James Axler – Demons of Eden

J.B. turned to Ryan. “This could be big. All the years you and me traveled with Trader, we never had an opportunity like this.”

Jak merely gazed impassively at the metal wafer. Doc looked interested, but not particularly excited. Krysty and Mildred eyed him, waiting for his reaction.

Taking the slice of gold from Doc, Ryan fingered it. “It looks almost like it was machined, more like some kind of instrument, not an ornament.”

Joe hesitated before replying. When he spoke, his tone was evasive. “It came from a cavern in Ti-Ra’-Wa.”

“Did your people mine it?” Krysty asked.

“There is much more like it there,” Joe responded.

“That’s no answer,” J.B. said. “Is there a gold mine in this Ti-Ra’-Wa of yours?”

“Ti-Ra’-Wa,” Mildred repeated slowly, musingly. “That seems familiar, from my Native American studies.”

Joe stiffened. “Your answer, Ochinee. Will you come?”

Ryan exchanged a quick glance with Krysty. Her hair wasn’t stirring, and she shrugged, indicating she sensed no danger, or at least not an immediate threat. Still, there was too much about Joe’s proposal that was in the dark. But the promise of a definite destination was a strong inducement.

Fixing his gaze on Joe’s angular face, Ryan said, “I won’t commit us to anything without a discussion. We’ve just fought one battle for others. That might be enough for a while. I’ll let you know by sundown.”

Joe nodded. “Until then.”

With that he picked up the gold wafer and stepped out of the room and into the street.

When the Lakota was well out of earshot, Mose Autry smiled sourly. “He doesn’t seem like a fool, but doesn’t he realize with your blasters and skill you can just take his gold and walk off with it?”

Krysty turned on the man, her eyes flashing emerald sparks. “No matter what we agree to do, we’d never do that. If we were that sort, we’d have sold out your pesthole ville to Hatchet Jack.”

Autry cast his eyes downward, shame spreading across his face in a red flush. “Of course. I’m sorry. I’m just tired. I’ll leave you now.”

He shuffled out of the door.

Addressing Ryan, Doc inquired, “What is your initial reaction to our noble savage’s invitation?”

“To tell him thanks but no thanks,” Ryan replied.

“Gold is still the best grease in most of Deathlands,” J.B. reminded him.

“Could buy anything we want,” Jak offered.

“Except safety,” Mildred said. “We’d draw packs of two-legged coyotes to our trail.”

“If the setup is how he said it is, we’d be fighting someone else’s battlefor solid jack this time,” J.B. stated.

“We could have fought this last one for gold if we’d had a mind to,” Krysty said. “We could have followed Hatcher’s map. It probably would have led us right to this Ti-Ra’-Wa.”

“Mildred, didn’t you say there was something familiar about this place?” Ryan asked.

“Vaguely. Though my studies revolved around tribal linkages and genotyping, I touched on creation myths from time to time.”

“And?”

Mildred shook her head, the beads in her plaited hair clicking faintly. “It’s been a long time, and my recollection is foggy. Anyway, there’s a legend among some Plains tribes that says the source of creation came from a cave in a valley. Ti-Ra’-Wa means, roughly, Sacred or Mystery Valley.”

“Is this place anything like the villes of Cibola and El Dorado you told us about?” J.B. asked.

“No, not really. It’s more of a Garden of Eden type of myth. I remember a bit of poetry about it. ‘Magic Ti-Ra’-Wa/Life, death, good, evil, joy and sorrow/All born in the Cavern of Creation.'”

“A myth, mebbe,” Krysty said. “But Joe said he came from Ti-Ra’-Wa.”

Ryan shrugged. “The tribe in the mountains probably named their valley after the legend.” Doc chuckled. “‘Nature imitates art,’ Wilde said.”

He turned to Mildred. “Are you suggesting Joe wants us to fight a war in the Native American equivalent of Eden?”

“I’m suggesting nothing of the sort,” Mildred answered a bit sharply. “I’m not even sure if I’m remembering the legend correctly, since all cultures share similar creation myths. I may be confusing Ti-Ra’-Wa with Tir na-Nog, the ancient Celtic land of promise. The two words are similar linguistically. It’s been a very long time, and my memory is faulty. You should be able to relate to that, Doc.”