Beyond Blood

John Hunter and Tom Byner are two young men from the Saline District of the Cherokee Nation during the fateful period between the United States Civil War and Oklahoma statehood. Theirs is a land and a people caught between the courts of Hanging Judge Parker and local tribal authority. In a time and place where most still carried a gun, events were occurring almost daily that were to bring about change to their people. Intent on survival, nonetheless, the blood that flows in their veins propels them down a path where they find themselves struggling to maintain the convictions and beliefs that had been passed down to them since the Trail of Tears. It is their anonymity that provides the illusion of sanctuary, but even this is shattered with the arrival of Katie Dickinson, an attractive young girl caught up in the designs of those who see the opportunities to be had at the expense of the Cherokee people. It is through her friendship with Mary Baldridge that she connects with the young men and finds in these three friends her only hope for escape. But Katie's presence places the young men on a path that directly collides with the powers that be, unscrupulous powers that see the friends as impediments to plans for control and reward. As events unfold, each must search within themselves and come face-to-face with their own core beliefs and choose whether to strengthen or weaken in the face of adversity. They are aided by the oversight of their enemies that simply do not recognize the abilities of John Hunter. As they are forced to maneuver the changing world of their people, each step must be placed with care on a path where the gate is strait and the way increasingly narrow. 1