William Redman Carter Chapter 6

Posted: October 08, 2005 - 04:54:50 pm

"I'm sure Tim enjoys the holidays and would like to celebrate them according to

your family traditions. You can set up a Christmas Tree in the living room if

you want," said William. He reminded himself that the needed to purchase

presents for the family before he left for the winter holidays.

"Thanks," Ken said as he turned onto the street to the house. Upon turning the

corner, he slowed the car and came to a stop. He ran a hand over the pistol he

carried under his jacket. Pointing down the road, he said, "Something is

happening up there."

William looked ahead at the pickup trucks, beat up old cars, and the two police

cruisers that lined the road in front of his house. He recognized many of the

men standing around the entrance to his driveway. The last time he had seen

them, they were dressed in their tribal costumes. However, this time the men

were wearing blue jeans and heavy coats to protect them from the weather.

In a quiet voice, he said, "Listen to me. This is very important. I want you to

pull into the driveway and park the car. I will get out and greet the people

there. While I am greeting them, you are to get out of the car and build a

bonfire in the middle of the front yard. Once the fire is started, you are to go

in the house. You will remain in the house until after I enter the house. You

are not to say a single word to anyone. Do you understand my instructions?"

"Sure. Park in the driveway. You get out. Then I get out and build a fire. I go

in the house and don't leave. I'm not to talk to anyone," answered Ken. He

didn't understand the significance of the instructions. Skeptical, he said, "Now

what do you really want me to do."

"Exactly what I said. It is very important that you do what I have asked."

"What should I do when I get in the house?" asked Ken eyeing the crowd in front

of the driveway with suspicion. It was a rough looking crowd and the men didn't

appear to be very pleased with the presence of the police.

"You and your family can eat dinner, watch television, or look out the window. I

don't care. You are not to interfere with anything that goes on. You are not to

leave the house until after I come in."

Looking down the street in concern, Ken asked, "What's going on?"

"It is a tribal thing," answered William wondering why he had not had a vision

of anything like this happening. So many Medicine Men gathered in front of his

house meant that something major was about to happen.

"Are you going to be safe? Ling will kill me if I let them harm one hair on your

head."

"Yes, I'll be safe. It is a tribal thing," answered William. "Now let's go."

Ken slowly drove down the street towards the house. A police officer stepped in

front of the car holding out his hands in the universal gesture commanding the

driver to stop. Ken stopped and waited for the officer to come to the window.

Ken rolled down the window letting the cold December air into the Hugger. The

officer recognized Ken and said, "Hello Ken. Your wife called us when a bunch of

Indians showed up and camped out on the front lawn. There are a hundred of them.

We chased them off the property, but they wouldn't leave the area."

William leaned over and said, "That's my house. I'll be meeting with them

tonight in my front yard. I'd appreciate it if you'd have a man stay so that we

won't be disturbed."

"What's going on?" asked the officer. He had visions of drunken Indians running

around yelling and screaming.

"A gathering of medicine men. There will be dancing, but it won't last too

late."

"Keep the noise down or we'll have to break it up," said the officer. He could

imagine the calls they'd get in the station from the people in this

neighborhood.

"It is a gathering of medicine men and you are not to interfere. If you

interfere, I shall have to place a call to the Bureau of Indian Affairs within

the Department of the Interior."

Irritated at having a kid threaten him, the officer said, "We'll see about

that."

Clearing his throat, Ken said, "Larry, let me warn you. The last thing you want

to do is treat him like a kid. He has the private telephone number of the Grand

Druid. I'd bet that he has the number of the President of the United States."

Deciding that he didn't want to get into an argument with the local police,

William pulled out his cell phone. He was looking up the number in the phone

book function of the cell phone when a black car with a Bureau of Indian Affairs

seal on the side pulled up beside them. After a slight delay, three other cars

pulled up behind them.

The officer stepped back with a look of concern. The kid had just barely

finished threatening him with Feds when the Feds showed up as if by magic.

Considering the warning Ken had given him, he was glad that he hadn't pushed the

issue.

A well-dressed man got out of the first car and walked over to the officer. With

a gesture, he let the officer know that he would be dealt with in due course. He

looked in the Hugger at William. He'd heard of William Redman Carter although he

had never seen the young man. Wanting to make sure that he had the right person,

he asked, "Are you William Redman Carter?"

"Yes, I am," answered William looking at the identification the man held up.

"I'm Mike Clarkson from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We've had a special

request from Awa Tsireh that we make sure your meeting tonight would not be

disturbed." He didn't know what was going on, but in his entire time with the

Bureau he'd never heard of such a request being made. His boss had told him that

several of the tribes were willing to drop lawsuits to ensure that this meeting

went off without a problem.

"Thank you. It is getting close to sunset and I must prepare. If you'll be so

good to let me get to our meeting, I'd appreciate it."

"Go ahead," answered Mike. He stepped back and watched as the car headed off

down the street. He was thinking that William didn't look like much, but there

were a lot of stories about him being a powerful Medicine Man. Judging by the

crowd at the end of the street, it was likely there was a little truth to those

stories.

Turning to the other cars with Bureau markings, Mike said, "Spread the word to

the neighborhood that they are not to disturb them. I'll get the local cop here

to prevent traffic from entering the street."

Ken pulled into the driveway while eyeing the large number of men gathered on

the street. Once he had stopped the Hugger, William said, "Remember what I told

you to do."

Without waiting for an answer, William stepped out of the car and walked to the

rear of it. He opened the back and sat down. His position would allow him to

greet his visitors and give him a place to stack the cartons of cigarettes that

he was about to receive.

Ken slipped out and went to the woodpile to get logs with which to build a

bonfire. It was several minutes before the police allowed the men onto the

property. The men, each bringing a gift of tobacco, came one at a time to

William and introduced themselves to him. Each man was a Medicine Man of a

different tribe.

When the last man had introduced himself, William looked over and saw that Ken

had started a monster fire with flames that rose at least six feet into the air.

The men had gathered in a great circle around the fire. Three with drums and two

with rattles had taken seats on blankets. The rest stood waiting for William to

join them.

It was three hours later when the prayers and dancing ended. The men, bodies

warm from all of the activity, sat down around the fire which had burned down to

hot coals. William sat down next to Kotyit, his mentor from the Native American

College. The old man brought out a pipe, loaded it with tobacco in the manner

passed down through the generations, and lit it. He exhaled a great puff of

smoke to the sky and handed it to William. William inhaled and exhaled the smoke

to the sky so that it would carry his words to the Great Spirit. He passed the

pipe to the man seated beside him.

After the pipe had gone around the circle, Kotyit turned to William and asked,

"Do you remember the letter you gave to me on the first day you came to the

school?"

"Yes, I remember the letter," said William. He did remember it, but had

forgotten about it. He hadn't understood the full implications of the contents,

but had passed it to Kotyit in the hope that the instructor would understand it.

That had been the last he'd seen or heard about the matter.

"Your father, Ed Biggers, wrote in that letter of a place that he discovered. A

number of us have gone to that place with your father. He is a good man with

much power. More important for tonight, he was a wise man to have informed us of

that place.

"We looked at the place and studied it. We sought out the stories of its

beginning and found that there were none. After much talk, we can say one thing

with great certainty. It is a place of great evil. Because of it, a great curse

lies upon all of us. That site must be cleansed and the curse lifted," said

Kotyit in a slow measured pace that gave a stately majesty to his words.

"What is the nature of this curse?" asked William feeling uneasy that he knew

nothing about this matter.

"For over three hundred years it has sucked the strength from of our people. It

is why our people do not have the will to fight. It is the reason we have been

defeated and sent to reservations. If it continues, we will even lose the

reservations," said Kotyit. One of the symbols of their loss was that they had

to hold this meeting in English. The old trade languages had been lost.

When William nodded, Kotyit continued, "This is a matter that concerns the

future of all the tribes, but the cleansing that will lift the curse can only be

done by one person."

"Who can do such a cleansing?" asked William afraid that he knew the answer.

"Talks With Animals," said Kotyit.

Hearing his name, William couldn't help grin a little. Every time he heard it in

English, he thought of Dr. Dolittle. His amusement didn't last long as the

seriousness of the situation returned. He asked, "What must I do?"

"In two weeks time, we shall meet in Arizona. There we shall build a sweat

lodge. You must undertake a vision quest. On the day after the shortest night,

you will do what must be done," answered Eskieah.

William considered the matter. They wanted him to do it on mid- winter's day. He

wondered if they were forcing him to chose between service to the Great Spirit

and service to the Gods and Goddesses. He asked, "Why that day?"

"We have deliberated on this matter for many years. It must be that day,"

answered Eskieah.

Gesturing to the large circle, William asked, "Why are all the tribes

represented here? You alone could have asked me."

Sam White Deer of the Mohawk tribe said, "The evil is great and you are one man.

There is a chance that you will fail. It will take all of us just to contain

this evil. Although for how long, none of us are willing to guess."

"If you believe there is a chance I will fail, why ask me to do it?" William

asked. Looking at the wisdom gathered here, he couldn't help wonder why they

would trust something so important to him.

"You have two great powers within you. You have the power of the true people and

the power of the white man in equal balance. Only you can enter that site with

any hope of living," answered Kotyit.

"You must remove the curse from within the site," said Sam White Deer.

William looked around the circle of men. They represented the full spiritual

power of all the tribes and each of them looked scared. Twin Elks said, "You are

our only hope."

"I will do as you have asked," said William knowing he was committing himself to

something he didn't truly understand. He could count on the fingers of one hand

how many times he had acted without knowing the consequences of his actions with

the kind of certainty that came from knowing the future.

A sigh of relief echoed around the circle. Eskieah said, "We ask that you spend

three days and nights in the place of power created by John Carter."

The request surprised William. He looked around the circle and saw that all of

the men were nodding their agreement. Wondering why they would send him to the

Carter Glade at the Druid College, he asked, "Why?"

"The powers are balanced in you, Talks to Animals. That balance is very

important. If you are to gain power in the sweat lodge, then you must also gain

power in the other place," Kotyit answered.

"Why do you think the Gods and Goddesses of the Druids will agree to this?"

asked William very surprised by the answer. It felt strange to have to refer to

the Gods and Goddesses in that manner, but in this discussion he was affiliated

with the Great Spirit.

One of the medicine men, ancient beyond belief, answered, "One of their rules is

to protect the weak from the strong. We have come to accept that we are weak

because of this curse. It is our hope they recognize this and will protect us by

helping you in making us strong."

Another spoke, "There will be a high price for us to pay for their help in this

matter."

"It is a price that we must be willing to pay," countered another. He added, "We

have discussed this many times."

Concerned with what this would cost the tribes, William asked, "What is this

price?"

His question was met by silence. As he looked around the circle, none of the men

would look him in the eye. Finally, it was Eskieah who answered. "If you

succeed, it is likely that we will lose you to the Druids."

"I am willing to pay that price," answered William. He was willing to do

anything to help his people, but the price did not seem too high to William.

After all, one of the few things he knew for sure was that he would end up

serving the Two-Sided One.

Kotyit, looking at William with a kindly expression, said, "Yes, I know. It is

we who are unwilling to lose one of our bright lights."

The comment touched William far more than he would have expected. Humbled, he

said, "I thank you."

"It is cold and I am old. Let us end this meeting until we reach a warmer

place," said Kotyit picking up the pipe to light it. His comment was greeted

with chuckles around the circle. No one objected to the suggestion.

The pipe made its way around the circle. Each man inhaling once and blowing the

smoke to the sky. When it returned to Kotyit, he knocked the plug out of the

pipe. Around the circle centered on the few remaining coals, the men stood and

stretched. Younger men turned to help the older men off the ground.

William looked at his watch and saw that it was only ten in the evening.

Considering that sunset had been a little before five, he knew the meeting had

lasted five hours. Looking at the large number of people gathered in his yard,

he was surprised that it had been so short. Such meetings often lasted all

night.

Turning to Kotyit, he said, "It was a short meeting."

"We've had many long meetings about this matter," answered Kotyit. Putting a

hand on William's shoulder, he said, "You agreed without much argument. You do

your tribe great honor."

William didn't know what to say. Looking at his house, he saw that Ken, Lisa,

and Tim were watching out the window. He was sure they had a thousand questions

about what they had seen. He looked over at his driveway and saw the agents from

the Bureau of Indian Affairs standing around looking miserable in the cold

weather. He smiled and said, "You must have put the fear of God in the Feds."

"A group of war chiefs, lead by Awa Tsireh, descended upon their offices this

morning. They showed up in modern war dress - suit and tie with leather

briefcases and gold watches," answered Kotyit with a smile. He added, "It is

amazing how the sudden appearance of twenty lawyers gets the attention of white

men."

"If only our ancestors knew how easy it was," said William with a chuckle.

Gesturing to the house, he asked, "Would you care to share some hot chocolate

with me?"

"Hot Chocolate sounds very good. I am not able to resist the cold like when I

was a younger man."

As they headed towards the house, a shout from behind them brought them to a

halt. William turned to find Mike Clarkson walking at a brisk pace towards them.

Stopping a pace away, he asked, "Is it over?"

"Yes, it is over and we were not disturbed. You may tell your bosses that we

will drop the lawsuits," said Kotyit.

Mike had much more than that to tell his bosses and could hardly wait to get on

the phone with Washington. He didn't know what they would make of the news that

the tribes were going to rid themselves of a three hundred year old curse, but

he was sure they would be interested in it. Mike Clarkson said, "Thank you. I'll

let them know."

A voice from the dark said, "I'm sure you intend to let them know what was

discussed here as well."

The three men turned to see who had spoken. All three were surprised when a red

robed figure appeared out of the dark. He walked over to Mike and said, "Touch

my medallion."

Unable to stop himself, Mike reached out and touched the medallion. William

watched the man stand frozen in place for a full minute. Mike's pants tented and

a sudden shudder when through his body. When his hand fell away from the

medallion, Mike said, "I will tell them nothing of what was discussed here."

"You may go now," Jimmy Lee said to Mike before turning to look at William and

Kotyit.

"Jimmy Lee, why am I not surprised to find you here?" William asked while

watching Mike walk back to the street in a daze.

"We must protect the weak from the strong," answered Jimmy Lee. Nodding in the

direction of Kotyit, he added, "I must go now."

"Thank you for coming," said Kotyit realizing that a huge service had been done

for the Native American people. It had not occurred to him that the Bureau of

Indian Affairs might not want them to remove the curse.

Turning to William, Jimmy Lee said, "Give my regards to Ling."

"Will do."

The old Native American Medicine Man watched Jimmy Lee walk back into the

shadows. Shaking his head, Kotyit said, "I am not so sure that we will lose you

entirely to the Gods and Goddesses of the Druids."

"Let's get out of the cold and talk about it there," said William shivering for

the first time of the night. Now that the meeting was over, the cold was

burrowing its way to his bones.

The two men entered the house. The warm air quickly chased the cold away. The

two men removed their coats. Gesturing to the Armstrongs, William said, "Kotyit,

this is Ken, Lisa, and Tim Armstrong. Everyone, this is Kotyit. He is a medicine

man of the Apaches. He is also an instructor at the Native American College."

Ken had watched the meeting from the beginning to the end. He hadn't missed the

arrival of the Druid. He didn't understand what he had seen, but he knew that

something of great importance had been accomplished. He nodded respectfully to

the older man and said, "It is an honor to meet you."

Excited, Tim said, "Gosh, a real Medicine Man. I've never met a Medicine Man

before."

Kotyit laughed at the boy's excited reaction and knelt down next to him.

Pointing over at William, he said, "Yes you have. You know William. He is a

Medicine Man of the Navaho. I helped train him."

Tim stared at William with an open mouth. He turned to his father and asked,

"Did you know he was a Medicine Man?"

Picking up the boy, Ken said, "No, I didn't know that."

Turning to Lisa, William asked, "Could you make us some hot chocolate?"

Faced with such an important guest, Lisa decided that Tim could stay awake a

little longer. She said, "Yes."

In a desire to help his wife, Ken said, "Let me get Tim to bed. I'm sure that

you have much to talk about and having a boy around won't help."

While Ken took care of Tim and Lisa prepared hot chocolate, William and Kotyit

took seats around the dining room table. William took a pack of cigarettes from

his pocket and opened it. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He slid the pack

across the table and waited for the old man to light up. He asked, "What were

you saying outside about not losing me to the Druids?"

Kotyit said, "The presence of the Druid convinces me of something that I have

suspected for a long time. These things have not happened by accident."

"I don't know what you mean."

"The Gods and Goddesses of the Druids have had their hands in this affair for

decades. It was not just the Great Spirit guiding us to this point."

"I'm still not following you," William said. He took a drag off the cigarette.

Settling back into his chair, Kotyit said, "Have you ever given thought as to

why John Carter chose to live in a no-name town when he was the richest man in

America? Why did John Carter give money to create the Native American College?"

"My father loved the area and the people," answered William knowing the story

about the founding of the Carter Clan. His father had gone there to escape

events in Austin and had come to love the area.

"Does it not seem odd that a pure blood granddaughter of the greatest Medicine

Man of the Navaho offers herself to be the bride of the man who would become the

Grand Druid? Is it co-incidence that the son of that union has two sources of

power balanced within him? Why is it that neither power has yet established a

claim over that son?"

Faltering at the sudden focus upon him, William said, "I don't know."

"Why is it that a Druid who serves truth finds that site? How is it that he

chose to tell us about it? How is it that he has guarded it all these years for

us?" Kotyit looked at William expectantly.

"You may be right," William said wondering why he hadn't seen the connections.

It didn't seem fair that he was so blind to events that affected him directly.

Lisa set two cups of hot chocolate on the table and returned to the kitchen

afraid of interrupting the discussion. It was hard not to hear what they were

saying. She was learning more about her employer in this single conversation

than in the previous three months.

Putting his hands around the cup of hot chocolate in an effort to warm them,

Kotyit said, "I think a lot of energy has gone into making sure that you are

here at the right time and place."

William took a sip of his hot chocolate while thinking about everything that

Kotyit had said. After reviewing all of the facts that he had on hand, he

couldn't find a flaw with the argument put forth by his mentor. In a soft voice,

he said, "I think you are right."

Ken came down from upstairs and tried to sneak into the kitchen without

disturbing the two men who were talking. William said, "You and Lisa can join us

at the table."

Looking at William, he was surprised to see the young man smoking. Without

thinking, he said, "You're smoking."

"Yes. It is a bad habit that I only practice when I'm around Kotyit," answered

William.

Kotyit, holding up his cigarette, said, "These will kill me one of these days if

my students do not do it first."

"Found any rattlesnakes on your bed lately?"

"Not since a little kid left the college," said Kotyit looking at William.

"He promised not to bite you."

"And how was I to know that?" Kotyit asked.