The Holy Road

Chapter LXIV

There was strong talk of resistance to the sending of people to prison but it didn't lead to action. Those selected for punishment were shipped east, leaving only tears behind them.

Owl Prophet had been the most vocal of those who still wanted to oppose the whites but he aimed his wrath at Kicking Bird. The prophet counseled furiously with his owl, and after a climactic, public demonstration, declared, "Kicking Bird is a betrayer. such a man cannot live. Kicking Bird will die soon."

The prophecy quickly became common knowledge, but if it disturbed Kicking Bird, there was no evidence as he went about his multitude of public duties.

Yet Kicking Bird was changed. His eyes had widened perceptibly, as if some internal shock had frozen them in wonder. The look on his face made people so uneasy that a majority came to expect that the prophecy would be fulfilled.

Four days after the deportees left in chains for the east, Kicking Bird consumed his morning coffee and became violently ill. The pain heightened all day and by early evening had consumed him.

Though he had been nowhere in the vicinity, it was widely believed that Owl Prophet had somehow arranged Kicking Bird's death.

Kicking Bird loyalists might have murdered Owl Prophet in turn, but they didn't have to. Everyone knew that a Comanche who killed a fellow tribesman was certain to die himself, and those who watched for signs of Owl Prophet's demise did not have long to wait.

Three days later the prophet was found dead in his bed, and, like Kicking Bird, the cause of his passing remained a mystery.