Exhaling roughly, Doc gave the smiling dryad a smirk. “One last goodbye, huh?”
“I do hope it isn’t the last, but for now, yes,” Yucca said happily. “I will do my best to see your plans smoothly finished, Voice.”
“I’m surprised that Rosa left you in here unsupervised,” Doc said, reaching down to lightly touch her spiky hair.
“My sister spoiled me with this, but only because she is with you all the time.” Yucca slid up to cuddle him. “You have already done so much for Mother, Doc. All of us thank you, even if only a small percentage of us have gotten the chance to personally thank you.”
“I think one dryad is enough. Two or more of you really push my endurance.”
Yucca giggled, her eyes glowing brightly. “Yet you always manage to give us more.”
Doc kissed her nose, then sat up. “I’m sure I need to get going. It’s the shamans being recognized by Mother, then the parting of the tribes.”
“I was to remind you to check your faith in case your blood wasn’t back before you were dressed.”
Laughing, Doc grabbed his clothing as he opened up his faith tab. Whistling at what he saw, he shook his head. “Dwarves are devoted.”
“That is also from Qin. Plum says that Zu reached her tribe and word has begun to spread. I believe that will let you pick up the other two gifts you wanted.”
“It does. Possibly even the third, which would be a major help for the others,” Doc murmured, looking over the next few gifts he’d been interested in. “Nope, just two. I’ll have to get the last one later. I know Lia will demand more defensive gifts after that.”
“Which will be for the best,” Yucca said. “When things begin in earnest here, the Darkness will find a way to respond.”
“I’m sure the church will put a bigger target on me,” Doc agreed. He picked up the two gifts he wanted to smooth things for the tribes he was working with, plus the tribe he’d be going north to meet.
Lia and Rosa were outside the teepee, sitting on the blanket and chatting with Wildflower and the other shamans-to-be. The conversation stopped the moment he stepped out.
“Always disconcerting for a man when all the women stop talking and stare at him when he shows up,” Doc chuckled, having spoken Elvish when he saw them. “It either means it’s good or bad. I’ll hope for good.”
“Good. This time, at least,” Lia smirked. “Pemmican and fried bread for you, husband.”
Doc took the spot next to her, accepting the food. “Thank you. What is the itinerary for today?”
“The farewell is after breakfast,” Wildflower said. “Gray Rabbit will thank each tribe one by one, sending them off. Since we’ve come to an accord, he will send a gift to the tribe with them.”
“Before that, he will call you forward so you may make us shamans,” Raindrop said. “I’ve chosen my gifts with care.”
The others all agreed that they’d spent hours considering their choices before finally settling on them. All of them picked healing, as it was too good to pass up, but from there, it varied wildly. Doc listened while he ate and agreed with their choices, as each had compelling reasons.
~*~*~
A little while after breakfast, when they’d have previously been called to the testing grounds, Gray Rabbit instead called for the tribes to gather by the fire. All the elders and Doc stood at the front of their groups while the Curled Horn tribe encircled them.
“Tribes, the pau-wau is coming to a close. Before we get to the farewells, there is one last thing that our shaman, Doc Holyday, has asked of us,” Gray Rabbit said.
Doc stepped forward, then turned slowly to look over the crowd. “Last night, I danced for Mother. The joy she felt was something I will remember all my days. She is slowly beginning to make ground against the Darkness. I am but one man, though, and the tribes need more than that. This is why Lady Luck and Mother have come together for something unprecedented in tribal history.”
Closing his eyes, he focused on his new gift, mentally choosing the five new shamans. With a push of will, he named them as clerics of Lady Luck. There was a surge of energy not from him, but from the air all around the tribe when he did.
I have heard you, Voice. Thank you for giving me hope.
Doc’s eyes shot open. The awe on everyone’s faces matched his. The words weren’t spoken; they just were. Connected to everything living in the area, the happiness of them infused everyone.
“Mother has spoken,” Doc said in wonder. “Tribes, meet your shamans, accepted by Mother herself. Raindrop of the Curled Horn, Bluewing of the Red Throat, Snowmelt of the Spiny Crest, Red Tooth of the Duckwater, and Prancing Deer of the Muddy Creek, be welcomed as shamans. Long have the tribes been without you, but now, we begin to see Mother glow again.”
Voices were raised in cheer as the five were called out by their tribes in joy.
Doc gave them a few minutes, then raised his hands. “Wait… wait….” It took a moment for quiet to settle again. “Mother is also blessing each of you with one more gift. Please work together to ensure that you all have the help you need, but also to help with the plans we agreed upon.”
Triggering his elemental gifts, he raised five elementals, taking five more of the nine slots he’d gotten from his gift. “Snowmelt, a water elemental to make sure the tribes of Uta always have fresh water. Bluewing, an earth elemental to help make the land what it needs to be for the tribes and the plan. Raindrop, an earth elemental, the same for you as Bluewing. Red Tooth, again, an earth elemental. There is much to do here in Vedana. Prancing Deer, a water elemental for you. You might live in the meadows, but your land extends well beyond them. You will have the chance to roam all of them again without fear.”
The tribes were silent as two water elementals formed out of the air and three earth elementals rose from the ground.
“Shamans, they are in your care from Mother. You must name them, and when you do, they will need the mark of the tribe on them to be seen by all. The water elementals will forever have a patch of darker water in that crest. This way, the government can’t use their broken laws to try taking them from you.”
Raindrop stepped forward first. “Goldtooth.”
The elemental shifted, a patch of gold showing where its mouth should be. On the chest of the rocky being, a ram’s head with curled horns was etched.
The others came forward one by one to do the same. Each elemental adjusted slightly to better represent their names. Where their chest should be, each of them bore a mark that represented the tribe they were tied to.
The tribes were silent in awe at the display they were witnessing. This moment would long be talked about in history among the tribes: the day the Voice of Luck had spoken with Mother’s will to aid them.
Gray Rabbit cleared his throat after the shamans were done. “Mother be praised. The pau-wau ends now. We must give to our guests as they go to remind them of this day when they return to their tribes. We start with our honored guest and former shaman, Doc.”
Doc went to stand before Gray Rabbit, Lia and Rosa behind him when he did. “Elder?”
“Thank you. You brought us so much and asked what seems so little in return. Mother herself spoke to our tribes for the first time since our shamans were killed. Moreover, she elevated shamans and gave us her nature children to assist us. The Curled Horn Shoni will never forget you. I give to you a treasured gift of our tribe.” He presented the pipe that had been used the day previously. “This was a gift from the Heartwood tribe generations ago. It now passes to you. Showing this to other tribes might help smooth your way to speaking with them. I know once you can speak with them, they will hear Mother’s words on your tongue.”
Doc hesitated for a second, then gently took the offered pipe. “I am honored by this precious gift, elder. My wife was tied to the Heartwood tribe years before. Having a piece of them back with us will be a blessing.”
“Go with Mother, Voice.”
Doc bowed, then was going to step back, but Lia’s hand touched his back and he walked away from the fire. The tribes parted for them, letting them pass, all of them staring at Doc with awe. They collected their horses while the farewell went on behind them, then rode away from the encampment.
“That’s it?” Doc asked after a minute.
“Yes. When you are bade farewell, it is time to go,” Lia replied softly. “Doc, you spent all your faith, didn’t you?”
“Everything I had available through this morning,” Doc nodded. “There’s one more elemental gift I want to take, but before I do, I’ll take a few more defensive gifts. This just felt like the best way to focus all the tribes.”
“It did just that,” Rosa said, holding Doc from behind as they rode toward Elka. “Those tribes will walk through fire for you.”
“I hope they never have to…” He trailed off then changed the subject. “I’m looking forward to seeing our wives again.”
“As they are you,” Lia smiled. “I’ll have to make sure they all get more time with you since we were gone longer than we thought we would be. The number of tribes that attended pushed the timeline out.”
“They spent that time well,” Rosa said. “They’ve made headway on things in the city. Sophia and Ayla are eager to tell him all about it.”
Doc smiled at that, nudging his horse to go a little faster. “We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”
Lia laughed, but got her stallion to speed up. “Very well, husband.”