Gold Raven (18 page)

“
Do not forsake me! I have prepared a place for her. Do not forsake me! I have followed my father’s instructions for what I was to become. For Chief Red Crow…no other will do! Gold Raven is mine! She shall be mine.” He declared, refusing to submit his fate to the impossible, no matter what the teachings of the white man, he was still very much an Indian of his ancestor's ways, and he believed in fate and destiny. Golden Hope Webster was his destiny, just as he was her destiny. With that feeling strong and sure in his heart, he drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow construction on his mother's home would continue. On completion of it, it would be time for his Gold Raven to arrive.

Just as the mighty crow he and his father had watched all those years before, preparing and waiting…so would he, and she would come to him…he only need have faith…for the gods of Red Crow…would not forsake him.

Fort Le Croix, 1827

“
You want those guns back Capíton, you get me gold. Only I can tell you of the hideaway. On your own, you will never find it. Give me what I ask, and I give you what you want most of all, thee bandito Miguel! The rifles and the land titles, it is up to you.” Santiago smugly bargained with a shrug while negotiating with the fort’s captain, Everett Pryce.

“
How do I know I can trust you? That’s a lot of gold you’re asking for, plus you expect to have clearance to hold up freely in the camp. As well, one of the women to be left with you…you ask alot – being the low lying snake that you are.”

Santiago grinned, “Ah yes, this is true.” He sucked on his teeth, inspecting his dirty nails for effect, and then looked back up at the captain. “I may be this snake you speak of, but – this snake can get you Miguel. This snake can get you the return of the guns. What I ask is little compared to what you request from me Capíton. Such praise and honor would be yours…for bringing in the infamous villain Miguel. Aaaah, I think you will pay me this. If no, then send your men in search of him.” He sat forward in his seat, staring sternly. “They will die before they find a clue as to where he can be found.”

“
Maybe, or – I could torture you and your men until one of you spilled your guts of all I wish to know.” Pryce threatened the prisoner his men had captured out on patrol.

“
Emm, well – you have a point there, but – my men, they are Apache you see. They would sooner let you cut their hearts out to feast upon as they watch before they would gr
ovel or plead to any white man for anything – even their lives! As for me, how am I to know that once I tell you, you will not continue to torture me anyway. Could be, you will do what you will regardless. You have me now; I must weigh all odds carefully. I don’t know, death must come to all at sometime Capíton…at some time.” Again he shrugged.

Pryce sat looking at him.
'Nasty, dirty, Mexican!'
Santiago must have read his thoughts; he grinned and sat back comfortable and confident. “You torture me, kill me. You will only be right back where you started, with nothing! No way to uphold your honor, no way to retrieve those rifles…and no Miguel to bring before your betters.”

No matter how afraid, Santiago was, he knew not to show it. If your enemy smelled or saw the fear in you, they would believe the tortures effective and begin to inflict them. He had to put up a front as if he cared not one way or the other. His gut feeling was that this captain wanted Miguel bad enough to bargain with him to get him. He would wait and see just how bad, the next few moments would tell.

With a tired sigh, Pryce stood from his desk, turning away from the bandit. He needed to inhale cleaner air while he did his thinking. Truth was, he could not afford to blow an opportunity to capture Miguel. Pryce stood knowing this.

‘
The bastard wants gold! How in hell am I to get a hold of that amount? Not only that, he wants his freedom. Miguel is worth setting him free – he, after all is the bigger catch!’
As far as Pryce was concerned, it had nothing to do with the viciousness of the crimes Santiago was known to have committed. It had to do with the infamy of a criminal. The name, the stories built up around one, in the case of Miguel, the exaggerated tales of him.

Capturing him was said to be close to impossible…stories of legendary proportions had been attributed to him, glamorizing him, romanticizing his fame. He was the one he wanted, because it was he…who would give him what he most wanted; the fact that he had stolen guns, his men’s payroll, and the land deeds added to the lure.

Corp. Barnes stated that they’d come out of nowhere, and were upon them before they had time to react. The question that tugged at him was, how did they know of the delivery? He wasn’t about to get a headache over it, they knew! They struck, following the directions of the leader, Miguel.

‘
What the hell! I have means of getting gold, and if gold is what he wants, then that’s what he’ll get.’
He thought cunningly.
‘Fools gold! What better fitting reward for a fool?! By the time he realizes its worth, I’ll have that son-of-a-bitch Miguel in my jail.

Damn them – where are my bars?! That should have been the first thing completed in this fort! A jail with bars! Instead of our storage shed! What the hell, what matters is that I get him, no matter what he is in, just as long as I have possession of him, th
at bastards going before the firing squad, what matter is there if he resides behind bars!’

Pryce turned back, his eyes meeting those of the man sitting and awaiting his decision. “It’s a deal.” He agreed, standing straight and determined, his hands clasped behind his back. “With this warning, you pull anything we haven’t discussed, you’ll be sorry…better yet, you’ll be dead.”

Santiago chuckled, “Capíton, please…surely I am no fool. You are doing me the greater favor…of course I know this. As long as I get what was promised to me, the gold, his sister and the camp, you will have what you wish.”

“
Very well, as agreed, instead of her going to Fort Jacques with the other women prisoners, she will remain behind for you.”

Santiago smiled, his eyes glazed over as flashes of her played in his mind, imagining having her all to himself, looking up at Captain Pryce…his smile brightened.

* * *

The giant merchant ship sliced over the great Atlantic on route to New York for yet another delivery. Its cargo hold weighed down with iron bars imported from Europe to be delivered to the new forts that were springing up all over the southwest. Fort Ferguson and Fort Le Croix were the first two on the list to obtain them. Although established, they lacked the necessary facilities for imprisoning any captured Indians or bandits – now running rampant in the area.

For the captain of the ship, the Wind Cutter, it had been a long journey. One that he would be glad was ending when they finally docked at the pier. Two more days, and they should be within sight of their homeland.

Manny gave a deep sigh as he stood at the rail of the starboard bow, the sea spray lightly sprinkling his face and hands as he leaned at the railing watching porpoises race playfully alongside the mighty vessel.

This was his life now, at sea. This is what he preferred because there was no where else he wanted to be. Sadly with no other family but Leon, who was ever by his side. A smile came to Manny’s face when he thought back to preparations to leave Webster Fields again. He had said his goodbyes, telling his father, Jordan, Henry and Charles of his decision to leave and once again take up time in his merchant trade. Without Lena, or their children, he could not get himself to stay. He told Jordan, should he return within the next two or three years, it would only be because Lena was back by his side.

Returning without her would mean he was only back for a visit. Everyone was sad to see him leave once again, but it affected no one the way it did Leon.

All the while, he readied himself for his journey; Leon spoke not a word, but followed him in his preparations. Asking, “Where we going now? What we gonna do next?”

Manny had turned to him. “Wouldn’t you rather stay here, help with the plantation, maybe start yourself a family?”

Leon looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Ms Lena was my family. Mikey was my family, Hope my family…you my family. You go, that’s the last of my family; I’m going wit’ you. Much as I love everybody here, once you gone, ain’t really no reason for me to stay. Less you’on’wan’ me t’go?”

Manny stood in disbelief, counting his blessings. Never had he imagined that one man's loss of a son would someday come to fill such a large part of his own losses.

“
I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Where I’m going, what might happen while I’m out there.” He’d explained.

“
Least you won’t be by yo’self. Cause I’ll be wit’you.”

Manny smiled at the memory as Leon strode up to stand beside him asking, “What I may ask, are you thinking about?”

“
You, you and how fortunate I am to have you here with me.”

They stood a few quiet moments with neither speaking, Leon unable to say anything. He couldn’t imagine letting Manny go anywhere without him, he loved him too much; he was the closest thing to a father he had, since his own had died so tragically. It little mattered to him what Manny wanted, or where he went, as long as he could be there, he was happy. “Two more days, we’ll be home, then what?” He asked.

“
We check with Garland Paige, he should have returned with something on Mike.” Manny answered.

“
And if not?”

“
We continue our hunt for Greyson. I know
that
Clarence Winston alerted him that I was on his trail. I doubt that he was out three times in a row. My last visit, I found that the coward had moved his entire business.”

“
So there’s no doubt, he is the one who had her taken.”

“
No doubt in my mind. Now if we could only track the scheming weasel down.” He shook his head. “However, finding him is not going to tell us where Lena and Hope are, since he lost them himself.”

“
They could be anywhere, God only knows where.” Leon added, his speech and manner more refined since being with Manny.

Who took every opportunity available to teach him to read, write, do numbers and conduct business
; along with his newly acquired skills, Manny also dressed him accordingly, decking him out in the fashion of a young gentlemen, gone were his insecurities and fears – there was little he was incapable of doing now to contribute in helping Manny with his business. The closeness of the two was not overlooked among his crew members, they respected and followed Leon’s lead as Manny expected them to.

“
What’s even worse, I’ve seen the wanted posters for the outlaw Miguel. I have a gnawing fear that he
is
my son.”

“
No sense borrowing worry. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For the time being it is out of our hands.”

“
True. I don’t know what I’m going to do if he is. I just hope I can get to him before the soldiers get a hold of him.”

“
I thought the posters were sketchy at best. No one has actually seen him close up.”

“
No…they haven’t.”

“
Let’s not worry about it then. You should concern yourself with Miss West, she barely tolerates me, what is she to think when you pop up with a son, a possible outlaw at that?”

Manny cut him a dirty look. “I could have done well without that being brought to my attention, thank you?” He griped sarcastically. “Besides, it is none of her business.”

“
If you marry her?”

“
We’ve spoken little of such things.”

“
She’s expecting it to come from you, and as much as I love Ms Lena, maybe you aught to start planning going on with the rest of your life. After all, you aren’t getting any younger.”

Leon joked, fully aware of how sensitive Manny was about his growing age. “Ach, the rub, need more salts perhaps?!”

“
I only meant-…”

“
Yes, I’m fully aware of what you meant.”

“
I’m merely pointing out what we both might have to face up to, and that is, never finding Ms Lena. You can’t expect Miss West to wait forever. I must say, while of the elite, she is a sturdy woman. It would do little good were you to let her slip from your hands, while you hold out for something that may never be again.”

Manny made no reply. He couldn’t. No matter how right Leon might be, he didn’t want to think about her right at this place and time, he would see her soon enough when they reached New York.