Triad

sometimes traded furs with the settlers for. With the lean winter they’d just come through, what few furs they’d managed to collect for trading had been used for staples such as flour and salt. Opening her eyes, she slowly sat up and looked around. She was in the longhouse from her dream! How had she gotten here?

She moaned softly as memories of the fire and her mother pushing her into the river.

She remembered fighting for her life against the strong current. Somehow she’d managed to survive the river but how…

The sound of two voices pitched low and speaking French reached her ears as the unfamiliar sound of what she thought might be a wood door closing and opening, had her looking around the room for a place to hide. How had she ended up in the settler’s village? If she stayed here, she’d be hunted as a witch for sure. The white man didn’t understand the difference between a medicine woman-healer and a witch.

Shoving the blankets off her, she sprang from the huge raised pallet only to stumble as her shaky knees protested the idea of her walking. The urgent need to relieve herself had her holding onto the wall of the room. Looking towards the door 271

where the voices were coming from, she chose to use the other one. She wasn’t taking any chances.

Slipping inside the room, she looked around in shock. The long basin along the far wall looked similar to what white men used to water their horses. But surely they didn’t bring horses inside? Spotting an oddly shaped seat next to it, she walked over and lifted the lid. Blue water greeted her. Seeing a shiny handle she experimentally pushed it. She jumped back as the water swirled as it disappeared only to be replaced by more blue water. What kind of sorcery was this? Licking her lips as the sound of running water increased her urge to relieve herself, she finally lifted the short gown she was wearing and sat down. She shivered when the cool porcelain touched her bottom.

She let out a deep sigh afterwards and stood. Pushing down on the lever once more, she was pleased to see it washed away the evidence. Turning she approached a smaller round basin and fiddled with the levers. When water rushed from a spout, she washed her hands before drying them on the soft towel hanging from a wall hook.

Reentering the room, she stared at the large pallet that dominated the room’s center. This room was obviously used for sleeping, but did an entire family sleep on the strangely elevated pallet? She’d just made her way back to it when the wooden door opened and one of the men from her dream walked in carrying a tray. The delicious smells triggered her hunger. But she was still afraid of him. Scrambling around the bed, she tried to hide from his view.

“What are you doing out of bed, ma puisannce? Did you find the bathroom? ” The thick French accent she heard seemed odd coming from the copper skinned man.

“Thou…thou aren’t real. Is this another dream?”

Setting the tray on the stand next to the bed, Ragtow walked around the bed.

Lifting her with ease despite her struggles, he set her back amongst the rumpled sheets. She swallowed, as the lust she’d seen in his eyes during her dream, returned this morning. “Stay put, Onatah. Jack would have my hide if I let you catch a chill. He takes his job as a nurse quite seriously.”

She frowned at him. “Nurse?” She mulled the word over in her head before giggling when she tried to imagine the other man from her dream nursing a babe.

“Tis not possible…”

“Ah, the language barrier. Jack is what you would probably consider a healer helper. He assists doctors… healers…with caring for the patients.”

Understanding washed over her. “He is a special man then.”

Ragtow sat down on the edge of the bed and held out the cup of orange colored liquid to her. She cocked her head. “What is it?”

“It’s orange juice, ma puissance. Try it.” Holding the glass to her lips, he allowed her to sip on it. The burst of citrus along her tongue was surprising. It was both tart and sweet. When he took the glass from her mouth, she protested.

“A little bit at a time. Too much, too fast can make you sick. Or so I’ve been told.”

The bang of the outside door had her looking up. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Ragtow looked down at her. “That will be Pajackok, or Jack as most call him. Our company has just arrived. Someone has been quite anxious to see you again.”

Pulling the covers up to her chin, she stared at him with big eyes and trembled with fear. She didn’t want to meet anyone else from this strange time.

“Do you honestly think either Jack or I would allow another to hurt you? We’re here to love, cherish and protect you. We would sooner cut off our own arms than allow you to be hurt.”

She shook her head as the voices grew closer. They both seemed familiar. There was definitely a man’s and a woman’s voice coming from the other part of the longhouse.

“I know it’s going to be a lot to ask but I want you to trust us, ma puissance.”

She swallowed as the door opened and Jack strode in, in all his glory. Desire shimmered along her nerve endings as his fluid stride brought him to her side in three long strides. Tipping her head back, she couldn’t help but be amazed at his height. He was taller than any man she’d ever seen. With his hair neatly divided and braided, he looked immaculate in the cream breeches and button down shirt. He was quite the contrast to Ragtow, who was wearing the faded denim jeans from her dream and a soft tunic with his hair flowing down his back. She noticed the tunic was the same color as the one she was wearing herself. Perhaps it belonged to the man.

“Good morning, ma tranqililite. I’ve brought you a visitor. Do you feel up to seeing her? After last night’s experience I can understand if you’re not ready. You’ve been through a lot. It’s not every day a woman travels almost two hundred years into the future.”

She squeaked and grabbed at the covers. It hadn’t been a dream. She’d actually gone into the future! Trembling she yanked the covers over her head as if doing so would whisk her back to her own time. This couldn’t be happening.

She never saw the humorous looks Ragtow and Jack exchanged. When the total silence finally got to her, she peeked over the edge of the blanket to see both of them watching her with smiles on their faces.

“What does thou find so funny?” She glared at them both, which had both men struggling not to laugh.

“We’re not laughing at you, we swear. Your reaction just surprised us.” Jack watched her with mirth in his eyes. She couldn’t help it. His attitude was infectious and she was soon smiling along with him. She never even stopped to wonder at why she felt so at ease with these two strange men.

“Better?” Ragtow’s question was soft, as his hands gently untangled her death grip on the edge of the blanket. “I assure you that you’ll love this visitor. She’s waited a long time to see you.”

Nibbling on her lip, she tried to decide. The air filled with tension and Ragtow’s breath hissed out of his chest before Jack swore softly and rubbed his finger over her lower lip to free it from between her teeth.

“Enough, ma tranqilite. You are tempting two very hungry men. We don’t want to rush this and you’re making it difficult to resist.”

A tickle of desire settled in her stomach as she looked from man to man. The memories of her dream were tormenting her now. She wanted more than anything to be wrapped up in a world where it was just her and the two men sitting on either side of her.

A knock broke the spell and her gaze jerked to the door. Jack kept his eyes on her before bidding the person to enter.

“Come on in.”

The last thing Onatah expected to see enter the room was the tall slender woman wearing the same blue jeans as Ragtow and a flannel shirt tucked into the waistband. If it weren’t for her beautiful chocolate eyes and slender beaded chocker around her neck, Onatah would’ve never recognized her much loved and mourned older sister.

“Orenda?”

“Hiya, baby sister. I see you made it. I’ve missed you.” The lilting quality was still present in her sister’s voice but the words she spoke made very little sense to Onatah.

“What are thou doing here? Thou died in the river. Am I dead?”

Orenda smiled and stopped next to the bed. “No. You crossed over just as did I. I foresaw your eventual