Eli\u2019s shock disappeared beneath instinct.<\/p>\n
He crossed the room, lifted the rifle near the wall, checked it, and reached toward the ammunition.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have another rifle in the bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska stayed where she was.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will not barricade ourselves inside this house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are four armed men riding toward us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen perhaps we can debate philosophy after they are gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waya almost smiled.<\/p>\n
Chaska did not.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey expect you to resist.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey expect you to be alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also expect frightened people to hide inside a wooden building.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli slowed.<\/p>\n
Chaska indicated the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is how Voss\u2019s people have treated others. They trap families indoors, surround the property, create fear, threaten the buildings. Sometimes they burn an outbuilding first and allow panic to finish the work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli lowered the rifle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you proposing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska looked toward Waya.<\/p>\n
Waya opened the rear door.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet them reach the ranch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Serina lifted her leather bag.<\/p>\n
Eli frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have been observing this property for three days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Waya replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was planned.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew they would come today.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli turned to Chaska.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd nobody thought I might like to know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe needed to see what you would choose.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those words struck him differently.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I would choose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the contract.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli stared at her.<\/p>\n
Chaska continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe could have arrived yesterday. We could have explained the entire situation before your pen ever touched the page. We did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause what we are offering depends on the man you are now, not only the young man you were in the canyon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat exactly are you offering?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor ten years, our families have watched property disappear through pressure, dishonest surveys, false debts, and papers written in languages people did not understand. Settlers have lost land through the same methods. Voss succeeds because he keeps every frightened family separated from the others.\u201d<\/p>\n
She touched one finger to the tabletop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe intend to end that separation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want a council. Shared defense. Shared access to water. Witnesses present whenever land changes ownership. Traders unable to rewrite terms after an agreement is reached. Scouts who warn families before hired riders arrive. Ranchers who refuse to say an Apache family\u2019s loss is none of their concern, and Apache families who refuse to ignore a settler\u2019s burning barn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli took that in.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want an alliance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAmong people who barely trust one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is where most alliances begin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd why do you need me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska held his gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou own the central property.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat sounds like a map problem, not a leadership qualification.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cross boundaries more naturally than you understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI barely cross the distance from my kitchen to the barn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Serina smiled.<\/p>\n
Chaska ignored the interruption.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe heard stories about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wagon wheel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wagon wheel,\u201d Serina said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe wandering horse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat also.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waya added, \u201cAnd the widow whose fence you repaired.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli looked from one to another.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you know all this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe ask.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waya glanced down at his boots.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd sometimes we follow tracks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska\u2019s voice became quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou help people even when they are not your people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not have people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chaska answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201c That is the lie you have been telling yourself. \u201d<\/p>\n
Before Eli could respond, Waya returned from the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The atmosphere sharpened.<\/p>\n
Eli looked at the land document.<\/p>\n
Then at the stove.<\/p>\n
He lifted the paper from the table.<\/p>\n
Chaska watched him.<\/p>\n
Eli folded it once.<\/p>\n
Then again.<\/p>\n
He held one corner above the flame.<\/p>\n
Fire caught.<\/p>\n
The broker\u2019s letterhead blackened.<\/p>\n
The signature line curled inward.<\/p>\n
Seconds later the offer was burning inside the stove.<\/p>\n
Eli watched it disappear.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your alliance requires me not to sell this place,\u201d he said, \u201cI suppose temptation has just become less of a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time since arriving, Chaska smiled openly.<\/p>\n
It changed her whole expression.<\/p>\n
Waya cleared her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery moving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Serina nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cExtremely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waya pointed toward the south.<\/p>\n
\u201cArmed riders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eli reached for his hat.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould somebody like to explain the plan?\u201d<\/p>\n
Waya handed him the rifle.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry not to spoil it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 4: THE PROPOSAL BEFORE THE ATTACK Eli\u2019s shock disappeared beneath instinct. He crossed the room, lifted the rifle near the wall, checked it, and reached toward the ammunition. \u201cI have another rifle in the bedroom.\u201d Chaska stayed where she was. \u201cNo.\u201d Eli stared. \u201cNo?\u201d \u201cWe will not barricade ourselves inside this house.\u201d \u201cThere are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","class_list":["post-810","sr_chapter","type-sr_chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/810","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/sr_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=810"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/sr_chapter\/810\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/fantatv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=810"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}