The blind Prophet nodded. “Black Tooth mocked the lords of Cahokia. He abused what Power was left to that place. Cahokia may be an empty husk, but one should not enrage the souls of the dead who walk there.” He paused. “Sometimes I think we are all losing our Power. Perhaps it has been drained away. Or, like good farmland, it loses its fertility over time, only growing stunted crops.”
Old White chewed his beans and said, “The center that was Cahokia has spread out; people of different nations and languages have taken its beliefs in all directions. Perhaps what was once concentrated is diffused.”
The blind man smiled. “We are the Children of the Sun, the Tsoyaha. This has always been our land. Our home is here on the Tenasee River and in the hills to the east. Our stories tell of the coming of the Cahokian Traders. Some of our chiefs went there and we learned their Power. Many of their teachings were incorporated into our own. We took their Power, and mixed it with our own, growing stronger. That is the strength of the Tsoyaha.” He paused. “But perhaps as different people took the Power, Cahokia faded. It is a lesson for all of us.”
“If you believe that there is only so much Power in the world.” Old White added, “That it is like water in a jar. You can only pour so much out before it is all gone.”
“Do you believe this?” the Kala Hi’ki asked.
Old White shrugged, setting his plate aside. He fished for his pipe, happy that at least it had been returned to him. “I’m not sure. But I have come to believe that those who hoard Power are finally destroyed by it. You have heard the legends of Tharon?”
“The great lord of Cahokia who sent warriors out around the world to obtain Power objects. He became a witch, and in the end his own people burned him to rid the world of his evil.”
“Power must always be treated with the greatest respect,” Old White agreed. “It is to be used with the utmost care, allowed to flow through us.”
“Perhaps that is why the Tsoyaha are still strong,” the Kala Hi’ki said thoughtfully. “Our people must ever be obedient to our promises to Our Mother Sun and the forces that have made us.” He fingered the shell gorget on his chest, another of the three-winged spirals surrounded by a circle containing what looked like moons and stars. The edge looked like round flower petals.
“The Tsoyaha manage,” Old White granted.
“But it is difficult,” the Kala Hi’ki continued. “Our stories tell us about the coming of the Mos’kogee. We watched them flood eastward, and they washed around us, conquering, settling, and moving on again. To the north are the Kaskinampo, to the south the Chaktaw, and Chikosi. East of them are the Talapoosie, the Ockmulgee, and others. While others have been swept away, we remain.”
Then he glanced at Two Petals. “For the moment, I worry about her Power. She is dangerous, unfocused. If she lashes out instead of fainting, the consequences could be severe.”
“Split Sky City, I’m afraid, is even larger than your city is. She will be overwhelmed.”
“You have never seen a Contrary trained?”
“No, I haven’t. Most of the Contraries I have known are older, and often just people who affect the ways and manners to touch the Power. I’ve never known one as young as she.”
“That is the problem.” The Kala Hi’ki turned his blind face to Old White. “I could help her.”
“Why would you offer to do that, great Kala Hi’ki? Even I, who am in the middle of this, have no real idea of Power’s purpose with her.”
“She appeared to me,” he said. “From far-off Cahokia. Perhaps she came here for a reason. Came to me. Perhaps I am part of Power’s purpose.” He paused. “You have claimed, under the Power of Trade, that you wish us no harm. Do you still bind yourself to that?”
“I do,” Old White answered.
“Trader?” the Kala Hi’ki asked. “You, who are an enemy of my people, do you so swear?”
Trader nodded. “I do. I have no reason to wish the Tsoyaha ill.”
“Why would that be? Our warriors have killed your people, and you mine. We have been enemies from the time your people conquered the Albaamaha.”
“We have also made peace between us at different times in the past,” Trader responded. “I’m a Trader first, and I’ve seen many peoples. The ones at war do the least Trade.”
“But warriors often capture good farmlands after they have weakened their enemies or destroyed them,” the Kala Hi’ki countered. “War strengthens the young men. Makes them fast, quick of thought and action. It hones them to aspire to their best.”