Chapter 2: The Chief Who Remembered A Cup Of Water
I had faced storms that destroyed fences.
I had faced winters that killed livestock.
I had faced men who wanted my land and believed a rifle made them powerful.
But I had never faced an army.
Not once.
The warriors moved down the hills slowly.
Not rushing.
Not attacking.
That somehow made it worse.
A person charging at you is easy to understand.
A person walking calmly toward you with three hundred armed followers leaves too much room for imagination.
I stood in front of my house, trying to read their movements.
The woman reached the edge of my property first.
The others stopped behind her.
She looked exactly as she had the day before, except now she carried herself differently.
Yesterday, she had been a traveler fighting exhaustion.
Today, she was a leader.
A man stepped forward beside her.
He was older, with gray hair and a face marked by years of battles.
He looked at me carefully.
Then he looked at the woman.
“You are certain?”” he asked.
The woman nodded.
“She gave me water.””
The old man’s expression changed slightly.
Like those words carried more meaning than I understood.
I lowered my rifle a little.
Not because I trusted them.
Because I needed answers.
“What is happening here?”” I asked.
The woman looked at me.
Her voice was quieter than I expected.
“I am Aiyana.””
The name meant nothing to me.
But the warriors behind her reacted when she spoke.
“I know,” I replied.
“What I don’t know is why three hundred people are standing around my ranch.””
Aiyana looked toward the dry valley.
Then back at me.
“Because yesterday, you did something most men would not.””
I frowned.
“I gave someone water.””
She studied me.
“Yes.””
“That hardly seems like a reason for an army.””
Aiyana walked a few steps closer.
“You do not understand.””
“Then explain it.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The wind moved across the valley, carrying dust between us.
Finally, the older warrior stepped forward.
“My name is Tahoma,” he said.
“For many months, our people have searched for Aiyana.””
I looked at her.
“She was missing?””
Tahoma nodded.
“She left without guards. Without telling anyone. She wanted to see whether the stories about the valley were true.””
“What stories?””
His eyes moved toward my ranch.
“Stories about men who take what they want.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“I have nothing to do with whatever happened before.””
“No,” Aiyana said.
Her voice stopped the conversation.
Everyone looked at her.
“You did not.””
She looked at the ground.
“You saw a stranger who was thirsty.””
Her eyes returned to mine.
“You did not ask my name before helping me. You did not ask what tribe I belonged to. You did not ask what I could give you.””
I said nothing.
Because she was right.
It had not crossed my mind.
Water was water.
A person was a person.
“That is why I came here,” she continued.
I glanced at the warriors behind her.
“To thank me?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
That answer surprised me.
“Then why?””
Aiyana looked toward the mountains.
“Because someone tried to kill me before I reached your fence.””
The valley suddenly felt colder.
I stared at her.
“What?””
Her expression remained calm.
“My horse was taken. My supplies were destroyed. I was followed.””
Tahoma’s face hardened.
“And the people responsible know she survived.””
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
I looked at the armed warriors surrounding my ranch.
“You brought them here because someone might come after you?””
Aiyana nodded.
“No.””
She looked directly at me.
“I brought them here because the people who attacked me are already close.””
My grip tightened around the rifle.
“Close?””
Before she could answer, a gunshot echoed from somewhere beyond the western ridge.
The warriors instantly turned.
Every rifle lifted.
Ranger screamed inside the barn.
Then another shot followed.
Closer.
Tahoma shouted something in his language, and the warriors spread across the property.
I looked toward the hills.
Aiyana stepped beside me.
Not behind me.
Beside me.
“You are in danger now,” she said.
I looked at her.
“You mean because your enemies came here?””
Her eyes narrowed.
“No.””
The sound of horses approaching came from the far side of the valley.
Aiyana’s expression changed for the first time.
Not fear.
Recognition.
She whispered a name.
A name that made the warriors around us tighten their weapons.
“Corvin…”
I turned toward her.
“Who is coming?””
She looked at the approaching riders.
Then at me.
“The man who wanted me dead.””
Aiyana paused.
“And the man who believes you helped me escape.””
The riders appeared on the ridge.
At their front was a figure wearing a dark coat, holding a rifle across his saddle.
He stopped when he saw the Apache warriors surrounding my ranch.
Then he smiled.
Because somehow, that smile was more frightening than the weapons.
Aiyana looked at him.
May you like
And whispered:
“Brother.””
