Trail of Lightning

The first chapter begins with the smell of a monster, mixed in with the smell of the child he stole. Maggie is at the Lukachukai Chapter House on the trail of a missing child. This house is located in a community of Diné (Navajo people), a community joined by a collective memory stretching back for all of time. These people look to Maggie and her supernatural powers for help in situations like this, but not all of them seem to think she has a good reputation. At the house, Maggie promises the lost girl’s mother that she will find her, but she cannot guarantee she will find her alive. Although Maggie does not know her exact familial relation to these people, they still expect her to feel a “kinship obligation,” or her k’é (3). The girl’s uncle negotiates payment with Maggie for her services, but some of what he offers is worthless, and Maggie offends by family by rejecting it. The girl’s family is unsure if Maggie is worth additional payment, however. Although Maggie was trained by a famous warrior named Neizghání, he is long gone, and she was only the apprentice. The girl’s brother offers to find his sister himself, but the danger of monsters is too great.