Page 40 of Property of Mercury

“I have,” I convey. “I’ve held the tripwire in my hand. I’ve seen the transmitters. They’re using civilian-grade tech, but they’re using it with a military mindset. They’re prepared to defend their ground with everything they have, all to be able to continue to play their sick, twisted games. Like I said, they’re a cancer and we need to get rid of it.”

“They have weapons,” Daniel states. It’s not a question, it’s a shock.

“Yes,” I tell him. “They have guns. They have knives. They have bows and arrows, and other pull string archery equipment. And they have the element of surprise. But the biggest weapon they have is the ignorance of the people who live around them. They rely on the fact that no one will look for them. We’re taking away that advantage.”

“You are reckless,” one of the elders says, but there is a glimmer of respect in his eyes.

“We’re determined,” I correct him. “There’s a difference.”

“You want a tracker,” Daniel says. “You want one of our people to walk into the belly of this beast with you.”

“I want someone who can read the land,” I reply. “Someone who can tell me if the wind has shifted in a way that suggests a hidden shaft, or if the birds are acting strange because of human activity. I want someone who belongs to this place. Because this place is under attack.” Daniel looks at the other elders. A silent conversation passes between them, a language of glances and nods that I can’t read. Finally, he turns back to me. “You are asking us to risk our people.”

“I’m asking you to join us in protecting them,” I expound. “We’re already here. We’re already fighting. I’m just asking for the best chance to succeed. Our purpose in reaching out is to make y’all aware of what’s going on literally in your backyard, and most likely, has involved some of your people over the years.”

“You speak of these hunters as if they are animals,” Nathaniel remarks. “Are they?”

“In their actions, yes,” I emphatically decree. “They act without conscience. They don’t care about the lives they destroy. If that makes them animals, then yes, they are the worst kind. The kind that needs to be put down.”

“And what happens after?” Daniel probes. “When the tunnels are cleared? What happens to the mountain?”

“The mountain stays intact,” I promise. “We aren’t here to claim land. We’re here to reclaim safety. Once they’re gone, this place will belong to you again, just as it always has. We go back to our lives. You go back to yours. The difference is that you won't have to worry about who’s watching from the shadows of the tree line or the peak of the mountains.”

“It is a hard thing you ask,” Daniel says.

“It’s a hard reality we’re facing,” I counter. “But three of our own women have already been impacted by their insidious poison. Sutton was fortunate that we figured out what was going on, while both Finley and Skippy paid the price. Actually, Skippy still is, to be honest, as she’s in a coma.”

“We will discuss this,” Daniel vows, standing up. “We will consult with the spirits of the land, and we will talk among ourselves. You have given us much to think about, Mercury. Much to fear, and much to consider.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

Mercury

“I understand,” I respond, nodding in respect to him and the elders. “We aren’t going anywhere. We’ll wait for your decision.”

“That is good,” Daniel remarks. “Because if what you say is true, time is not on our side.”

“Time’s never on our side,” I concur.

I step back, letting the elders move to their own space. Gemini steps up beside me, his presence a solid wall of support. We’ve said our piece. Now, it’s up to them to decide whether or not to walk into the fire with us. I glance toward Finley. Her unreadable expression stays on me as I wonder if my words landed. Did I convey enough? Was my message clear, or did I come across as making baseless threats? I’m simply a man who’s witnessed a living nightmare, doing everything in my power to persuade those who matter that the danger is genuine. I walk over to the window, looking out at the mountains. They’re beautiful, majestic, and terrifyingly vast.

Somewhere out there, in the dark, they’re waiting. The hunters. The ones who think they can take whatever they want. They have no idea what’s coming for them. They have no idea that we aren’t just victims. We’re the reckoning. This reservation may be for the Blackfeet tribe, but it’s close enough to where we’re located that we’ll protect them as well.

It’s time for these psychopaths to find out that nobody fucks with the Kings.

And while I’m not completely sold on ancient tribal mysticism since it doesn’t make sense to me on a personal level, I can’t deny that some of the lore surrounding this tribe has been spread far enough that it’s believable. Yeah, it feels a bit woo-woo to me, but they’re steeped in traditions and their beliefs, so who the fuck am I to say it’s not real?

Turning around and facing the room, I notice the elders are talking in low, urgent tones. They’re debating the future of their tribe, the safety of their people, and the threat of the men in the mountain. I can feel the weight of their words. I can feel the shift in the air.

“What do you think?” Gemini queries, leaning in close.

“They’re listening,” I affirm. “They’re angry. That’s good, anger’s a motivator.”

“And if they say no?” he presses, his worry running deep. This involves the women in our lives who mean everything to us.

“Then we go anyway,” I declare, my voice low. “We just have to be more careful. We have to be smarter. We have to be everything they aren't.”