
“Come,” her husband said.
Old White gasped his way to the shore and placed his hand on Trader’s shoulder. Behind them, the chiefs stopped short, staring. Diminutive Night Star rode in Blood Skull’s muscular arms. The warrior lowered her to the ground as they all lined out on the bank. Each was panting from the run, staring in disbelief at Smoke Shield and Two Petals where they floated in the calm waters.
“What are they doing?” Pale Cat asked. “Who is that woman?”
“The Contrary, Two Petals,” Trader said grimly. Then he cupped his hands. “Two Petals? Are you all right?”