Gold Raven (45 page)

"Drop it…now." He repeated. This time she did. He loosened his grip just enough to ease her pain…but was not ready yet to let her go.

With quick and angry movements, he moved them to his horse to remove an arrow from the quiver.

"Please let me go now. Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I get crazy sometimes and forget myself. What are you doing? What is that for? What do you need an arrow for?" She squealed, exhausted.

He ignored her nervous questions as he put the flint tip of the arrow into his mouth and broke it off its long shaft, spitting it to the ground.

"All that stuff I said, I didn't mean it. Really I didn't. What are you doing? Why are you pulling me over here?"

She asked, noticing that he was up to something that was starting to worry her. They were next to a boulder now, butted up against the incline, which seemed perfect to sit on.

"Wait a minute! Wait – a'minute! Wait – no – you can’t do this to meee!! I'm sorry I’m sorry – please wait!” Hope screamed out as she found herself over his lap facing the ground, her arms ached now, which prevented her fighting back. She tried to pull free but he held her wrist behind her, keeping her from dropping away to the ground. Pinning her flying legs beneath his leg took only a moment, leaving her rump high and round in perfect place for his plan. With her head and shoulder under his left arm, as he held her left wrist tightly, he raised the arrow shaft and lit into her.

"Ai-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ih – stop!!! A-i-i-i-i-ih!!"

The pain was more than she could bear, Hope could not remember ever getting a spanking in her life. After the fourth stroke to her burning rear, Hope bit into Red Crows thigh as hard as she could.

"Ooow!" He bellowed turning her loose as he inspected her teeth marks left on his thigh. Hope scrambled across the ground from him crying, as her butt sizzled. She jumped to her feet to run from him, but he tackled her before she could take two steps. A short wrestling match ensued until she was flat on her back beneath him with her arms stretched overhead.

"No more…no more…I won't fight – no more fighting! Just don't hit me anymore… please!" She begged breathlessly. Her face was red and tear streaked with smudges of dirt on her skin. He was also sweating and breathing hard, his thigh was throbbing. He could feel her breathing hard beneath him, her breasts crushed to his chest as he held her. Hope started panicking anew in such a position with a grown man lying on top of her.

"You're heavy…let me up." She mewled, afraid.

Red Crow lay a few minutes more, satisfied that for now…her lesson was well learned. She licked her dry lips, drawing his attention there.

Suddenly she could feel the fight go out of him as his eyes softened on her. His hand reached up to gently brush the hair from her brow, tracing the arch of it; softly stroking down to her cheek, chin and lips…he was in rapture. Full dark lips, soft and tempting – urg
ed him to taste.

Hope could not move but stared up at him with wide eyes, having no idea why she was allowing this man to be intimate with her, by allowing his lips to touch hers.

She knew she should struggle, but the struggle was all out of her. For once, she was curious and amazed at her feelings, feelings of wanting to be overcome by him. Then something different was taking place, he felt heavier…especially the lower part of his body. His eyes closed, his head slanted and his mouth opened over hers.

Shaken, she could not believe that he was putting his tongue into her mouth, kissing her with a sucking, yet prodding of his tongue.

This sudden ravishment of her mouth made her heart palpitate…she had no clue of how to deal with this, she had never been kissed before. All of a sudden, she could not catch her breath and began pushing at his chest – aware that he no longer held her wrists. Both of his hands were firmly cupping her head as he dominated her mouth.

She pushed harder trying to twist her mouth away from his as her hips squirmed and moved to lesson the pressure of something uncomfortable and hard wedged between them. She felt dizzy as he hungrily drew the breath from her. Panicking and whimpering, she wanted him to stop. She twisted her head away sharply. "Stop…I can't breath. Something's hurting me – get off."

Red Crow took a long breath, and rolled off and away. Quickly he stood, walking to his horse to conceal something that was unfamiliar to her. He smiled – pleased; it was apparent, she was inexperienced and unwise to the ways of man and woman; as her husband…he would teach her. Still facing the horse, his back to her, he announced firmly. "We must be on our way. Fight me no more, Gold Raven. It is not my wish to hurt you." He turned back to her; she was standing with a look of confusion on her face.

"You must learn that what is meant to be cannot be changed. You wish to find your brother, become my wife – first. Then I promise you, I will see to him. The longer you delay, the longer it will take."

She stood shaking again, confused, afraid and lost. Bewildered and tired, she wanted sleep…rest and relief. Tears gathered and rolled. "I don't know you." He walked up to her. "Your mother knew me and trusted you to me. You will get to know me again, just as you knew me long ago. You trusted me then…again you will come to trust me. Come."

Her lip quivered and she began crying in earnest. "It may be too late already. He may be already dead…oh God…my brother…"

He pulled her into his arms and held her close. "No, he is not dead. He has not lived through all he has, to end the way you believe." He could feel hot tears landing against his skin; he tilted her face up by her chin. His thumb stroked the tracks of her tears. With no more words needed, he kissed her forehead. Turning he pulled her to his horse, lifted her onto its back and leapt up behind her.

She was spent and freely fell against his chest, abandoning her fight for the time being. Red Crow smiled, remembering another time he had carried her. Then too she had laid her head on his shoulder and yawned with the tiny voice of a baby.

"Me sheepy, eh co'."
He smiled at the memory. It hit him full in the chest, it was over, his waiting brought them full circle.

It was a bright and beautiful sunny morning; Maria knelt in the backyard clearing weeds from her herbal garden. Lolita stood at the back door shaking out the gathered rugs from the house as her brothers, Felix and Papo, were cleaning out the barn and raking the hay into neat piles under the hayloft. Celina sat contented and happy in the swing positioned near the front side of the house that Esteban had hung from the giant oak. He had finally finished it for her and it had become her favorite place to be. As she swung, she could hear him chopping wood behind her near the rear side of the house towards the back yard. Her rhythm was in time with each chop she heard as he split the large stump down into quarters for later burning. "Look Esteban, see how high I can go!" She called out to him excitedly.

"I see, but you must be careful of your arm, you may hurt it before it is completely healed… don't go so far up!"

"It don't hurt no more…really, i's alright." She assured him. His worry stemmed from her injury after Santiago had thrown her against the wall, hurting her arm. They had to bandage it up and keep it elevated because it had become swollen, causing her severe pain. She had been the only one with injuries to worry over. Papo had suffered a few cuts, Felix a busted lip and a tooth knocked out. Recuperating from the terrible event had left Maria urgently wanting to set out in search of Hope and Miguel; but Esteban had convinced her it was wiser to stay put.

If by some chance he were to get away and come to them…they would be gone. He was sure that his father would come to them and it was up to him to keep things under control until his return. After struggling with the decision, Maria relented and they stayed. Each of them hoping and praying that their father, her husband, was okay and on his way home, regardless of what Santiago had said to them.

Celina swung back and forth, going higher and higher as her brother continued his chore. She thought about him with love and admiration, Esteban was her favorite of the siblings…her hero.

Next to her father and her mother, he was someone she trusted and loved above all others. When she was hurt or not feeling well, even while her mother saw to her needs, she looked for Esteban to ease her through it, and he did.

Back and forth, higher and higher, she wanted to show him how brave she was, how daring; she wanted him to know that she was okay. Her goal was to get even higher; she looked behind her to see if he was watching – he wasn't – he was engrossed in his work, she turned back smiling and slowed a bit to stand on the swing. Standing she knew she could go really high; maybe as high as Papo always did, he could go the highest of them all; except for Esteban…but he was too busy to play.

Standing, she pumped her little legs, holding onto the ropes, throwing her lower body forward and then back to re-gain the momentum she lost climbing the seat to stand. She loved the way the wind blew in her tawny gold hair; she closed her eyes feeling the fresh morning mist refresh her and then she opened them again.

From the position of their home, she could see far in the distance, over two rises in the land, just a little higher and maybe she could see over the third, a small rolling hill. Determined to reach that high – her smile was triumphant as she finally caught sight of the third rise and then, her smile melted to be replaced by fear as she noticed dust stirring, and specks on the horizon. She pumped harder and higher as her heart started pounding, hoping that what she saw was in her imagination. It was not, a moment later it was clear to see, riders – a wagon.

Panic shot threw her, making her whimper as she slowed the swing. "Esteban!" She cried out trying to stop the swing to get off. "Esteban!" She cried again. After a moment, she was able to stop it and jump off. "Esteban! Riders! Men! Esteban! Esteban!" Her panic evident as she ran into his arms.

To give his son time to rest and recover; their travel had been slow. Manny, Mike, Gaitsu and Leon broke off from the other men. Manny, sent them ahead, telling one of his foremen to pick up the last delivery invoice. They were to rest a few days and then continue on to Charleston, staying there until Manny and his family showed up. After all met up at that location, they would board one of his ships to make the journey back to New York.

After a few days of travel, Mike left the wagon bed for a saddle and horse, ready to cover some ground in an urgency to reach his family. In that time, Mike and Manny had long talks, usually after Leon and Gaitsu had retired, once they stopped for the night. Most of the conversation was on what Manny had been doing for the previous fourteen years; his search for them, the progress of his shipping business and how it allowed him to travel to different worlds. He spoke of his hopes that maybe, just maybe – Mike would take an interest in his business as well. In the midst of it all, he also came clean that he was presently involved with a woman who was making plans for an engagement party – which would lead of course…to their marriage. Knowing he could not let such a thing take place, he shared the fact that he would end the relationship once they reached New York. Mike withheld any judgment of his father. Being with him now as an adult, he decided to just listen for once.

In doing so, he came to grips with the fact that his father was just a man, as imperfect as any other. As for his mother, they discussed her only in the context of both needing to find her. Manny was hesitant to bring her up for a lengthy conversation for fear of stirring emotions in his son he just didn't want to bring between them. For now, it was just their small group, Manny wanted to use that the time to hopefully bind and fix the past errors.

Both were overjoyed that finally, the majority of the family would be back together once they reached the Lake Charles property; where Maria, Hope and the children waited for his homecoming. Before long, Manny finally mustered the nerve to ask Mike what had happened to him after being taken from Webster Fields. Mike spared nothing, he admitted wishing that he had found him, how he had prayed that he would.

He told him about Mr. Lawrence and how relieved he had been to end up with him, thinking that maybe he would see him back to Webster Fields but before he could explain to him how it was that he was a slave, the attack took place. He confessed losing hope after that, switching his focus to survival because he knew he was on his own. He told Manny about Ephraim – his rise up in the camp and finally having to kill him. He also told Manny about Jessie…chatting about her lightened the talk as both found themselves laughing at the whims, tempers and actions of women. Yet, from her – came his greatest gift…his son, Esteban.