Read Online Saint (Gateway Series Book 2) by Brian Dorsey - Free Book Online

indecision and doubt. Stone so badly wanted his universe to be black and white but he was awash in a sea of gray. And he needed to get his shit together.
    “You’re right Sandwick,” replied Stone. “I’ve endangered you and caused you to lose faith in me. I will regain your trust. I just don’t know how in your…our…this culture.”
    Sandwick chuckled in a combination of frustration and pity.
    “It’s not a culture, Stone. The Terillian are Iroqua, Akota, Siksika, Powhats, Numinu, and Quapaw—each with our own culture and history. We are simply allies in the Confederation.”
    “Allies and cousins,” added Thay. “You, and all the Humani, are part of this history, part of the Confederation of the People.”
    Stone was realizing just how little he knew about the Terillians and himself. “Mori had told me that our ancestors were from the Iroqua and Akota.”
    “He must undergo the Dance or the Requickening,” concluded Thay.
    Stone looked toward Thay. His normal anguished face was replaced by a clenched jaw and a reflective, far-off gaze of contemplation.
    “What are those?” asked Stone.
    “The right ceremony may cleanse you of the Xen pollution and remove the doubt that clouds your spirit,” answered Sandwick.
    “If you accept it,” added Thay.
    “Ceremony. What is it? How do I know which one?”
    “We can’t tell you about the ceremonies, not until we know which one you will go through,” said Thay. “If you’re Akota, it will be the Dance. If Iroqua, the Requickening.”
    “And then it’s the duty of the wichasa wakhan or the False Faces depending on the ceremony,” added Sandwick.
    “So a DNA test will tell me which one?” asked Stone.
    “No,” replied Sandwick, exhaling deeply. “It’s not your DNA, Stone. It’s about your vision.”
    “My vision?”
    “You must go before the holy men and they will help you to have your vision. From there, you’ll know what to do,” said Sandwick.
    Stone was at the same time hopeful and skeptical. He had to do something to put his mind right with his choices. But how much could he rely on the Terillian—or Akot—or Iroqu—whatever…How much could he rely on some spiritual mumbo-jumbo to solve his problem? The picture of the Terillian Confederation he had grown up with was a combination of lies, stereotypes, and half-truths. He realized that until this point he had simply hoped to use the Terillians to save his own civilization. But now, the truth—so clear the whole time—finally sank in. In fact it was like a bolt of lightning. The Humani civilization wasn’t his; it was a fallacy. A trick. A cruel deception by conquerors that had in fact taken his and his entire planet’s culture away from them. He was Terillian.
    “When can I do this?” asked Stone eagerly.
    “Easy, Stone,” interjected Thay. “I can tell you are serious about this and it is good. But things must be done first, people must be consulted.
    “Mori?” replied Stone.
    “Among others,” answered Sandwick. “You are her mate and as an Akota she must seek permissions and…”
    “Why hasn’t she done so already?” asked Stone. He was now concerned that he was having this conversation with Sandwick and Thay instead of Mori.
    “That is for you and her to discuss,” replied Thay. “The Akota are, well, different when it comes to kinship. And neither Sandwick nor I would presume to understand the intricacies, especially since her father is dead and she has no uncles or brothers.”
    “Don’t forget,” added Sandwick. “There are things about each culture that you will not know unless you are part of it. It’s not for us to know why, when, or if Mori will discuss this with you or what she must do beforehand.” He shrugged, then continued, “But she’s also a female warrior. And a Ka-itsenko—very rare. And complicated.”
    “I think the Akota call it strong medicine,” said Thay. “Lots of people, important people, will be watching what happens because