A sturdy looking Indian with a wide square jaw and a proudly projected chin stepped away from a cluster of villagers who had been seated in front of a tepee. They had risen cautiously to their feet as the newcomers rode in. He strode purposely towards Adam, his chin held high, eyebrows drawn low over black gleaming eyes. He stopped a few feet away and watched as Adam carefully dismounted. Adam never took his eyes from the lone Ute; but at the same time, he couldn't keep the smile from his lips as he faced his old friend. It was Hanska, one of the men who had accompanied Adam on his initiation into the Ute tribe. They stood a few feet apart, Adam with his hands behind his back holding on to his mount's reins. The animal's head nudged his back as he stood.

Hanska eyed Adam's attire with a look of cynical amusement. "You wear the clothes of the white man, my brother. Did you so tire of life in our simple village that you desired a wooden box to sleep in and hard shoes on your feet?"

Adam regarded his new leather boots and when he looked up and met Hanska's eyes he wore a wide grin. "What can I say, my friend? Moccasins can be cold in the winter and the taste of pinyon nuts was started to wear on me."

A slow smile grew on Hanska's face and then the two men closed the gap between them to clasp each other's forearms. Adam's hand found his friend's shoulder.

"It's good to see you, Hanska. There was a time not long ago when I thought I would never see this land again."

"You bring strangers to our village, Liwanu." He nodded towards Hoss and Joe who sat stiffly on their mounts.

Adam's head angled in their direction. "Strangers to you, Hanska, but not to me." The smile left his face as he grew serious. "They are my brothers, the sons of my father."

Hanska couldn't keep the dumbfounded expression from his face. "Your brothers? Your brothers died—"

"Cameahwait was wrong." Adam spoke more sharply than he had intended to. His softened his tone. "My brothers, and my father, did not die on that day. Cameahwait lied."

"Cameahwait does not lie, my friend. There must be a reason for what he said. But this is not the time. You must eat, we must celebrate your homecoming."

Hanska opened his arms wide and at that signal, the other villagers moved forward, reassured all was well. Adam was soon surrounded by a throng of Ute who patted his arm and nodded their greetings, smiles writ large across their faces. The children reached up to pull at Adam's vest and gun belt; it had been a long time since they'd seen him dressed in such clothing. Adam laughed at the attention and then became aware of a pair of arms gripping one of his legs. He looked down to see a small girl staring up at him with shining eyes, determined not to let him go. Adam grinned and reached down to scoop her up into his arms.

"Yazhi!" The child wrapped her arms around Adam's neck, happy her sometime dinner companion was back. The youngest daughter of Cameahwait, Adam's rescuer, Yazhi had chosen to sit with Adam at every mealtime after Cameahwait had invited him to become a member of his extended family. He looked around, knowing the child's mother, Luyu, must be in the vicinity. And there she was, walking briskly up from the river where she had been collecting water. She dropped the full bladders of water she was carrying and ran towards the knot of people.

"Liwanu!"

Luyu pushed her way through the villagers, her face lit with joy at the sight of Adam. He quickly shifted Yazhi onto one arm, and with the other he reached out to take Luyu's hand in his, squeezing it tight.

"It is so good to see you, Liwanu. We feared for you, we did not know where you had gone."

"There's time enough to tell what happened. Where is Wanekia? Is she with you?" Despite Adam's pleasure at seeing Luyu again, he was craning his neck around the camp, desperate to see his wife and child.

Luyu's eyes lost their bright sparkle. "She is not here, Liwanu."

Adam's smile faltered but he continued to strain his eyes as he looked for his wife. "Is she down at the river? I'll go find her." Adam placed Yazhi back on her feet and began to move away. Luyu caught his arm.

"No, Liwanu. Wanekia is not here. She is not in the village."

An immediate line formed between Adam's eyebrows as he frowned. "What do you mean she's not here? Where else would she be?"

Luyu threw a pleading look at Hanska, who stepped forward. "My brother, come. Otetiani will speak with you."

Adam grabbed Hanska's arm. Fear and worry had banished the joy he had felt only moments before; he could feel the hairs on his skin starting to prickle. "Where is she, Hanska? What aren't you telling me?"

The sturdy Ute gently removed Adam's grip from his arm. "Come. Bring your brothers."

Adam's gaze dropped to the ground briefly. His thoughts were flying in a thousand different directions at once. But he quickly collected himself and looked back at Hoss and Joe who had not moved from their saddles. He waved them down from their horses to follow him.

His brothers had observed Adam's encounter with the stern-looking Ute with wide-eyed surprise and no small amount of pride. Both had been startled at how fluent he had become in the Ute language; he didn't pause as he spoke, and he didn't appear to struggle to find the correct words. The loose-limbed posture Adam had adopted fit in perfectly in this environment. And watching him interact with the villagers, they could see he was entirely at home amongst these people. Any trepidation Hoss and Joe had experienced about riding into the Indians' camp had faded when they'd observed the smiles and laughter that greeted their brother's arrival. He was well-liked and maybe even held a position of authority in the village. Hoss and Joe couldn't help but feel proud that their brother was so well thought of.

Their gratification dwindled, though, when they witnessed Adam's mood change from elation to worry in the blink of an eye. Hoss stepped up to his brother and cringed when he saw the concern creased across his features. "What's goin' on, Adam?"

They fell into step beside him as they followed the square-jawed Ute through the village. "She's not here," growled Adam, "and I don't know why."

"Mebbe she's in the woods, gathering nuts or whatever it is they eat."

"No. She's not in the village at all."

Hoss stopped, a hand on his brother's shoulder halting his stride. "I'm sure there's nothin' to be worryin' yerself about, Adam. There's probably a perfectly reasonable explanation ta all this."

Adam looked up at his younger brother who was so keen to say the right thing to ease Adam's anxiety. His cheek dimpled as a half-smile disturbed the hard set of his lips. He slapped Hoss on the back and briskly nodded. "You're right, of course."

But Adam wasn't so sure. There was no sign of Cameahwait either, and the absence of both his wife and Cam did not bode well. They carried on through the village. If Adam's mind hadn't been elsewhere, he would have been peering around at the place he'd called home for so long: greeting old friends, snacking on offerings of food at every family's lodge, introducing his brothers to the villagers. But there was only one place he wanted to be at that moment, and that was Otetiani's lodge. The old man was the village's chief, the one to whom the people would take their disagreements, issues and problems, to hear his wise counsel. He officiated over village rituals and ceremonies, and yet could often be found in the early evenings with a gaggle of children around his feet as he told the age-old tales of creator Wolf, devious Coyote and wise Bear.

Otetiani's lodge was larger than the rest; it needed to be for the meetings that took place there. Hanska paused at the entrance. The animal skin flap had been tied back indicating that permission didn't need to be sought to enter. Adam and Hanska conferred briefly and then Hanska ducked his head and disappeared into the smoky darkness of the lodge.

Adam turned to his brothers. "We're going to talk to the village's chief, Otetiani, but it's unlikely he'll talk in English. He only spoke to me in English at the beginning because he had to."

A head reappeared at the lodge's entrance. It was Hanska, bidding them enter. The brothers bent down and one by one they entered the dim interior.

xxxxxxx

The old man was sitting cross-legged on the ground, close by his fire; it might be early summer, but his well-worn bones felt the cold no matter how warm the day was. He wasn't alone. Seated around the fire were several other elders. Together they passed the time of day, retelling the old stories and discussing the latest happenings in the village. The old men would return to their family lodges and rebuke their wives for having nothing better to do than gossip when they cooked together or gathered seeds. But the women would merely nod placidly and roll their eyes when they turned away, as they knew their husbands were as guilty as they of spreading the latest village tittle-tattle. The arrival, all those seasons ago, of Adam, and his marriage to Wanekia, had kept the elders happily occupied for months.

A space was made for Adam and his brothers next to Otetiani. As they nervously folded themselves onto the ground next to their brother, Hoss and Joe couldn't prevent their eyes darting around the surroundings and over the elderly men. The smoke from the fire drifted lazily towards the smoke hole above them and Hoss started to cough lightly in the back of his throat. Otetiani stared at him as Hoss's face reddened from embarrassment and discomfort. A bowl of water was passed to him by one of the elders. With a nod of thanks he held the vessel to his lips and let the water soothe his tickly throat. He turned to his older brother and whispered an apology.

Otetiani moved his gaze to Adam and after a few seconds opened his arms to him. Adam shifted onto his knees and put his arm around the old man's back as Otetiani wrapped an arm around his. Their cheeks met as Otetiani mumbled a greeting and gently patted Adam's back.

The elder let Adam sit back on his blanket and looked him up and down.

"It is good to have you back, my son. We feared some great ill had taken you from us. I can feel the spirits burn within you, although, you look…thin."

As was his way, Otetiani's words were carefully delivered and to the point. Adam ducked his head to hide his smile.

"The spirit of the bison is always with me, Otetiani. His power runs through my body and I have been able to endure my trials as the bison prevails through his. He has kept me strong while my heart has been…shaken."

Otetiani's eyes narrowed slightly at Adam's words, but instead of addressing them directly, he lifted a wrinkled hand which he pointed at Hoss and Joe. "Who are these men you bring to my fire?"

Adam couldn't keep a small smile from his face as he turned to place a hand on Hoss's back. He turned back to the old man. "These are my brothers, Otetiani, the brothers with whom I share my father's blood. I was led to believe they had died in the attack on the wagon train. But as you can see, Cameahwait was wrong." Adam dropped his head away from the elderly man to hide the raging fire that had begun to burn in his eyes. He shook his head to banish the outrage flaming within him.

"This is my middle brother, Hoss, and this here is Joe, my youngest brother."

Hoss and Joe had no idea what was being spoken in their presence, but when their brother pointed to them and they heard their names, it was clear they'd just been introduced to the men seated around the fire. They both nodded at the group; Joe lifted his hand in a cautious greeting.

Otetiani eyed them whilst the men around the fire murmured to each other. "It seems much has happened since you left us."

Adam's voice great bitter. "I did not leave you, wise one. I was taken against my will."

"Who would dare do such a thing?"

Adam sighed. He would tell Otetiani of Matwau's treachery, but there were more pressing issues on his mind.

"I will tell you. But first, where is Wanekia, and my daughter?" Adam frowned. "And where is Cameahwait?"

Otetiani raised his eyebrows slightly waiting for Adam to settle back down.

"You disappeared, Liwanu, leaving no signs to follow. Wanekia grieved a second time for a lost husband, but in her heart she did not believe you were dead. Matwau told that the white man was coming so we walked under sun and moon to reach the protection of our summer lands. The journey was hard, Liwanu." Otetiani paused, recalling the rush from the lowlands to the safety of the high mountain camp. He did not need to speak of the exhaustion, the tired limbs and the lack of sleep the village had endured as they fled up the mountain. He raised his eyes, looking back to Adam. "Cameahwait and Wanekia stayed in the low valley with the bravest of our young men. They prayed to the Great Spirit to find you. Two by two they went up the mountain, into the forest, to the edge of the desert lands, to the shores of Urvare. They were to return to where Cameahwait waited when the moon glowed full in the sky. And then they were to come and join their families, here in our summer village." Otetiani's eyes fixed onto Adam's. "They should have been back before the old moon died. We have woken to a new day too many times without them appearing over the southern ridge." Otetiani looked down at his withered hands. "Our hearts grow heavy."

Adam shifted forward onto his knees, and lightly clasped Otetiani's upper arm. "Why did Wanekia not come back with you?"

The warm touch of the old man's hand closed around Adam's where it held Otetiani's in a gentle grip. "She would listen to no one, Liwanu. There were many loud words; she was like a wild cat arguing with the bear. Cameahwait ordered her to travel with the village to the summer lands but she would not leave without knowing where you were."

"And Mimiteh?"

"Liwanu..." Otetiani's voice was chiding. "She would not leave your daughter in the care of others. You know your wife."

Adam flopped back on his blanket. He nodded his head and closed his eyes. "I know my wife."

Hoss and Joe had silently observed the conversation taking place in front of them. Unable to follow the words, their heads had skipped from their brother to Otetiani as each man spoke in turn. They had watched as Adam had darted onto his knees and grasped the old man's arm before falling back onto his rump. The nod of his head became a shake as his chin dropped to his chest.

Joe leaned across Hoss. "What is it, Adam? What's it all about?"

Adam raised his eyes to meet his brothers' puzzled looks. "When the village moved from the lower lands to here, a few remained behind to look for me. To look for me, dammit!" Adam expelled a weighty breath. "Kia stayed with them…with our daughter." He gritted his teeth. "Goddammit, Kia, why don't you listen!"

"Well, we'll jus' go on and get 'em, and—"

"They should have been back days ago, Hoss! Something's happened." Adam stood sharply and started to pace around the enclosed space. "This is Matwau's doing."

Otetiani's face lifted from where he had been gazing into the flames. "Matwau?"

Adam spun on his heel and strode to the elder, dropping to his ankles by his side. He reverted back to Ute, leaving his brothers once more in the dark.

"It was Matwau who took me from the village. He left me in the desert to die."

The elders around the fire started to chatter; their voices rising as they turned to each other to share their fury. Otetiani let them speak and then slowly raised his hand to silence them. Even when stirred, the old man's voice was low and steady. "Matwau will pay for his treachery." He looked towards Adam. "But until that day you must go. Go down to the lowlands and find our lost people. Bring them back, Liwanu."

With a sharp nod, Adam lithely rose to his feet and indicated to his brothers to follow him. He held the flap open as they exited the lodge. Otetiani's voice halted Adam as he was about to duck through the entrance.

"Liwanu." Otetiani's gaze had fallen back to the fire. "You will eat, and rest. Leave when the sun begins his walk across the sky."