That night, nobody slept.
The settlement changed after sunset.
The laughter disappeared.
Children were taken into the inner shelters.
Women gathered supplies.
Warriors disappeared into the darkness.
Daniel sat beside a small fire with Chief Ashen Bear and Selene.
The map lay between them.
Daniel studied every mark.
"How many people live here?"
"Nearly two hundred."
"How long have you hidden this place?"
"My people have known these canyons longer than any government map has existed."
Daniel nodded.
"And someone wants them gone."
Selene looked at him.
"Not someone."
"Who?"
"Marcus Vale."
Daniel recognized the name immediately.
Everyone in the territory did.
Vale had started as a trader.
Then he became a land speculator.
Then a mining investor.
Then something much harder to define.
He owned businesses in Tucson.
He had men in several towns.
He had friends among officials.
And he had a reputation for making problems disappear.
Daniel remembered hearing his name after his cousin's death.
Now the pieces began fitting together.
"Vale wants the valley."
Ashen Bear nodded.
"Gold was found beneath the western cliffs."
Daniel looked toward the mountains.
"How much?"
"Enough to make a rich man greedy."
Selene added:
"And enough to make a greedy man dangerous."
Daniel studied her.
"You knew about the mine?"
"My father knows."
Ashen Bear shook his head.
"We know there is gold. We do not know how much."
Daniel looked again at the map.
"Then why attack now?"
The chief pointed to a series of symbols drawn along the western edge.
"Because the map shows the location of the old water route."
Daniel understood.
The gold was valuable.
But the water was more valuable.
If Vale controlled the underground springs, he could control every ranch and settlement for miles.
He could force people to sell their land.
Daniel felt anger rising in his chest.
"So the attack isn't about gold."
"No."
Ashen Bear's eyes hardened.
"It is about ownership."
Selene looked at Daniel.
"And you were meant to become part of the lie."
Daniel frowned.
"How?"
"They would kill you here."
Daniel stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because then they could say you attacked our village."
The thought was horrifying.
Daniel imagined his body left in the valley.
A rifle placed beside him.
A few dead warriors.
A burned cabin.
A story written by someone else.
He would become the excuse for a massacre.
His name would be remembered as the name of a man who betrayed both sides.
Daniel stood.
"When are they coming?"
Ashen Bear answered.
"Tomorrow."
The next morning began before sunrise.
Daniel wanted to leave.
Every sensible instinct told him to ride south, reach the nearest military post, and bring back help.
But there was a problem.
Vale's men had already closed the southern route.
Two scouts had disappeared overnight.
The village was surrounded.
Daniel stood on a ridge overlooking the canyon.
Selene approached quietly.
"You could still leave."
Daniel looked at her.
"Could I?"
She smiled.
"No."
Daniel laughed.
"Then why ask?"
"Because I wanted to know whether you would try."