She hadn’t told David anything about her medicine-training; she’d been very reluctant to talk about it for a long time—and then, when he might have been interested or at least impressed, it had been too late to tell him.

Mooncrow led David into the living room, playing the herald, with every iota of his dignity and power wrapped around him like an invisible blanket. From the odd look on David’s face, she knew that their first trick had worked. He had been startled to find Grandfather here. He had been even more impressed by Mooncrow’s aura of authority; his posture and the way he moved told Jennifer that Grandfather had asserted himself without saying a single word.

“David Spotted Horse is here to see you, Jennifer,” Mooncrow said formally, then moved around behind her, leaving David standing on his own at the entrance to the hallway. As Mooncrow faced away from David, he gave her a slight wink; she took her cue from that, and used her own Power to augment her presence, just as he was doing. Then Grandfather was behind her, deferring to her, which should have told David that he was walking on dangerous ground.

But he seemed oblivious to the nuances; or else he had made up his mind and was resisting anything that might change it. He took another pose, scowling, trying to intimidate her.

On my own ground? I don’t think so.

“I think you said everything you needed to, earlier this evening, David,” she said calmly, before he could start in on whatever speech he’d memorized. “Unless, of course, you are here to apologize for misjudging me.”

That triggered an explosion of temper. The scowl turned into a glare, and the warrior lost his cool. “Apologize? For what? Look, woman—I came here to give you one warning—”

She pulled her head up, and stopped him with a look. Behind her, she sensed her Grandfather doing the same—but this was her show, most of the Power was coming from her. What Mooncrow was doing was only enough to show solidarity.

And later, when David thought all this over, that might shake him up some, too.

Enough to make him really think? Not likely. But I’ll have given him his chance.