Page 61 of High Noon

“He would’ve instructed Kohana to kill her if that’s what he wanted, and he wouldn’t have bothered traveling anywhere to meet her. He’s ninety-six years old.” Enoch bowed to the older gentleman who just stared at him and muttered the word, ‘Kangi,’ before stepping back inside his tipi.

Titus nudged me. “Yell if you need backup.”

I rolled my eyes. Like the elderly man could hurt me. “Stop it. I’m fine.”

One of the painted warriors came and took our horses’ reins, leading them to a shaded, grassy area where they began to graze. I blew out a tense breath and walked to the tipi.

Inside, it was empty. Where did he go? I ran my hand over the leather covering of the tipi’s interior, finding no opening other than the one from which he and I both entered. Two hides were laid on the ground, one across from the other. Suddenly, the tipi flap opened and in walked a middle-aged woman.

“Where did he go?” I asked her.

Keeping a neutral expression pointed towards me, she shouted something. A second later, Kohana poked his head inside the tent. The woman waved him in and Kohana turned to me. “She’d like for me to translate between the two of you.”

“That would be great.” I had no idea how to communicate with them in Lakota, and was amazed at how well Kohana spoke English. Enoch was an amazing teacher.

The woman offered a soothing smile. Her dark hair was streaked with silver and tightly braided in a long rope that ran the length of her back. She reached out and gently took hold of my hand, tilting my wrist so she could see Kohana’s bracelet. She said something to him and he cleared his throat.

“She said that I was wise to give the charm to you.”

I nodded my head in thanks, asking him, “Who is she? Where did the older man go?”

“This is Tanuk, our healer, and the older man is our eldest healer, Tremew, Tanuk’s father. There is a hidden panel located at the back of the tipi. He went to gather a few things.”

As we waited on Tremew, I stared at the seam between the hides, wondering how I’d missed it. Tanuk began to laugh at the consternation on my face, her entire face lighting up and crinkling in the corners.

Sure enough, Tremew emerged from the rear of the tipi carrying a basket on his arm. Kohana stood and helped the elder man sit next to his daughter. The elder said something and the three of them laughed. Kohana just smiled at me, his cheeks turning red.

Tanuk, the female healer, took both of my hands in hers. Her palms were slightly damp, but her grip was strong and sure. She bowed her head and began to speak in their language. Kohana’s brows met as he concentrated and listened, but he didn’t translate her words, almost like they were too sacred to be altered.

The elder Tremew lit a pipe and acrid smoke poured from his mouth. Dense, it hung in the air as if weighted by the words spoken by his daughter. I closed my eyes. Suddenly, the woman sucked in a sharp breath and tightened her grip on my hands. She looked to Kohana and began speaking, words pouring from her mouth so fast and forcefully, she didn’t have time to take a breath. When Tanuk finished, she took a deep breath and shook her head at me sadly.

Tension unfurled within my stomach, knowing that whatever just happened wasn’t good. “What was that?” I whispered.

Kohana’s lashes fluttered rapidly, clearly uncomfortable with the message he was about to impart. “She said you are dying. There is something inside you that will kill you.”

It felt like I’d been punched in the stomach. Dying? Sure, my head ached every now and then, but the way it ebbed and flowed, I thought I’d be okay, especially if I managed to land home and Kael helped me – assuming he would, or that I could somehow encourage him to.

Was I sick before I left? Did Kael already know that? Maybe that was why my tech was programmed differently from Titus’s. He probably didn’t expect me to live long enough to make it back.

I took a shaky breath and asked the question, even though I dreaded the answer. “Can I be healed?”

Kohana shook his head. “There is nothing she can do.”

“Is she sure? I mean, I feel okay right now.” I straightened my spine, forcing myself to look as healthy as I could.

He frowned. “She is absolutely positive.”

I closed my eyes to steady myself. If this woman was right, I wanted her to tell me all she knew. I held up my hand, pointing to my tech. “Is it this?”

Kohana translated my question, but the woman knew what I said. She ran a thumb over my tech, her eyes fixing on nothing at all, then she snapped out of the daze from which she’d fallen. She shook her head and placed my hand back on my folded leg. Then she pointed to my temple.

“Something in my head?” Did I have a tumor from the radiation? Did my containment cell leak? Then Tanuk pointed to my heart and said something.

Kohana swallowed. “Your head is poisoned, and your heart will follow.”

“How long do I have left?” I asked, unable to fully wrap my mind around what she was telling me.

Kohana relayed my question to her.

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