But it was too late now. The doors of the room blew open. A howling wind came screaming through, dancing around their white-buckskin-covered bodies. Those winds joined together to form two trumpeters who blew their horns to announce the most feared creature of all.
The Avenging Spirit. Something that could only be summoned by the cries of a wronged woman who wanted vengeance against the ones who'd hurt her.
Nebulous in form, he was bathed all in white. His hair, the translucent skin that covered his skeletal features. His feathers and buckskin. The only break from the color was the dark blue beadwork along his neckline.
"Why was I called forth?" he demanded.
Butterfly looked up. Her beautiful face contorted by grief, she appeared old and haggard now. Her hair blew around her body as she leveled a furious stare at them.
She pointed her finger at Ren's brother. "The Coyote killed my heart. So I want his as payment for what he unjustly took."
The Avenging Spirit bowed to her. Then he turned toward the men. His face changed from that of an old gaunt man with stringy hair to the face of ultimate evil. He opened his mouth and it dropped to the floor, contorting and elongating his features. The sight left Kateri horrified. Forget Hollywood, this was scarier than anything ever conceived by Wes Craven....
Out of his mouth flew a giant eagle with a lone ghostly warrior on its back. The warrior lifted his spear.
Ren stepped back, away from Coyote, and braced himself to fight.
With a discordant cry of vengeance that shook the very fabric of Mother Earth's gown, the warrior let fly his spear at Coyote's heart.
One moment Ren was standing out of the way. In the next, he was across the room where Coyote had been a heartbeat earlier, and Coyote was in his place. Before he could gather his wits and move, the spear flew through the center of his chest, piercing his heart. The force of it lifted him off his feet and pinned him to the wall.
Pain exploded through his body as he gasped for breath. The taste of blood filled his mouth. His eyesight dimmed. He was dying. After all the battles, all the fights ...
He would die by treacherous trickery.
By his brother's viciousness.
The warrior turned his eagle around and flew back into the Avenging Spirit's mouth. As quickly as they'd come, they were gone.
His breathing labored, Ren stared at his brother. "I would have given you my life had you asked for it."
"You taught me to take what I wanted." Coyote crossed the room and snatched the bone necklace from Ren's throat that held his Guardian seal-a turquoise thunderbird. He untied the pouch from Ren's belt where he kept his strongest magic and stones. "And I want your Guardianship."
Blood trickled from the corner of Ren's lips. In all his life, the Guardianship had been the only thing good that Ren had been chosen for. The only thing that had ever given him an ounce of pride, and made him feel worth something more than disdain and contempt. "You weren't chosen."
"And neither were you. Not really. The Guardian gave it to you out of pity." Coyote raked a sneer over him, and clenched Ren's necklace tightly in his fist. "You were never worthy of this." He seized the spear and drove it in even deeper, then laughed in triumph as Ren choked on his own blood.
With one last agony-filled gasp, Ren fell silent.
The pride on Coyote's face was sickening as he turned his attention to Butterfly. "I'm a Guardian now. You can love me again."
She curled her lip in repugnance. "I could never love you after what you've done. You're a monster."
He snatched her up by her arm. "You are mine and I will never share you. Make yourself ready for our wedding."
"Never."
He slapped her across the face. "You do not argue with me, woman. You obey." He let go of her so fast that she fell back across Buffalo's body, where she wept until she had no more tears.
She was still there when the maidens came and dressed her for Coyote.
At sundown, he returned for her. But before they could begin the ceremony that would join them together, the First Guardian ... Kateri's father ... appeared in the middle of the room. His dark eyes radiated fury as he glared his hatred at them both.
"I am here to claim the life of the one responsible for killing two Guardians."
Coyote gasped in terror. His mind whirled as he tried to think of some trick that could save his life. And while his brother's magic was powerful and had allowed Ren to battle the Guardian for a year and a day, it wasn't his magic. And it wouldn't be enough for him to save his own life.
Her father crossed the room in a determined stride that promised retribution. From his belt, he drew the sacred Dagger of Justice, and without hesitating, plunged it straight into the heart of the one who'd caused such turmoil and misery.
Butterfly staggered back as blood saturated her dress and ran across her braids. Instead of showing pain, she sighed in relief. Blood ran from her lips as she turned to Coyote. "I will be with my love now. Forever in his arms." She sank to the floor, where she died with the most blissful of smiles on her face.
His features contorted by his confusion, Coyote shook his head. "I don't understand."
Her father shrugged. "You were the tool who killed Buffalo. But Butterfly was the cause. Had she not been born, you wouldn't have taken the Guardian's life. She is the one responsible for his death, and for that of Makah'Alay."
"No, no, no, no. This isn't right. This wasn't how it was supposed to end." Raking his hands through his hair, Coyote went to his true love and cradled her in his arms one last time. She was so tiny and light. Her blood stained his wedding clothes and he wept at the loss of her.